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πŸ“™ Part 2: Describe a time when you had to communicate in a foreign language

Ever been 'caught off guard' speaking another language? Rory recounts his nerve-wracking presentation in Russian, sharing top-tier vocab and grammar to help you describe your own foreign language encounters.

Maria & Rory

Β· 11 min read

This episode’s vocabulary

Coincidence

noun β€” an occasion when two or more similar things happen at the same time, especially in a way that is unlikely and surprising.

Depict

verb β€” to represent or show something in a picture or story.

Stick out

phrasal verb β€” to be very easy to notice.

Execute

verb β€” to do or perform something, especially in a planned way.

Receptive

adj. β€” willing to listen to and accept new ideas and suggestions.

Scavenger

noun β€” a bird or an animal that feeds on dead animals that it has not killed itself.

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πŸ“™ Part 2: Describe a time when you had to communicate in a foreign language
IELTS Speaking for Success
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Questions and answers

Rory

Welcome to part two. In this episode, I'm going to talk about a time where I had to communicate in a foreign language that's not my own. I have to say when I used this language, who I communicated with, what I talked or wrote about, and explain how I felt while using this foreign language. Rory, are you ready? Yes, I'm ready.

Maria

Rory, are you ready to rock and roll?

Rory

I am.

Maria

Yes, Rory, give us some good and juicy vocabulary.

Rory

Well, it's quite the coincidence, actually, because I just gave a presentation in Russian on my Instagram, which showed parents how to play flashcard games with their children to help them learn English. So to explain, like flashcard games are where you use pieces of paper with pictures or words on them. And it helps you remember, well, whatever it is depicting when you see them. Now, I said, I just but this was actually a few weeks ago, um, but it sticks out in my mind. Because it took me a lot of effort to, well, first of all, to plan the thing and prepare the material for it and then to execute it. I was communicating with a mass audience via Instagram. So there wasn't too much interaction involved with the people who were there, other than there's like a counter for who was and who wasn't watching. But it seems to have been viewed by a couple of 100 people last time I checked. During the presentation, I spoke about various games that parents could play with their children to develop their receptive and productive skills. The ideas ranged from simple ones, such as asking what a flashcard was, or what it represented, to more complex ones like scavenger hunts using numbered flashcards, for example. I still, despite the planning and preparation, I was quite nervous about the whole thing. And I spoke quite quickly or faster than I usually would in some places. As time went on, though, I started to enjoy the experience, and I managed to finish with a smile. So all in all, I'm quite glad that I did it. And I hope it helps a lot of people. However, even if it doesn't help people, it was still a really fun experiment and a test of my language skills. Most of the feedback so far has been positive. But maybe if people check out in the future, then I'll keep their feedback in mind.

Maria

Do you often have to communicate in a foreign language?

Rory

I don't have to communicate in it, but I do have to understand it when other people are speaking.

Maria

Thank you, Rory, for your answer. -

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