📙 Part 2: Describe a time when you had to communicate in a foreign language

This episode's vocabulary

Coincidence (noun) - an occasion when two or more similar things happen at the same time, especially in a way that is unlikely and surprising.

Depict (verb) - to represent or show something in a picture or story.

Stick out (phrasal verb) - to be very easy to notice.

Execute (verb) - to do or perform something, especially in a planned way.

Receptive (adj.) - willing to listen to and accept new ideas and suggestions.

Scavenger (noun) - a bird or an animal that feeds on dead animals that it has not killed itself.

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Questions and Answers

R: 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.

M: Rory, are you ready to rock and roll?

R: I am.

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

R: 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.

M: Do you often have to communicate in a foreign language?

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

M: Thank you, Rory, for your answer.

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