Sound smarter with these 3 language tricks
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I have taken 3 language tests so far. I meet people from different backgrounds and different countries all the time. Because of that experience, today I am going to give you my 3 tricks to sound smarter. And you can even start working on them today! My first target is English learners. So… you have to change the word “English” with the language you are learning in the following parts.
Before we dive into the tricks, I would like to explain the logic behind them. When you talk to people for the first time, your differences make you attractive. And that is where you need to stand out and give a positive first impression. I know it may look unfair but your first conversations have a very huge impact on your connections.
You may be the best developer, scientist, or artist. But if you fail your first conversation you lose your chance to show your skills.
Being smart means optimizing how you learn and what you learn.
We don’t have all the time in the world to learn everything about a language. What we can do is to learn what matters the most.
Now, we are ready to unveil Trick Number 1.
1- Master the “Where are you from?”
Whether you are taking an English test or socializing, you will hear the question “Where are you from?”. Make sure you prepare for that question before meeting people. You can write an essay about your country, your town, and your village.
Do some research about the history and what makes it unique or famous. Start with the geography. Where in the world is your country or town or village? How is the weather over there? What animals and plants do you have? Then continue with the culture. What are the foods? What kind of clothes do people wear? What are the values that your people stand for? What are the traditional music genres or dances? It would be best if you also dived into the economy. What kind of jobs do people have? How is the wealth distribution?
It does not even need to be in English yet! You can write it in French and use Google Translate! Then, rehearse the English version in front of the mirror until you sound natural.
It is even better if you can put that text in good text-to-speech software! You can practice with a Speech Analyzer like this one from Elsa. The “How-to-Pronounce” feature helps you correct the pronunciation of each word. They do not pay me to advertise their product! I am sharing them with you because you can try them for free and I know they work. I am making content for you and I want you to succeed! You also will not tell everything at once. Give a bit of information each time and wait for follow-up questions. Here is an example I may use if I meet a new person:
Me: “Hey, I’m Antsa! I’m from Madagascar! It is an island country that is the southeastern part of Africa. Have you heard about it?”
The person may say, yes or no. Usually, I hear:
“The Madagascar in that cartoon? How can penguins survive in your country? It looks like it is not cold enough for a penguin right…”
Me: “Actually, we do not have penguins, we have other endemic species of fauna and flora. We are famous for our lemurs! We also export vanilla and cocoa. Have you ever seen those vanillas from Madagascar at the grocery store?”
If you can keep a conversation like that about your hometown or your country, you look golden.
2- Nail the “What are you doing in your life?”
As with the “Where are you from?”, this is an opportunity to show off your skills and keep people interested.
Yes, you need to grab people’s interest! That is how you make connections and sponsors!
Tell them about your daily job, the tools you use, and the lessons you have learned from your job. If you are doing research, what is it about, why is it important? Who benefits from it? What results have you already got? If you are taking classes, explain why are you interested in the subject. How are the assignments? Who do you work with? You want to prepare this too! Write that essay and rehearse! Here is my example.
“I am working on Post-Quantum Cryptography. Have you heard about quantum computers? They can do computations that our classical computers cannot handle! And that comes with a threat! Our digital security relies on the hardness of factorization and discrete logarithms. These tasks are very easy for a quantum computer! So we need to prepare new algorithms to use once quantum computers are available on a large scale! With my advisors, we study cryptosystems submitted to the NIST PQC standardization…”
To know more about the topic of my research, you can check the following resources:
- https://csrc.nist.gov/projects/post-quantum-cryptography
- https://crypto.stanford.edu/~dabo/papers/RSA-survey.pdf
- https://www.giac.org/paper/gsec/1332/review-diffie-hellman-algorithm-secure-internet-protocols/101904
- https://webthesis.biblio.polito.it/22653/1/tesi.pdf
- https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/0705/0705.4171.pdf
3- Mention you speak other languages
I always mention that my native language is Malagasy, and my second language is French. I speak English as a third language. I am conversant in Spanish and I am currently learning German. This always amazes people. Most people I interact with only speak one language. Of course, you should be honest about your level.
There will always be people who speak that language in your audience.
And you do not want to embarrass yourself! Let them know that you are improving your English every day! This will make you look more interesting!
Now, let us recap the 3 tricks that make you sound smarter:
1- Master the “Where are you from?”
2- Nail the “What are you doing in your life?”
3- Mention you speak other languages
Send the link to your friends!
Antsa
