12 Self-help tips for Indians to improve English language command

Posted on November 23, 2009

Self help suggestions and tips on improving Indian-English or Desi-English language abroad

“Are you enjoying the movie?”
“Simply”Translated literally from Tamil, simply means absolutely.

There is nothing wrong with the above conversation if both sides know the intended meaning. Now, move that conversation to somewhere in USA or Canada or England, with someone who does not know the ‘Tamil-English’, the actual meaning is lost in the translations. 

English language and English grammar is a bit tricky for those who are not used to it, for those with English as a second language. The basic mistakes we make are when we ‘think’ in our mother-tongue, and then translate in our head (Many of us say ‘translate in my mind  ), and then speak in ‘translated’ English. Here are some self-help tips on improving desi English overseas:

1. Knowing and Having – the problem of the progressive tense: many Indians often translate and speak with excessive and often inappropriate use of progressive verb form.

For example, consider this:
“I am having a fever.”
“I am having a small family”
“I am knowing that you are having a party without sending me invitation.”

Of course, the correct way of saying is:
“I have a fever”
“I have a small family”
“I know you are having a party without inviting me.”

2. Isn’t it – The tag question: We tend to use ‘isn’t it’ without any discrimination.  . It is a habit, but not a good one – everything is not it.

For example:
“Those are lovely flowers, isn’t it?”
“She is so pretty, isn’t it?”

The correct version, of course, is:
“Those are lovely flowers, aren’t they?” Make sure to refer to plural ‘flowers’ as ‘are’ not ‘is’.
“She is so pretty, isn’t she?” Make sure to refer to her as ‘she’ not ‘it’

3.The Royal treatment – the big word syndrome:
The Indian English dialects have originally evolved during and after the colonial rule of Britain in India. We tend to use the royal and big word in day to day speech; such usage is not common in western day-to-day English, especially in the spoken English.

For example:
That is a magnificent idea!
That is a splendid look!

It is not wrong, but more suitable conversation may be:
That is a great idea!
That is beautiful!

4. ‘But’ or ‘only’ to stress a point: That is another thing. We use ‘but’ and ‘only’ to stress. Consider this Indian way of saying, not correct grammatically:

It was he only who broke the glass.
She was just joking but.
She did not go only.

You could say it better such as:
He broke the glass. Or, It was he who broke the glass. ( the stress is on ‘He’)
She was only joking.
In the end, she did not go.

5. Mr. Smith and Mrs. Johnson – Showing respect by using last name: In India, it is cultural thing that we shy away from using first name for our elders, or our superiors at work. However, Western culture is much more informal when it comes to addressing each-other. So it is okay to call your boss by his/her first name, it is okay to call someone much older than you by first name.
If your Boss is John Davis, it is okay to call him John, instead of Mr. Davis.

6. Uncle and Auntie for friends’ parents – NOT:
Okay, this may be a small exception to the rule – Mr. And Mrs. rule – in some cases. Among India cultures, it is common to address the parents of our friends as uncle or aunt/auntie. That is something new and unexpected to the Americans and other western cultures; some may even not like it. In such cases, it is more appropriate to address the parents of you friends by Mr. And Mrs. So, if you are friend with Laura Miller, and if you run into her parents, Mr. Miller and Mrs. Miller is an appropriate way to address them.

So don’t try too hard on desi touch, by introducing yourself something like:
“Hello uncle! My name is Srivatsan Sridharan. I am being friend with your magnificently beautiful looking daughter, Miss Laura Miller.”

Keep it simple to understand and American, something more like:
“Hello Mr. Miller! My name is Sri. I am Laura’s friend.”

Or if you really feel the need to stress Laura’s beauty
“Hello Mr. Miller! My name is Sri. I am a friend of Laura – your pretty daughter.”

7. Don’t eat up the words:
This happens, especially during early stage, when you are not used to spitting out English like you do your mother tongue. Or, in many cases, you may think that incomplete ending is obvious and make sense, but it does not.

For example:
I was planning on going to the bazaar, but then ….

Come one, then what? I am waiting here. Say something complete, something like:
I was thinking about going to the market, but I changed my mind

8. Describing the whole world in one sentence:
Try not to describe the whole world in one sentence. And, it is even worse if you don’t finish the sentence; that is a double trouble. Thanks for whole background and everything, but what was the ending! 

For example:
I was going to kiss her rosy cheek last night under the beautiful starry sky with full moon, but then….

You may say something like:
It was a beautiful starry night with full moon. I was going to kiss her, but I could not!

Or very simply, without describing the surroundings:
I was going to kiss her last night, but I could not!

9. Making a joke about yourself is not a self-insult:
Humor can save you time and time again in sticky social situations. A light conversation helps with creating a friendly environment.

For example, going back to:
I was going to kiss her rosy cheek last night under the beautiful starry sky with full moon, but then….

Saying something like this is completely appropriate, nobody will take it seriously, if you are known to make jokes.
I was going to kiss her last night, but I had a bad breath! 

10. Enunciation and pronunciation:
And, here is the hard part. Make sure you clearly enunciate your words. Speak clear, even if you have to speak slowly. Know your pronunciation. You may want to refer to the common tips on English pronunciation for Indians.

11. Reduce or lose your accent:
Indian accent – often called ‘thick accent’ – is a key hurdle in clear communications. Work on reducing and losing your accent, if you think that is an issue. For complete details on how to lose your accent, you may want refer to these two posts:
How to lose your accent
Self-help guide on losing your accent

12. Practice, practice and practice:
Yes, cannot say this enough times. Most of the above ways of speaking are our habits, the way we are used to speaking back in India. You cannot change it overnight. Practice as much as you can. It takes time to get used to the new way of speaking. Listen to others – how they speak – and use feedback from others to improve your spoken language.
And finally, don’t worry too much about it, just make it a conscious effort to improve your spoken language; it is a part of the journey abroad.