(Translation in English)   

   Hello, my name is Maria, and I took the  Class for the past five months. I am a nurse with over 20 years of experience, well into my 40s. Despite my age, I challenged myself to become a registered nurse in the United States and am currently awaiting my P4 visa as part of the immigration process after receiving a job offer.

   Before starting this class, I had studied English for the IELTS exam required for the Visa Screen, but I had a typical Korean accent. Even when preparing for job interviews using Zoom, I was filled with a desire to speak English fluently but didn’t know the proper methods. I often found myself imitating and memorizing without a clear understanding. As someone who had children with experience in English immersion programs, I struggled to imitate the sounds they effortlessly made, leading to a lack of confidence.

   By chance, I discovered Sorion English (formerly, Younghan School) and decided to start training my English pronunciation at an age when language learning is considered challenging. Initially, I questioned the necessity of training in English phonetics and articulation principles. However, after listening to the transformed pronunciation of a former student, I decided to follow the instructor’s training methods faithfully. I was surprised to realize that the sounds of the alphabet I learned in school and those pronounced by North American were completely different. From that moment on, I started to hear their pronunciation much better.

   I enjoy walking and exercising daily, so I practiced the assigned training while walking. This way, I didn’t have to set aside specific time for training, and it became a natural habit. I extended my practice gradually, focusing on consonants, vowels, words, phrases, and sentence structures. The weekly assignments provided a sense of accomplishment, and immediate feedback from the instructor helped correct mistakes promptly. I gained the confidence to pronounce challenging sounds like Dark L or R convincingly. Sounds that were initially challenging, such as variations and contractions, became easy to articulate, and my listening skills improved rapidly.

   Consistent daily training was not an easy process, especially in the later stages when practicing sentence and paragraph listening and speaking became painful. I often questioned if I was following correctly and lacked confidence. However, at those times, the sincere support and coaching from the dedicated instructor became a great source of strength. Thanks to the instructor’s genuine passion and coaching, I believe I was able to complete the long Class.

   These days, English sentences come to mind automatically, and I can speak them easily. I even dream in English. I have been consistently practicing listening and speaking skills, allowing me to watch Netflix’s “Good Doctor” without subtitles, including English ones. While not perfect, I can understand and enjoy the content without major difficulties.

   For those who are urgently preparing for immigration or residence abroad, and especially for individuals like me who became U.S. nurses but lack confidence in English conversation and listening, I highly recommend taking this course. Learning the pronunciation principles of English, a language that is not a native language, will open your ears and experiences, just like a baby learns its mother tongue by listening and imitating hundreds and thousands of times.

   I appreciate the enthusiastic instructor who supports students even on holidays and generously provides a well-structured curriculum with principles, theories, methods, and know-how for effective foreign language acquisition. Don’t hesitate to follow the curriculum diligently; I believe you will become an English speaker not inferior to a native speaker.

Thank you, October 5, 2023 Yun