Practicing English with AI and Real People

 The city I live in has many Japanese people, as well as other Asian communities, Indian families, and of course, many Americans. People from different backgrounds seem to keep a comfortable distance from one another and live fairly peacefully together.

There are also many Japanese people in my neighborhood, and thankfully, many of my mom friends are Japanese as well. In some ways, I could almost get by without using much English at all.

But somehow, almost 30 years have passed since I came to the United States.

When I first came here, I had this strong determination: “I’m going to master English.”

But as life went on, I got busy with work, raising kids, and just surviving everyday life. Studying English gradually became something I kept putting off.

Recently, though, even if it may be a little late, I started feeling that I really should put more effort into improving my English again.

One thing that has helped a lot is how much AI has evolved. These days, we can actually practice conversation with AI, which is something I truly appreciate.

One app I used before was an AI English conversation app called Loora. I liked that I could record my own voice and check my pronunciation. About two years ago, I used it almost every day for about six months.

At that time, though, the conversations with Loora started to feel a little repetitive. The flow of the conversations became predictable, so eventually I switched to ChatGPT.

With ChatGPT, the topics are much broader, and it can adjust to my level and interests. It feels more flexible and more natural as a conversation practice partner.

The only thing is that my voice is not automatically recorded, so if I want to check my pronunciation objectively, I still need to record myself using a video or voice memo once in a while.

Listening to my own English is not always easy.

Sometimes I think, “Wait, is that really how I sound?”

It can be a little shocking.

But maybe noticing those things is part of the learning process.

I also try to get used to the speed of real English by watching Seinfeld on Netflix with English subtitles. I read the subtitles while listening and see if I can keep up with the pace of the conversation.

I feel like older TV shows tend to have slightly slower conversations compared to many newer shows. These days, people seem to speak so fast in dramas, YouTube videos, podcasts, and everyday content.

I wonder if the way people speak changes with the times too.

Still, talking with a patient, polite AI is very different from talking with a real American person who may be blunt, sarcastic, impatient, or simply moving at a natural speed.

The atmosphere is completely different.

So is my level of nervousness.

AI waits for me when I get stuck. It does not get annoyed when my English sounds strange. It gently corrects me.

But in real conversation, there are facial expressions, timing, pauses, jokes, sarcasm, and the whole mood of the moment.

To step into that kind of conversation, I think we need more than just English skills. We also need a certain kind of courage.

On the other hand, I have also experienced conversations where English was far from perfect, but the heart was there.

When I talk with other first-generation Asian immigrants, sometimes our English may be imperfect on both sides, but somehow we understand each other.

The grammar may not be perfect.

The pronunciation may not be perfect.

But the feeling comes through.

Those moments remind me that communication is not only about language ability.

I tend to be shy around people.

But I have friends who are not necessarily fluent in English, yet they get along with all kinds of people because they naturally have good communication skills.

When I see that, I realize that English ability is important, of course, but maybe friendliness, courage, and the willingness to connect with others are even more important.

And maybe those things come from experience.

Not only in English, but in life in general.

Maybe we do not have to wait until we are perfect before stepping outside.

Maybe we can go out into the world while we are still imperfect.

We can make mistakes, feel embarrassed, and slowly get used to it.

Even after almost 30 years in America, I am still learning English.

But now we have AI as a practice partner, and in many ways, learning has become much easier than before.

The next step may be to gather just a little more courage and practice with real people too.

Maybe learning English is not only about studying a language.

Maybe it is also about practicing life itself.