Shadowing Practice: IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Cultural Differences - Learn English Speaking with Video

Hi everyone, I'm your IELTS tutor Jack and today we have a topic that I really enjoy talking about with my students.

It's cultural differences.

Okay, welcome back and I hope you enjoyed last week's episode.

That was a bit of a special one.

I tried to take you through my process of answering IELTS questions.

I hope that gave you a little bit of insight.

It's not easy, especially those part threes.

I get a lot of questions in my comments saying, how can I do what you do?

How can I answer part three questions concisely and logically?

So I hope, as I said, last week's episode cleared that up for you.

Now, today we're talking about cultural differences.

And when I look at my textbook, there's a lot of difficult vocabulary.

Definitely.

I think if you want to be specific about culture, you do need some quite high level vocabulary.

It gets very specific.

So to give you some examples, there's etiquette, diversity, subculture, taboo.

I love the word taboo.

When we use taboo, it means that something, a subject is something you shouldn't talk about.

It's a subject that's avoided, maybe for religious reasons or for societal reasons.

So definitely, I think every culture has their taboo subject.

There certainly are taboo topics, taboo subjects here in South Korea.

It is a noun or an adjective.

And I think I'm really going to try to use that in today's answers.

Now, of course, this is the Arts Plus Total Speaking Textbook and you can find that at BritPlus.net.

That's where you can find all of this language and of course the structures and strategies that I use in each episode.

So go and check that out.

And without further ado, I think we'll get, oh no, hold on, I must give you a student challenge.

Let's not forget.

Today's student challenge, I want you to answer the following question.

have you ever experienced culture shock have you experienced culture shock

so culture shock of course is when you're in another culture

and you find some aspect overwhelming uncomfortable and it requires you to adapt

so let me know in the comments below i'm really excited

to hear this one maybe you've experienced england i don't know

but tell me when you traveled what is an example of culture shock

and give me some detail what what did you experience how

did you feel how did you overcome it that's your student challenge today i'm glad i remembered

and let's start with some part ones have you ever visited

a country with a culture different from your own okay i've visited several countries from with cultures different from my own.

A number come to my mind, but a good example would probably be Thailand.

When I went to Thailand for the first time, it was so exotic.

There was so many things to see and experiences to have.

but also I noticed wow there it's so different from the UK

that I definitely experienced some culture shock while I was there.

Next question how do you feel about experiencing new cultures?

I really really enjoy experiencing new cultures so one of my favorite things to do is to travel.

I've been to several countries and especially in Southeast Asia

which is near where I'm located I'm in East Asia

so I'm really fascinated to see different cultures the way

that their etiquette is different to my own seeing maybe the subcultures you know you see

that in Japan where they have all these subcultures with amazing clothing and hair

so yes I'm a huge fan of experiencing other cultures good

okay you might hear I'm starting to get some of

that language into my answers it's going to be hard today

and we're going to go straight on to a part two as normal I'm not going to warm up

and my question today is describe a time

when you experienced culture shock okay so this is similar to the student question

and well I of course you will know I'm I think you will know I'm British I'm from England

but I currently reside in Korea I've been here 15 years

so it's a long long time I am like a local now

but definitely huge culture shock when I came here

so by the way this is not my answer we're going to put two minutes on my on the clock

and my time starts now.

I'd like to tell you about South Korea.

I came to South Korea in 2010, January 2010.

So it's been 15 years.

It was an immediate culture shock when I came off the plane and noticed how,

you know, as I'm moving through the airport, people are so much busier and

there's a lot of hustle

and bustle people are maybe touching each other I mean they're

kind of shoulder barging each other it was certainly different different etiquette standards

which surprised me so immediately I felt wow I'm in a totally different place

and as I as I spent more time in South Korea

that so many things really stood out to me but just briefly on the positive side.

The hospitality was amazing.

The way that South Koreans take care of guests, especially if you are part of the family or friendship group, is beyond anything I've ever experienced.

So let me tell you a little more about south korea

south korea is in the east of asia it's very influenced by confucianism originally it's changing now

but that means that it's a very collectivist culture

and as i said they really take care of each other they like to do things in groups

so this definitely was a source of my culture shock

when I came here that wow people love to be in groups and there's less individuality

for me personally it was really tough it was very hard

to overcome the culture shock I remember it took at least three months to feel comfortable here

but such a growing and learning experience for me.

I quickly made friends and traveled different parts of Korea.

And okay, that was that was nice.

To be honest, I don't know how I'm doing with the language.

There's certainly plenty I see here that I'm not using.

And particularly, I'm not using taboo.

So let's listen out for taboo in my part three questions.

Do notice that I want to make one note.

Do notice how the past section was so past focused.

That was the past section around the first minute.

And then I said, let me tell you a little more about South Korea.

And then that was very present focus and South career description focus.

So getting that big difference between topics and tense gives you more diversity in your answer, more variety.

So that's a really key point that I tell my students here in my academy.

Excellent.

100

Let's do some part threes.

101

What are some common cultural differences that people might encounter when traveling abroad?

102

Okay.

103

There are a number of cultural differences that you're always going to face when you travel in another country.

104

But I think a really good example is the way people speak and the topics they talk about.

105

So, you know, I've noticed that British people and American people tend to say a lot.

106

We say a lot.

107

You look at small talk and we talk and talk and talk.

108

and that really shocks my students in South Korea because in South Korea it's

109

it's certainly not customary to say a lot in conversation

110

and small talk is quite short and it's difficult for English learners in South Korea.

111

I also noticed that the taboo subjects are different

112

and in East Asia there are many more taboo subjects so definitely when you travel other countries, you have to be careful what you talk about.

113

Good, okay, I did it.

114

Taboo subject, taboo, that was a good way of getting it in.

115

The next question is, how can learning about cultural differences improve international relations?

116

I think it's very important to learn about cultural differences in order to understand other people.

117

I think it's very easy to get offended by people and assume that they're rude, but it has nothing to do with rudeness.

118

It is entirely a cultural difference.

119

This is something I have worked on myself so that I'm able to empathize with different people around the world.

120

I think with this, it will allow us to adapt quicker to multicultural and multinational communities,

121

which we are seeing more and more.

122

For example, in Seoul, it's really becoming more of a multinational city with different ethnic groups and cultures.

123

Okay, I'm feeling good today.

124

I think I'm doing okay with the language.

125

I hope you're enjoying these answers.

126

And of course, when you're listening to me,

127

you should be thinking about your own answers and how you would adapt my answer to different questions or your experience.

128

Okay, the last question for today is, in what ways do cultural differences impact communication?

129

I think the obvious answer is that it makes communication more difficult.

130

Now, there's a number of reasons for this.

131

As I've talked about before, it could be because of the different ways of approaching small talk

132

and the types of topics that you can and can't cover.

133

uh also an important aspect is the non-verbal

134

so the physical communication the way that you use your hands

135

and arms body it's very important because it can make you seem more aggressive

136

and that can have a negative impact on communication so the etiquette around communication

137

is so important to understand and something we need to learn more in order to not offend others.

138

Okay, that's everything for today.

139

I really hope you enjoyed that.

140

I revealed some of my experiences and I enjoyed talking about it.

141

Of course, you have your student question for today, which is, have you ever experienced culture shock?

142

Which really is a kind of a part two question.

143

but just tell me which country did you go to and what was your experience?

144

Give me some details.

145

Have a lovely week this week.

146

Study exceptionally hard, and I look forward to seeing you next week because we are going to talk about daily routine,

147

a seemingly easy one, but we have to make some adaptions to our strategy.

148

You will see that next week.

149

Goodbye.

150

Outro Music

📺 Same Channel

✨ Recommend Video

79 sentences

The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS unit 6 attitude and opinion

IELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepUniversity Students

109 sentences

IELTS SPEAKING 2026: Why Does Your Mind Go Blank? | Common Problems | Ideas & Vocabulary

IELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepUniversity Students

359 sentences

IELTS Speaking- Perfect Pronunciation and Fluency

IELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepUniversity Students

20 sentences

CELPIP Speaking Task 1 - Real question + Sample Answer 1 | 2025

IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepInterview English

231 sentences

IELTS CAMBRIDGE LISTENING BOOK 18 TEST 3 WITH ANSWERS

IELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepUniversity Students

218 sentences

IELTS Ep 2 - Talking about travel in British English

IELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepUniversity Students

36 sentences

IELTS SPEAKING PART 1: FASHION

IELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepHigh School Students

238 sentences

How to Start Speaking in IELTS Part 3

IELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepInterview English

205 sentences

IELTS Speaking Band 7.0 Mock Test with Feedback

IELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepUniversity Students

55 sentences

The Challenges of Cultural Diversity

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Cultural Differences”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: culture, taboo, shock, korea, answer. This video has 150 sentences and 1755 words to shadow. The speech runs for 12:32. The speaker talks at a steady 140 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
taboo noun	/təˈbuː/	An inhibition or ban that results from social custom or emotional aversion.
etiquette noun	/ˈɛt.ɪˌkɛt/	The manners or decent behaviour to be observed in social or professional life; conventional decorum; the ceremonial code of polite society.
subculture noun	/ˈsʌbˌkʌltʃɚ/	A portion of a culture distinguished by its customs or other features, often in contrast to the larger mainstream culture.
adapt verb	/əˈdæpt/	To make suitable; to make to correspond; to fit or suit.
multinational adjective		Of, or involving more than two nations (externally between countries or internally in a country).
offend verb	/əˈfɛnd/	To hurt the feelings of; to displease; to make angry; to insult.
textbook noun	/ˈtɛkst.bʊk/	A coursebook, a formal manual of instruction in a specific subject, especially one for use in schools or colleges.
vocabulary noun	/vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/	A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning.
adjective noun	/ˈæd͡ʒ.ɪk.tɪv/	A word that modifies a noun or noun phrase or describes a noun’s referent.
bustle noun	/ˈbʌsəl/	An excited activity; a stir.
collectivist adjective	/kəˈlɛktɪvɪst/	Of or pertaining to collectivism.
concisely adverb		In a concise manner, briefly, without excessive length.
empathize verb	/ˈɛmpəˌθaɪz/	to feel empathy for another person
fascinate verb	/ˈfæsɪneɪt/	To evoke an intense interest or attraction in someone.
individuality noun	/ˌɪndɪvɪd͡ʒuˈælɪti/	The characteristics that contribute to the differentiation or distinction of someone or something from a group of otherwise comparable identity.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
come off verb		To become detached.
look forward to verb		To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to.
warm up verb	/ˌwɔː(ɹ)m ˈʌp/	To become warmer.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

How can I answer part three questions concisely and logically?
Next question how do you feel about experiencing new cultures?
Let's do some part threes.
I think I'm doing okay with the language.
I hope you're enjoying these answers.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 43 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

Long words — get the stress right: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, collectivist /kəˈlɛktɪvɪst/, individuality /ˌɪndɪvɪd͡ʒuˈælɪti/, multicultural /ˌmʌltiˈkʌlt͡ʃəɹəl/, customary /ˈkʌs.təˌmɛɹ.i/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like taboo, etiquette, subculture.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Cultural Differences - Learn English Speaking with Video

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Art

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Clothes & Fashion

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Comedy

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Stress

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Food

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Education

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Shopping

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Adventure

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Music

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: The Internet

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Daily Routine

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Crime & Punishment

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Animals

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Family

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Globalization

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Work-Life Balance

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Weather

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Technology

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Urbanization

IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Sport

The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS unit 6 attitude and opinion

IELTS SPEAKING 2026: Why Does Your Mind Go Blank? | Common Problems | Ideas & Vocabulary

IELTS Speaking- Perfect Pronunciation and Fluency

CELPIP Speaking Task 1 - Real question + Sample Answer 1 | 2025

IELTS CAMBRIDGE LISTENING BOOK 18 TEST 3 WITH ANSWERS

IELTS Ep 2 - Talking about travel in British English

IELTS SPEAKING PART 1: FASHION

How to Start Speaking in IELTS Part 3

IELTS Speaking Band 7.0 Mock Test with Feedback

The Challenges of Cultural Diversity

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?