Shadowing Practice: International Culture - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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in the past people would usually only mingle with people of similar cultures and backgrounds
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in an increasingly global society it is becoming more common to have colleagues clients
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and contacts from all corners of the globe
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while this may herald a multitude of previously unheard of opportunities for businesses and individuals alike,
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it also presents challenges.
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When we are children, we are taught what is right and what is wrong.
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We are taught how to act in specific situations and what to say and do around other people.
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The challenge of a multicultural working environment is
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that you may be dealing with people who were taught to say or do things differently than you when they were kids.
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Does that mean that they're wrong?
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No. But it does mean that an awareness of such issues can help make any cross -cultural exchange smoother and easier.
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Recognizing and welcoming diversity is a key step towards true international business success.
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And while we may not always agree with the way people from another culture do things in their day -to -day lives, it is important that we respect them.
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One of the biggest challenges is not to make negative assumptions about people
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if they do things differently from what you are used to.
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If a Japanese contact is not comfortable with shaking hands, it doesn't mean that they don't want to touch you.
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It simply shows that they are more used to greeting each other in a different way, by bowing.
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If your Brazilian client is late for a meeting, it doesn't mean that you are not important to them.
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It simply reflects the belief that arriving on time is rude.
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Most Brazilians appreciate people who arrive after the allotted start time.
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The world is a big place.
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And there are a great many ways to do everything.
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A little awareness of this can go a long way.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “International Culture”. This video has 15 sentences and 317 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:19. The speaker talks at a steady 137 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| awareness noun | /əˈwɛɹ.nəs/ | The state or level of consciousness where sense data can be confirmed by an observer. |
| arrive verb | /əˈɹaɪv/ | To reach; to get to a certain place. |
| differently adverb | /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/ | In a different way. |
| belief noun | /bɪˈliːf/ | Mental acceptance of a claim as true. |
| smooth adjective | /smuːð/ | Having a texture that lacks friction. Not rough. |
| reflect verb | /ɹɪˈflɛkt/ | To bend back (light, etc.) from a surface. |
| increasingly adverb | Increasing in amount or intensity. | |
| shake verb | /ˈʃeɪk/ | To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly. |
| diversity noun | /daɪˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪti/ | The quality of being diverse or different; a difference or unlikeness. |
| bow noun | /ˈboʊ̯/ | A weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other flexible material whose ends are connected by a string, used for shooting arrows. |
| globe noun | /ɡloʊb/ | The eyeball. |
| rude adjective | /ɹuːd/ | Lacking in refinement or civility; bad-mannered; discourteous. |
| alike adjective | /əˈlaɪk/ | Having resemblance or similitude; similar; without difference. |
| assumption noun | /əˈsʌm(p).ʃ(ə)n/ | The act of assuming, or taking to or upon oneself; the act of taking up or adopting. |
| colleague noun | /ˈkɒliːɡ/ | A fellow member of a profession, staff, academic faculty or other organization; an associate, a workmate. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are taught · were taught |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who were · people who arrive |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as doesn't, don't, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shake /ˈʃeɪk/, assumption /əˈsʌm(p).ʃ(ə)n/
- Long words — get the stress right: differently /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/, diversity /daɪˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪti/, multicultural /ˌmʌltiˈkʌlt͡ʃəɹəl/
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 awareness, arrive, differently.
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.