Shadowing Practice: The Lowest Point of My Career | Reset in Japan with @japanairlinesworld - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Seven years ago, I was right here at the lowest point of my career.
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27 sentences
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Seven years ago, I was right here at the lowest point of my career.
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It was during a time in tech where I really thought we were gonna change the world.
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So I worked and worked,
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never taking a day off,
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but little did I know,
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that's not how things work.
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This story isn't new.
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The toxic workplace, working nights and weekends for impact,
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losing the promotions, and being constantly told you're not enough.
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I knew I needed to reset,
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so I took my first break and came here.
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I know I jokingly said that only a trip to Japan would heal a career crisis,
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but how could this not?
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It's being here, where no one knows you.
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It does something to your brain.
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When you finally ask yourself,
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who do you want to be?
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There are no other voices but yours.
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Four companies, three career changes,
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and seven years later, I think I finally figured it out.
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One, there's never going to be one job that fits all your hopes and dreams.
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So create your own.
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Two, if it sounds scary,
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you're going in the right direction.
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And lastly, there's never a dream too big.
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Just a life you haven't built for yet.
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Thank you to Japan Airlines for bringing me back.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

This video is an excellent resource for English learners looking to improve their speaking skills through immersive experiences. The speaker shares a personal story about reaching the lowest point in their career and the transformative journey that followed. By engaging with this narrative, learners can not only enhance their English vocabulary but also understand the emotions and contexts conveyed through language. Utilizing the shadowspeak method or the shadowing technique, listeners can mimic the speaker's intonation and inflection, leading to improved fluency. Observing how the speaker navigates through their struggles can inspire you to articulate your own thoughts and feelings in English, making it a productive practice.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In the transcript, several key grammatical structures and expressions stand out:

  • “I was right here at the lowest point of my career.” - This sentence uses the past tense to emphasize a pivotal moment in the speaker's life. Practicing similar sentence structures can help learners articulate their experiences more vividly.
  • “I knew I needed to reset.” - The phrase illustrates the need for change, employing the simple past tense and a noun to convey a clear message. This format is useful for expressing necessities in various contexts.
  • “If it sounds scary, you're going in the right direction.” - This conditional phrase offers advice by connecting cause and effect, which can enhance learners' ability to provide suggestions or warnings in conversation.
  • “There's never going to be one job that fits all your hopes and dreams.” - Here, the use of present continuous can help learners express future certainty and assumptions. Practicing this can assist in discussions about career aspirations and goals.
  • “Just a life you haven't built for yet.” - This construction reflects hope and possibility, working well for motivational dialogue. It emphasizes the importance of future intentions, encouraging learners to share their ambitions.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While watching the video, pay attention to these pronunciation aspects that might pose challenges:

  • Tone and Pitch: The speaker often varies their tone, especially when discussing emotions, which can be tricky for learners. Practicing the shadowspeaks method will help in mastering pitch for better emotional expression.
  • The word “reset”: This word may be pronounced quickly in conversation. Focus on the vowel sounds and the 't' at the end to ensure clarity. Shadowing this part can help enhance your prospects in improving your English pronunciation.
  • The phrase “never going to be”: Learners might struggle with the linking between words. Practicing this with learn English with YouTube videos can help to smooth out blurriness in speech.

Overall, this video is not just a source of inspiration but also a practical tool for those aiming to improve their English speaking skills through engaging stories and effective language practices.

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.

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