Hurdles that stand between me and English fluency (1/4)

English is the word that many Koreans can’t get out of their head. To me, it’s embarrassing to speak in English when I work in my office. When a phone call suddenly comes up with displaying pretty long numbers, then I become very nervous. My phone rings loudly over three times…… then I pick up the phone and reluctantly say “Raw material department, this is Jewan, how may I help you?” It’s perfectly okay for me to start with a greeting and have small talk in English. However, as the conversation is going on, my English might be incorrect, keeps messing up and I feel like an air of silence fills is filled with the office and other coworkers listen to me. Finally, the phone call is over and I find myself sweateding all over. I wonder why many Koreans, including me, are afraid of using English even when we study English over 10 years. So I think of what hurdles stand between us and English fluency. Let’s first look at the different pronunciation matter when Koreans speak in English.