As a trilingual English teacher, I ensure you you will be able to speak English fluently and confidently. I am aslo an English literature graduate so i provide school support classes as well.

Find out more about Mirna

• Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  I am a native Arabic speaker. English was the language my parents decided to pay extra attention to because they wanted us to become naturally bilingual. For some reason, I ended up studying English literature as my major, which truly shaped and refined my language abilities, as well as part of my personality.
  
  
  Therefore, I have always been passionate about languages. I decided to learn Chinese on my own, and later, ironically enough, it became the language I use at work on a daily basis.
  
  
  I remember that during high school, I had a great passion for writing and creating stories. There was one English teacher who inspired me and believed in me enough to make it my dream to become a teacher. And here I am!

• Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language’s culture?

  If we are speaking about English, I would say the Brontë sisters because they influenced my writing style and literally reshaped the world of English female writers. They were among the first women to begin publishing their creative writing under their own names instead of using pseudonyms.
  
  
  One unusual group I would also give credit to is Generation Alpha, although they have influenced standard language in a way that is not always positive. However, their creativity and ability to create new terminology to communicate and express what they are going through in their era is very bold!
  
  
  After all, a language’s main goal is first to express, then to impress, and finally to turn into art!

• Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behavior in the language that you particularly like?

  In Arabic, I love how poetic we are. The culture of giving compliments and exaggerating is very common. I often mention this to my students when I tell them that we have four or five different ways to bless someone’s morning, such as Sabah al-ward, Sabah al-noor, Sabah al-kheir, and Sabah al-kheirat wal-lairat. They are always astonished!
  
  
  I also like the English phrase “read the room.” It is interesting that English uses this phrase to describe understanding people’s moods and feelings without anyone saying anything directly.
  
  
  In Chinese, there is a saying:
  
  树挪死，人挪活。
  Shù nuó sǐ, rén nuó huó.
  
  Literally, it means:
  
  “A tree dies when it is moved, but a person lives when they move.”
  
  The idea is that trees are rooted in one place, so moving them can harm them. People, however, can benefit from changing their environment, travelling, trying something new, or leaving a difficult situation. Change can create new opportunities and help a person grow.

• Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  Every time I learn a new language, it feels like I am unlocking another part of myself that I did not know existed!
  
  With every new experience I have and every person I connect with by speaking their language, I feel that I have learned something new and understood human beings better. This is something that only people who speak multiple languages may be able to fully understand.

• What is the main difficulty in learning this language, and what can help the process of learning?

  A lot of people complain about grammar because it can be very frustrating, especially since every language has its own system.
  
  The solution is to take it slowly and avoid overwhelming yourself with too many grammatical rules at once. Work step by step by correcting and focusing on one grammatical rule at a time until it is fully understood and acquired. Then, move on to the next one.
  
  The second difficulty is pronunciation. One of the things that is often misunderstood about pronunciation is that the tongue and the entire oral cavity contain many muscles that need to be exercised. These muscles must learn how to articulate new sounds correctly, with the right amount of vibration or breath, and the movements must be mastered.
  
  
  There is no such thing as “I can’t” when it comes to pronunciation. You simply need to practise more, and I am here to help!

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

  I have always had a special love for languages, history and art. The days I spent studying and exploring these subjects were some of the best days of my life.
  
  
  I still consider myself a lifelong student who aspires to learn something new every day.

• How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  Yes! Moving to Dubai and working with Chinese students literally took my Chinese to the next level.

• What makes you a Superprof in language?

  To summarise everything I have said in this interview, a language is a new world before my eyes rather than merely a system of sounds.
  
  As someone who is also a language student, I understand how to handle the hardships and obstacles of learning because I have experienced them myself.
  
  
  In addition, I studied teaching academically during my university years. Teaching methodology was a mandatory subject that I had to complete in order to graduate.