When people think about how to refine their English for use in the art of conversation, they often immediately think about big words they can insert oh-so-casually in ordinary sentences. However, you have to realize that there's more to the art of English than looking at a dictionary for fancy words. First of all, before using a new word, you have to learn how, exactly, to use it. Many people look at a thesaurus and immediately assume that just because two words are synonyms, those words are interchangeable.

What you have to realize, however, is that synonyms often have shades of meaning that make them appropriate for use in one situation but not in another. This means that people should learn about the contextual use and definition of words before they use them. Improving your English is not about using unpronounceable words; it is about knowing which are the right words to use depending on the situation.

The art of English also requires that you know not only how to write your words, but also how to actually speak those words. You must learn how to pronounce words properly and use them in conversations. If you do this, you will lessen the risk of being misunderstood. In addition, the great thing about using your voice instead of writing your words down is that you will be able to convey tone. You can emphasize certain words and also use the volume of your speech to properly convey which parts of your message are important.

Another important part of perfecting the art of English is knowing the difference between formal and informal conversations and how to deal with both. You need to learn how to effectively communicate your message while keeping the other party comfortable. You should also make sure that the other party receives the impression you wish to convey.

Ultimately, it comes down to this: perfecting the art of English is not about showing off with complicated words. The art is not about grandstanding. Rather, it is about making sure that your message comes across clearly by using the right words at the right times.

One of the problems with businesses going global are the languages people end up using in their email communication. I used to work for a French company, with employees whose native language span a pretty varied range - English, French, Spanish and Dutch.

We use English as the common communication medium although things can easily go awry every once in a while. Sometimes, we have Dutch clients who find English a bit difficult to converse in. Instead of struggling to express themselves, they directly address a couple of the Dutch-speaking people in the thread in their native tongue. Since the trend has been started, the rest of the communication usually follows in the same vernacular, leaving us non-speakers bored to tears having to look at the thread.

Since everyone's busy throughout the day and can't be bothered to translate it, the rest of us end up knowing absolutely nothing about the how the thread shapes up - a real problem when one of the issues they discuss can actually be fixed using the expertise of one of the non-Dutch speakers on the list. During weekly meetings, the Dutch speakers will typically clarify how the rest of the communication went, at which point can the rest of us chime in with our suggestions.

A problem like this could easily be solved, though, if we only used a language translation software at work. Can't understand what the last guy wrote? I'll just run it through the application and find out the details they're trying to get across. That way, if I actually have anything useful to contribute, I can immediately join in the thread, instead of waiting for our weekly meeting to solve simple problems or settle basic questions.