English Language Improvement Program extends student's vocabulary

The music academy where she studied in her home country of Kazakhstan held competitions that attracted judges from all over the world, says Aimira Kalizhanova.

 

“Many times I worked as a translator to help these judges,” says the third-year business student, who speaks English, Russian and Turkish in addition to her native Kazakh.

 

Despite spoken English skills sufficient for translation work, she still lacked the specialized terminology for university-level work. Kalizhanova says the Fall 2008 semester she spent in the English Language Improvement Program enriched her vocabulary and prepared her for academic success.

 

“In ELIP, we covered many complicated issues, from science to economics, that I was not aware of. This helped me extend my vocabulary,” she says. “The program provided me with some reality of university life — basic terminology as well as language and grammar skills.

 

“The greatest moment was when I passed the CAEL exam (Canadian English Language Proficiency test) and I realized I was in university!”

 

She says the program exceeded her expectations in preparing her for further study at the Odette School of Business.

 

“You get training in business communications. You have to write a lot of essays and make presentations,” Kalizhanova says. “Now I am getting the knowledge I need to return to my country and contribute to the development of Kazakhstan.”