MSI Press Blog

  When learners hit a word they don’t understand, they often freeze—or worse, ask “What does that mean?” and stall the exchange. But  Skillful Questioning , a technique from Boris Shekhtman’s  How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately , offers a smoother way forward. It works like this: instead of admitting you don’t know the word, ask  contextual  questions that treat the new term as part of a familiar story. You stay engaged, and the meaning often reveals itself naturally. 🧭 What Does Skillful Questioning Look Like? Take this sentence: “When I came into my room, I saw a corpse lying on the sofa.” You don’t know the word  corpse . Rather than saying “What’s a corpse?”—ask: “What corpse?” “Why was it on the sofa?” “Who brought it there?” These questions don’t spotlight your confusion. They pull out details that give the word meaning, all while keeping the dialogue going. 🛠️ How to Practice “Skillful Questioning” 🔍 Stick to the Situation Ask questi...

  Today's Publisher's Pride is  How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately  by Boris Shekhtman, which reached  #54 in study and teaching reference and #135 in academic and commercial writing references . the successful practices of diplomats and international journalists now available to any language learner Book description: This is the fifth edition of a popular book that provides a unique set of tools designed to enhance an individual's success in communicati0n in a foreign language environment. The devices presented allow the speaker of a foreign language to demonstrate the level of his/her language more impressively, so impressively, in fact, that it appears that the speaker's language itself has improved overnight. These techniques were developed and tested by the author with adult professionals in such varied fields as journalism, diplomacy, government, and international business. Many of these professionals have attested to the efficacy of these tools i...

  Once learners master clarity and accuracy, it’s time to add  color . The  Embellish It  tool, outlined by Boris Shekhtman in  How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately , helps advanced speakers level up their discourse by adding complexity— with control . It’s not about sounding academic—it’s about painting fuller pictures and extending conversations. When done well, embellishment transforms speech from transactional to expressive. 🧵 What Does Embellishment Look Like? Take a simple sentence: “My brother John lives in Hollister.” Now, add relative clauses, descriptive phrases, comparisons, and additional details: “My brother John, with whom I’ve unfortunately lost touch over the years, lives in Hollister, which lies just south of San Jose and not far from San Francisco. Hollister, like its more famous neighbor, is cradled by mountain views, but unlike San Francisco, it sits inland, a short drive from the Pacific without touching it directly.” Suddenly, ...

  One of the biggest barriers to fluency isn’t vocabulary—it’s  translation thinking . Learners try to fit the foreign language into the mold of their native tongue, resulting in awkward syntax, unnatural phrasing, and constant hesitation. Breakaway  says:  Stop translating. Start living in the language. 🧨 Why Breakaway Matters This tool invites learners to: 🚫 Quit cross-language comparisons 🧠 Engage directly with native grammar structures 🗣️ Speak using patterns they've internalized, not constructed 🔄 Loop fluency and grammar acquisition together Translation is useful in early comprehension—but in speech, it’s a bottleneck. The faster you drop it, the sooner fluency flows. 📐 The Three Rules of Breakaway Only Use Target-Language Grammar Don’t mimic native-language phrasing Let the structure of the foreign language guide you Use Grammar You Know Automatically No guessing, no improvising Build speech from patterns you’ve mastered Know As Many Structures As Possib...