MSI Press Blog

  Communicative Focus  was written through collaboration of Boris Shekhtman, who had left the Foreign Service Institute to open his own highly successful private school, using language teaching techniques that were quite unique but extremely effective, and Dina Kupchanka, a young teacher who taught for him.  The realization of the principles introduced in  Communicative Focus  had appeared earlier as actual classroom exercises in several publications, a book published by Cambridge University Press ( Developing Professional-Level Foreign Language Proficiency ),  How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately  (an immensely popular book published by MSI Press), and articles in the Journal for Distinguished Language Studies. The theory behind these activities had never been spelled quite so explicitly before (lack of room in the previous publications to include theory). Further, it took some time before the profession was ready to move on from teaching language as linguistics and teachi

Excerpt from Working with Advanced Foreign Language Students (Boris Shekhtman) -  Preface  This little booklet is far weightier than many tomes four times its size. The nuggets of wisdom distilled in it come from more than two decades of extraordinarily successful experience in working with students at the highest levels of foreign-language proficiency. The quality of Boris Shekhtman’s instruction and his insight into advanced students’ learning needs is a subject with which I have had first-hand knowledge year after year.  Many years ago, in 1984, Boris, and a colleague, Natalia Lord, approached me, as their supervisor at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), with a request to develop a course for advanced students. Any student who had already reached Superior-level proficiency at that time and was returning to FSI for a refresher or enhancement course, was treated as a tutorial. However, Boris and Natalia saw the possibilities in grouping these students into small classes

  Communicative Focus (Shekhtman and Kupchanka) which has been read for language instructors for year is now available as an e-book. At last! Book description: In the current volume, the author describes in detail the theory and nature of the principles and practices used in his approach to language teaching. He is not afraid to talk about some aspects of language learning and teaching, such as the development of lexical and grammatical accuracy, as well as the need for memorization and the development of memory, that have been increasingly omitted from the classroom as a result of the rise in popularity of theories that debase their significance but which are very important, especially if students are to reach the highest level of proficiency. He also discusses some ideas, such as the unique nature of the connection between language and meaning that native speakers experience that non-native speakers must learn to deal with-in differing ways at differing levels of proficiency. His fo

  Boris Shekhtman's thousands of fans will be delighted to know that their clamoring for an e-version of his popular book, How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately , has resulted in a Kindle book becoming available. Description of the book: This is the fifth edition of a popular book that provides a unique and extremely powerful 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 in their own columns. For more posts about Boris and his works, click

  Ever seen those planes in airplane magazines -- learn languages like a diplomat? The implication is that a course being sold teaches you like diplomats are taught. Misleading. I taught diplomats for six years. While the "courses" are generally ripped off, older, public-domain courses that very likely were used at the Foreign Service Institute at some point in time, they actually do not represent how diplomats are taught since diplomats learn language from interactions with skilled teachers, working in highly individualized environments and very small classes. Very little of what they do in their intensive day-long classes can be represented in a textbook, which generally is just a jumping-off point for work on language development.  That said, a few MSI Press books are written or edited by teachers who did teach or supervise teaching programs for diplomats. They wrap the theory in content meant for non-diplomats, self-learners, or specific kinds of language classes in ways

  Our most purloined book is How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately by Boris Shekhtman. I find it on various sites, completely stolen in spite of \evident copyright (and often no way to contact the thief to send a cease-and-desist letter -- hopefully, some of the publisher associations working on this issue that plaques all authors and publishers will find some effective solutions). Usually a bad copy, i.e. heard to read. Our most popular book is How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately , outselling some of our books 9:1 and our next bestselling book 2:1. Are these sales numbers in spite of the purloining or, ironically, thanks to the purloining (e.g., purchasers wanted an easier-to-read copy, the purloiners brought the book to the attention of potential readers who would not otherwise have known about it)? I suppose we will never know the answer as to whether the book benefitted from or was harmed by the thefts. It will be so helpful for professional organizations t

  Language islands, a concept made clear by Boris Shekhtmna in his book, How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately , are presented in living color on Youtube by the Learn Your Language enterprise. You can watch it  HERE . To read more posts about Boris and his books, click HERE .                                   Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter                           Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

  All English Blog posted a review and overview of How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately by MSI Press author, Boris Shekhtman. The review is dated, but the information is fresh and so comprehensive that it is indeed worth bringing readers' attention to it, especially the detailed overview of the book contents. Summary given in the review, which gives an extensive overview of the book contents: "If you want to have a relationship with a native speaker you need to be able to communicate on their level. And using these approaches helps you put your best foot forward and helps you look your best using the existing language skills and vocabulary that you possess." The review can be seen HERE . For more posts about Boris Shekhtman and his books, click HERE .                                              Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter                           Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

  Released yesterday: the hard cover of edition of How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately by Boris Shekhtman.  Read all about the book HERE .                                                  Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter                           Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

  Excerpt from Communicative Focus : Why is the language performance of native and non-native speakers different?       On the face of it the answer to this question is quite easy. The difference in language performance between native and non-native speaker can be explained by the degree of their command of the language. Native speakers have excellent command of the language and non-native speakers, poor command of it. But why is this so?                                                                   In his book The Native Speaker: Myth and Reality, Alan Davies (2003) defines 6 factors which make a person a native speaker. The most important factor is the acquisition of language in childhood. Successful acquisition of language typically happens by the age of four and is   guaranteed for children up to the age of six.   After that, the potential for native   language acquisition is steadily compromised until shortly after puberty and is rare thereafter. Maturational ch

  "Dr. MacGiver says, "T his book is staying on my shelves for circulation to friends who are interested in it and maybe the occasional reread (this was already my second reading of it)." Read the full review HERE . Read more posts about Boris Shekhtman and his books HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.

  Poliplumas writes:  Shekhtman gives some excellent advice on learning a foreign language, focusing on conversational techniques to improve learning and confidence. I find his approach helpful for any foreign language student at any level.  Read more here . For more posts on Boris and his book, click HERE .                                         Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.

  Says Nikos:  Boris Shekhtman's book is a surprise for even an experienced language learner. He provides multiple ways to develop skills and overcome communication problems with native speakers. I highly recommend this book if you want to learn to speak fast. Read the review in full here . Read more posts about Boris and his book here .                                         Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.

Summary of a review by Luca Lampariello, foreign language learning guru and tutor, of How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately by Boris Shekhtman: In a field where most books deal are colorful, well-produced, and full of information on one specific language, Boris Shekhtman’s  How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately  stands out for being almost the complete opposite—short, unassuming, and devoted to teaching the skills of language, rather than one language in itself. This unusual combination of factors leads to a book that is greater than the sum of its parts; a book that I believe every serious language learner should buy, read, and reread regularly. The book’s communicative tools shine as intuitive guidelines for improving language fluency  right now . With the advice in the book, you have everything you need to communicate your “current” level, navigate difficult conversations with natives, and  speak in a more fluid, natural way . Given the book’s short, compact f