Please help me correct this essay and give comments. Thank you in advance.

This essay is for a subject called "Academic Writing". We have to write a formal and academic expository essay at the C1 level (unlimited number of words). Criteria I am sure of are: Accuracy of grammar, vocabulary, and collocations used in the essay. This is not an essay for IELTS, but I do hope you will understand and give us comments from what you see. Thank you in advance.

Topic name: How to withstand language barriers in communication when studying abroad

Imagine you are studying in the US. What should you do if an American friend tells you the classroom is on the first floor, but you cannot find it there? Actually, in the United States, the first floor means the ground floor of a building, not the floor above the ground one. When studying abroad, culture shock is inevitable, especially language shock. Overcoming the language barriers is the most basic step to being able to do bigger things. To conquer language barriers in communication when studying abroad, students need to follow three principal ways: stopping overthinking, asking for help, and practicing.

“The more you overthink, the less you will understand,” said Habeeb Akande. When dwelling abroad, students tend to be more self-conscious. In their viewpoint, their greatest fear is being ridiculed and judged because of their communication mistakes. Unfortunately, this anxiety makes students overthink how they communicate to people, which will only tarnish their self-esteem and hinder them from integrating into the new environment. The prime reason for studying abroad is to learn, especially the language of the new community. Mahatma Gandhi used to be derided because of his poor English when he studied in London. Eventually, he achieved fluency in English. Therefore, it is vital for students to abolish negative beliefs, assert their confidence, and start communicating with a progressive spirit.

Asking for help is one strategy to help international students overcome language obstacles in communicating. No matter how good they are at using a foreign language, it will be challenging for them to clearly understand the language when talking with native speakers. According to Levine (2014), when living abroad in a country whose language and culture are different to the foreigners, they almost become children again. Things they could do on their own become hard. Particularly, international students will not only keep up with the lessons or conversations, but they also have to learn the meaning of slang words, which necessitates the assistance of the native in order to learn the meaning and correctly use those words. Therefore, frequently learning from people around them, such as friends or teachers, will assist them in averting misunderstandings during communication.

“Skill comes from consistent and deliberate practice,” said Shawn Allen. The third way of dealing with linguistic barriers is practicing the language that students use when studying abroad. At an early stage, students often incline not to say anything whenever they have to communicate with native speakers because of poor English proficiency. Therefore, practicing a new language regularly is a practical way for international students to have a wide vocabulary and grammar point. There is a piece of advice that plain words and sentences are perceived as a top priority when students start to practice. Besides, not only should they practice using words, but they also should practice using body language and facial expressions. If international students can achieve a proficient combination of both verbal and non-verbal communication, they will be more confident and overcome language barriers. The more they practice, the more they will be expert at speaking and understanding what foreigners are saying.

In conclusion, the three aforementioned approaches are considered the most helpful tips for international students of all ages. Every time feeling embarrassed to communicate with foreign people, instead of being silent, these students should refresh their thoughts, seek support from nearby people and note down what aspects need more practice so that they can temporarily overcome the negative feeling at that moment. If students can flexibly do these things as their habits on their study journey, they can break the invisible barriers and use their language in a more confident way to achieve higher positions and open new lives' doors.

REFERENCE:

Levine, L. (2014, September 5). Becoming a child in Japan. Tufogu. https://www.tofugu.com/japan/becoming-a-child-in-japan/