People have to understand that, while fluency can indeed be taught, there is no guarantee that it will be attained, esp. at a later stage in life. Most people who are fluent in certain languages got to that point because exposure to the target language started at a very early age. In my case, I got bombarded by Sesame Street episodes when I was between three and six years old and this paved the way for my fluency in the English language. Now compare that exposure I had with someone just about to take a six-months English proficiency course...it's a no-contest. Again I am not saying that training courses are useless--I am saying that people who undertake such courses shouldn't expect to achieve a level of fluency that they would perhaps expect from say, a native speaker, or someone who has been using the language since he or she was a toddler.
-RODION





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