A Visual Guide to Metaphors to Talk about Projects & Ideas in Business and Everyday English
As an English coach I understand that the power of images, graphs, and illustrations in English language learning should never be underestimated. Languages are systems after all, and visuals can help English learners grasp (=understand) how the different parts of their target language fit together and relate to each other. Understanding a language system can be especially challenging for students whose first language is very far removed from their target language. To help my clients overcome the various obstacles they face, I have decided to develop visual tools to map out how English works. I believe with these tools English learners will not only be able to approach English more systematically, they will also avoid feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with the sheer (=huge) amount of bits and pieces they will somehow have to put together to obtain a good level of English proficiency. Avoiding frustration is, in my opinion, key to keeping up the motivation necessary to learn a new language.
Below you will find the first visual guide in this new series of visual English learning tools. It aims to teach you how to use building metaphors in English with the help of illustrations exhibiting the literal meaning of the vocabulary. On a deeper level, the goal is to help English learners understand the metaphorical nature of the English language. Hopefully, you will find this useful. And, as always, don’t hesitate to send me a message if you have any questions or would like to provide me with some feedback.
A cultural note: Always remember that strategically placed metaphors can elevate your presentation and make it more likely for your sales pitch to succeed. Keep in mind that you can use these metaphors to tell stories that resonate with your American audience by eliciting positive associations culturally familiar to U.S. native speakers. Building metaphors can, for example, elicit (=bring up) images of a journey characterized by hard work just like the stories that come with the images of skyscrapers being constructed. Framed within a narrative of a company or individual working towards reaching their dream of success while facing many obstacles along the way, these types of metaphors are familiar to American ears, and can make your message more powerful.