Published: 24.11.2022
The Help for English website has become popular among students and self-learners wishing to improve their English communication skills. Its creator, Marek Vít, is a well-known English teacher who graduated from the University of Pardubice and works as a part-time teacher at the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy.
How did Help for English start?
Back in 2005, I was an English teacher at the grammar school in Přelouč and needed to make materials for students’ home practice available online. I quickly developed a website and called it Help for English. It was nothing sophisticated, so when one of my students looked at it, he said that it was nice, but he could do better. So we made a deal to do it together. He was in charge of the programming part, and I was responsible for the content. My ambition was for the website to include everything that a student may need: tests, articles, information, reviews...
Did you imagine at that time that one day the website would have thousands of visitors?
I did not imagine that it would be such a success. When we had 100 visitors a day, I though that the website was doing great. Our competitors had 300 visitors a day. I thought that we would never achieve that. What we noticed very soon, though, was that the website was visited not only by students, but by other users as well. They posted comments, googled us and today we have around 20 000 visitors a day.
Why did you choose the name “Help for English”?
Back then, when I used some software and needed help, it was always called “Help for…” plus the name of the software. That was my inspiration; I replaced the name of the software for English. I am often asked whether it should not be with instead of for, so I keep explaining the motivation. For a while, I wondered whether I should have opted for a different name. In terms of grammar, it is correct. It means help for the English language. We do not help the English language, which does not need our help.
Maybe, it also helps English in a way. You prevent incorrect usage.
You are right in that students sometimes use the language in a way that the English language would actually appreciate the website (laughter). I have already given up with respect to any responsibility for pure language usage. I do not mind colloquial English. Some people, referred to as Grammar Nazis, would not tolerate that and say that it is incorrect. However, if something is used in everyday language, I am happy to use it, too. Just like there are some colloquial expressions in Czech that are widely used.
So, you want students to be able to use the language in everyday speech even if they break grammar rules, right?
It is definitely worth trying speaking and writing a language even if we make mistakes. Many people prefer not to speak because they are afraid that they are not good enough at it. They have often been taught at school that it is a terrible thing to make mistakes. For advanced students, correct use of language is, naturally, important. For example, students at our department must know grammar rules and must be able to apply them, but it is not the most important thing. Having said that, we try to have all material on our website absolutely correct.
What do users search for most often? Do they search for the same phenomena that are difficult for your students?
Posts about present perfect, which has always been intriguing, are searched for most often. It is closely followed by conditional clauses. My impression is that these phenomena are also most tricky at schools. Students must learn the rules and they look for help online. In my opinion, pronunciation is the biggest issue. People are often obsessed with grammar, but do not mind bad pronunciation. Sometimes their pronunciation is so bad that native speakers do not understand them. In general, Czech schools tend to focus on grammar and vocabulary drills, and overlook pronunciation.
You have been an English teacher for 25 years. Have you noticed any changes in the teaching methods?
Absolutely. One aspect has changed substantially. Students have the internet at their disposal with an unlimited amount of films, series, or games, so the English language is really close to them. Twenty-five years ago, many English teachers were not trained as English teachers. Their qualification was insufficient, they did not know how to teach a language, and maybe did not even master it. For example, my former Russian teacher started teaching English just after the Velvet Revolution, but she did not master it herself. In such cases, you can hardly focus on conversation if you do not master the language yourself. It is much easier to learn grammar and vocabulary from a textbook and pass it on to the pupils, which is not a good thing.
Today, you encounter English everywhere.
Yes. Back when I started teaching English, my pupils learned a language that they encountered hardly anywhere. Today, English is all around us, so it is much easier to learn it by listening. At schools, students often have much better practical knowledge of English than their teachers do. Teachers know the grammar, but students know the vocabulary and are able to use and pronounce it. They can put a sentence together in more ways than what is required by their teacher.
Is it a good idea to learn English through films and games? Grammar is often used incorrectly.
They are great because students learn the pronunciation. In an ideal scenario, they can add the grammar and rely on other ways to expand their vocabulary. What is effective is when students learn a particular phenomenon and then see it in a book or a film, which helps them master it and use it correctly. I do this myself. When I was learning English, it was much more difficult since there were few English books and films. I had no choice but to go to the cinema to watch all the silly English movies. I was sitting in the cinema with a paper in front of my eyes to cover the subtitles. I may have looked crazy, but it helped. I was also searching for English books in second-hand bookshops, and they were hard to find.
Let’s turn to you for a while, rather than English. What made you opt for the University of Pardubice?
So, coming back to English (laughter). I always liked English and wanted to learn it at primary school. However, I had to study Russian, which I hated. My Russian teacher told me not to think that I would ever master any other foreign language. But I was not good at Russian because I did not like it. At secondary school, my study of English became more intensive. That is why it was logical for me to apply for the English language programme in Pardubice.
Was it your ambition to become an English teacher?
Not really. When I was asked why I wanted to study the programme, my answer was that I wanted to share my passion for English with others. I do not know whether I believed it myself. However, as a second-year student, I taught extra classes to a teenager, and I started enjoying it. I enjoyed explaining things and looking for a student-friendly way of doing so rather than through rules and definitions. Later I started teaching in a small rural school. It was clear at that time that I would continue teaching.
Do you do other activities involving English such as translating or interpreting?
English is my life’s passion, but I do not enjoy translating. It is the most boring job that I have ever done. Even though I am an introvert, I prefer interaction with people at work. When teaching, I focus mainly on pronunciation coaching. My clients include teachers and Czech singers who sing English songs but wish to get rid of their Czech pronunciation. Recently, I have enjoyed teaching English to foreign students, such as Spanish students. Since I am learning Spanish myself, I understand why they make specific mistakes. They make different mistakes than Czech students. However, I teach less, since the development of the website and the English me add-on app is my full-time job.
You mentioned Spanish. Do you also speak other languages?
My wife and I have been learning Vietnamese for six months. It is completely different, so the progress is rather slow. When learning Vietnamese, you cannot rely on anything that you know from other languages.
Why Vietnamese?
We made the decision in the local grocery store (laughter). There are many Vietnamese-speaking people in the Czech Republic. They have always seemed unapproachable to me. Once, my wife and I went to a shop and the shop assistants were discussing something. We thought that it is an interesting language and we could give it a try. We found a native speaker from Hanoi online, and we have one online lesson a week. I like it when I say something in Vietnamese in a shop, like “Thank you” or “I will pay by card”, the owners start smiling immediately.
Do you also teach your children?
I have never taught my children. They did not want me to teach them English. But they learned English very well thanks to films, series, and games. They found their own way, which is yet more proof that these methods work.
So you did not raise your children bilingually, as is the trend today.
I am too much of a coward to do this. I imagined being a secondary school teacher in a small town, walking with a pushchair and speak English to my children. But I could not do that (laughter). But [raising children bilingually] is great. It works and children get used to another language more easily. However, it would be unnatural for me. When you talk to your children, you need to express a wide range of emotions, and in a foreign language you are limited. Even though I have a C2-level knowledge of English and I do not have difficulties expressing basically anything, it is not my native language - the mother tongue which carries the emotions.
So you prefer expressing emotions in Czech, right?
It is definitely my case since in a foreign language it can seem less warm.
