There is No Such Thing As Perfect

Settling into a new country where the language is a barrier, and everything is new can be daunting. With a new language to learn and an entirely new environment to adjust to, it’s hard to know where to start.

Image: Ikowh Babayev

SBS podcasts Learn English is proving a hit and has been created for migrants by migrants.

Published fortnightly, the podcast produces bespoke Australian English content to help newly arrived migrants gain confidence to use English in everyday scenarios.

Lots of useful topics and activities are covered in the series to get you from A to Z, from calling in sick to work, to cheering for a footy team, arranging a playdate for your kids, dealing with wildlife in your back yard, to asking someone out on a date and turning up the romance – all of this is taught in simple and useful English.

Within its first year, the podcast has already generated over 340,000 downloads across 16 languages including Arabic, Assyrian, Burmese, Cantonese, Dari, Hakha Chin, Karen, Khmer, Korean, Mandarin, Mongolian, Persian, Thai and Vietnamese.

Program Manager Janine Googan says SBS has created the podcast as a resource for English learners to help them settle into Australian life without the pressure of speaking perfect English.

“Many new migrants have this idea that there is a perfect or native English-speaking style, but that’s a myth. What makes SBS Learn English distinct is its belief that there is no perfect English – we all have an accent, which is why we use many different accents in our podcast.”

Googan says the podcast is created for migrants by migrants with a real-world approach to common everyday scenarios.

“We combine expert English teaching pedagogy with real life learner experience to make sure our content is effective, relatable and authentic,” Googan says.

Check out the episodes above or make your way through the variety of episodes here.