It's mid week, which means S2S assessor have already reviewed quite a few reports of you guys discussing the Online Reviews topic

🔪And guess what, they think you need help! Please review the 3 butchered words of this week and expell the evil pronunciation spirit from your body

👁‍🗨Clogged /klogd/ not /klogid/
> Blocked so that water or air cannot pass through
> Example: The sink is clogged, and the water won’t go down

👁‍🗨To nudge /nʌdʒ/ not /nudg/
> To push a bit to do sth
The app gave me points as a nudge to leave a review

👁‍🗨To skew /skjuː/ not /skeu/
> To move more toward one side
> The reviews skew to very positive or very negative — not many are in the middle

📎Want to start using correct pronunciation and getting feedback on your performance? Learn more about S2S

🤓 Candid or Blunt? It's all in the eyes of the beholder

Cultural biases, preconceptions, stereotypes shape the way we see the world. It's not good or bad, just the way it is. By being politically correct and sweeping the issue under the rug, we do not contribute to stronger cross-border communication — better to be aware than frustrated ;)

I was born as a native speaker of Russian. Our culture is known for direct feedback, sharing what we think without holding back. We call this behaviour 'candid.' We also consider Americans who avoid telling even slightly negative things to your face and then letting you down behind your back as hypocritical, unreliable, insincere, and lots of other things. Cause we are 'candid,' we share what we feel candidly.

As for the other side, many nations see us as confrontational and 'blunt': direct to the point of rudeness or stupidity, lacking social skills.

1 behaviour, 2 words. Imagine hearing this feedback: 'Your spaghetti code needs to be reviewed back to back, there is no chance we can send this to client the way it is.' Only you chose what to call this: 'candid' or 'blunt,' the dictionary will not help. It's your decision.

🐄This post was inspired by a speaking session with an S2S user Maxim

❤️ Better be candid
👩‍💼 Blunt people are unprofessional, learn social skills

🍔 TGIF isn’t just the name of a burger chain — it’s the universal battle cry for Friday happy hours and corporate outings. (Fun fact: Google offices are legendary for their unlimited TGIF beer taps… Editorial team fact-checked this — dated one of their coding slaves)

🤪 Speaking of language quirks… When Yulia was living her best Moscow life teaching English, blissfully unaware she’d later be building startups from Asia, she asked her fellow American teachers: “What mistakes do Russian students make that annoy you the most?” Expecting rants about tenses or accents, she was shocked. The answer? “‘Thanks God’ instead of ‘Thank God.’ Drives me nuts!” Well, thank god she doesn’t work with them anymore.

Got cool weekend plans?

Here’s your 4-phrase chill kit (use them wisely):

🫧To bed rot —  to spend excessive time lying in bed, doing passive activities (scrolling, watching TV, napping), often as a form of self-care or avoidance
"I bed rotted all weekend and watched TikTok for 8 hours straight"
🫧To veg out — to relax lazily, often while doing nothing productive (like a vegetable)
"I vegged out all day playing video games"
🫧To wind down — To relax after stress or activity
"I need an hour to wind down before bed"
🫧To kick back — To relax, often in a comfortable way
"After work, I like to kick back and watch TV"

🪴Comment your plans (bonus points for using a new phrase!)
🪴Send this to a bed rotter who needs to see this post ;)

🇻🇳The author of @EnglishForImpact, Yulia, sends you 'hi' from Da Lat, Vietnam, and unplugs to enjoy her touristy Saturday

😒 If you chose the life of emmigration, especially in an ethnically different country, prep yourself for the kinda looks in the pic

This is totally ok for those though who have never felt truly at home back home

Jokes aside, the meme does have a grammar error... Will you correct it in comments?

Remember in May we were polling you on* your credit card number what you do?

Time to share the results! We're super proud to keep growing with the best tribe one can wish for: most motivated and inspired high level learners. We commit to keeping the bar high* and attracting the strongest readers, like you

Feel underrepresented*? Go take that poll👆

*Post glossary

🫧to keep the bar high — To maintain high standards or expectations
"Our manager always keeps the bar high — average work is never enough"
🫧underrepresented — Not having enough people from a particular group
"Women are still underrepresented in tech leadership roles"
🫧to poll smb on sth — To ask people for their opinions/facts about a specific topic
"We polled our users on the new app design, and most of them liked it"

🪴Thank you for choosing @EnglishForImpact (S2S + PitchUp)
🪴Know someone from our tribe who isn't here yet? Do them a favor & spread the word

Top Voices in Language Learning 2025 | Businessmen | Marcus Witte & Babbel app

Every week, we break down one top language expert from the map to help you navigate the world of language learning with confidence. Today: Marcus Witte (LinkedIn) — linguist, teacher, and co-founder of the Babbel App, with 10M+ paid users and 14 languages for learning

🐄Check out our visual map above to learn key facts and stats about Babbel and its founder. Want to learn more about Babbel? Check out this 10 min independent youtube review that our editorial team enjoyed quite a bit

💅 S2S vs Babbel

💓CEFR level

Babbel > From 0 to B1 (Intermediate)
S2S > From B1+ (intermediate) to C1+ (advanced)

💓Skills & systems

Babbel > all skills & systems*
S2S > only speaking & vocabulary

💓Topics

Babbel > country study, general topics
S2S > IT, career, cultural nuances

💓User portrait

Babbel > general audience, travelers, hobby learners
S2S > career and business builders, professionals

💓Funding

Babbel > $33M
S2S > powered by your love & support (share this channel ;))

*Post Glossary

🫧discrepancy between — A difference between two things that should match
"There is a discrepancy between what the company promised and what they delivered"
🫧claims (on website) — Statements that say something is true, often used in marketing
"Don’t trust all the claims on websites — check reviews too"
🫧language skills & systems
skills = receptive (listening, reading), productive (speaking, writing)
systems = grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, discourse

🪴 Stay tuned for another top voice next week & spread the language learning love

Recognising Sam Altman in the video, Open AI (chat GPT) CEO? 😉 We like Sam's definition of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence)

⚖️ This week S2S assessors check our users discussing AGI, its capabilities, likelihood, and implications. Lots of exciting perspectives, very different takes on it — we're thrilled to have attracted such an enthusiastic crowd. Also, not so many doomers among us: most of you are AI optimists or take a balanced stance

🩺 1 AGI use case that S2S folks care about a lot is in medical care: will and should AI tools be used in diagnostics (e.g., IDx-DR for diabetic retinopathy=eye disease)? The author of this channel Yulia did diagnose her skin condition with chat GPT. The accuracy of that diagnosis was later confirmed by a human doctor!

3 phrases from this week's S2S AGI speaking plan for you to learn

1. Implications —The possible results or effects of an action or decision

Example: The new law has serious implications for schools using AI tools

2. (Mis)aligned with human values — (Not) matching or fitting well with what most people believe is right

Example: The robot’s actions were misaligned with human values

3. Doomers — People who strongly believe that a bad future is unavoidable

Example: The doomers say AI will destroy the world

📎 Learn more about S2S

😈TGIF, learners! How many polite emails have you sent this week? Speak up in comments, don't be shy — we won't judge! We judge only grammar here 😂

Post glossary
🫧Born to — Meant for something from the beginning
🫧Cursed to — Doomed to something bad, like a punishment
🫧Have no mercy — Be very cruel or strict; show no kindness

📎S2S, your step to English freedom for real. Learn more here

British Council (BC) Drama | IELTS | Editorial Opinion

Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has labeled the British Council — one of the organizers of the IELTS English exam — an “undesirable organization.”

Prosecutors claim the BC “uses education and culture as a cover” to promote British interests and values. They also accuse it of supporting the LGBT movement (banned in Russia), discrediting Russian state policies, being a “nest of spies” (their words, not ours!)

Yulia’s Take (Ex-BC Employee & IELTS Band 8 Holder)
(Author of this channel worked at BC in 2016 and shares the inside story)

💓 The Good Side of BC

Student-focused – Courses tailored for specific needs (medical English, teens, IELTS writing, etc.)

Well-run – Clear processes, career growth opportunities, and solid* training for teachers

Prestigious brand – Tough to get hired (even for Brits), but it’s a mark of quality

Diverse accents – Students hear different English speakers (not just "Queen’s English")

☺️ The Reality (No Rose-Tinted Glasses)

Backed by* the UK government – Part of its diplomatic mission, protects its interests. Some departments focus on profit (like IELTS), others push cultural influence (charity events, etc.)

Why the cultural push? Practical, not ideological – The UK wants to attract international students (big $$$ for their economy)

Side effect? Some employees start comparing their home country unfavorably after seeing better work standards abroad.

LGBT inclusion – Coursebooks cover rights (LGBT, women, disabilities, race), but some behind-the-scenes hypocrisy exists (e.g., bias against hiring Indians).

🧸 Final Opinion: It’s Complicated

People love black-and-white narratives (good vs. evil) and hate fence sitters*, but reality is messier. The BC isn’t all saint or all spy — it’s an organization with interests, like any other.

Your best move? Focus on your goals (like acing IELTS) and make decisions that benefit YOU.

*Post Glossary

🫧 fence sitter → Someone who doesn’t pick a side in an argument; stays neutral.
🫧 solid training → High-quality, practical lessons that actually help you learn
🫧 backed by → Supported/funded by (often a government or powerful group)

🤐 Gonna zip my lip about BC & IELTS — don’t want problems
📈 Even more motivated to take IELTS now
🤷‍♂️ Not an IELTS fan either way

Sunday plug* for old & new @EnglishForImpact readers

Our channel was born on March 3. It's growing fast — but to go from baby to toddler*, we need to hit 500 subscribers

We're almost there — and when we cross 500, we’re unlocking a brand-new bonus for you:

🪴Free Weekly Group Speaking Meetups
🫧On advanced topics
🫧 New vocab, better fluency
🫧 Real practice with real people
🫧 Free

Wanna help us launch this next week instead of in September? Share this channel in your stories, groups, channels, or just DM a friend

Think your share won’t matter? It does. One share = one step closer. Maybe your share is the magic one

🔗 [Channel link]
📩 Send proof to @ybeymlina and reserve your free speaking spot already now, before public release (optional)

*Post Glossary
🫧Toddler — a small child who has just learned to walk, usually between 1 and 3 years old.
🫧Plug — a short message where you promote or recommend something — like a shout-out

We're grateful to work with a smart, professional, and motivated crowd. Let’s grow this together 🙌