Reading is one of the best ways to learn English. When you read a lot, you absorb new words and grammar without even trying. Start with short stories or easy books that you enjoy. Don't stop to check every new word. Just try to guess the meaning from the sentence. Later, you can write down a few useful words in a notebook. Reading fiction is fun, but news stories are also helpful. Read a little every day. Slow and steady progress is better than none.

My aunt works as a translator for a small publisher in Taipei. She translates fantasy novels from English into Chinese. It is not an easy job. Last year, she spent eight months on one long book. She often worked until midnight. The hardest parts were the poems, because she wanted to keep the feeling of every verse. When the book was finally published, she gave me the first copy. Her name was printed on the cover. The whole family was proud of her.