# Bringing English Back Into My Working Day > A change of job and everyday AI use left me practising less English. I am bringing it back through the real work I already do with AI. I use AI more than ever, but until recently, almost all those conversations were in Turkish. Meanwhile, I had become increasingly uncomfortable with my English. A language I once used with ease had gradually become something I could mostly avoid. Then I noticed the opportunity in front of me. I was already spending a substantial part of my working day explaining problems to AI. Changing the language of those conversations could bring English back into my routine without finding extra time to study. ## When work kept my English active When I graduated from university, my English was at C1 level. I scored 287 out of 300 on the TOEFL exam, could participate comfortably in discussions and watched English-language films without subtitles. Over the years, I lost some of that fluency. But English remained part of my professional life through several roles at ARDEX Turkey, the Turkish subsidiary of the international ARDEX Group. My responsibilities involved communication with colleagues abroad. We discussed technical details of upcoming products, and I explained Turkish regulations and market requirements. There were requests for risk analysis reports and annual forecasts, along with occasional trips to Austria or Germany for meetings and training. The frequency varied. Sometimes there was a great deal of contact; at other times, much less. Between video meetings, phone calls, emails and the articles and regulations I needed to read, English continued to have a practical purpose. I have now been the CTO of Vanity Cosmetic Surgery Hospital for three and a half years. That move changed my working environment, and the international communication that had kept my English active largely disappeared. AI gradually removed another reason for me to use English. In the early days of ChatGPT 3.5, I usually wrote prompts in English because I found it worked better. As the systems became more capable in Turkish, I switched. Explaining a complicated task in my native language was easier. I also stopped doing much of the English reading that had previously been necessary. Eventually, even prompting AI no longer gave me regular practice. For years, work had given me reasons to use English. When those reasons disappeared, I did very little to replace them. AI made that easier, although the change in my working environment had already played a substantial part. ## Practice inside the work I already do Setting aside time to chat with AI purely for English practice would be difficult for me to sustain. Using English while doing my actual work seems much more realistic. Those conversations already involve explaining complex problems, providing context, comparing alternatives and clarifying what I mean. They could give me frequent, substantial practice. I have a reason to find the right expression because there is a real problem to solve. I have updated the instructions for my AI assistants accordingly. They should remind me to communicate in English and correct significant mistakes, recurring errors and unnatural phrasing. I want those corrections to be useful while leaving enough room for the work itself. Until now, I had chosen the language of a prompt mainly to make the task easier to explain. That choice also determines how much English I use during the day. I can accept a little more effort in the conversation if it helps me maintain a skill I value. Writing is where I am starting. After some practice, I may use AI voice features in English as well. I hope that will help me become more comfortable speaking, but I have only just begun changing the habit. There is no result to report yet. ## A reference point for a few months from now While explaining this story in English, I asked the assistant to estimate my current level from our conversation. I had wondered whether I had slipped below B1. Its assessment was around B2 for my spontaneous writing, possibly B2+ for expressing complex ideas. It pointed to my ability to explain a personal history, connect causes and consequences, qualify statements and discuss abstract ideas. The weaknesses it identified were more specific: articles, prepositions, verb forms, spelling and natural phrasing. That was an informal judgment based on a short written exchange. It was not a formal language assessment and said nothing reliable about my speaking or listening. Still, it gave me a more specific description of what needed attention than my own impression that my English had simply become poor. Several months from now, I may show an assistant this article and ask the same question. Another estimate will not prove improvement on its own, but I will have a record of where I started and what I intended to change. I used to get English practice because my work required it. Now I have an opportunity to put that practice back into the working day by choice. The next complex problem I explain to AI is somewhere to begin. --- Language: English License: CC BY 4.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Scope: Evren Bal-authored text, unless this article expressly states otherwise. Excluded: Third-party material, quoted excerpts, logos, and separately marked images retain their own rights. Attribution: Credit Evren Bal, link to the canonical source and license, and indicate changes. Source: https://evrenbal.com/bringing-english-back-into-my-working-day