Reading English articles is one of the best ways to help improve your reading, speaking and writing skills. It is also a way to stay updated on recent projects and legislation in your field of work.

1. Where to Find Articles?

• Choose Reliable Sources: Bookmark these three sites:

  • ScienceDaily (Engineering section): Great for short, technical news.

  • MIT News: Excellent for cutting-edge research and clear writing.

  • The IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology): Perfect for industry standards.

• The “One-Article-a-Week” Rule: Don’t try to read everything. Pick one article that is relevant to your specific field (e.g., Civil, Mechanical, or Electrical).

• Tool Setup: Have a digital notebook (or a Google Doc) open next to the article to collect new phrases.

2. Importance for You

Analyzing international articles is a “fast-track” to professional fluency for three reasons:

1. Vocabulary in Context: You will learn “Collocations”—which words naturally go together. For example, you’ll see that engineers don’t just “make” a design; they “execute” or “iterate” a design.

2. Logic and Structure: Western engineering writing is very direct. By analyzing articles, you learn how to use “Discourse Markers” (like Furthermore, Consequently, and In contrast) to guide the reader through your logic.

3. Cultural Standards: You will see how Western engineers talk about safety, sustainability, and costs. These are the “values” that Western companies look for during interviews.

3. How You Can Use It

• The 5-5-1 Method:

  • Find 5 new technical words.

  • Find 5 professional “filler” phrases (e.g., “According to recent data…” or “The primary challenge was…”).

  • Write 1 summary paragraph (4–5 sentences) about the article in your own words.

• Post Your Analysis: Don’t keep your summary in your notebook. Post it on LinkedIn!

  • Example: “I just read a fascinating article from MIT News about [Topic]. The way they solved [Problem] using [Tool] was very impressive. It reminds me of the work we do in Syria regarding [Local Context].”