I can often solve intermediate-level problems once I fully understand them, but my Codeforces rating is still relatively low compared to my actual problem-solving ability.

One of the reasons I noticed is that English can slow me down.

Sometimes I spend several minutes reading a statement, rereading sentences, or making sure I understood exactly what is being asked. Once I understand the problem, the solution might be straightforward — but those lost minutes matter a lot in a contest.

This made me realize that understanding the language of the problem is itself a competitive programming skill.

We usually focus on algorithms, data structures, mathematics, and implementation. But before all of that, you need to understand the problem quickly and accurately.

So my advice to beginners is:

Practice solving problems in the language you will actually read during contests.

If that language is English, try to read and understand English statements directly instead of always translating them first.

You don't need perfect English. You need to become comfortable with the vocabulary and expressions commonly used in programming problems.

Over time, you'll stop translating every sentence in your head and start understanding the statement naturally.

And that can give you an edge.

Sometimes having slightly less knowledge but being able to understand and act faster can be more valuable than knowing more algorithms but spending too much time understanding the problem.

For me, improving this is now part of improving my competitive programming skills.