How can you stop translating sentences from your native language
to your target language in your head before you say them?
Most people say, “Eventually, it just happens.”
Which is a frustrating answer, if you ask me!
Others recommend having a few drinks to help the language flow more easily,
but you shouldn’t have to rely on liquid courage to get you through your conversations!
Stick around, I’m going to share a few concrete strategies to help you start thinking in your target language.
I’m going to tell you why this way of speaking a foreign language is not optimal,
and give you tips to break the habit, but first I want to make sure
you’ve subscribed to our channel because I don’t want you to miss any of our new videos!
So, this translation process is problematic for two reasons: first, it slows you down.
And it’s frustrating and discouraging when you can’t contribute to a conversation because you're too slow.
And second, when you translate in your head instead of thinking directly in English, or another target language,
the English you do speak is much less natural because it mimics the sentence structures and expressions
from your native language, which usually aren’t the best ways to say what you're thinking.
If you’re new to a language and don’t think you have this problem,
it probably means you’re not speaking enough!
So my first tip is:
Speak! And allow yourself to make mistakes.
It’s better to say something, even if it’s wrong, than to spend time translating
and potentially miss the chance to speak.
If it is wrong, the native speaker you're talking to will probably correct
you with a version that's more idiomatic.
Note it down, and memorize that structure so that you’ll be able to use it spontaneously next time.
Which leads me to my next strategy:
2. Learn language in “chunks”
“Chunks” are what our friend Gabriel Gelman, who was in a recent video with Luca and several other polyglots,
calls longer, idiomatic phrases—the most natural way of expressing something.
With our app, the first thing you learn won’t just be a word like “name.”
Instead, you’ll learn phrases like, “My name is…”
If you were to translate that directly from a language like Spanish or French,
you might end up saying something like, “I call myself…” which is no good.
It also helps to imagine where you could use these chunks, so that you can recall them
more easily when you get into those real situations.
It gives you more of an incentive to learn them, because you know they’ll be useful.
3. Don’t forget to listen
Listening and speaking are intimately linked, so you’ll never be able to produce natural language chunks
if you don’t listen to lots and lots of English.
TV, podcasts, audiobooks—whatever you enjoy, listen as often as you can and keep a list of chunks that you want to try out!
Careful though, translating in your head works in both ways—for speaking and understanding.
Instead of trying to translate every word into your native language when listening to longer content,
listen for the big picture.
If you don’t, it’s easy to lose focus and end up totally lost.
4. Associate words with images, not translations
If you learn with the MosaLingua app or web platform, you know that our method
actually relies on translations.
But you’ll also notice that our flashcards include images.
When you translate a word in your head, it goes through your native language,
and sometimes even the other languages you speak!
If you associate a word with an image instead, you can cut out a step and speed up the process.
Another way to put this tip into practice is to label everything in your home with a post-it note,
so that the first thing you think of when you see your plant, book, or shoes,
is the foreign-language word you want to remember.
5. Be more aware of your thoughts
Next, try to be more self-aware.
If you catch yourself thinking, or even better, dreaming, in your target language,
give yourself a pat on the back.
When you’re first getting used to thinking in English, do it out loud.
While you’re cleaning up the house or getting ready in the morning,
talk to yourself about your day, something you heard on the news, etc.
Who cares if what you say is wrong, the point is to get more comfortable producing spontaneous speech.
6. Simplify
A common mistake is trying to use the same complex
and linguistically rich sentences you’d use in your native language.
This is frustrating because you don’t yet master English like you do your native language.
Remember, your goal is communication, not to be a poet!
If you do translate, it’s best to use short, simple sentences.
Think of this acronym when you open your mouth:
KISS = Keep It Short and Simple!
The point when you stop translating in your head and start thinking in English
is also usually what pushes you past the intermediate plateau that Luca has talked about before on our channel,
to a place where you really feel confident in your skills.
So try out these strategies, and remember to be patient—“eventually, it just happens!”
Happy learning and take care!
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See you next time!