Have you ever wondered why when you translate words or phrases from your native tongue to English they don’t mean the same thing?

In this blog we are going to talk about why you shouldn’t directly translate from your language into English. Also, we will take a look at some scientific studies, examples of different languages and some practical solutions for your everyday life.

1) Stop thinking in your native tongue.

When you start learning a new language, It feels natural to use some of your mother tongue words to compensate for what you lack in English. The best thing you can do from day 1 is to think in English and force your brain to perform in another language. Your brain will make an extra effort to memorise that word and then, when you will need it, you will be able to use it more spontaneously. For example, you might know the word -memory- in English (memoria in Spanish and Italian, memoire in French), but you are still not able to use it naturally and meaningfully on a daily basis.

2) Think about techniques to memorize new words rather than word for word translation.

The first thing that’s really important to do is to create a language bubble around yourself. You should start with simple things. Look at your room, workplace, pictures and places that you visit. Provide a vision to your brain, memorize it and associate a word for each picture. As soon as you get the hang of it, start adding more complicated words and gradually integrate phrases into your vocabulary. Start thinking critically about the new language you are learning. For example, how would I reply to that specific question I saw on a TV show or if someone asked me about it?

3) “Making the Language a part of your daily life.

Don’t be scared, start going out and trying new things. Get out of your comfort zone and make mistakes. What are you going to lose? Nothing really! You are going to gain more out of it. There are a lot of tools you can use to improve your English fluency and competence. Let’s start with your every day relation with The English language:

  • Change your settings on your phone and laptop to English.
  • Set English as the default language.
  • Start binging on Netflix or TV series and note down all those words you don’t understand. 
  • Watch youtube videos or listen to a podcast while you train, cook and do your house chores. Start reading news and listen to music in English.

What do you think? Are these suggestions helpful? Are you making English a part of your life?

Great then, enjoy yourself and good luck!

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