How to stop translating in your head when speaking a foreign language

[@celinam.6361]

I learned a lot of English vocabulary through books and media, that means I found out about their meaning through context. So when I used all those words all my other peers hadn't learned yet and my teachers asked me to translate them I couldn't do that because I only knew how to use them in context and what their definition was. Nobody seemed to get this problem and I thought I was weird or stupid. But thanks to your video I now know that it's actually a good thing!

[@english_with_aga]

It is a good thing! And it's definitely a sign of fluency when you can use vocabulary/understand its meaning without translating it in your head. Well done :)

[@RickTheo0405]

A simple tip for you guys: To not translate in my head I change my mindset whenever I want to use the English language. I simply think that I don't know my native language and I need to speak just in English to communicate (to survive in an environment where do not exist people who speak my native language). That way I don't create sentences by using the knowledge that l have in my mother language. And then, the English words that I've already learned pop-up in my mind easily and I can speak without fear and hesitation. A little bit about me: I'm from Brazil and I'm 38 years old. I passed two years struggling to speak English. I tried to use Cambly during all this time but I couldn't speak and express my thoughts clearly. Now, with this simple change of mindset I can speak with anyone with confidence. I know that I make mistakes but now I'm clearly improving my ability to speak and learn English.

[@homegrownspanish]

I think this is great advice. I found monolingual dictionaries hard at first. Then I realized I could start with children's dictionaries and work my way up. I also like using the visual dictionaries by Vox. They really helped me to increase my vocabulary and reading the sentences helped me become more fluent.

[@english_with_aga]

Great tip about children's dictionaries!

[@pnarpnar8194]

Very useful video. When I was at English Prep class, my teachers never let to use 2 language dictionary. Monolingual dictionary helped me to understand deeply and never forgot those words.

[@realjpliou]

Thanks It is very hard for me to stop translating things from English into Chinese. It is not only because of that I'm inept at getting to know a new English word only by its meaning of English, but also because of that I have some examinations of English to take which require students to translate English into Chinese or Chinese into English. Due to those two reasons, particularly and especially the pressure of the exams, it somewhat is very hard for me personally and also many Chinese English learners to dismiss translating. But after finished this video, I think I'm certainly going to try to use a monolingual dictionary of English and read more English books without translating. I don't want to translate because I find it very frustrating and tiring for me, and many of my English teachers who always learn English and teach English by using much Chinese to explain the things they're learning or teaching in English DON'T speak English very fluently. So this fact I've observed makes me even less desirable to translate any more, well enough is enough... I hope you can comprehend what I've written, and I will be glad to hear from you....Thanks again, I like your videos very much.

[@english_with_aga]

I'm glad you found the video useful! And good luck with your English!

[@patrickm1268]

Those are really practical ideas. Thank you.

[@deveagle6193]

I find this impossible when first learning a language. You can’t read a monolingual dictionary when you know nothing about the language.

[@patfromamboy]

Exactly! After studying for 6 years I can’t read or understand portuguese without translating it into English.

[@imnobodywhoareyouu]

That's so true, I don't have enough vocabulary to be able to understand the slovník...

[@_asphobelle6887]

Great video. I watched it out of curiosity, because I don't translate in my head anymore (from english to my native language, french). Had someone asked me how I did it, I would have answered it came naturally, with practice. But come to think of it, I used at least 2 of these tips : reading (news, blogs, and a lot of books) and Wikipedia as an online monolingual encyclopedia. And I would add another, for pronunciation : videos and podcasts; instead of a standard, "perfect" Oxford english that hardly anybody uses, I heard a lot of popular English, different American English, Irish, Australian, non-native speakers, and so on. It was hard at first (like, I felt it wasn't even the same language oO) but now, I understand (and can speak to) about anybody. Only con is, like you said : there's words or concepts I understand in English, but I'm unable to translate them if I need to (and Google translate isn't so useful on specific / technical terms)

[@english_with_aga]

Thanks for your comment! Good to hear you went through a similar process. I also had the same experience of not understanding 'popular' English (even though I thought I was fluent at that point!). It does get better the more you listen, though :)

[@_asphobelle6887]

Yes, it really helps. As an added bonus, while reading (searching, watching, listening to) about things I'm interested in, is a great way to improve my english, it doesn't feel like work, and it can be a lot of fun! That's a great motivation to continue improving, and maybe even one day learn a new language...

[@english_with_aga]

I agree - it can be demotivating when you think about it as 'work' so it's good to find ways to learn languages as part of other things we enjoy :)

[@edwardcox7515]

'like using google translate for pronunciation' *cries because there's no irish pronunciation on translate*

[@Sylkenwolf]

Edward Cox Scottish either.

[@IceTeaElias]

Edward Cox How is text to speech supposed to show you how to pronounce something?

[@Siemianowicee]

@@IceTeaElias on a computer there is a switch that says "play the sound" !

[@OscarBravoUSA]

I'd suggest teaching how to think in the language, a far cry from how to not translate. When starting out, translating may actually serve a purpose. A classroom instructor, attempting to teach the meaning and grammar of a sentence, may call upon a student to translate said sentence. Likewise, in my own language studies, I may want to translate a lengthy sentence to make certain that I understand it. And after one has acquired a certain level of comprehension, listening to the spoken language, whether live or recorded, can still pose a challenge. We are then instructed to try to get the gist, the general idea, of what's being spoken instead of decipher every word. You make some fine points, but I think your objective should have been how to think in a foreign language.

[@patfromamboy]

What does it mean to think in a language? I don’t think in any language. I think in ideas and images. I still can’t converse without translating everything after studying for 6 years now. Thanks

[@mariaelenajimenez2683]

Funny you should mention use of images. As a former ESL ( English as a second language) teacher here in NYC I would always draw a picture along with the English word for my students. I've applied it to my own study of one of my languages - Greek. I've put up post its on walls in a room that have a picture and the Greek word, no English.😀 It's a great tool, as you said, to learn simple vocabulary. Thanks and keep up the great work. I enjoy your videos very much.

[@english_with_aga]

Thanks for the comment Maria! Post-its are great - I use them a lot of Kanji (Japanese writing system). I'm glad you're enjoying my videos :) Good luck with your Greek!

[@mariaelenajimenez2683]

5-Minute Language ευχαριστώ πολύ , grazie mille, also teaching myself italiano, lol, good old thanks a lot 😀

[@sarahv1468]

Thank you😀

[@lucasotavionascimentodeara3579]

Excellent video. Thanks so much

[@zamphzibaha]

Thank you for this video and the excellent tips.

[@english_with_aga]

Thanks for watching!

[@thiagoaugusto9262]

It was amazing tips for us. Thanks

[@slydog7131]

Wow, lots of great ideas! Thanks!

[@english_with_aga]

Thanks for watching!

[@mauriciob5757]

Thank you

[@coreygraham860]

Great video. Full of practical advice, unlike a lot of language learning vids on youtube. One question: How many words do you think one needs to learn before one is able to understand most definitions in a monolingual dictionary?

[@polianapolain]

One thing that I do is when looking a word up online I check the translation of it focusing on the Phonetic spelling and then click on image so I will immediately get loads of images to associate the word with.

[@lamorena6379]

Good suggestions 👍🏽

[@danielbelmir0]

I like isolating English from my native language, Portuguese. One thing that helped me a lot was to use English to learn stuff I don't know in Portuguese, usually stuff related to coding and some game/fantasy stuff. It's impossible to translate something you don't know how to translate. But for German... I use a lot of translations. I don't use Portuguese to learn German because I don't really want to introduce a third language in this mess, if I want to ask something to a German, I would use English for that. It's very weird because I often see unknown verbs of known verb stems and if I try to use a monolingual dictionary, I often see more unknown verbs being used in the definition. Well, it's being kinda slow but I think I will learn it. I will use my experience to try to learn Finnish later.

[@SAliAbbas-n1p]

Thanks

[@VenusRuling]

your facial expressions and gestures are so inviting. subscribed!

[@LGnLA]

Thank you!! Great tips... ;)

[@english_with_aga]

Thanks for watching!

[@slydog7131]

In some ways Google Translate is very good, but I have found it often puts the emphasis on the wrong syllable. Syllable emphasis is very important being understood and sounding authentic. Google Translate uses a computer-generated voice, which seems to always emphasize the first syllable. I'm currently studying Spanish. Now, for example, google translate will make the pronunciation "NOsotros," but native speakers say "noSOtros.". In English, this would be like saying "syllABLE" instead of "SYLLable," either mystifying a native listener or eliciting chuckles. I like to use Forvo to listen to a number of different native speakers to understand the correct pronunciation. That said, I do find google translate useful for translating an entire sentence from, for instance, English to Spanish.

[@english_with_aga]

Thanks for your comment Sly Dog! And yes - it's a good point about word stress. It is important. Google Translate is not a perfect tool but it can help to start with. Forvo is great too. And watching videos with subtitles (with natural speech) is ideal! :)

[@Iconi13001]

Thank you so much for this amazing tips I have questions : Could you give us a name of monolingual dictionary suitable for beginners levels ?

[@bodik_ua]

Could you, please, advice some good French monolingual dictionaries?

[@Earthsylewind]

eso es muy difícil para me necesito más practica en español

[@homegrownspanish]

Para mí también fue difícil, al principio. Encontré diccionarios de principiantes y diccionarios de niños para ser muy útil. It was difficult for me too, at first. I found beginner dictionaries and children's dictionaries to be very useful.

[@begonizer3377]

tu español es muy bien pero (y yo intenté no decirlo) es mi, no es me. estas aprendiendo coreano también?

[@kyzz4074]

Yo soy nativo del idioma español, pero mi inglés es básico, necesito practicar más

[@aangitano]

@@kyzz4074 do you still need more practice in English? I need more in Spanish!

[@kyzz4074]

aangita I can help you with your Spanish if u want

[@GoblinRage472]

I am still a new beginning a second language I think I am not to this stage yet. I am having trouble getting started in my target language because there are not many resources. I am trying to learn Cebuano from the Philippines, because it is the language of my fiancee. I know basically greetings and some simple phrases. I think I need to start reading children's books maybe to get the basic concepts. I like the idea of a monolingual dictionary, I just need to see if that exists in Cebuano.

[@english_with_aga]

That's great - good luck and thank you for watching my videos! :)

[@tiagocruzdapaixaomarques6591]

Muito bom, gostei muito das suas dicas e espero usar elas agora.

[@patfromamboy]

I still can’t understand português after studying for 6 years now and visiting Brasil 17 times. I have to translate everything into English in my head or with a translator to understand. I practice every day.

[@majam9399]

super przydatny filmik!

[@english_with_aga]

Cieszę się :)

[@sabrina3138]

Oof, I can't. I'm learning a language with a different writing system.😭 Can there be a monolingual pinyin dictionary?

[@michaelshort2388]

there are japanese kanji dictionaries, so I assume there is a pinyin dictionary out there. :)

[@learnlanguageswithyogee9509]

Merci beaucoup!

[@english_with_aga]

De rien!

[@mckohtz]

Unfortunately, there is no audio with my target language (Scottish Gaelic) in Google translate and the word order is often wrong :-(

[@phillbaska]

This happens to me, but regards to mono lingual dictionary however how are you meant to find the word or understand the meaning if there is no translation?

[@Siemianowicee]

3:50 … It took me years to understand what "tandis progressivement" meant in English. I eventually discovered a convincing translation, I don't remember which one it was ( pre-Internet era ) . I had always thought I knew what it meant. ( something like waiting for, then a bus is coming, I can see it coming on a distant hill a few stops away, yet. )

[@awofadeju1]

What would you say to people who actually work as translators? They have to translate written language or interpret spoken language for their clients to make understanding and communication easier.

[@english_with_aga]

Absolutely! There's nothing wrong with translation or interpreting. My video is more about how to stop translating in your head when you're trying to communicate with somebody in a foreign language :)

[@patfromamboy]

How do I understand the monolingual dictionary if I can’t read portuguese yet? I’ve been studying for 6 years now and I’ve visited Brasil 17 times and I practice every day with my portuguese speaking girlfriend and have for 3 years now but I have to translate everything into the corresponding English words in my head to understand when I am trying to listen or read. It’s been very frustrating to try to learn words without translating. Usually I learn very quickly. Thanks

[@patfromamboy]

So how do I understand the monolingual dictionary without translating? I’ve been studying Portuguese for 6 years now and I’ve visited Brasil 17 times but I have to translate almost everything into English to understand. It prevents me from conversing. I can’t even order food yet because I can’t understand what the waiters are saying. Thanks

[@SweetLitzLM]

for me, i never translate when speaking or reading english, but as for korean it's so hard not translating, because the structure of the phrase is so different, i feel if i dont translate i get lost. I cant stop it.

[@english_with_aga]

You'll get better with time and practice - I promise!

[@hakankarapnar1859]

But what about the grammmer? Whenever i read something in english or i speak english, i find my self asking questions like " if i translate this into my native language it doesnt make sense" So my proplam is not about vocabulary. My proplem is about the sentences i cant be sure that i make the true sentences or not. ##one more question If i learn new grammer rule should i learn it via my native language or in english?

[@edwardteach1992]

You look like Lena Headey. Nice vid btw

[@english_with_aga]

Had to google the name. Never seen Game of Thrones lol :P

[@christiandias2269]

que sotaque é esse ?

[@anotheraccount2052]

Lol whenever I hear anything in another language at home I translate words into English for fun just to see the many ways I can translate it I know what the words are I know their meaning and know how to reply so I can just translate and not have to think it’s weird isn’t it lol

[@AhmedSC]

I think 6 minutes is very little to talk about very sensitive subject like that . How if you can't understand the word and it's definition in the same language?! Live with the language is the worthiest way to learn it .

[@english_with_aga]

Hi Ahmed, it's difficult when you're a beginner and that's why I recommend using images instead of definitions if you can. You can just make a simple drawing or use some symbols that mean something to you. I might make a video on that soon to illustrate what I mean!

[@AhmedSC]

Thank you , and I hope to get your opinion about product called 'english-for-winners'

[@Siemianowicee]

@@english_with_aga How does one illustrate "suivre" ?

[@sandydegener6436]

If you don't want to translate when you speak, stop learning vocabulary by translation.

[@viralfox006]

Can I do a thumbnail job for you?

[@asifmuniruniverse7732]

Tomorrow please

[@abhinavchauhan7864]

Oh you've studied linguistics. I didn't know that. Have you studied historical linguistics ? Proto indo European stuff ?

[@mahsa9022]

What if my job is translation?😅

[@nateprice8666]

Where do I start for learning Spanish? Any help would be appreciated. I have zero/no experience at the moment, total beginner. Thank you in advance.