Episode 41: Stop Translating in Your Head

[00:00:00] Welcome to English, please, the podcast where we explore interesting topics in under 10 minutes in clear, intermediate English. I’m your host Christopher. I live and work in New York City, and I’ve always been passionate about languages and how we learn them. Whether you’re listening on your way to work or while cooking dinner at home, this show is designed to help you with your English listening and comprehension skills.

First of all, thanks for listening. This is the 41st episode of English, please, and we’re officially starting Season 3. This season will feature the same kinds of content as season two, but I’m also going to add a few more episodes that focus on tips and [00:01:00] tricks to help you improve your English. At the intermediate level, it sometimes can feel difficult to continue to improve, so I’m going to share some of what has helped me with my language learning.

As I’ve mentioned, I’m sending occasional newsletters to assist you on your journey to fluency. I’ll continue to make the newsletters more and more useful during season three. If you’re interested, you can sign up at the link in the show notes.

If you enjoy this podcast and would like to support it, you can send a small donation, maybe one to $5 or the same amount in your own currency through a site called Buy Me a Coffee at coff.ee/englishplease. It’s just a simple way to help me cover the costs of making the podcast. No pressure, [00:02:00] but I appreciate anything, no matter how small. There’s also a link in the show notes.

Okay, on with episode 41!

Think about what happens when you read or hear something in English. Maybe you stop for a moment and translate the words into your own language, before you understand them. This is something that almost all language learners do, at least sometimes. It’s very normal, but translating in your head can make you slower. It can also make you feel nervous or unsure, and sometimes it causes mistakes.

So how can you stop doing this? How can you start thinking directly in English, instead? First, let’s understand why we translate in the first place. When you begin [00:03:00] learning a new language, you don’t have enough vocabulary or grammar to use the language naturally, so your brain uses what it knows. It goes from your language to English and back again. This is helpful at the beginning, but over time, as you reach an intermediate level, it becomes a habit that can actually slow your progress. If every word or sentence must be translated quickly into your native language, it takes you longer to understand, and even longer for you to speak.

The key to stopping this habit is to build direct connections in your brain between English words and their meanings. For example, instead of thinking of the English word “apple,” and [00:04:00] translating it into your own language, you want your brain to immediately imagine the fruit itself. You want the word “apple” to go straight to the picture, the idea or the feeling, not to another word in your own language.

This is what fluent English speakers do. When we hear or say “apple” in English, we don’t think of a translation. We just think of the object. One of the best ways to build this kind of connection is through repetition and through simple exposure to English. Try using English in your daily life as much as possible, even in small ways.

I mentioned this in season one, but put labels in English on things in your house, like “mirror,” “table,” or “window.” When you’re brushing your teeth, say to yourself in [00:05:00] English, “I’m brushing my teeth.” When you’re make coffee, say, “I’m making coffee.” These short sentences help your brain connect the words directly to actions, to objects, and to ideas, and very soon you won’t need to translate.

Another useful technique is to picture what you’re saying instead of hearing your native language. For example, if you want to say, “The cat is on the bed,” try to picture a cat sitting on a bed, not the words in your native language. This takes practice, but if you keep doing it, your brain will begin to skip the translation step completely.

It also helps to listen to English that you can understand—podcasts, TV shows, or YouTube videos at your level. If the language is [00:06:00] too difficult, your brain will go back to translating. But if the language is just right, not too easy and not too hard, you’ll start to understand directly in English. That’s why this podcast uses clear, slower English. My goal is to give you that experience of understanding without needing to translate. I know that sometimes it can still be difficult, but that’s normal.

Talking to yourself in English can also help, especially if you don’t have someone to practice with. You don’t need to say full, perfect sentences all the time. Even thinking in English helps! When you’re walking outside, For example, you can think or quietly say, “The weather is nice today,” or “I’m going to the store.” These small phrases start to build a habit of using [00:07:00] English directly.

Finally, try to be patient with yourself. It’s completely normal to translate as you learn a language, even at the intermediate level. It takes time to build fluency, and your brain needs to practice in order to feel comfortable. The goal is not to speak perfectly or fast. It’s to speak clearly, and to feel less stress. If you practice every day, even for just five or ten minutes, I promise you will see a change over time. You will notice that you are thinking in English more often and translating less and less.

The next time you notice that you are translating in your head, don’t worry. At that moment, try to switch your focus. Picture the meaning, use a simple sentence, think of [00:08:00] the action, and little by little, your brain will get used to this new way of thinking, and you’ll realize that you aren’t translating anymore. Keep practicing and remember, you don’t need to be perfect. You just need to keep going!

I hope you were able to understand most of the English in this episode. I. As always, there is a transcript available to help you with your understanding. You can find the link in the episode notes. Try to listen again with the transcript to help with anything that wasn’t clear.

Again, I’m Christopher and I want to invite you to join me in future episodes of English, please to hear about a variety of topics, all focused on helping you with your English.

And please, if you enjoy the podcast and would like to support it, visit coff.ee/englishplease. It’s just a simple way to [00:09:00] help me cover the costs of making the podcast. No pressure at all, but I appreciate anything, no matter how small.

Sincere thanks, as always, for listening.

See you soon!