One of the main hurdles of learning any language is to get over the significant challenge of directly translating from your mother tongue, into your newly acquired language.
You can have learnt all there is to know about a language, speak it fluently and be able to hold a reasonable conversation but if you slip into the habit of translating a saying or a phrase directly into that new language, you may leave people very confused.
In this video, we explain why this is such a fundamental skill when learning any new language.
When learning to speak fluent English it can be all encompassing and overwhelming to begin with. There can be a lot of confusion and frustration.
Direct, or literal, translation can sometimes be something we do and rely on either consciously or subconsciously and although at the start it may seem helpful and effective on your speaking English, if you rely on this too much it can become a great burden later down the line.
The trouble is when you speak, listen, read something in English and then try to translate in your own mother language there are many factors which can cause great confusion and difficulty.
This is due to the fact that there are differences in languages including the word order of sentences, the verb tenses and cases. Trying to do this can get incredibly clumsy and messy and you can find yourself going back and forth, around in circles. It is not productive at all.
It’s also mentally very draining to keep doing this and can really affect your confidence and your interactions with people.
Also not every word can be translated so it becomes an impossible task and you are actually having to do double the work.
For example, you might be using some of these wrong expressions popularly called ‘Indianisms’:
- What is your good name? Correct form is ‘What’s your name?’
- Give exam. Correct form is ‘Take exam’
- I passed out of the college. Better form is ‘I graduated from college.’
- My real Brother. My real Sister. Correct form is ‘My Brother. My Sister.
- My Grandmother is no more. Correct form is ‘My Grandmother passed away.’
- As per me. Correct form is ‘In my opinion’
As you can see, mistakes happen due to direct translations of one’s native language sentences. You have to be mindful as these incorrect forms can make you come across inept and weak in your communication skills.
If you have enjoyed this video and want to find out more about speaking fluent English, don’t forget to sign up to the SpeakEng Academy channel.
