Have you ever wondered when you'll stop translating EVERY SINGLE word of your target language in your head and start thinking in your target language directly? When am I going to start speaking like a real French? These Spaniards speak so fast, how can I also do it?
Man, German is so difficult, and syntax is just a nightmare! Thinking directly in any foreign language can be problematic if you don’t address it the right way, but don’t worry about a thing, because at the end of the video, you will know exactly how to face it. So, thinking directly in any foreign language is no easy feat, and you can’t force it.
With the right approach, though, you can make significant progress and start thinking in any language naturally and directly. Here are three essential strategies to stop translating in your head and finally think directly in your target language. Let’s dive right in!
Smart Language Strategy # 1: Don’t Learn a Language, ACQUIRE IT Let’s imagine that you have been learning Italian - la mia bella lingua madre! - for a bit. In that case, I am sure you will want to think and speak directly in italiano as soon as possible.
What’s the fastest way to get there? Well, get this. Thinking (and then speaking) directly in Italian comes from having Italian inside you!
And no, I don’t mean having a nice carbonara floating in your stomach. I am referring to the structure of Italian, its grammar, its “melodia” in your brain. Let me tell you how I myself achieved this with the language I am currently speaking in this video.
When I started learning English, I struggled for two long years, constantly translating in my head. When it was time for me to speak, I struggled MASSIVELY. My English tutor would go like: hey, how are you doing today?
And me, I would think for 3 damn seconds before replying to my tutor: Ehm, come sto? How am I? I Bene, ma oggi sono stanco - I am good but I am tired today.
I thought all this was normal and that things would change with time and practice. . I kept telling myself: don’t worry man, sooner or later you will start thinking directly in English.
It is scary to think about it, but the truth is, if I had continued doing what I was doing - which I had learned at school - I would have probably NEVER ever spoken English fluently. What was the game changer for me? Well, in a word, this charming, beautiful lady from Chicago named Susan.
My American tutor, with whom I started learning English at the ripe age of 12. Susan figured out pretty quickly what my problem was. Instead of trying to force conversations on me, or do some boring grammar exercises, she suggested shifting from output to INPUT.
Here is what we did: for the first few months, instead of speaking, we would go together through texts she prepared for me, and she encouraged me to read a lot and watch movies between one lesson and the next. I started consuming engaging, comprehensible and rich content. The thing I loved the most was to go through the “movie of the week”.
Every day I would watch a chunk of it - with subtitles - and I would jot down words or expressions I did not know and which I found interesting. Un film al giorno toglie il professore di torno - One movie a day will keep the language teacher away, After only a few months of this glorious routine, I started thinking AND speaking English! Magic?
Nope, I’d say, common sense! What’s the catch here? Well, I simply stopped learning English and I started acquiring it.
It seems like a minor difference but it is not. LEARNING English means trying to deliberately and consciously force the language into you by trying to do things your brain is not ready for, such as flashcards, constant and boring repetition, trying to hold conversations when words just won’t come. You think: I am going to put in the work and it is going to happen!
But your brain is in no obligation to follow the language ordeal you subject it to. Language learning actually happens at a subconscious level - known as acquiring a language. Acquiring is simpler.
It means getting the language in you by consuming comprehensible and interesting content. Yep, as simple as that! In a matter of a few months I had the language in me and I started speaking it without translating everything in my head.
This seems obvious, but nowadays it is actually counterintuitive because they teach us to study, practice, and then get that damn language out (Southern Accent). Ideally, 80% if not even 90% of your learning should be acquisition, and 10-20% deliberate learning. Unfortunately, most people do exactly the opposite.
[Action Step]: Here is my advice. Consume content you find interesting and comprehensible (also called “acquisition rich”) every. single.
day. If you’re a beginner, use simple dialogues from resources like ASSIMIL or Teach Yourself or our very same course SMART Italian (info in the description box) - if you are learning Italian of course! For intermediate learners, aim for podcasts and videos that have transcriptions and subtitles.
In this regard, resources like LingQ or LingoPie are also phenomenal, because both are platforms that allow you to consume material in the format of podcasts (text and transcriptions for Lingq) and in the form of short videos, TV series and movies in the case of LingoPie. Remember: Consume, consume and still consume interesting stuff in your target language. This is the absolute base to start from.
Smart Language Strategy # 2: Learn to Think in Key Words (Embrace Your Inner Tarzan! ) Two years ago, I was at Termini Station, the central station of Rome, waiting for my train to go to Florence. Suddently a lady approached me and said in broken Italian, "Treno.
. . Venezia?
" (train. . Venice?
) The language snob in me thought, “Pessimo italiano - Terrible Italian! ” But come to think of it, she actually did a fantastic job! She got her point across with a few simple words AND she had the guts to do it!
Some wise man once said that in order to do something well you first have to do it poorly. Here is another way to see this. Imagine this scenario.
You are sitting next to a very cute girl (or a handsome guy) at some language exchange event. You really really want to get to know this person. If you say something to him or to her, there is a chance that the two of you might connect.
If you don’t say anything for fear of being rejected, nothing is going to happen. A similar thing happens to the average language learner who prefers not saying anything because it looks complicated rather than saying something, ANYTHING, to a conversation going. You have to give up on the idea of sounding and looking great for the benefit of actually learning, getting your point across and actually connecting.
If you want to start thinking in your target language, you have to question your attitude of wanting to sound perfect, of wanting to express yourself with perfect grammar, perfect vocabulary or a perfect accent. . You have to let go of the perfectionist that was created by society.
You are much, much MUCH better than that. Train your mind to think in terms of the key words that convey the meaning you want to get across. Yes, embrace your inner Tarzan.
Think in key words first! It’s about communication, NOT perfection. Our SpeakEasy course motto at the Smart Language Learning Academy is: COP—Communication Over Performance.
So, start thinking in key words. Simplify your thoughts. For example if you are in Venice and are talking to your Italian friend, and you want to say: I want to go to see the Cathedral, you can just simply say: Io Andare vedere Cattedrale ( go, see, Cathedral) Start simple, focus on the essential and aim at smooth communication.
You can add more complexity to your sentences with time and experience. Smart Language Strategy number 3: Writing Helps Thinking! In 2018, I was scouting for books in Feltrinelli, my favorite bookshop in Rome.
Instead of books, probably for the same time, I got out of that place NOT with a big stack of books, but with 10 tiny great-looking notebooks I had randomly come across. Perfect for jotting down key words and developing short sentences out of those. And that’s what I immediately started doing in !
This practice linked my writing with my thinking and with my speaking. Here is what I did. I realized that instead of writing long sentences, it was better to jot down just the essential elements.
Just to give you a very simple example I would write these 3 simple words on my notebook. Η Μαρία (Maria) πηγαίνω (I go, to go) Ρώμη (Romi) And then I would start forming sentences such as: Η Μαρία πηγαίνει στη Ρώμη (Maria goes to Rome) Η Μαρία πήγε στη Ρώμη (Maria went to Rome) Η Μαρία δεν πήγε στη Ρώμη. (Maria did not go to Rome) This allows for a LOT of language flexibility.
Think about it. If you jot down long and complete sentences, you end up just reading them! But if you write just key-words, then you will be compelled to "fill in the blanks" so to speak.
To connect the dots. To form your OWN sentences. It is a simple but powerful idea.
An idea I LOVED from the very beginning, and I got to implement it every single day. I started experimenting with short sentences first, and with time and more experience, I started forming entire mini-speeches using these words. To make a long story short, I started connecting hand-writing with self-speaking, and the connecting glue was key-words in my target language.
This LITERALLY sky-rocketed my capacity to think AND speak directly in Ellinika. Una vera e propria bomba linguistica (in senso buono ovviamente! ) (a real language bomb (in a good sense!
) So, here is a practical language idea you might to try TODAY, immediately after watching this video: Go grab a portable analog device - it can be a notebook but also a piece of paper will do for now (remember no digital distractions folks ;-). Write 10 simple lines made of 3 key simple key-words. You can either extract these key-words from language content you have been using (dialogues, videos, podcasts) OR you can come up with your own key-words - vocabulary that you find likely to use in possible conversations with tutors, partners or friends.
Experiment with some of that for a few days. If you like it - and I truly hope you do, trust me, it is fun ;-) - the next step is to get into the habit of doing it every day for 5-10 minutes. You will see how fast you are going to start thinking and speaking in your target language.
There you have it my lovely language learner! Consume great content to get your target language in you, rely on keywords, and connect everything through simple writing on a portable notebook. Follow these 3 simple strategies, stick to them for a while and, I guarantee you, in no time, you will be thinking AND in Italiano, Deutsch, Zhongwen, Espanol or any other language you are currently learning.
The language magic IS going to happen! On a final note, if you are stuck with too much translation, if words just won't come, and you really, REALLY want to speak your target language fluently once and for all, please Check out my SpeakEasy course. This course will teach you everything you need to know about getting to start speaking ANY target language, and if you follow the course every day, you will go through a language transformation like you have never seen before (Southern accent) All the info in the description box and in the comment section below And we that, we are done for the day.
Hasta la proxima, and as always, Happy Language Learning and see you in the next video!
