Hello my friends.
Welcome back to English Unleashed.
I'm Tom.
Today we will talk about one of the biggest problems in language learning.
Translating in your head.
Many learners tell me, Tom, I always translate.
First, I think in my language, then I try to change the words into English.
It is slow.
It is stressful.
I forget words.
Maybe you feel the same.
Maybe you want to stop translating, but you don't know how.
In this episode, I want to give you something very special.
New ideas and new techniques to start thinking in English today.
Let's begin.
Okay, let's start with why translation is a big problem.
Scientists who study the brain say that we have two systems of thinking.
One system is fast and automatic.
It works quickly.
It works without stopping.
The other system is slow and careful.
It checks everything step by step, but it takes more time.
When you translate in your head, you are using the slow and careful system.
You first think of the sentence in your own language.
Then you try to change it into English.
This step takes extra time.
It makes you pause.
It creates a delay.
And it makes conversation feel heavy.
It makes speaking feel difficult and stressful.
But when you think in English directly, you use the fast and automatic system.
It does not stop to check every single word.
It does not move back and forth between languages.
It simply speaks.
It is quick.
It is natural.
It feels light and easy.
Imagine this.
You are sitting in a cafe.
The waiter comes to you and asks, What would you like to drink?
If you translate, first you hear the question.
Then you think of the answer in your own language.
Next, you try to change the answer into English.
By the time you finish, the waiter is waiting.
You feel nervous.
You may even forget a word.
But if you think in English directly, the words come out at once, immediately.
You look at the waiter and say, a coffee please.
Fast, simple, natural.
No waiting, no stress.
This is why translation is a problem.
Translation makes you slow.
Thinking in English makes you quick.
Translation makes you nervous.
Thinking in English makes you confident.
Okay, now you might be thinking, how can I stop using my own language first?
The answer is not big.
It is not something you do only once.
The answer is small daily moments.
Research in learning shows something very important.
Practicing many small times is stronger than practicing one long time.
Short, frequent practice is better for brain than long, rare practice.
It is like drinking water.
You do not drink all your water in one moment.
You drink many times during the day.
Language is the same.
So how do we use these small moments?
Very simple when you open the fridge, do not just open it, say in your mind or say quietly, i am opening the fridge.
When you tie your shoes, do not just tie them, say i am tying my shoes.
When you wash your hands, say I am washing my hands.
When you look out the window, say I am looking out the window.
These are very short sentences.
We call them micro-moments, okay?
Micro-moments.
A micro-moment is a very small time when you use English.
It can be only three seconds or only one sentence, but it trains your brain.
At first, the sentences are very simple.
They may feel too easy.
But do not worry.
Easy is good.
Easy is powerful.
With time, your brain learns to connect actions with English directly.
Slowly, these sentences become automatic.
This is how you move from the slow system to the fast system, the one that is natural and automatic.
At the beginning, you may think slowly.
Am opening the fridge.
It's very slow at the beginning, but after many times, the words come fast.
I'm opening the fridge.
No translation, no delay, just English.
The magic is not in one big moment.
The magic is in many small daily moments.
Every time you use English in a small way, you are training your brain.
Every small practice builds a new road inside your mind.
And one day, without even noticing, English will come to you naturally.
OK.
Many learners say Tom, I want to think in English, but I do not live in an English-speaking country.
What can I do?
That's a very good question.
Of course, the best way to think in English is to live where English is everywhere.
If you hear English in the streets, on the radio, on TV, in shops, your brain has no choice.
It starts to think in English.
But not everyone can move to another country.
Not everyone can travel abroad.
So, what can you do?
The answer is...
Make small English islands in your day.
So what is an English island?
An island is a small piece of land in the sea.
Around the island there is water.
Inside the island, there is land.
In the same way, your day may be full of your own language.
But you can create small islands of English, short times when you use only English.
For example, you can make a 10-minute English-only breakfast.
During those 10 minutes, you think and speak only in English.
You look at your food and say, this is bread.
The bread is fresh.
I'm drinking tea.
The tea is hot.
I like butter.
The butter is soft.
You see, everything is simple, but it is all in English.
Later, maybe in the evening, you can make another English island.
For example, 15 minutes of English music or 15 minutes of an English podcast.
During that time, no other language, only English.
At first, your islands may be very small.
Five minutes here, ten minutes there.
That is okay.
Small is good.
Small is possible.
With time, the islands can grow bigger.
Ten minutes can become twenty minutes.
One island can become three islands.
Slowly, your day will have more and more English islands.
And the more islands you build, the less you will translate, okay?
The more islands you build, the more natural English will feel.
So, remember this.
You do not need to live in London or New York to think in English.
You can build your own English world, step by step, island by island, inside your day.
Alright, here is another idea from research.
Use mental pictures, not words from your own language.
When you learn a new English word, many learners make the same mistake.
They always connect the English word to their native language.
For example, they learn the word apple and they immediately think of the word for apple in their language.
This feels easy at first, but it creates a problem.
Why?
Because every time you want to use the word, your brain must first go to your first language and then move back to English.
That is slow.
That is heavy.
Instead, you can train your brain in a better way.
Do not connect the new English word to your own language.
Connected to a picture in your mind.
Connected to an image, a sound, a smell or even a feeling.
For example, when you learn the word apple, don't think of the translation.
Don't see the word from your own language in your head.
Instead, close your eyes and imagine a big red apple in your hand.
Imagine the taste.
Imagine the smell of a fresh apple.
Imagine the sound when you bite it.
Now, when you hear the word apple, your brain will not run to your native language, your brain will run directly to the picture.
From English to picture, not English to translation.
Okay?
This is really powerful.
Why?
Because this is how children learn.
A child does not learn the word dog by translating.
A child sees a dog, hears the word dog and the connection is made.
Here is another technique.
It may feel strange, but talking to yourself is a very strong method.
Psychologists call it self-talk.
Self-talk means speaking to yourself, sometimes quietly, sometimes loudly.
You can say now i am walking to the bus, or i must remember my keys or, well done, i finished my work.
You are your own english partner, you are your own english teacher.
This is free, it is private and it is very powerful.
So let me give you a simple plan you can use for one week.
In the morning, create a short english island.
At breakfast, think in english only during the day.
Use micro moments, one sentence for each action.
In the evening, watch a short video.
Copy the emotions, not just the words.
Before bed, use self-talk.
Tell yourself what you did today in English.
This plan is not long, it is not difficult, but if you do it every day, you will notice a change.
Your brain will start to connect English with life, not with translation.
So, my friends, remember this.
Translating is natural in the beginning, but it is not the end.
You can move beyond it.
You can build new roads in your brain.
The more you connect English directly to actions, pictures and feelings, the faster you will think in English.
The more you practice, the more automatic it becomes.
Okay, thank you so much for listening to English Unleashed.
I'm Tom, and until next time, keep practicing, keep learning, and keep believing in yourself.
Bye for now.
