Do This to Start Thinking in English and Stop Translating in Your Head | Become Advanced in English
Thinking in English: How to Stop Translating in Your Head
In this video, the speaker discusses how to stop translating in your head when thinking in English. The three main reasons why people struggle with this are low language proficiency, a preference for staying in their comfort zone, and not listening to enough English.
Low Language Proficiency
- When first learning a language, it's natural to be unfamiliar with its rules and patterns.
- Translation is necessary at first but can hinder progress if relied on too heavily.
- Communicating with native speakers from the beginning can help improve language proficiency.
Comfort Zone
- Many people prefer staying in their comfort zone and avoiding challenges.
- Getting out of one's comfort zone is necessary for growth and improvement.
- Joining an English-speaking club or practicing speaking with others can help challenge oneself.
Not Listening Enough
- Not listening to enough English can make it difficult to think in the language.
- Immersing oneself in the language through media, music, and conversation can help improve language skills.
Overall, improving one's ability to think in English requires practice and stepping out of one's comfort zone. Immersing oneself in the language through communication with native speakers and exposure to media can also be helpful.
The Importance of Listening in Language Learning
In this section, the speaker emphasizes the importance of listening in language learning and shares a scientific research paper that supports this claim.
Listening is More Important than Other Aspects of Language Learning
- According to a scientific research paper, dedicating more time to listening is crucial for language learning.
- Speaking, reading, writing, and doing grammar exercises are also important but not as critical as listening.
- If you don't have the opportunity to speak English every day, you can still improve your language skills by dedicating more time to listening.
Personal Experience with Chinese Language Learning
- The speaker shares her experience with learning Chinese in college and how she struggled because no one wanted to speak Chinese or English in class.
- She spent a lot of time on grammar exercises but didn't learn the language because she didn't listen enough.
- She discovered a YouTube channel where the creator spoke Chinese, which helped her improve her listening skills and eventually think in Chinese.
Importance of Listening for Switching Your Brain to English
- The speaker believes that listening is the most important skill for switching your brain to English and stopping translation in your head.
- By dedicating more time to listening, you can get familiar with all the rules and patterns of the language.
- The speaker reminds viewers that she teaches English and Russian on italki where they can book classes with her.
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