A Common Mistake English Speakers Make In Learning A New Language Is Translating Every Word In English

A common mistake English speakers make in learning a new language is translating every word in English literally. By extension, this also involves translating whole sentences word for word.

This is a wee (actually, not that wee) problem for a few reasons:

It means that you will be translating words that don’t have an equivalent in the target language.

It means that you’ll be losing the chance to use words in the target language that don’t have an English translation (advanced vocab).

You’ll be ignoring vital stylistic elements of speaking/writing in the target language. You’ll end up saying things that native speakers of the target language just don’t ever say, even if you use correct grammar and vocabulary.

Now, if you don’t get the hang of this in your target language, I repeat, do not panic. This process of getting the feel of your target language and familiarising yourself with advanced vocab words comes only with practice. It’s not possible to just learn off every rule/word/stylistic element in your target language.

Allow me to illustrate these issues using Spanish and French:

1. Translating words that don’t have an exact equivalent in the target language. Not every word in English has the exact translation in another language, thus a phrase or supplemental synonym is used to convey the meaning in context.

“I think I forgot to lock the door”. In Spanish, this is Pensé que olvidé cerrar la puerta con llave. Pay attention to the phrase for lock. There isn’t a single verb to convey the idea of locking a door. You just say that you close it with the key.

“I want to pass this test on the first try”. In French, this is Je voudrais réussir l'examen au premier essai. We use the word essai to indicate attempt or try, even though this word generally means essay in most other contexts.

2. Not using target language-specific words that don’t exist in English. Some words just don’t exist in English- don’t miss out the chance to use them in another language though! (this is basically the opposite of #1) It indicates a better grasp of the language, comparable to that of natives.

“Last night, I hardly got any sleep because I was anxious”. In Spanish, instead of directly translating the phrase “I hardly got any sleep”, you can use the word desvelado, which covers the entire concept of being unable to sleep. Anoche, estuve desvelado ya que estaba ansioso. In French, you’d say J’ai eu une nuit blanche hier car j’étais anxieux.

“Although we are poor, we can manage with what we have”. In French, you’d never directly translate the word manage, but instead, you’d say Bien qu'on soit pauvre, on peut se débrouiller avec ce qu’on a. The verb se débrouiller expresses the entire concept of being able to get by and survive day by day with next to nothing.

3. The stylistic element. These are just manners of speaking that native speakers use, which includes sentences structures and word order, or even just expressions of choice that would be clunky in English.

In French, let’s say someone asks you, “Est-ce que tu ne voudrais pas une verre de l'eau avec ça?”. This means “Don’t you want a glass of water with that?”. The food is hot and spicy, so of course you’re thirsty. The first thing that comes to mind is to say, “Mais, oui!”. However, that’s not what is said. It’s not that the grammar or word choice is wrong, but generally, after agreeing with a negative sentence, si is used. You would respond, “Mais, si! J'ai soif!”.

In French, they throw in “ça” everywhere, just for emphasis. “Ça, c'est horrible!”, “Ce robe, ça, c'est très belle!”.

Word choice. Instead of saying “Going to this meeting is important”, one would say something akin to “The attendance of this meeting is vital”. “L'assiduité de la réunion, c'est d'une importance capital”. This is kinda why people like to say French is haughty and pretensive (je t'aime, ma petite langue). Nonetheless, this is more common in formal speech.

In Spanish, what comes to mind at first is the order of subjects and verbs. It’s rather common to hear the subject come after the verb(s), all the way at the end of the sentence. A mí madre matarón los narcotraficantes. El tango baila María todos los fines de la semana.

The word “lo” can precede an arbitrary noun. The normal thing to do is lo normal. The good thing is lo bueno. The physical thing is lo físico, and the sexy thing is lo sensual. You will rarely hear someone say “la buena cosa”.

So, how do you improve your grasp of a language? Well, listening to natives speak is definitely one way. You don’t need to visit the country or anything, but maybe get a pen pal, Tumblr friend and ofc, watch and read the news in your target language. Also, immerse yourself in books, movies, TV shows and music. Finally, practice writing and get a teacher or a native to check your work.

motivational classics quotes

Hi guys! Here’s a masterpost of some inspirational quotes taken from classical literature that you can use in your bullet journal, planner, or whenever you need some extra motivation! Italicized are some of my favorites that really help me stop procrastinating and get through the day :)

romans:

seneca:

“i will storm the gods, and shake the universe.”

“luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

“if one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.”

“it is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, but because we do not dare, things are difficult.”

“sometimes it is an act of bravery even to live.”

ovid:

“nothing is stronger than habit.”

“let your hook be always cast. in the pool where you least expect it, will be fish.”

“endure and persist; this pain will turn into good by and by.”

“what is without periods of rest will not endure.”

virgil:

“they can because they think they can.”

“let us go singing as far as we go: the road will be less tedious.”

“work conquers all.”

“practice and thought may forge many an art.”

“we cannot all do everything.”

horace:

“adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.”

“he who has begun has half done. dare to be wise; begin!”

“remember when life’s path is steep to keep your mind even.”

“mix a little foolishness with your serious plans. it is lovely to be silly at the right moment.”

“he who feared that he would not succeed sat still.”

catullus:

“often has leisure ruined great kings and fine cities.”

“if anything has happened to one who ever yearned and wished but never hoped, that is a rare pleasure of the soul.”

“i hate and i love. perhaps you ask why i do this? i do not know, but i feel it happening and i am tortured.”

greeks:

homer:

“the fates have given mortals hearts that can endure.”

“some of the words you’ll find within yourself, the rest some power will inspire you to say.”

“for a friend with an understanding heart is worth no less than a brother.”

“there is a time for many words and there is a time also for sleep.”

sappho:

“may I write words more naked than flesh, stronger than bone, more resilient than sinew, sensitive than nerve.”

“beauty endures only for as long as it can be seen; goodness, beautiful today, will remain so tomorrow.”

“you who judge me, for me you are nothing.”

plato:

“be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

“no one should be discouraged who can make constant progress, even though it be slow.”

“music is a moral law. it gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.”

“the first and best victory is to conquer self.”

“the beginning is the most important part of the work.”

aristotle:

“the roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”

“pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”

“poetry demands a man with a special gift for it, or else one with a touch of madness in him.”

“we are what we repeatedly do. excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” (misattributed, but too good to pass up :) )

plutarch:

“the mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.”

“what we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.”

“to make no mistakes is not in the power of man; but from their errors and mistakes the wise and good learn wisdom for the future.”

“painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks.”

“to find fault is easy; to do better may be difficult.”

I hope you find these useful, or at least enjoyed reading through them! Let me know which are your favorites!

xx, penelope

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littlelanguagefox

6 years ago

KOREAN LEARNING MASTERLIST:

originally a quick bookmark that became a comprehensive, work-in-progress, reblog-able masterlist of all korean posts i’ve made and come across on tumblr, ordered by topic/theme. last updated: 04/05/2019

VOCABULARY:

Time + Space:

eojetbam-studies: five a day #21 — time related vocab

eojetbam-studies: position in korean 어디에 있어요?

eojetbam-studies: countries in korean — 어느 나라 사람이에요?

eojetbam-studies: days of the week

koreanstudytips: frequency adverbs

dailydoseofkorea: korean geographic vocab

Relationships:

eojetbam-studies: family in korean — 우리의 가족

Nouns:

koreanstudytips: animals in korean

eojetbam-studies: five a day #3 — thanksgiving related vocab

Adjectives:

eojetbam-studies: colors in korean — 한국어에 색들이

Verbs:

jesslearnslanguages: 25 common korean verbs

19tc: to like/to dislike

patroocle: sleep related vocab

Internet:

patroocle: on the internet

GRAMMAR:

Particles / Attached Endings:

learn-korean-with-alli: object particle 를/을

adventuresinkorean: contrastive ending (으)나

yasuistudies: future tense and probability (으)ㄹ 거예요

Taking Action:

koreanstudytips: let’s in korean

Negatives:

koreanstudytips: how to say don’t in korean

Other Grammar:

h-eonno: korean sentence structure

OTHER:

Honorifics:

koreanstudytips: 존댓말 vs. 반말

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littlelanguagefox

5 years ago

✨The language learning tip you have not heard (works for all written languages)

The tip: Copy down (entire) passages of text

Why it works: You get WRITING SKILLS since you are writing down every word. You become familiar with the spelling, grammar, different writing styles, script (if you are unfamiliar with it), etc. You get READING SKILLS because obviously you are reading, exposed to the written text in context. You can even incorporate SPEAKING and LISTENING SKILLS by listen to the audio format (you can try google translate audio if you find nothing else) and/or read it aloud to yourself. Since you are limited by the speed of your writing, you will pay more attention to pronunciation. *Also, everyone knows you retain more information when you write by hand.*

How to:

1. Select a text. Make sure it is appropriate to your level and desired new vocabulary set. If I want to know more political vocabulary, I will read a news article. But for colloquial language/slang, I will read a YA novel.

(Btw you can find tons of texts for novels online if you search: “title name” + pdf)

2. Get a paper and writing utensil (you can dedicate a notebook to this if you want).

3. Don’t stop until the text is done or your hand hurts

4. Limit looking up vocabulary. If the text is more challenging for you, allow yourself to look up about one word per paragraph. If it is at your level, then wait to the end of the session to open the dictionary. Chances are, you’ll figure out the word’s meaning a few lines later.

4. Go back to the text later to review and/or make vocabulary lists from what you learned (flashcards like anki or memrise would be great especially if you put the sentence on one side with the word indicated and a representative picture on the other side

Ex. Side one: I planted a *rose* today

Side two: picture of a rose in a pot)

**btw I don’t know if this is an “undiscovered” method. I used this to learn spelling and writing structures in my native language when I was little. I would even put the writing right in my picture books**

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littlelanguagefox

6 years ago

You know you’re doing an English Major when an essay question is to analyse a 50-word long poem with a 2300 word limit.