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When learning to speak a foreign language, what do you think is better?

Do you think its better to translate your thoughts from your native language, or learn to express your self as a foreigner of the target language would do ?One of the biggest problems of speaking foreign languages, is the miscommunication that results from the fact that speaker automatically and subconsciously translate their thoughts from their mother language in an effort to be clear and straight-forward, rather than using the unique expressions of the target language they're learning, so which do you think is better, and why ?

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Question added by Deleted user
Date Posted: 2013/08/04
Madina Sharipova
by Madina Sharipova

Of course learning how to express yourself in a target language is a lot better! But it might be difficult at the beginning and you may want to translate your thoughts from native language. That's why it is very important not just learn the language you want to speak to, but also use it, practice it in a real life, most importantly listen to how the natives speak and what expressions do they use. Remembering certain language chunks, collocations would be extra helpful - you can just use them automatically without translating.

Hend Shaaban
by Hend Shaaban , Editor and Translator , Publications Unit, Cultural Outreach Sector, Bibliotheca Alexandrina

I think one should not think in one language and produce the utterance or the sentence in another language because every language functions differently.
This will lead to unnatural occurrences and will instantly reflect the speaker's/writer's ignorance of the foreign language.
Instead, one should read a lot for native speakers of the foreign language and also listen to them and gradually one acquires the skill and the ability to express oneself in a foreign language.
An interesting exercise is to think of a certain sentence in the native language and then research to know how it is said in the foreign language.

Narges El Azm
by Narges El Azm , Online English Instructor , Freelance

Learning to express yourself in the target language is the better way to learn.
There are many reasons for that.
Some words, if not many, don't have exact translations to other languages, if any at all.
Expressions or idioms one can use in the native language can be misunderstood or simply make no sense in the target language.
Those are just two reasons, but there are many more.

SHAHEEN khan
by SHAHEEN khan , Cro/Cso Cutomer Services Officer/Customer Relationships Officer , COMRADE SOFTWARE MARKETING LLC

in my opinion 

  more learn more speak without thinking what people think

syed obaidullah
by syed obaidullah , Office Administrator , saber khan land transport

English learning is important now a days because every body know english if we dont understand his or her language we should to speak them english and it is use more and every where and people can solve their problem

Dattaram Rahate
by Dattaram Rahate , Agent , Star Health

If you are learning to speak a foreign language for a job/social life/surroundings it is better to learn with your at most attention of your new language.If you are in a Sales in a foreign country you can learn to speak immediately.
Only thing if you make mistakes to communicate with that language people then you must accept it immediately and correct it immediately.

mohammed ziauddin s
by mohammed ziauddin s , table worker , kh exports india privated limited

Yes sometime we most try to learn many language that may use in featuer porpose

KHUBAIB ALAFGHANI
by KHUBAIB ALAFGHANI , Central workshop manager , Binquraya holding company

I THINK ITS BETTER TO THINK AND AND EXPRESS IN THE TARGET LANGUAGE. TRANSLATING THE EXPRESSIONS AND THOUGHTS FROM THE MOTHER LANGUAGE TO THE TARGETED LANGUAGE MIGHT AFFECT THE SPIRIT AND ACCURACY OF THE EXPRESSION.

Deleted user
by Deleted user

I think that the best way to learning to speak a foreign language is absolutely not to translate this langupage to your's native, but to firstly HEAR and HEAR and HEAR. Then your phonatory apparatus starts to speak "it self". This is my real short experience.

Moncef MAKHBOUCHE
by Moncef MAKHBOUCHE , Engineering Manager , PEC PWS

I believe the practice you do when you are in the native country will enhance your subconcious mind. With a sufficient words, you will communicate in a way that the words pop up automatically. This will help you to save time when answering a question or building a thought. This is far better than translating thoughts from the mother language.

Muhammad Shahid
by Muhammad Shahid , Foreman Maintenance Mechanical Production , MOL Pakistan Oil & Gas Co.BV.Islamabad.Pakistan.

speaking power increase by internel will power and practice makes a person perfect

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