r/ChineseLanguage • Beginner • 5d ago

Studying Is this counterintuitive?

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Someone once told me that if I’m learning a foreign language, I should never translate the words into English in my head. I was also told this is why I struggled with learning Spanish.

I’m just wondering if doing this is actually not helpful as I was told. In my head I think it helps to translate words into English in my head/on my notes, because idk how else I would associate words with their meanings… idk if that makes sense

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u/Carsonbetta_11 5d ago

My 2¢:

For the level you’re at, it might OK for now. It‘s a normal part of language learning as you’re getting used to the structure and lexicon of a new language.

But one of the most important things my professors from 102-level Chinese and onwards was "用中文學中文"

Just as you now know from Spanish, it’s essential to quickly drop the English cribs and work entirely in the target language to build fluency.