24/05/2016 9WaysToStartThinkingInYourTargetLanguageenglishlearningarticleitalki

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9 Ways To Start Thinking In Your Target

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English 6908 30 0

jenny
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Apr 27, 2016

Do you believe that dreaming in another language
(https://www.italki.com/teachers) means that you are uent? What
about if a thought pops into your head in a foreign language? And if
you cant understand the words target or pop in English, does that
mean that you should just give up and stop reading this article?

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Well, let me assure you that any dream or thought you have in your
target language is a good sign! However, that thought could be
somewhat incorrect. And even if you think you can understand every
word that the little British rabbit is saying in your dream, its possible
that his pronunciation is awful.

Therefore, the solution here is not to think in black or white. In other
words: don't panic or shut down if you come across a new word (or
words) and be sure to let all those mixed thoughts into your brain.

Here are a few methods and tips that I, along with my students, have
tried and tested over the years, with very positive results:

Have classes only in your target language

Needless to say, you must immerse yourself completely in a language
in order to be able to properly absorb it. That may seem scary, but its
necessary. Otherwise, your progress will be very, very slow.

Get rid of your dictionaries

This is a very controversial idea to many students and teachers, but
its always good to have an open mind towards new and proven ideas,
even if they are hard work. Dictionaries are, in fact, a very useful tool
at certain times. However, that time is not in an actual conversation
or class.

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In general, its a very good idea to consult a dictionary before your

lesson, during a break or at any other time when you are alone. This is
because you tend to want to be sure, 100% sure, of the meaning of a
difcult word. However, if you panic when you forget a word, are too
shy to ask for more examples or get too embarrassed to ask for help
when you dont understand, you may be tempted to take the quickest,
safest and most comfortable route and check a dictionary, even when
you are talking to someone.

However, this can be unhelpful because you really need to learn how
to ask, describe, put into context and say things on your own. This
allows you to learn synonyms directly by using them. It also helps you
to learn how to express yourself better, as well as focus on the
holistic meaning of what people are saying. Your aim should be to
understand 80% of your lesson.

By abandoning your dictionary until later, you will force your mind to
adapt. Slowly but surely, it will get easier and your brain will stop
trying to translate words into your native tongue.

An example I give my students is: Do you know what a chicken is?
Can you imagine it? Can you see it? Is it an object, an idea? What is it?
Is it big? Is it red? What is it for? Where can you nd one? Do you
need to always translate that word in your mind before you see it?

Once you can fully describe something while simultaneously seeing it
in your mind, you truly know a word. If you rely on a dictionary to do
this for you, you won't learn how to think of it in your target language.
Moreover, if you look up a word in a dictionary, you may get confused
because that word could be associated with many different contexts
and situations. Simply memorising when to use it and in what context

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can make the word seem overly complicated and hard to remember.
This will lead you to making mistakes. As a result, letting go of
dictionaries does, in time, truly work.

Make to-do lists or shopping lists

Plan your day by making a short list and only writing important key
words down. You could also write a shopping list in your target
language. This way, you will look at your list repeatedly throughout
the day and recognise those actions as they happen or those items
when you nd them.

Write a diary

After having followed your list, you could then look back at what you
did during the day. Write a simple diary focusing on what happened,
how you felt, what you are planning to do or maybe even what you
want to do.

If you don't like to use paper because you're a device addict, there are
many useful and free websites. I use this one (https://penzu.com/).

Choose a swear word or phrase

Although it isn't good to swear, it is handy to have a favourite word or
phrase to express your frustration. When we are angry, we tend to
react quickly and without thinking. Therefore, saying a bad word in
your target language means that your instincts are working in this

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language. Furthermore, people who don't know that language will be

less likely to realise that youre swearing because they dont
understand what you just said.

Choose some llers

Fillers are little phrases that buy you time when you are thinking
about what to say. Select at least three and memorise them. Start
using them frequently so that you will get used to them. These
phrases are useful because people don't want to hear
uuuuuuuhhhh.. every two words when you are speaking. Plus
these words will help your condence.

There is a lot of stuff online related to llers. You can nd two good
exampleshere (http://www.ieltsspeaking.co.uk/using-llers/) and here
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKmkB7OVO_M).

Read children's books

I know, I know. You probably think that your level is too high to be
reading children's books. Well, I can assure you that I have taught up
to prociency level and this was still challenging for those students.
And I don't mean for you to read comics because they can contain
excessive amounts of slang. Instead, choose thin storybooks,
preferably a classic story that you already know. The sentences are
short, but there is always a lot of vocabulary in context. This means
that you can guess the meaning because it is logical.

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You will also nd verbs of movement, onomatopoeias (words related

to sounds) and reported speech (He skipped. The dog howled. She
told me to go). Furthermore, the pictures really help!

There are some good websites where you can read classic children's
books, although I personally think that the feel of a real book is much
nicer.

In any case, here (http://bygosh.com/) is a helpful, free site. Some
stories are longer than others.

Play Taboo-like games

This follows the same idea as not using a dictionary, but it can be a
lot of fun with several teams! Write down words for other people to
guess without actually saying the words on the paper. This forces you
to describe the word in detail and the other person to visualise it and
maybe ask questions. You could make it harder by writing down easy
words that the speaker cannot use. These are called banned words.
For example, if the word was Christmas, but you werent allowed to
say Father Christmas, Santa Claus, Christmas tree or
presents... it would be much harder for someone to guess. There is
a lot of material online, being that the classic game of Taboo is so
popular. Here (http://playtaboogame.com/ads.aspx?
lang=1&team1=0&team2=0&next_turn=1&rst=yes) is an easy
example.

Watch your favourite lm

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Most of us have a lm we know by heart because we have watched it

a hundred times or more. Now, watch it in your target language! You
can also watch it dubbed, but dont use subtitles; these distract you
from following people's body language, facial gestures or tone of
voice. That is why you should choose a version where people are or
look like they are speaking in your target language. Please keep in
mind that neither subtitles nor dubbing constitute a word for word
translation, but instead provide the same general meaning as the
words of the original lm. If you enjoy lms with songs, then this
could be a good way of remembering sentence order by singing
along.

By following these techniques, you will be able to remember what you
need to do in your target language, as well as write better and make
your sentences more interesting. Furthermore, youll be able to have a
conversation without fear of getting stuck, easily speak with your
foreign friends and comfortably read a book like Aladdin! Enjoy!

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jenny (/teacher/1269631)
Teaches English,French

I'm Jenny, a CELTA qualied native English teacher with a classic British accent. I specialize in
conversation but also teach grammar, pronunciation, reading comprehension, CPE, FCE and IELTS. I
have taught in London, Japan and Mexico.

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