Do you translate from your regional language while writing?

As you know, I grew up in Kuwait. Since there were kids and people from different parts of the globe, the common language between us was English. Though my parents were strict about us speaking only in Malayalam (our mother tongue) at home, I was always more comfortable with English. I've learnt to read and write Malayalam...but for me it was more like translating it from English to Malayalam rather than the other way round. When I would read something in Malayalam, I had to translate it into English for me to understand it well.

At home we have always spoken in English and as a result I do not know my native language which is Kannada. I quite fluently speak Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati but when it comes to thinking it is always English.

i think that would apply to my parents,they have this habit of speaking in their mother-tongues but we were used to speaking in english from a young age,i speak english or hindi with my siblings,friends and kids.

That is so true. I do notice that sometimes when you have started to understood another language, you wouldnt notice if a person was speaking that language or not. It's like you wouldnt notice that he or she maybe speaking French or Spanish. All you notice is the meaning but when asked what language the person spoke, you get confused as to what language he really did use. Anyway, English is my second language and Im actually better at it in written form rather than orally. That's because Im still not confident with my oral English, what with an accent or not or anything. Also, in written words, I can go back to what I have typed/written and make adjustments. But when I type/write the thoughts just flow from me. I dont need to translate in my head. What I think would be in English and my fingers just put it in physical form. As in oral English, I still need some time to think of the right words to use so I need "thinking breaks" by saying "uhm".

I can't write perfect English, but it is usually easy for me to write in English, and I write quite fast. I don't think in Danish while I am writing English. Most of the time I simply write, but sometimes I need to look up a word that I don't know. I prefer an English dictionary like Advanced learner instead of a Danish-English dictionary, but sometimes I need to look up a word in the Danish-English dictionary. It is much easier for me to write English than German, French or Italian, so when I write other languages than English I often have to translate from Danish to the language that I am writing.

I don't think in English because I'm used to think in my language and then translate to English. I think it's easier for people who don't speak english often.

Hi Kala! Outstanding post! My mother tongue is Hindi. However, over the years I have developed a habit of thinking in English, while speaking or writing. I keep reading English novels, magazines and newspapers as much as I can. I think you are very right that till we start thinking in English, we cannot speak or write effectively. I feel that I can think or rather think simultaneously both in Hindi and English and as per the situation, I express myself. I can switch over from either of the language to the other one, within no time.

Well I used to form and then translated sentences mentally in my early years. But later on, my teacher told us about this process and that was the time I noticed it. Since then, I tried and now I think in direct language, no translate needed. Credits go to my reading habits and also to watching so much lately :P Yes, it does help to improve your language skills once you find this stage. Otherwise there are still people around here understanding whose English requires to first identify their mother tongue, and then 're-translate' it.

Hi dear, Whenever I heard or read something other than my native language (mean in English or Hindi) I am thinking the meaning in my own language or understanding the meaning in my native language. When I write something in English I think in English only and very rarely I think in my native language and translate into English. I think the translation is a difficult job

I usually use this way to write these responses. Because I can study English by translate English to my regional language and on the contrary I can know more English by translate my regional language to English. I think this is the best way for everyone wants to study English as me.

I was born in Italy as you know and for a time Italian was the only language I could speak, read and write until I came to Australia and learnt English. Because I was ten years old, I stopped using Italian except for chatting to my parents and now English feels now my number one language. I write from my heart and Italian never enters my head anymore these days; I no longer have the need to translate because my thoughts and dreams are always in English.

I still think in Chinese and write in English. Since Chinese has no grammar structure as in past, present or future tense, my English grammar is forever bad. Our society here manages to mingle and fuse English into the four major languages, and I think that dilutes the standard of both English and mother tongues. Whatever it is, as long as the local can understand, there is not much problem in mixing all the languages and dialects. The problem comes when speaking or mixing people from other countries.

English is my first language but I know a bit of Mandarin. I find that when I first go into a Chinese-speaking environment, I'm thinking in English and translating it in my head. But after I've been there for a couple of days (for example, if I'm staying with relatives in Singapore and speaking to them in Mandarin and ordering food in Mandarin and such) I start to instantly think in Mandarin rather than having to go through the tedious process of hearing, translating, thinking, translating and speaking. :) Of course, speaking English is always easier. :P

Hi,yes,you are right .I am chinese.English is a foreign language to me.I usually translate each line to chinese while reading or writing.I know it is a bad habit .Now,I am try to read and write without translation ,and I need a long time to be used to it.

This is a good discussion.Writer Sujatha once mentioned about this thinking in Tamil and writing it into English which makes a bad write up. On the other hand if you read his Tamil stories you can find out that he was thinking in English and translate that thoughts in Tamil.That is the secret of the crispiness of his style. As you have mentioned it the practice that makes on'e English perfect.It has to happen in a most natural way.

My primary language is English. Have always heard the English language is the most difficult to learn since so many words have different meanings. Spelling can be a real trick also.

I agree with you on this. I think in English and it will confuse me if I have to translate from my national language to English while writing. Especially when we need to catch up with time and responding to discussion needs spontaneous reply. It is waste of time if I have to do translation from my regular language to English. I am very fortunate to have lived with the western nuns in a convent when I was in my student days. The early exposure to daily conversation in English with these nuns has planted a solid foundation in acquiring the proficiency in English. At the same time Mylot has also built my confidence in interacting with the native speakers. But of course there are some flaws in my grammatical usage which I think should be excusable for people whose mother's tongues is not English.

in normal life, I think in my mother language i.e. Urdu. but when writing / reading English or when talking to myself, I think in English. It helps me build confidence when talking to my class fellows and/or teachers or some where when needed.

English is my second language, but when I write something in English, I don't need to translate it from my native tongue to English... I maybe having some problems in looking for the appropriate words sometimes but it's not really a problem.

Hi,how are you. I do not think so.When you write,every words is natural.OF course,things goes on like this when you learn english for a long time or you are at mylot for a long time.Right?Of course,sometimes there are a lot of words that I do not know how to write and manny words that I do not know how to do.But it will be better when you write more and more. Good luck.