“Cut out the middle-man“
Idiom – To deal directly with someone or some entity,
rather than dealing with an intermediary of some kind.
(https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/cut+out+the+middle-man)
Hello everyone,
Thank you for tuning in to my most recent blog post about the journey to ESL learning. This article, in particular, will explain the feeling of being lost in translation and things we can do to overcome it.
“You-good” (ni hao) = “Hello” in Chinese?!
“How-old-are-you?” (zenme lao shi ni) = “How is it always you?” in Chinese?!
“Horse-horse-tiger-tiger” (mama huhu) = “So so” in Chinese?!
FYI: the above are some classic examples of Chinglish (Mandarin Chinese + English).
While we’re learning a new language, it is very common (and almost natural) for us to think in our L1 (first language or native language) and translate that thought into the target language (L2 or second language). With a lot of practice and exposure, the translation process eventually becomes more seamless without much trace of error.
Generally speaking, Stage 1 Learners (CLB 1-4 or CEFR A1/A2) make many grammatical mistakes and often use the wrong choice of vocabulary due to the similar concept of Chinglish — which is using the L1 as a strong reference point and the same structures to produce the L2 information.
Stage 2 Learners (CLB 5-8 or CEFR B1/B2) rely on the in-brain L1-to-L2 translation process less and Stage 3 Learners (CLB 9-12 or CEFR C1-C2) hardly need to revert to their L1s at all.
This isn’t only about grammatical structures or lexicon; it’s also about intonation, rhythm, pronunciation, enunciation and communication mannerisms.
For example, it wouldn’t be unusual for Chinese people who are not used to seeing my English name to call me “Si-kao-te” or “Si-ke-te” — which are separate Chinese words that sound close enough to Scott when put together. But, you know… it’s just not the same.
The very same people have even come to me seeking suggestions on how to cultivate their internal thought process in the target language. For instance, how to think in English.
So, it appears to me that many Learners themselves know the goals they need to obtain L2 mastery; but they just don’t know how to take the necessary bite-sized digestible steps.
“Automaticity“
Noun — The quality or fact of being performed involuntarily or unconsciously,
as a reflex, innate process, or ingrained habit.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/automaticity
As language teachers, our main objective is to help Learners arrive at the automaticity state. Having lessons and giving homework or tests are merely steps to help along this journey.
As learners of an additional language, the main objective is to arrive at the automaticity state. Learning sentence structures, idioms, phrasal verbs, and colloquial slangs are merely steps to help along this journey.
Personally, I think that learning to embrace challenges and welcoming the opportunity to leave our comfort zones is the key. Of course, this is much easier said than done. As long as we keep a positive yet realistic attitude, our steps will naturally become much simpler.
We should understand that there’s a delay or lag when going through so many thought processes. And by doing so, there’s always a risk that we might get lost in translation. Therefore, to proficiently acquire an L2, we could consider cutting out the middle-man altogether.
Thank you for reading, everyone!
Hope to see you again next time!
Sincerely,
Scott Lao
Ps. If you’d like to see me read aloud, please watch the following video!