By Lori Wade
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The art of learning new languages is not normally a walk in the park for the majority of new language learners. This applies to most of the languages, English being one of them. However, as much as this is true, you always have the power to make learning a new language much easier. One of the most effective ways that will go a long way in assisting you to actualize this is taking down any barriers that can hinder your development such as the translation barrier.
The translation barrier which works to counteract the progress that learners are making while learning English and thus prevents them from enjoying the benefits that come with learning the English language . In order for you not to fall for some of the misconceptions that are made to appear so appealing by translation barriers, here are some tips to assist you with this:
1. Choose the Right Textbooks and Books
With the right textbooks at hand, you’ll be in a position to learn the English language without having any threat of translation barriers taking place. The right textbooks will have exercises and all of their content strictly in the English language. This will work well for beginners because they can’t associate the things that they learn with their corresponding versions in their first language.
2. Surround Yourself with Language
Learning English while in the environment of a classroom is great due to the opportunities of asking questions as well as being able to pick the brains of your teachers regularly. In addition to this, you find that you’ll be in the vicinity of your fellow classmates and will be better placed to share ideas of how you can learn the English language better.
However, you need to learn to implement the English language in your daily life, especially in the environments away from class and school. This is one of the ways that you can be assured of making rapid progress in your learning of the language and also avoiding the translation barrier.
Surround yourself with the language and communicate with as many people as you use the English language at every little or big opportunity that you get. You should always remember that this will be most effective if you train yourself on speaking and communicating in English outside the classroom so that your power to progress does not remain limited.
3. Polish The Basics
There is no one person who is similar to another and this is a principle that cuts across all sectors of our lives. Learning English is no different as you will find people that learn languages with more ease than others while on the other hand, some people need to put more time in order to make even the smallest of strides. If you don’t understand some of these mysteries that life has to offer, you could easily be setting yourself up for a hard time. Just because your colleague appears to be learning English at a faster rate than you are should not make you think that you’re not on the correct path.
To reach the levels of having a mastery of the English language as your colleagues have already done, you should simply just stick to the basics. As much as we all have different paces of learning a language, one of the mandatory paths that learners have to pass through is maintaining their focus on first grasping the basics. The rest of the complex words and phrases will follow after this hurdle has been passed.
Always walk with your head held high, being proud of the things that you’ve been able to achieve because after all, you are better off than a good number of people among the . 1 billion English learners . Don’t compare yourself with others, just focus on polishing the basics and you’ll be okay.
4. Stick to a More Formal Language
When starting out learning English, you should focus on learning the more formal version of the language. As much as it might seem like a simple thing to do, you’ll come to see the downsides of failure to do so in the course of time, as you advance with your knowledge of English.
Wiring yourself to process the English language in an informal manner will, in the long run, lead you into having slackened progress in your learning. Also, you’ll find out that you’ll be better off just knowing the formal language than the slang. Almost everyone will be able to understand you when speaking formal language, no matter how odd it may sound to them. On the other hand, if all you know is slang, you might have a hard time communicating in official settings. Formal English language is used more widely and in the more important forums as compared to informal English.
5. Always Ask For Clarification
One of the other factors that can lead you to resort to taking up translation during your learning of English could be the fear of making mistakes. Fear in itself is one of the oldest and most potent motivators; therefore, the great aftermath that it could lead to cannot be emphasized enough times. It could well be the sole reason behind your lack of progress.
If you’ve already grasped the rules that govern grammar but still find yourself having some difficulties in holding a good conversation, don’t give up. Alleviate the worries that could be running endlessly in your mind concerning the way people will react as well to what they will end up saying about your spoken English. Instead, you should speak and whenever you make mistakes, ask for clarification from people who know the language better.
There is not a single person on earth that does not make mistakes. The difference between you and other people should be accepting that you can never be mistake-free and ask for clarification whenever you do so. Once you have this in place, you will be in fact better placed to have the heart to not only embrace your mistakes but also learn from them and even use the English that you have to advance your career .
Conclusion
In the business of learning new languages, setbacks that work to derail the progress of learners in their journey of mastering a new language will always be there. One of the most notorious culprits in this effect is the translation barrier. There are many ways in which a learner of the English language can cope with the challenges that are posed by this and see them rise to levels of even writing causal argument essay topics without much struggle. Some of these methods have been highlighted in this article and if followed, will help English learners to avoid finding themselves in an unappealing situation.
About the Author
Lori Wade is a content writer who is interested in a wide range of spheres from education and online marketing to entrepreneurship. She is also an aspiring tutor striving to bring education to another level like we all do. If you are interested in writing, you can find her on Twitter or Google+ or find her on other social media. Read and take over Lori’s useful insights!
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