Las diferencias entre traducir y entender

[shmunkyman33]

Hola!
En mis experiencias con aprender español, he encontrado que hay una diferencia entre el estudiante y el maestro. Me parece que el estudiante tiene traducir el español que oye, en su mente, antes de entenderlo, pero el maestro simplemente entiende el español, sin pensar en él. Supongo que lo que estoy preguntando es esto: ¿hay una diferencia entre estos? ¿O es que el maestro simplemente traduce casi al instante?

y en inglés:

Hello!
In my experiences with learning spanish, I've found that there is a difference between the student and the teacher. It seems that the student has to translate the spanish that he hears, in his head, before he can understand it, whereas the teacher simply understands it, without having to think about it. I guess my question is this: do you think there really is a difference here? Or is it just that the teacher can simply translate almost instantly in his head?

Thanks in advance, and sorry if my question doesn't make sense :P

[chileno]

Originally Posted by shmunkyman33

Hola!
En mis experiencias con aprender español, he encontrado que hay una diferencia entre el estudiante y el maestro. Me parece que el estudiante tiene traducir el español que oye, en su mente, antes de entenderlo, pero el maestro simplemente entiende el español, sin pensar en él. Supongo que lo que estoy preguntando es esto: ¿hay una diferencia entre estos? ¿O es que el maestro simplemente traduce casi al instante?

y en inglés:

Hello!
In my experiences with learning spanish, I've found that there is a difference between the student and the teacher. It seems that the student has to translate the spanish that he hears, in his head, before he can understand it, whereas the teacher simply understands it, without having to think about it. I guess my question is this: do you think there really is a difference here? Or is it just that the teacher can simply translate almost instantly in his head?

Thanks in advance, and sorry if my question doesn't make sense :P

On the contrary, it makes sense.

I think that just like a baby starts at "translating" and once the baby "understands" the "translating" stops.

[poli]

If you do well in a foreign language eventually you will stop translating and make that language an alternate channel for communication, and only revert to translation when you need to express complicated things.

I believe we all do this even with our own language. We speak naturally, but if something complicated needs to be expressed, a good communicator may revert to carefully translating their ideas to words.

[pjt33]

Things you do frequently become second nature. When I started dancing I had to think about every single step: after a few years I was thinking instead about how to tell my partner what steps I wanted her to take. It's the exact same process.

[Elaina]

Estoy de acuerdo. No necesito traducirlo para entenderlo y a veces cuando tengo algun problema que tengo que solucionar, me encuentro pensando y analizando el problema en inglés luego en español. Es como si tuviera dos salidas para el mismo problema.

Extraño... en verdad no puedo explicarlo.

[CrOtALiTo]

Yes I'm completely agree with you, the teacher only understand the he's saying in that moment whereas the student that is my case, we try to translate the phrase in our head when the teacher understood everything since the first moment, there's the different and that is the practice.

In my personal case, the fact that I can understand one person speaking in English have took me a long time since I started to learn English, because I have practiced a lot every days nowadays I don't practice all the days, because almost I haven't enough time for my work, but when I can do it, I endeavor myself in understand everything most when I speak with some in English.

Sincerely yours.

[Luna Azul]

Originally Posted by shmunkyman33

Hola!
En mis experiencias con al aprender español, he encontrado que hay una diferencia entre el estudiante y el maestro. Me parece que el estudiante tiene que traducir el español que oye, en su mente, antes de entenderlo, pero el maestro simplemente entiende el español, sin pensarlo en él. Supongo que lo que estoy preguntando es esto: ¿hay alguna diferencia entre estos ? ¿O es que el maestro simplemente traduce casi al instante?

:P

Your question makes perfect sense. I corrected a few mistakes, but your Spanish is really good...

Every person who starts studying a language when they are not children anymore translates from their native language. Each and every one of them, they can't do it any other way.

You start learning new words and as you learn them you start building your own vocabulary in the new language, along with the grammar rules and all the rest.

When you have enough of those, you start making whole sentences..Remember a sentence can be as short as ONE word, in the case of a conjugated verb. And that's when you feel the need to translate from your native language.

With time, you start getting used to using those words and making those sentences. You've been listening or reading the new language and as you keep doing it, there's a moment when, without you realizing it, you start understanding what you're hearing or reading without translating!!! Wow!!

Talking or writing will take longer, but you'll end up actually THINKING in your second language. Your mind is capable of wonderful things.

When you master a second language and you become totally bilingual you switch from one language to the other without thinking.. your mind does it for you. You don't have to think, let alone translate.

If there's a third language involved, it's the same. You can switch from one to the other in a second.. no effort whatsoever. It's a fantastic feeling.

So, to really answer your question, your teacher IS thinking in Spanish, he/she switches to English and back to Spanish as easy as you blink without having to think "I'm going to blink".

Most of us who learned English and other languages as adults have gone through that.

[shmunkyman33]

Wow! Muchas gracias por responderme tan rapido y mucho, especialmente a @Luna Azul. ¡Tu respuesta me hace animado de nuevo por aprender!

Tengo el examen AP en unas semanas, y estoy bastante nervioso y emocionado, a la vez. Pero además, quiero ser fluido en español más de nada, ahora. Lo más molesto es que no tengo nadie con quien puedo tener intercambios diaramente y así que es dificil practicar mi español afuera de clase (que solo dura una hora al día) :/

[Luna Azul]

You're very welcome...

Sigue trabajando como lo estás haciendo y vas a tener muchos éxitos.

Te deseo mucha suerte..

[pjt33]

Originally Posted by Luna Azul

When you master a second language and you become totally bilingual you switch from one language to the other without thinking.. your mind does it for you.

Incluso sin querer, a veces.

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by pjt33

Incluso sin querer, a veces.

That is true when I'm speaking in Spanish for the habited acquired during a long time, I confuse the words in English without be thinking in English and the people only watch me and they asking me Que?

Then I understand your situation sometimes hahahah, because casually always I do a mistakes when I speaking anything.


Regards.

[shmunkyman33]

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

That is true when I'm speaking in Spanish for the habited acquired during a long time I acquired that habit over a long time. I confuse the words in English without be thinking in English and the people only just watch me and they asking ask me Que?

Then I understand your situation sometimes hahahah, because casually always I do a I always make mistakes when I speaking speak [or am speaking] anything.


Regards.

Jaja tiene sentido. Voy a pedir si mi maestro de español puede ayudarme despues de las clases unos veces.

[Luna Azul]

Originally Posted by pjt33

Incluso sin querer, a veces.

Eso es totalmente cierto. Cuando voy a mi país en vacaciones, a veces me pillo hablándole en español a mi marido y a mi hermana en inglés. Ninguno de los dos habla el otro idioma..

Originally Posted by shmunkyman33

Jaja tiene sentido. Voy a pedir ver si mi maestro de español puede ayudarme después de las clases unos algunas veces.

En vez de "algunas veces" puedes decir "de vez en cuando"

[laepelba]

Without trying to "plug" one learning system over another, I found that by initially starting with a learning system that used photographs and Spanish words, completely skipping the English "translations", I got a great start at NOT translating. I found that I was thinking in Spanish, even early on in the process. Even sometimes now, when I am speaking Spanish with someone (my very broken attempts at "speaking Spanish"), if asked about how something would be said in English, I find that I "lose" the English for a bit ... because my brain has switched over to Spanish, so to speak (and I've only been trying to teach myself Spanish for about 2 and half years now....). I definitely try to associate visual imaginations and cues with the Spanish that I am learning so that I don't need to rely on English "translations" wherever possible.....

[Elaina]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Without trying to "plug" one learning system over another, I found that by initially starting with a learning system that used photographs and Spanish words, completely skipping the English "translations", I got a great start at NOT translating. I found that I was thinking in Spanish, even early on in the process. Even sometimes now, when I am speaking Spanish with someone (my very broken attempts at "speaking Spanish"), if asked about how something would be said in English, I find that I "lose" the English for a bit ... because my brain has switched over to Spanish, so to speak (and I've only been trying to teach myself Spanish for about 2 and half years now....). I definitely try to associate visual imaginations and cues with the Spanish that I am learning so that I don't need to rely on English "translations" wherever possible.....

And you are doing such a great job! Be proud of this accomplishment.

[laepelba]

Thanks, Elaina! I am very happy with my progress. This has been such a delightful experience for me! Because I consider the pursuit of Spanish to be a "hobby", I am careful to avoid anything that is going to make me feel like it's *work* or that it's something to get down on myself about. I tend to be very academic in my thinking by nature, so I really enjoy the studying, but have been even more delighted when I am able to have conversations with native speakers who aren't able to communicate with me in English. Especially at work ... when I have parents who would otherwise have to use a translator to interact with me ... I can absolutely see the benefit of being able to communicate with them directly. I'm really enjoying this!!

[Elaina]

And such a great accomplishment. It is one thing to go to school and have a foreign language be part of your curriculum but when you do it all on your own and be successful at it well.......KUDOS to you my friend

[laepelba]

Thanks!!

[Luna Azul]

I concur with Elaina. You're doing a great job and for that I congratulate you!! You're one of a kind, dear laepelba..

[laepelba]

Thanks to both of you. Over the past couple of years, I have continued to find great encouragement on this discussion forum. The ease of asking any question of this knowledgeable audience is a big part of how I've been able to learn as much as I have!!