At this point in your life you may be totally focused on just passing the IELTS that you will say,
“Berni! How can I even think about thinking in English! It is too much!”
But I wanted to tell you some of my experiences with learning a foreign language and give you something to aim for. After all, you are learning English to become fluent in it, not just to take and pass an exam. And you can do it! You can learn English well enough not only to pass your IELTS, but also to eventually become so fluent that you think in English as well.
I remember when I was at school learning French, one of the best pieces of advice my teacher gave us was, “If you don’t know it don’t use it!”
At first it was a little daunting as the amount of French anchored in my brain was very little. How could an essay be written or a conversation be had without reference to English? In reality, however, adherence to this ‘rule’ developed an agility with language that has helped me ever since.
If you don’t know the word for a ‘frying pan’ (this happened to me while au-pairing in France) describe it! You get there in the end (using more of the language to boot!) and learn a new word, but these linguistic gymnastics help you to hone that all-important skill in language learning – thinking in the target language!!
I’d like, if you’ll permit me, to indulge in my own personal experience and throw in a few anecdotes which will, I hope, help illustrate not only the importance of thinking in the target language but also the joy of discovering that you can actually do this.
Losing your own language
One alarming, at first, consequence of using a language other than your native tongue for a long period is that you forget words in your native tongue. You don’t really lose them forever, but sometimes you will come across a phrase or word and realise that you haven’t used it for a long time. Two things to remember when this happens to you: 1) it means that you are possibly expressing these things comfortably in your new language and 2) it is always lovely to rediscover these ‘old friends’.
‘Creating your own language’
No language is perfectly balanced. If you begin to learn another you will find that there are certain things it expresses much better than your own language.
As your proficiency in your new language approaches that of your mother tongue you may find yourself adopting words from both languages and making a kind of ‘hybrid language’ – a sort of idiolect. Sometimes these phrases are shared among a group (very common within expatriate communities).
In Indonesia, we all said; ‘Go and mandi (bath)’ and ‘Where shall we go makan’ (eat). I remember on my first trip back to the UK from Indonesia speaking like this automatically and getting some very strange looks!
Not realising which language you’re using
As you use your new language more and more you may get to the stage where you don’t realise which language you are using!
On one occasion I was reading a newspaper and was surprised to find that there was a lot of local news in it instead of the more international news I usually found there. Imagine my surprise when I at last discovered that instead of the Jakarta Post, an English language paper, I had picked up the local Medan, Indonesian-language, newspaper and hadn’t even realised it!
Being taken for a ‘native’
My final story is a pearl!
I was standing at a bus-stop in Jakarta during a power-cut. It was very dark. I began speaking to a woman who told me that she knew that I wasn’t from Jakarta from my accent (I expected her to ask me which country I was from) but thought I must be from Medan! It turned out that her family were also from there and she claimed that it was a purer form of Indonesian that we both spoke. Imagine her surprise when the electricity came back on and she was confronted by a Westerner! It was precious!!
How did these things happen?
The main reason for all these incidents is the ability to absorb a new language alongside your own so that it becomes second nature. To do this you need to think in the new language when you are using it. This is really the goal of learning a new language, learning it so well that it becomes second nature to you. When you achieve this, you can truly say that you are completely fluent. It will also make it so much easier for you to get a high IELTS Band and then live and work in the country and the profession that you have chosen.
Here is how to get there:
- get as much exposure as possible – (read, listen, watch TV etc.)
- try to ‘get in the zone’ – try out new things this way you will develop your language skills and you’ll get feedback if it doesn’t quite work (never in the exam though J)
- listen to native speakers
- try an immersion experience – this is the perfect way to get fully involved and to experience the culture of your chosen language. If you are looking for a way to skyrocket your progress, immersion is it! Of course at the moment we can’t travel and it may not be an option for you anyway – but – you could create your own immersion by deciding to ONLY use English for a whole day or two days – try to stick to this and persuade your friends to join you.
- imaginary conversations – rehearse these in your head – when learning French I used to talk to my dog, it was good practice for pronunciation, new vocabulary and phrases, and just ‘getting into’ the language
- sing songs – this is a really fun way of practising and learning
Above all, don’t translate. It generally doesn’t work, and mastering the language you have chosen means moving away from the comfort of your own language and wearing English language like a new skin!