Learning to Think in a Different Language

Once I decided to study English seriously, I enrolled in a college to study a career as an Executive Bilingual Secretary. I chose this career not only because it was short, but also because after two years I would graduate with a diploma in a marketable profession. The probability of finding a well paying job was much better being bilingual.

Right from the beginning the teacher told us that in order to learn a different language it was important to think in that language. We were supposed to change our learning habits. If we wanted to become bilingual, we had to stop translating in our minds, because this was a waste of effort and time.

Thinking in another language wasn't easy in the beginning. Everyday I would turn off my "Spanish mind" and turn on my "English mind". This means that I forced myself to think in English.

I started to make direct connections between new English words and their meaning, not allowing the Spanish meaning to interfere with the process. Let's take the word rose as an example. Rose is a flower. I would think of a rose, its color, its shape, I would imagine a rose garden. Once I established this connection and the meaning of the word was settled in my mind, only then would I look for its meaning in Spanish. This process became automated with time and now I think in English when I have to speak, read or write in that language.