5 problems of using Chinese to learn English

Have you ever, while watching an English movie, thought to yourself “Wait, this doesn't make sense?” If yes, there is a good chance you had Chinese subtitles on. And there is good reason for that confusion too: Chinese and English are hugely, vastly different languages, developed in hugely, vastly different worlds. I have the same problem when I watch Japanese anime with English subtitles, and for the same reason: Japanese and English are vastly different languages. There is no accurate way to translate John-san, John-kun or John-chan in English; one needs to be familiar with the Japanese culture and the many layers of politeness in Japan in order to fully grasp the differences.

I was watching the other day an anime which at times made very little sense, if you just looked at the subtitles: Two friends and colleagues return to the office after a business trip, and the other colleagues greet them with “okaeri” (something like: Welcome back). The subtitles read: “Welcome home”. Ok, a bit strange but still acceptable. Then the two friends reply “tadaima” 

(something like: Glad to be back) and the subtitles read: “We're home”. So, judging from the subtitles, when you return to work from a business trip your colleagues tell you “welcome home”, to which you reply “we're home”. Well, that makes very little sense. Point is, sometimes, even when there is something of a cultural equivalent, translations out of context fail to deliver. Same is often the case for books - I've seen it again and again. There is really a lot lost in translation. 

Of course, if you watch movies with English subtitles or read books in English there is also a lot lost - all that vocabulary you don't know or even whole sentences that don't make sense. But if you keep watching and keep reading in English, you are getting somewhere, in the end. You are getting better, every day. On the other hand, relying on your language in order to understand English content helps you understand (now), lets you forget (later), and gets you nowhere (any time soon).

Think of learning English as travelling to a destination of your choice. Translating from and into your native language as you learn is like joining a tour: it's convenient, you don't need to think a lot and if you don't understand something you can always ask a question in your own language. Reading, watching, thinking and speaking only in English, is like planning your own trip and going there by yourself: the planning is slow and time-consuming, and when you actually get there you're on your own. And yet, if you want to learn English, the tour is out of the question - you will always be a tourist, and never get any deeper knowledge. 

Academic research suggests as well that a monolingual environment is more conducive to learning a language. Baby common sense suggests the same: that's how babies pick up a language, by immersing themselves in mom and dad's language.

Are there any advantages in using your own language when you learn English? Yes, there are. For one thing, it is probably the way to go for absolute beginners. Also, if you already dislike English and/or find it boring but you have to study it, maybe going all-English is not for you - it might even completely kill any faint urge to study you might have originally had. In such cases, it'd be better to start learning in one's own language and gradually integrate more and more English. Finally, the most obvious advantage is that no matter what your level is, it is always easier and faster to have things explained in your own language. And it is great for understanding English content, but not so good for learning English.

What exactly are the disadvantages of using your own language when learning English? Let's look at some:

1 Reliance on your own language causes over-reliance

Depending on explanations in your own language in order to learn English is a bad habit that can become an addiction: the more you use the help, the more unwilling you are to step out of your “comfort zone” and try English-only learning. If you are used to having explanations, examples, translations, subtitles, or any other aid when learning English, then you are probably used to short bits of English followed by help in your own language. A consequence of that is you will find it difficult to handle longer texts, lengthy videos or lectures that stretch for more than a few minutes. Also, you will find it hard to hold a conversation in English or travel abroad without someone's help. 

Feeling more comfortable using your own language is very natural but, in the long term, it helps to resist this urge. It's a bit like getting out of the train and having to choose between the escalator and the steps: of course you choose the escalator, because it's easier. But if the escalator is not working, what do you do? Take the steps! Similarly, if there is no explanation to help you, then you will have to try your best with English. It's not easy, but much like the steps, if you feel weak you can take only one step at a time. 

2 Unnatural English output

When your input is a mix of two languages, your output will be a mix as well: Engrish (aka Japlish), Chinglish, Konglish, Franglais, Spanglish and so on. Language is not just a way of speaking or writing - it is also a way of thinking. Or at the very least a way of arranging thoughts into sentences. If you think a thought in, say, Japanese, then translate it in your head to English, and then express it, the result will be a mix of English words, but not really English. Here is an illustration of this theory, a sentence taken from a paper I marked many years ago. To this day, I still don’t know what it means, and no one I asked has ever been able to guess:

People like his music just like doctor and ugly.

English-based learning, on the other hand, generates English-based thoughts, which makes it easier to express yourself in either speaking or writing. Of course, the English only approach is very slow at first, but you have to think of it a bit as going to the gym to lose weight: at first you work out a lot, you sweat, but you see no amazing change; you might even think about giving up. The gym is a chore. But, if you keep going, you will eventually see more results with less and less effort. The gym now is fun.

3 Fear of speaking and writing

When you depend more and more on your native language to understand English, your English input is very limited. As a result, writing or speaking becomes not just difficult, but actually very unpleasant. Suppose you rely too much on Chinese when you study English. When you are asked to speak or write something in English, what you will produce will be an attempted translation of Chinese thoughts, as we saw earlier. This slows you down because you need to always translate in your head in order to speak and write. Even worse, if people cannot understand, you are embarrassed and even more afraid to use English. Often my students speak softly, because they think that if they make a mistake I or their classmates will not hear them. And if I really can't hear, and ask them to repeat what they said, they will immediately think they definitely made a mistake. This lack of confidence is indication of a Chinese-assisted learning environment.

4 Problems understanding difficult English

Especially learners from South Asia struggle when it comes to culturally specific, context-dependent or figurative expressions. Let's look at these one by one.

Culturally specific references typically relate to events within a country, of which people outside that country are often unaware. For example, people in Hong Kong know what “yellow umbrella” refers to; people in France know what “yellow vest” refers to; people in the US know what “MAGA” refers to. Translation here doesn't help; deeper knowledge is needed. 

A good example of context-dependent words is “set” - which can have a hundred different meanings depending on the context. You can set the table, set a deadline, set a good example, set your hair, set out on a journey, set your house on fire; you can buy a set of plates, a television set, or go to a movie set. There is no one translation that can possibly explain the meaning of “set”. And the same goes for a lot of the English vocabulary.

Understanding expressions used in a figurative way is another common problem among learners who tend to translate into their language. For example, if someone tells me “travelling is exciting” and I reply “you can say that again”, I am not asking them to repeat what they said. “You can say that again” means “I totally agree”. If I tell someone “I'm so tired!” and they reply “Tell me about it!” they are not asking me for details, they are just saying they are also very tired and they understand how I feel. The root of the problem here is exactly that learners literally translate into their own language such expressions. 

5 Limited learning options

When you depend on your own language you can only have access to translated English books, newspapers, magazines and articles, or subtitled movies, series and videos - if they ever become available. By limiting your access to only translated learnings resources, you limit your own learning potential. Even the stuff that does get translated in your own language will be by default of a poorer quality, as shown above. There are cultural elements, wordplays, technical words, idioms and so that can make certain translations very approximate. Improving then your vocabulary and grammar opens up doors to vast amounts of knowledge, as well as a better understanding of the English content and the language itself - which in turn will help you improve even more.

6 Linking words 

Another major issue that comes from being used to short bits of English followed by explanations in your own language is that, since you never get to read longer texts, you never get to understand words that need to be seen in a greater context, like linking words (in addition, however, although, besides etc.) 

But to be able to understand linking words, it is absolutely necessary to have plenty of context. And that is one reason why so many learners cannot use linking words properly. The best example here is “besides”. In over ten years, I have rarely seen it used correctly by students. Almost every student gets it wrong. The same goes more or less for “likewise” “interestingly” strangely” and so on. Especially College students need to know these words in order to write academic papers - we actually give marks specifically for that part - the use of linking words. They connect paragraphs, maintain coherence and help the reader see the logic (if any) in an essay.

So, exposure to English is important. But how to do it? There is enough material on (and off) the Internet to last you several lifetimes - some ideas are:

Reading graded readers or books you find interesting

Trying BBC English learning resources

Listening to the radio

Listening to a podcast

Watching videos on Youtube

Watching Netflix or other streaming services

Trying apps on your phone

Browsing English learning accounts on Instagram

You can find more details about all that in this blog or here, where you can also listen to the text.

If you have any questions, comments, suggestions or grammar you want explained, drop me a line!