How long does it take before the translating stops?
No universal figure is worth quoting, and any page that gives you one is guessing. What moves quickly is the set of units you can reach without building. What moves slowly is speech on an unfamiliar topic, where the first-language plan is still your fastest route.
No universal figure is worth quoting, and any page that gives you one is guessing. What moves quickly is the set of units you can reach without building. What moves slowly is speech on an unfamiliar topic, where the first-language plan is still your fastest route.
The useful measure is the slope, not the date. Count mid-sentence pauses per minute on the same prompt now, and again after four weeks: a count that halves says the habit is weakening, while an unchanged count says the drills are too short or too rare. Watch where the improvement appears first. Subjects you have already spoken about change before unfamiliar ones, and the opening seconds of a conversation stay the slowest part for longer than the rest, because that is where the first-language plan has the most room.
How to Stop Translating in Your Head: Speak English Fluently Free →