how to stop translating in your head? When I read a sentence in Korean, I may know the meaning of all the words and I'm able to explain all the grammar used, but the sentence still doesn't make sense to me, so I try to translate word by word and just guess the overall meaning, and then when I read the translation I just go "ooh, I knew that, that makes sense". Sometimes I feel like I'm more worried about guessing the right translation than actually understanding the sentence meaning
So, as you’ve already guessed by now, translating everything into your native language from Korean, has kind of set you back a little. On your road to fluency, it takes a little getting used to, but once you start to do these things, thinking of the language will get A LOT easier.
1. My first big tip is to: ASSOCIATE the word with that thing rather than it’s translation.
Example: 의자 -> chair (ENG) -> image of chair VS 의자 -> image of chair
Another example I can think of is in 한글 (hangul), don’t think of the romanized equivalent (b, m, d, g, etc.), think of the sound that character produces.
If it helps (with vocabulary), I would recommend downloading Lingodeer and FEL Korean, both apps give you a log of vocabulary with the pictures (as well as the translation). Focus on the pictures!
2. My next big tip is to: have sticky notes everywhere!
This is pretty straight forward and kind of like association, but if you put a sticky note on your chair with 의자 taped to it, you will begin to associate your chair with the Korean word. Everywhere you go, you see the Korean equivalent - does that make sense?
3. My last biggest tip is to: think in Korean
This might be a little confusing (I don’t mean only thinking in Korean), so I will explain to the best of my ability, and if you’re still confused - don’t hesitate to ask for more clarification.
Sometimes, for me, when I am practicing Korean, I like to just spout Korean words. 80% of the time, it doesn’t make sense, but it helps me get in the flow of thinking in Korean and not translating everything I’m saying. An anon a little while back, mentioned that they would talk to their dog in Korean just to get the feel of speaking Korean. You can do this or you can speak to yourself - whatever gets you in the feeling of speaking Korean.
I would also recommend writing out something, then record it in your voice, then listening to it over and over again. You are the one that wrote the Korean and spoke it - so you know what you wrote and can pick out the Korean phrases easily.
Internal narration, or speaking to yourself, not only helps your listening, but it also helps your pronunciation. When you’re ready, I would recommend speaking with a native - so you can get those corrections and pronunciation tips right away.
I hope this helps and that you start thinking rather than translating. Keep up the good work, and Happy Learning :)
~ SK101