I totally agree! Linking target language words to a familiar language makes the learning process easier and reduces the cognitive load! When we learn new vocabulary I always ask them to translate into English (i teach french and spanish in a british school) or to translate into their mother tongue. Actually, translation exercises are even becoming popular again and have been reintroduced in some UK exams.
Thanks for sharing! I completely agree—linking target language words to a familiar language is such an effective way to reduce cognitive load. It’s great to hear translation exercises are making a comeback in UK exams—they’re such a valuable tool for deepening understanding.
Thanks, great article. I just recently had a discussion about this with parents who were questioning this method. I learnt languages much easier when I could find proximity to things I already knew from other languages. Some interesting ideas, thanks!
I totally agree! Linking target language words to a familiar language makes the learning process easier and reduces the cognitive load! When we learn new vocabulary I always ask them to translate into English (i teach french and spanish in a british school) or to translate into their mother tongue. Actually, translation exercises are even becoming popular again and have been reintroduced in some UK exams.
Thanks for sharing! I completely agree—linking target language words to a familiar language is such an effective way to reduce cognitive load. It’s great to hear translation exercises are making a comeback in UK exams—they’re such a valuable tool for deepening understanding.
Cheers,
David
Thanks, great article. I just recently had a discussion about this with parents who were questioning this method. I learnt languages much easier when I could find proximity to things I already knew from other languages. Some interesting ideas, thanks!
Thanks for sharing. Regards, Dr. Mansoor Ali Darazi PhD in Education, ELT