Comments on: How translation to another language can help you learn Chinese

By: Chinese translation challenge, August 2024 | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 19:11:40 +0000

[…] You can read more about translating from Chinese here: How translation to another language can help you learn Chinese […]

By: Andromeda Romano-Lax

Andromeda Romano-Lax — Thu, 06 Dec 2018 19:30:41 +0000

I’m fascinated with translation as a learning strategy, even though I’m a beginner and won’t be ready to tackle it for a while.

I know this originally ran 4 years ago but wanted to thank you again for this great article with so many tools, tips and thoughts and including this one at the end,

“Beyond practical, professional and social benefits, [translation] will help us integrate all the complex emotional experiences we’ve had in a Chinese environment to the web of long-term emotional journey – and ensure some continuity between our pre-Mandarin selves, and the bizarre animals we’ve become since getting hooked on the language.”

By: Global Learning Systems

Global Learning Systems — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 02:12:03 +0000

I agree that translation is an excellent learning tool. There is no substitute for memorizing and knowing base vocabulary but translation helps you put those words into action. Seeing them in context and reading how they are used properly helps you to better understand and comprehend the language.

By: Julien

Julien — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 19:44:46 +0000

In my experience, the main benefit of translation has been to cement the vocabulary that I already knew, but only half. It takes time and multiple exposures to really remember a new word, and we often repeat the same searches again and again as we forget. Don’t know if that’s universal or just me – but that’s one of the things I really think translating helped me with.

By: John Wilson

John Wilson — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 15:26:03 +0000

I think with any language, translation is a huge help, building that base vocabulary is also key.

By: Candice Chan

Candice Chan — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 09:44:52 +0000

Grammatically, this may not serve you. But like all things, if you want the basics, you could try start from scratch. Building up the vocabulary is quite possibly the most important foundation you can lay before google translating your way to this new foreign world.

For that, there are plenty of help around with websites like mdbg.net and android apps like HSK Locker.

Get the fundamental words locked in place and from there reach out to newer words and slowly built up a gateway to the Chinese world.