“How did you know I was translating from French?”
That’s what one of my students asked me during a Business English workshop.
He had written an email in English, and as soon as I read it, I said, “This sounds French.” He was surprised but admitted he’d written the whole thing by thinking in French and translating into English.
So we worked on making a shift:
✉️ From thinking in French to thinking in English
🧠 From translating to communicating
And it worked!
To write an email in English, focus on:
🔹 Saying what you think directly in English (not translating word for word)
🔹 Organizing your ideas so they’re easy to follow
🔹 Using real phrases that people actually write in business emails
🔹 Building your confidence every time you write
And remember:
✅ Translation is a separate skill – it takes time and mental effort.
✅ Translating from your first language often leads to unnatural or unclear sentences.
✅ When you stop translating and start thinking in English, your writing becomes faster and more natural.
✅ It’s not about “perfect English,” it’s about clear, confident communication that sounds authentic.
✅ The more you practice thinking in English, the easier writing emails becomes.
I’m curious, have you ever caught yourself translating in your head before writing or speaking in another language?
Fellow English teachers, what’s your favorite technique to help students think in English instead of translating? I’d love to hear your go-to strategies!
