Shadowing Practice: This USEFUL LANGUAGE translation hack will help you! - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hi! let's have a little chat so I see that, it's a common practice for you guys, for my Indonesian viewers to translate word by word when you're trying to speak English tch.....
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Hi! let's have a little chat so I see that, it's a common practice for you guys, for my Indonesian viewers to translate word by word when you're trying to speak English tch.....
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Don't do that!
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the reason for that is that Indonesian and English are two completely different languages.
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if you're Indonesian and you're learning Malaysian, then by all means, do that!
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the word by word translation method usually works however if you're learning English, the syntax, grammar structure, and even the words or vocabulary, they're completely different the word by word translation method between English and Indonesian, it just doesn't work so some students in my online course often asked "How I is it that whenever I try to create a sentence structure in my head, it never comes off well it never comes out naturally, and I always have to think and even after I think a long time, it comes out like, the sentence that I came up with it just comes out not smooth, and it's just bad" they're not sure if the sentence even right and then with that question, I can already know that the reason why they do that is because they translate word by word when you translate word by word, the process is a lot longer.
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so first, imagine.
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let's say in Indonesian you want to say "aku kesusahan menerjemahkan Bahasa Indonesia dari Bahasa Inggris" you'd have to say "I'm hard" "to translate" "from Bahasa Indonesia" "to English" see? the process of translating word by word to English is very long and that is the reason why it takes you longer to create a sentence structure so what needs to be done then?
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well if you ask me, I do have a solution to me, from my experience learning multiple languages, my go-to method is to learn ... *phone notification* my go-to method is to learn to think in sentences and ideas let me give you an example, in English there's an expression that says "it has nothing to do with ..." in Bahasa Indonesia it means "tidak ada hubungannya dengan..." both of them basically explains the same idea means that there are two things, A and B, and they're not related to each other "A sama B tidak ada hubungannya sama sekali" so in English it's like "A does not have anything to do with B" "A tidak ada hubungannya dengan B" so both of these expression in Bahasa and in Englsh, they express the same idea that "A is not related to B" so knowing this two things, what you want to do is to not translate word by word "it has nothing to do with" in Indonesian it would be...
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"tidak punya apa apa" "yang melakukan" "dengan" huh? wtf, doesn't make sense in Bahasa Indonesia so don't do that!
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so what you need to do is to know the idea behind the expression "to have nothing to do with" and then just learn it at that let's say if you want to say something in Indonesian that umm...
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"You have nothing to do with some trouble that is going on at school" "Eh gue gak ada hubungannya ya sama masalah ini" like that and if you wanted to say that in English and then you have to translate word by word you'd have to think "gue nggak ada" "I don't have" "connection with this, okay" and if you were to say like that, I think English speakers would understand it but it doesn't sound as natural if you were to think an ideas, and you already know that the English version of that would be "it has nothing to do with me" it's going to come up more naturally and you're going to sound a lot more sophisticated than if you were just to say "I'm not related to this" so that is what I always tell my students in my course the reason why you're always having trouble translating in your head and that sentences doesn't come out of you naturally that's because you translate in your head word by word and that is very time-consuming, and try to let go of that habbit so in order for you to do that is to expose yourself to a lot of English content and then take a lot of inputs and a lot of phrases and then you want to think in these phrases, in expressions in what are the ideas behind these phrases, and then just say it in English so try not to translate it to Bahasa Indonesia as much as possible so yeah, those are my two cents Ok guys, I think the chat ended up being longer than I wanted I hope you guys enjoyed the chat, and I will see you in another video and you have a good day Babai~

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Why practice speaking with this video?

This video offers invaluable insights for English learners, particularly those whose first language is Indonesian. The speaker emphasizes the pitfalls of word-by-word translation and introduces a more effective approach: thinking in ideas and expressions rather than directly translating from one language to another. By practicing with the content from this video, you can significantly improve your speaking skills and gain fluency in English.

Engaging in this kind of practice not only enhances your vocabulary but also helps you develop a more natural sentence structure. When you learn to translate ideas instead of individual words, you reduce the time it takes to form sentences, making your speech more fluid and sophisticated. This method is beneficial as it aligns with techniques such as shadow speech—modeling your pronunciation and intonation after native speakers.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In the video, the speaker uses several key structures that are particularly relevant for English learners:

  • “It has nothing to do with…”: This expression helps convey that two ideas or things are unrelated. Instead of translating this phrase word for word, focus on understanding the concept it represents.
  • “I’m hard to translate”: Recognizing how to express challenges or difficulties in English can provide clarity. A more natural phrase would be “I find it difficult to translate.”
  • “I don’t have anything to do with…”: This is another important expression that conveys separation from a situation. Instead of trying to translate directly, familiarize yourself with the complete phrase.

By focusing on these structures, learners can build confidence in using English naturally. Utilizing shadowing apps or shadowing sites that allow for practice with these expressions can enhance your learning experience, as they encourage listening and repetition.

Common Pronunciation Traps

When practicing the phrases discussed, pay attention to some common pronunciation challenges that learners often face:

  • “Nothing”: Many speakers place too much emphasis on the "o". Practicing a softer "nothing" will help you sound more natural.
  • “Do” in “has nothing to do with…”: The “do” can sometimes get lost. Ensure you pronounce it clearly to maintain the flow of your sentences.
  • Intonation patterns: English is a rhythm-based language, and mastering the intonation of phrases like "it has nothing to do with" can significantly enhance your speaking skills.

Regular practice through shadowing techniques will result in improved pronunciation and fluency. By incorporating phrases and sentence structures from the video, you reinforce your learning while developing a more native-like accent.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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