The Translation Trap

Thanks to Educator Christina Oliveri, Milford Public Schools

by Sarah B. Ottow

With the best of intentions, many educators believe that translating everything is the most effective way to support students learning English. While translation has its place, over-relying on it can actually hinder language development. Instead of fostering independent learning, it can create a crutch that prevents students from fully engaging in the target language of English.

The goal? Support students in learning and thinking in English while honoring and leveraging their home language.

Here’s how.

1. Use Strategic Language Scaffolds

Translation is not the only scaffold available! Scaffolds come in many shapes and sizes. Instead of translating, provide:

  • Sentence starters and frames of the target language structures

  • Word banks with visuals of the academic language needed to communicate

  • Anchor charts with key concepts for the unit or lesson

  • Graphic organizers to structure thinking so students have something to hang their new language on

These tools help students process content in English while building confidence.

2. Prioritize Comprehensible Input Over Direct Translation

Instead of defaulting to a translation, make content more understandable through:

  • Visual supports (diagrams, gestures, real-life examples)

  • Chunking information into smaller steps (As I like to call it, Chunk and Chew!)

  • Modeling thinking out loud so students hear the process of metacognition

  • Checking for understanding frequently using non-linguistic cues like thumbs up/down

These methods help all students, not just multilingual learners!

3. Foster Peer-to-Peer Interaction in English

Students learn SO much from each other, not just the teacher!

  • Instead of translating for students, encourage structured partner or group discussions.

  • Assign roles in group work (e.g., note-taker, speaker) to increase participation

  • Use structured pairs, triads or quads with sentence starters to boost confidence.

The more students use English in meaningful ways, the stronger their skills will become.

4. ENCOURAGE HOME LANGUAGE USE AS A THINKING TOOL

Rather than translating everything, teach students how to use their home language strategically:

  • Jot down initial ideas in their strongest language before summarizing in English.

  • Use word word study and compare cognates to boost vocabulary (e.g., “education” vs. “educación”).

  • Use bilingual glossaries for key terms instead of full-text translation.

This keeps English as the instructional language while respecting students’ linguistic assets.

Conclusion: Honor, but Don’t Over-Rely on Translation

Translation isn’t the enemy, but it shouldn’t be the go-to solution.

Instead, we want to:

  • Provide scaffolds that build independence

  • Use home language strategically for deep thinking

  • Make content comprehensible without direct translation

  • Create structured opportunities to use English

By shifting away from full translation, we help students develop the language skills they need to reach their highest potential!

I call this approach The Language Lens®—lean more: https://buildconfianza.com/guidebook

Leading for Equity, Curriculum and Instruction, Anti-Bias EducationSarah Ottow