R20: Translating the passage into Bangla in your head

Many of us read English like this: read a sentence, translate it into Bangla in our head, understand it in Bangla, then go back to the question. It works. But it's slow, maybe twice as slow as reading directly in English. And in IELTS Reading, slow means unfinished. This lesson helps you start reading in English, at English speed.

Why this matters

Translation doesn't just cost time. It also makes paraphrase harder to spot. When the question and the passage use different English words, they might become the same Bangla word in your head, or two different ones. Either way, you lose the exact meaning the test is checking.

Why we translate

At school, many of us learned English through translation. Teachers explained English sentences in Bangla. Exams asked us to translate passages. So our brain learned: English, then Bangla, then meaning. Now we need to teach it: English, then meaning.

Step 1: Read in chunks, not words

Don't read one word at a time. Read groups of words that belong together.

The rapid growth of cities / in developing countries / has created / serious challenges / for local governments.

Each chunk is one idea. Your eyes take in a whole chunk, and your brain gets the meaning directly.

Step 2: Find the core of long sentences

Long academic sentences scare us into translating. Instead, find the core: who did what?

"The researchers, who had spent nearly a decade studying the migration patterns of birds in northern Europe, concluded that climate change was the main cause of the shift."

Core: The researchers concluded that climate change was the main cause. Everything else is extra detail.

Step 3: Translate only key words, if you must

If one important word is blocking you, it's fine to think of its Bangla meaning. Just don't translate the whole sentence.

Step 4: Read easy English a lot

The real cure for translation is lots of easy reading. When the English is easy, your brain stops translating naturally. Then you slowly move to harder texts. Good options:

• Graded readers (simplified English books)
• Short news articles on topics you enjoy
• English versions of stories you already know

Read for 15 to 20 minutes a day, without a dictionary.

Try it yourself

Split this sentence into chunks, then find the core:

"Although many people believe that sharks are dangerous to humans, attacks are extremely rare, and most species are completely harmless."

Honest note

You can't stop translating overnight. It's a habit built over many years. It fades slowly with daily reading. Expect real change after about a month or two.

Your task today

Read one short English article. Every time you notice yourself translating a full sentence, stop and try reading it again in chunks.