The Translation Trap

02 May 2026

Learning to work with English… not through it.

Some things only make sense once they come back.

A word.

A feeling.

An idea you thought had slipped away.

Or sometimes… a language.

As a Brazilian born into Portuguese, translating words felt like the most natural doorway into English.
And truth be told… it helped. Sometimes, it still does.

• When a word feels completely new,

• When context slips through my fingers or

• When I simply need a quick anchor.

There’s nothing wrong with translation. In many ways, it helps us begin, doesn’t it? But somewhere along the road, I noticed something quietly happening.

The more I translated every word, the less I was actually meeting English spontaneously.
I mean, without realising it, I had begun to get caught up in always looking for equivalents.

Portuguese… then English.
Portuguese… then English.
Again, and again.

And although that process may have felt safe enough, guess what?
It led me to quietly slow my voice down.

That voice called “inner voice” had hit a ding.
That bright moment of mine, my inner voice met me fondly and say:
“hey, wait a minute, aren’t I getting really good at translating every little single bit?”

Voila…
a more than obvious question had then popped up:
“Do I really want to become fluent in someone else’s way of speaking?”

Translation can feel a little like holding a map.

At first, it helps.

• It gives direction.

• It reduces uncertainty.

• It keeps you moving… for a while.

And if you hold on to the map for too long you may never quite step into the place itself.

You keep asking:

“What does this mean in Portuguese?” (or in your own native language)

instead of:

“What does this feel like in English?”

And for me…
that’s where something began to shift.

We are learning to work WITH English.

Not against it.
Not through another language.
Not word by word.

With it.

Like two dancers learning each other’s rhythm.
Sometimes stepping forward.
Sometimes missing a beat.
Sometimes laughing halfway through.

But always moving.

When you begin to work with English, you start noticing something beautiful:

• words don’t always carry one fixed meaning

• verbs don’t simply translate… they behave

• sentences don’t just follow rules… they breathe

And little by little…
English stops feeling like a puzzle to solve. It starts feeling like something to experience.

And then… another shift quietly appears.
From WITH English… to IN English.

Working with English feels like partnership.

Curiosity.
Dialogue.
Movement.

You and English… side by side. But working in English? That changes the space completely.
Now… English is no longer something beside you. It becomes the room you’re in.

• The thoughts you’re shaping.

• The conversations you’re having.

• The little pauses between ideas.

• The jokes.

• The misunderstandings.

• The discoveries.

• The life.

A metaphor I often carry with me these days:

Working with English…
is like walking alongside a river.

Working in English…
is like stepping into the water.

Both are wonderfully valid. Both are beautiful.
But they each create very different experiences.

Final whisper

And perhaps… this was never really about translation, was it?
Not for me, really. It was always about something deeper.

It was about:
Trusting that meaning finds its way back.

Not translated.
Not forced.
Just understood.

And somewhere above these words…
my lovely old boomerang quietly carries a beautiful reminder:

“What is sent with love… ALWAYS finds a way back.” 🪃

Maybe language does too.

Just Be Yourself. 🌱