So, I've found that I'm now at a stage where when I'm reading something, I don't have to look at it, translate each word into English and then think about what that means. I've found that, I can read whatever it is and just understand (I mean of course if someones talking about 三葉虫 or 片麻岩 I have to search the meaning but you get the idea).
However, if I want to write something, or say something or to a lesser degree listen to someone, I still have to say "What is it I'm trying to construct exactly" before I can actually go about doing it. I was wondering, is this something which shows my lack of proficiency? Are the more fluent among us (and I know some people here have amazing skills) able to just immediately understand without having to construct everything in their minds first?
I've just been finding the more "creative" abilities very difficult and I wondered if this was something which was always going to be the case, or if one day it'll become just like reading. If it is, I was wondering, as well, does anyone have any advise? I mean, I only really started to be able to read in any way when I decided I was just going to read a book and not try and pick it apart. I wondered if people had a similar "starting point" for the other language "sections".
Anyway, I look forward to reading peoples thoughts on the matter, and hopefully it'll help me (and others) learn. Thanks for your time!
For me it's just practice practice practice. I sometimes think the only reason I know how to construct my thoughts in English is practice doing it. For the most part, phrases just come naturally. See, even "for the most part" and "phrases come naturally" are things I've said before. I think it helps to keep practicing how you'd phrase your feelings/thoughts in Japanese.
Do you write in a journal? It helps to try to journal your thoughts in Japanese, even the hard ones. Even in English, I'm not the kind of person who just knows exactly how to express something on the spot. I have to think, even when I'm speaking English. This is okay, right? I am a functioning adult. :) I've got some readily available phrases because I have thought about what I feel and think, before. So when I'm called to express it in words, I can.
There's just this extra work to start doing it more and more in Japanese, until you get to that point where you prefer your feelings and thoughts in Japanese. I've had those times where I can't express something in English anymore, because the Tamil or Japanese expressions work better.
