MSI Press Blog

  For many language learners, translation is the default bridge between unfamiliar words and understanding. But for me, translation has never been the path—I bypass it entirely. I do not translate. I comprehend directly, or I don’t comprehend at all. And when I don’t, I approach the text as I would an esoteric passage in English: through context, inference, and inquiry—not through conversion into my native tongue. This isn’t a philosophical stance—it’s a practical necessity. With over twenty languages floating around in my head, reaching for a specific one to serve as a translation anchor is not just inefficient—it’s cognitively disruptive. The languages don’t line up neatly. They swirl, overlap, and sometimes compete. In multilingual settings, English is often absent altogether. I’ve been in situations where I’ve acted as a go-between—not from English to another language, but between two foreign languages. These aren’t rare occurrences; they’re woven into the fabric of my prof...

  Precerpt (excerpt prior to publication) from  My 20th Language  by Dr. Betty Lou Leaver --  HARES, TORTOISES, AND i You know the story: the hare dashes off and the tortoise plods along. In the classic fable, the tortoise wins. But in the world of language learning, things are more nuanced. I've met both types of learners many times over. The hares are the ones who shoot out of the gate — fast starters, quick to speak, full of confidence. They reach what I call the “awfully fluent” stage early on. You’ve probably heard it — learners who sound great at first blush, but when you listen more closely, you hear gaps, fossilized errors, awkward phrasing, or missing nuance. They’ve got the rhythm down, and even the accent, but it’s a bit like a beautifully frosted cake with a sunken middle. I say this with no judgment — because I am a hare. Then there are the tortoises. They move more slowly at the beginning. They're deliberate, careful, often hesitant to speak early on. T...

  Precerpt (excerpt prior to publication) from  My 20th Language  by Dr. Betty Lou Leaver --  Cognitive Load In native language processing, cognitive load is often minimized by familiarity. The reader (or listener) processes syntax, vocabulary, and idiomatic expressions with automaticity, allowing attention to shift toward higher-order tasks: inference, tone, nuance, and editorial judgment. For me, this means I can read and edit at quick speed in English, absorbing full lines and paragraphs in a single glance (I actually learned to speed read as a child)—my mind chunking meaning with ease, like a pianist playing from muscle memory. Foreign language reading, however, introduces a layered complexity. Depending upon the text (something simple like an advertisement vs something more nuanced like an op ed piece), many words may demand conscious decoding for denotative, connotative, and sociolinguistic meaning—and sometimes, when working alone, that might even mean conduct...