The brain and the language

[Darlica]

A question for all other bilinguals here; How does your brain organize memories in different languages?
Have you ever noted that you don't have full connection between memories of something you read in your second language and memories of something you've read in you first language?   



Po'9 PM:d me about a passage from Hamlet she posted at another thread and that passed under my radar in a very obvious way. Now I know my Shakespeare pretty well and I have seen Hamlet on scenes and on screens as well as read it my self... Now why didn't my brain made the connection?

It must have something to do with the language.

Swedish is my first language, English is my second which I started to learn when I was about 8 years old, the breakthrough however didn't came until I was about 19 or 20. After that I stopped translating in my head whenever I heard or read English unless I bumped in to a for me unknown word.

Shakespeare, I read in Swedish or watched either in Swedish (plays on stage) or with Swedish subtitles, mostly well before my lingual breakthrough.   

The Hamlet passage written in Swedish would have sent bells ringing immediately but written in English (even though the words are almost the same) passed me by. Odd.

I have also discovered that even though my English actually improves an a almost daily basis my ability to translate fast between the two languages is getting worse! I tend to think either in Swedish or English.

Is there anyone else here who have experienced this or something similar?

[Swatopluk]

Interestingly, I often can't remember, whether I read an information in German or English. If I try to get the exact words back, I often find that both languages seem to make sense. From that I would tentatively conclude that information is not necessarily stored as specific words in a specific language. I also often find that I know exactly what a text means but cannot easily translate it literally into the other language (both directions).
So it is not
language A => language B
but
language A => sense in mind => language B
that is, less a direct translation from one language into the other but an extraction of meaning that is then newly expressed in the other language. An analogy could be: I see a painting and want a copy. I describe the painting to another painter (that cannot see the original), who then paints a new picture based on my description. The result would in most cases significantly differ from a direct copy (with the painter able to see the original while making the copy).

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Interestingly, I often can't remember, whether I read an information in German or English.

That happens to me too, unless I have it somewhat fresh in which case it will come in the language in which I read it. Nowadays I find myself thinking in English more than in Spanish despite the fact that I speak Spanish daily (the fact of me reading and writing in English everyday must have something to do with it).

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

I speak five languages so I think I can somhow relate to that problem.

What I have learned is to think in those languages, I think that is one of the major lesson I have learned - when I speak a language, I think in that language as well. But sometimes, I get confused. I can remember a word in four languages, but not the language I want to speak.

Also, I've been doing translation between all the languages I speak for money, so I can understand the difficulties of translating. I have more difficulties there, as I have to change between the languages. Sometimes, I have just difficulties translating the easiest sentences.