Translation
Translation is one of the most fundamental component for learning. Normally when we learn something we translate it to
our already "familiar language". This "familiar language" (hereinafter referred as "conceptual language")
doesn't have to be spoken human language it is much broader language that is unique to
each and everyone of us.
Most of us experience direct translation when trying to learn foreign language,
usually we begin by translating words to our own mother tongue language.
Translating words from one spoken language to another is just one simple form of translation,
consciously or unconsciously we always translate information. We translate our reality, thoughts
ideas and sensual information to our own conceptual language. Translation technique for learning
and creative thinking is very powerful technique. Here are few examples: Descartes revolutionized math by
translating the plane to coordinate system, Kurt Godel incompleteness theorem revolutionized the
concept of truth by translating symbolic logic to natural numbers, Allen Turing revolutionized
computation by translating computability problem to abstract machines. When we learn something
new we normally translate the information into something that we already familiar with.
One thing may be missing with this "learning by translation" argument, the learner has to start
from something... He/she must have initial language so that they can translate what they learn into
this language. This language does not have to be a spoken human language it may be very well a
conceptual language that doesn't involve any words.
The conceptual language
How do we pick our conceptual language? This question is extremely difficult to answer. We may think
that we pick conceptual language through sensual experiences, but we don't really know. We do know that
brain development is affected by sensual stimulation at early age and beyond, however it is extremely
difficult to understand how the brain make connections that really form the unique conceptual
language of each person.
Both human spoken language and conceptual language are dynamic they are constantly
changing and evolving with time. Our own unique conceptual language has profound impact on us and
just like any other language it can be evolved when we think about it and aware to how we use it.
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
believed that "languages are the best mirror of the human mind, and that a precise analysis of
the signification of words would tell us more than anything else about the operations of the
understanding”, however our minds differ and understanding depends on person point of view.
Furthermore, mere spoken words are meaningless, the built in language that give them meaning is
our own unique conceptual language.
Clearly we can find significant amount of similarities between
two or more unique conceptual languages, but there will always be differences between two
conceptual languages. The unique language is not bounded to spoken words it involve a wide aspects of
inner and outer self communication means involving emotions, shapes, colors, informal ideas
and many many more. Studying using conceptual language communication means can be much
more efficient.
Conceptual learning
According to Albert Einstein "The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking".
This conceptual language not only mirrors our everyday thinking it interacts with those everyday
thinking in the most intimate possible way. We may further enhance our creativity by broadly using the
conceptual language for inner communication that goes beyond our spoken language. Further mixing
emotions, sounds, music, rhythm and shapes can be useful when we are trying to learn something new
or master new skill. New acquired patterns or skills enhance our conceptual language and form new
inner and outer communication channels.