I LOVE MUSTARD LEAVES AND SPINACH :-(

No doubt a large number of Indians have a managed to get a strong grip on the English language. However there is a strong tendency among many of them to translate each concept in their mother tongue into English. Of course, it is possible to translate the majority of the terms and concepts of a foreign language into English, and it is even good to have the curiosity to trace the right word for the right idea!

But while doing so, people often mar the beauty of English by twisting and distorting certain properties of the language. Such (mis)use of the language often sounds awkward and ridiculous to a native English speaker. For example, if an Englishman or non-Punjabi speaker asks an English learner from Punjab what their favourite food is, they are more likely to answer like this:

"My favourite food is Mustard Leaves and Spinach".

But for an Englishman or non-Punjabi speaker, this answer will sound so funny and incomprehensible! They might even think that the person's food habits are uncivilized or strange!

So, how could this answer be modified in an understandable way? Well, the speaker could have said something like this:

"My favourite food is Sason ka saag and Makki ki roti. These are Punjabi traditional dishes, and they are made mainly from mustard leaves and spinach".

Now the answer is accurate, understandable and informative. No confusion at all for the listener.

Many students in India, especially those preparing for IELTS, TOEFL, BEC and such ESOL examinations falsely think that including mother-tongue-words in their speaking and writing modules of the test is not at all allowed. I agree to a great extent. Students must not usually use the words in their mother tongues while taking such exams. But if a particular word in your language does not have an English equivalent, that word must be used as it is in your own language. The only thing to remember is that the speaker must explain (in their answer) what the meaning of the local word/phrase is in simple English. And   the examiners of such exams never reduce the marks for such usages!! On the other hand, examiners do cut you score if you try to over-impress the examiner by using word-by-word translation or awkward broken English phrases!

Happy learning!
Jacob Nova English Campus