Most people usually like to think and talk in one, selected language. Some foreign-language teachers, on the other hand, seem to enjoy talking and translating at the same time. Some bilinguals, or people who know two or more langauges, sometimes the languages when they speak. In both of the latter cases, this practice is annoying.

This problem may arise in a classroom.

Many scientific concepts and objects are based on English terminology. An Israeli student may listen as the lecturer explains concepts in perfect Hebrew. However, when he needs to use a scientific term, he is likely to switch to English, followed by an explanation of a nearly-equivalent term in Hebrew. He then continues in Hebrew until he comes to the next English concept. This jerky, back and forth Hebrew speech with English insertions can be very annoying indeed.

A similar thing happens in reverse, when students in English-speaking schools study religious texts. They frequently recite the Hebrew text, and immediately translate it into English before proceeding.

That usually would not be a problem, were it not for the fact that the translation becomes silly at a certain point. Basic words like Vayomer Hashem El Moshe Lemor - ויאמר ה' אל משה לאמר - are first read in Hebrew, and then translated. Perhaps at a certain beginning stage, students may not know what the words mean. However, it is certainly annoying to translate phrases that are known. It makes the study process take longer. It makes the lessons boring. And it's a good way to lose the general context.

Children who study Ivrit B'Ivrit may have a better situation, but even then some students translate simple sentences - into Hebrew.

Students should read Kodesh material in Hebrew. They should not translate the easy words. In that way, students will retain the context, and they may begin to think in Hebrew. The lessons will be more interesting, and the class will cover more material.

However, this would mean a major change in the system. Teachers would have to learn new new methods of teaching.

That means that this change may not happen in the very near future, but we can certainly start introducing it now.