The role of native language translation in English language acquisition

This study investigates the role of native language (L1) transfer in English language acquisition among Chinese learners, employing a questionnaire–based survey of 329 participants across different proficiency levels. The findings indicate that L1 influence operates across multiple domains, with the most substantial effects observed in grammatical and discourse structures. Typological differences between Chinese—a paratactic language—and English—a hypotactic language—pose considerable challenges, particularly in writing logic and syntactic organization. Although learners frequently rely on literal translation and code–switching strategies, they demonstrate limited awareness of L1–induced errors in discourse production, revealing a noticeable divergence between self–perception and actual linguistic performance. Furthermore, the study emphasizes that learners show a stronger preference for immersive learning approaches over metalinguistic strategies, such as comparative analysis or self–regulatory monitoring. Based on these findings, the research advocates for a balanced educational approach: Deliberately leveraging the mother tongue as a resource to elucidate complex linguistic concepts and rules, while emphasizing English as the medium of instruction to immersively cultivate cognitive patterns in the target language. The conclusion underscores the importance of integrating metalinguistic training and technological interventions to effectively reduce negative transfer and support the development of interlanguage.