Hey Bob,

Here's an activity that will make you uncomfortable.

But in a good way.

It's called back translation, and it works like this:

Find a short paragraph in your target language.

3–6 sentences, roughly at your level.

Now... translate it into English on a separate piece of paper.

Then hide the original.

Now translate your English version back into the target language from memory.

When you're done... pull out the original and compare.

...

There it is.

That gap between your version and the original?

That's the honest picture of where you are right now.

See, most of us are much better at understanding our target language than we are at actually producing it.

Back translation doesn't let you hide behind comprehension.

It forces you to construct the language from scratch — grammar, word order, all of it.

And every mistake points you directly at what needs work next.

No vague sense of "maybe I'm improving." Just clear evidence.

(The key thing: don't skip the comparison step. That's where the learning actually happens. Sit with the differences. Write out the correct sentences. Say them aloud.)

It stings a bit, yes.

But that's the point.

Start with one paragraph.

Prepare to be humbled.

Talk soon,

Olly