This is the most comprehensive guide on how to write an essay in foreign language. Whether you’re struggling to start or you’re not even sure if you’re well equipped to handle this assignment, you’ve come to the right place.
Writing an essay in a foreign language is a complex and a thrilling challenge.
On the one hand, you’ve studied to a level where you know the grammar rules and your vocabulary is good enough to allow you articulate complex sentences. On the other hand, this isn’t an assignment you get in your first language class, which is why it can be such a complex task to handle.
You have to be creative and equally convincing. You must use and cite authoritative sources of information. You have to follow a strict essay format and, in the end, your essay must be interesting to read.
As overwhelming as writing an essay in a foreign language is, completing the assignment should not be difficult provided you have the right lead. In the rest of this guide, we’ll give you some effective tips that you can use to write an essay in a foreign language from start to finish – even if you have to do that in one sitting.
How to Write an Essay in Foreign Language, Step-by-Step
An essay written in a foreign language needs to be as comprehensive as the one written in a student’s first language. Professors generally look for clarity, academic presentation, and the authenticity of the information that you present in the essay.
With that said, here’s what you need to do to write a high quality essay in a foreign language:
Understand the Significance of the Assignment
Many student fail in writing their essay in a foreign language because they don’t understand the importance of the assignment.
If you think of an essay assignment as just a mean to score good grades to impress your professor and parents, you’re halfway to failing the assignment for sure. However, when you look at it from the perspective of a student who understands the significance of the foreign language, writing an essay in a language other than yours becomes easier.
The most important thing to do when writing an essay in a foreign dialect is to think in terms of that particular language. Doing so gives you the confidence to express yourself by using a proper structure and argumentation.
Brainstorm
Understanding the significance of the assignment is just the first step to writing an essay in a foreign language. The second step is to brainstorm the topic to understand what your professor expects you to do.
Remember, writing an essay in a different language means you’ll have to limit yourself to the topics relevant to that specific culture.
The best way to start brainstorming is to do preliminary research and think in your target language while you’re at it – not in your native language. Spend a few minutes looking at online resources so that you get an understanding of the essay’s theme.
Don’t hesitate to go the extra mile to use sticky notes, maps, flowcharts, and diagrams to visualize your argument as you brainstorm.
The brainstorming process is particularly important because it enables you to write anything that comes to your mind, provided it’s within the scope of the topic you need to write an essay on in a foreign language.
Brainstorming is a great way to come up with as many ideas as possible. About 2 hours of brainstorming should give you more ideas than you even need, from which you can get your main points in readiness for the next step.
Create an Outline
We can’t stress enough just how important having an essay outline is. Remember, your instructor expects to see a high level of organization for any essay you write, and one in a foreign language is not an exception.
First, check the essay’s brief to determine if there are precise instructions on formatting. If there are no such guidelines in the document, go with the 5-paragraph format, which gives you more than enough space to communicate your ideas by demonstrating your arguments.
Your essay in foreign language should therefore have:
Introduction
We assume your reader doesn’t know anything about your topic, so you have to introduce your argument, lead them to the main thesis, while making the section interesting to read.
Keep in mind that the introduction can make or break your essay. We suggest that you start the essay with a strong hook such that it piques your target’s interest that they keep reading past the thesis statement.
Even an essay written in foreign language needs a thesis statement because it’s the foundation to which you’ll base everything else that you write in your paper.
Body
It’s in the body section that you provide as much detail as possible to support your thesis statement or the core theme of your essay.
You should divide this section into three paragraphs and make sure that each paragraph has one unique argument. Just as with an essay written in your native language, each paragraph in this case should start with a topic sentence, followed by an explanation for your argument, and then end with a closing link that leads to the next consecutive paragraph.
There’s no specific word limit to observe, but you do want to check the essay brief just to be sure. Suggestions such as maintaining a symmetry within the essay are good, but you don’t have to confine yourself to maintaining a similar length between the body paragraphs because your thoughts for each argument will most likely differ in terms of the number of words.
Conclusion
Here’s where sum everything you’ve said in the body section of the essay and tying everything together with the thesis statement. Don’t introduce a new argument or idea in this section. Your readers know they’ve come to the end of the essay and an introduction of a new thought can only create more confusion.
Final Thoughts
Provided you have an outline for the essay, it should be essay to articulate your ideas from the brainstorming stage in a way that’s easy for your readers to connect with and understand.