* My parents would often speak to me in Korean. My (english speaking) friends would sometimes ask me "what did she say?" Strangely, though I understood clearly

* My parents would often speak to me in Korean. My (english speaking) friends would sometimes ask me "what did she say?" Strangely, though I understood clearly in my mind what my mother said, I could not translate what she said into English.* I'm English-Spanish bilingual and I have the same problem. I can chat along in Spanish and then try to translate what was said into English but it doesn't work. I have to rethink it and say it all over again in English. Spanish and English are a lot closer than English and Korean. Since it happens in both pairs, it's probably a universal problem. Translating is a different skill from bilingualism.