The modern world is dominated by videos, animations, and quick visual content. Tt may come as a surprise that reading often helps us remember more. Yet countless studies — and our own everyday experience — show that when we read, we retain information more deeply and for much longer than when we simply watch a video or scroll past visuals.
For Interpreters and Translators, reading forms an integral part of organising, planning and preparing for your assignments. In fact, your briefing and meeting documents will make or break your output.
Its getting harder and harder to read. When content is bulky and technical, it’s even less accessible.
You can start now to train your brain to love reading. Here’s why reading remains the most powerful tool for long-term memory and true understanding.
“No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.”
Video is passive.
Reading is active.
When you read, your brain must:
Decode symbols (letters and words)
Build meaning
Visualise ideas
Connect new information to what you already know
This active cognitive processing strengthens memory traces. Watching visuals, on the other hand, allows your brain to relax — which is great for entertainment, but not for deep learning.
A huge advantage of reading is control.
You can slow down, pause, reread, underline, or take notes.
With video:
The pace is fixed
Information can rush past
You may miss key details
It’s harder to stop and reflect without disrupting the flow
The ability to pause mentally while reading allows your brain to organise and store information more efficiently.
When you read, you create your own mental images.
This process — called imagery generation — strengthens comprehension and memory because you’re not just receiving information; you’re constructing it.
With visuals, the images are already provided. There’s less mental effort, and therefore weaker encoding into memory.
Modern videos often include:
rapid scene changes
background music
captions
animations
distracting visuals
These stimulate the brain but can overload your working memory.
Reading, especially on paper or a distraction-free device, allows for deep focus, the ideal state for transferring information from short-term to long-term memory.
Because reading is linear, it trains the brain to follow concepts in sequence, build arguments, and evaluate ideas. This boosts retention and understanding.
Visual content often prioritizes:
speed
entertainment
emotional impact
This makes it engaging, but not necessarily memorable or mentally enriching.
The act of reading activates multiple areas of the brain at once:
language centres
memory networks
sensory imagination areas
executive function regions
This creates stronger neural pathways, meaning the information stays with you longer.
Watching visual content activates fewer networks, especially if the content is easy or passive.
Memory improves when we:
pause
reflect
summarise
relate new information to existing knowledge
Reading naturally encourages these reflective moments. Visual content moves quickly, giving you little time to think.
Reflection strengthens long-term retention — and reading gives your brain space to do it.
Videos require the brain to process:
motion
audio
text
visual details
environment changes
This can overwhelm working memory.
Reading presents information in a simpler, linear form that the brain can process more efficiently, freeing up space for true comprehension.
Visual learning has its strengths:
great for demonstrations
helpful for beginners
engaging for quick overviews
But when the goal is deep understanding, long-term retention, and the ability to recall information accurately, reading is far superior.
If you want information to stick, pick up a book, article, or reading device — your brain will thank you for it.
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