How I Turned Our English Books into Bilingual Treasures (And You Can Too)

When I first started reading English books to Lewis, our bilingual bedtime routine looked something like this:

👩‍🍼 Me: reading a line in English...

🤯...pausing to translate it into Vietnamese...

🫠...realizing I don't know the right word...

🤷‍♀️...so I make something up and hope for the best.

Sound familiar?

I wanted Lewis to enjoy his favourite books in Vietnamese, without having to buy separate translations (which often don’t rhyme anyway) or wing it every night. So I tried something simple:

👉 I printed my translations on sticker paper,

✂️ cut them into strips, and

📚 stuck them right next to the English text.

And just like that—storytime got a bilingual glow-up.

Want to try it? Here’s how:

1. Grab your translations

If you speak the language, write your own! You should format the text so that each translated paragraph matches the English version in the book.

If you speak Vietnamese, skip the heavy lifting and use one of my Tiny Linguist sticker packs—perfect for Vietnamese-English books and lovingly crafted to preserve rhyme, rhythm, and meaning.

2. Print on the right sticker paper

This is where the magic happens! Use A4 clear sticker paper—just make sure it matches your printer type.

📌 I use an inkjet printer, and regular clear sticker paper works great.

🚫 Vinyl sticker paper for inkjet printer? Big nope. (Unless you enjoy smeared ink and heartbreak.)

3. Cut out the translations

Since your translated text is already formatted to match the book paragraph-by-paragraph, you can simply cut out each paragraph.

4. Stick them in (carefully!)

Place the translations next to the English text—usually just below or beside it—without covering any of the illustrations. You can read seamlessly in both languages, and your child can see both versions together!

5. Read and enjoy!

Now you’ve got a DIY bilingual book, and your toddler thinks you’re a storytelling superstar.

This little hack turned into Tiny Linguist—my way of helping other parents skip the Google Translate scramble and actually enjoy reading time with their little one.

🧡 Many sticker packs are free.

🧠 The more complex, rhyme-packed ones are premium (because my brain deserves snacks too).

🎁 All premium packs come with free excerpts so you can try before you buy.