Do Americans notice when someone is mentally translating before speaking English?

I’ve been practising English for a while, and I’ve reached a point where I can understand most things in conversation. But I still notice a delay when I respond, I hear the question, understand it, but it takes me a moment to form a natural reply.

I’m curious how noticeable that actually is to native speakers.

Is it obvious when someone is mentally translating before speaking, or does it just feel normal in conversation from your side? I’ve been trying to work on that recently because I noticed I tend to pause a bit too long when I’m responding, even in simple situations like ordering something or answering a basic question. It’s not really a vocabulary issue, more like everything happens with a delay in my head.

To improve that, I’ve started focusing more on active speaking practice instead of just passive learning. Sometimes that’s just small everyday conversations when I get the chance, and other times it’s structured speaking practice on Praktika, where I have to respond in real time without overthinking or translating first.

I’m curious if that “translation step” is actually noticeable from the outside, or if it just feels slower from the learner’s perspective.