Although a person can recite Shema in any language, it is preferable to recite it in Hebrew. One reason is because there are words that are difficult to translate. For example “V’shenantam” is usually translated to mean “and you shall teach them.” But the actual definition of the word is more than just teaching. The best English translation is “and you shall teach them sharply,” but this is not a perfect translation of the word either. Since there are difficult words to translate, a person should recite Shema in Hebrew, if he or she can.