學會一門外語益處多
Becoming bilingual opens up a whole new world—a world of different people, of different cultures, of different emotions.
學會一門外語、擁有雙語能力會為你展開一個全新的世界：不同的人，不同的文化，不同的情感。
Learning a second language has many cognitive benefits. For example, learning a new language has been shown to delay Alzheimer’s, boost brainpower, reduce cognitive biases, and even increase concentration and the ability to tune out distractions. Your ability to build better habits will improve by learning a new language.
從認知的角度來說，學一門第二外語有很多益處。比方說，有研究顯示學習一門新語言可以延緩老年癡呆癥，可以提高大腦能力，可以減少認知偏差，甚至還可以增強注意力避免分心。學會一門新語言，可以培養很多好習慣。
But, more so than cognitive effects, the ability to speak a second language has a ton of social benefits. There’s bliss in having the ability to order food in the waiter’s native language, to eavesdrop on people in an elevator, to impress natives by speaking with and understanding them.
不過學一門新語言的好處可不僅僅是認知效果。學會一門第二語言還有很多的社會效益。在國外的餐廳你可以使用服務員的母語點餐，你可以偷聽電梯里人們的外語交談。和當地人交流時，你會說他們的語言能聽懂他們的意思，也會給他們留下深刻的印象。這些想想是不是就覺得很開心?
The coolest thing about learning your second language is that it makes learning a third, fourth, or fifth language much easier. The challenge isn’t in learning a new language, but rather learning how to learn a language. Once you know the techniques, you’ll be able to apply the same grammatical patterns and language techniques in every new language you learn.
我覺得學第二語言最酷的事情是：學會了它會讓你學第三、第四甚至第五語言的過程更容易。你所面臨的挑戰不是學會一門新語言，而是學會如何學語言。一旦你掌握了技巧，你就可以把同樣的語法模式和語言技巧應用到你想學的任何一種新語言上。
Why most people are wrong about language learning
大部分人對語言學習的誤區
I studied spanish for several years in high school, and even got good grades on national exams. But one day, when I actually tried to speak the language, I suddenly realized. Four years of studying Spanish in school, and I couldn’t even order a burrito.
我在高中的時候學過幾年的西班牙語，還在全國性的考試中拿到了挺高的分數，但有一天，當我想說西班牙語的時候，我突然意識到：在學校學了四年西班牙語的我，連點份玉米煎餅都不會。
So what went wrong? According to official standardized tests, I was an expert in Spanish. But I couldn’t even do the most basic of tasks!
到底哪里出問題了?根據官方標準測試的結果，我可是西班牙語的專家呀!但我卻無法用西班牙語來進行最基本的交流。
The fact is that we not taught languages in the ideal way. Students study languages in huge groups and think that a few worksheets and grammar exercises will be enough to learn a language. Yet almost no one actually learns to speak.
事實是在學校老師教我們語言的方式并不是理想的學習方法。大部分的學生都是在班級里一大群人一起學語言，我們以為做一些語法練習題，就夠我們學會一門語言。其實我們基本沒有學習如果去說這門語言。
In actuality, by doing worksheets, we are practicing for just that—for worksheets. But if you want to learn to speak, well, you actually have to practice by speaking.
實際上，做練習題的方法，只是讓我們完成練習。但如果你想要學會開口說，你其實需要通過講話的方式來練習。
So when people try to learn to speak a language out of a book, I try to show them that they won’t achieve their goals that way. If you want to speak, you have to practice speaking. And if you want to speak a language rapidly, well, you have to start speaking. A lot.
所以每次我遇到想通過一本書學會一門語言的人，我通常都會告訴他們：這種方法無法讓他們實現語言學習的目標。如果你想要說，你就要通過口語練習。如果你想讓自己說得非常流利，那你就要開始做大量的口語練習。
The Basic Strategy Of Rapid Language Learning
快速語言學習的基本策略
Learning a language can seem daunting, so I’m going to provide an overview of the general strategy, before we get into the specifics.
學習一門語言似乎讓人畏懼，所以我們先來看看基本策略，然后再詳細說明。
1. Get the right resources for learning: A grammar book, memorization software, and films/books.
找到學習的正確資源：一本語法書，一個記憶軟件，若干電影或書籍
2. Get a private tutor. You want one for at least a month. I recommend four hours/day.
請一位私人教師。你至少需要私人教師陪練一個月時間，我建議每天四小時。
3. Attempt to speak and think only in the new language. Every time you can’t remember a word, put that word into your memorization software. Practice your vocabulary daily.
試著只用這門新的語言說話和思考。每當你想不起一個單詞的時候，把那個詞輸入你的記憶軟件。每天進行詞匯練習。
4. Find friends, language partners, and other speakers of the language. Once you can have basic conversations with your private tutor, you need to find other partners. If you haven’t already, think about moving to the country where the language is spoken. Consider a group class. Practice continuously.
尋找朋友、語言學習搭檔或者其他說這門語言的人。一旦你可以和私人教師進行基本會話，你就需要尋找其他的搭檔。如果你還沒有準備好，考慮一下搬去說那門語言的國家。也可以參加集體授課班級。要不停地練習。
That’s the basic strategy. Again, this strategy is intensive, because learning a language in three months is a difficult task. If you’d prefer to learn the language more slowly or you don’t have the ability to move to a new country and practice 4-8 hours a day, then you can modify the plan. It is extremely important that you practice every day, however—20 minutes a day is much better than once or twice a week.
這就是基本策略。這些策略執行起來非常有強度，因為在三個月內學會一門語言并非易事。如果你想要慢點學或者你沒法搬去另一個國家，或者你不能保證每天學習4-8小時，你也可以調整計劃。最重要的是你要每天練習，每天20分鐘總比一周才練一兩次要好。
The Resources You Need To Learn A Language
學習一門語言需要的資源
A good grammar book. This is essential if you want to learn a language.
一本好的語法書。如果你想要學習一門語言，這是必備的。
A phrase book. This is similar to a dictionary, but for phrases. You can start memorizing full sentences and phrases, and you’ll naturally learn the individual words.
一本短語手冊。這和字典類似，但是內容是關于短語的。你可以從記憶完整的句子和短語開始，之后自然會學會單獨的詞語。
An online dictionary. For most romance langauges, Google Translate can be useful, but it easily becomes a crutch. Use it sparingly.
一本在線字典。對于大部分由拉丁語演變而成的語言，谷歌翻譯可以很有用，但也容易產生依賴性，要適度使用。
A memorization app. You have to memorize vocabulary. I always put new words in my app, and practice them every night.
一款記憶應用程序。你必須要記單詞。我總是把新單詞輸入記憶程序，然后每晚練習。
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