TED | 窥探学习一门新语言的秘密

演讲简介

 

为什么有的人学了很长时间的一门外语，还学不好，听不懂，说不出来，应用时不能用上；为什么有的人学了一门外语又一门外语，每一门都能应用自如。她自己就是一个会多种语言的人，会说八种语言之多。为了找出真正原因来，她参加了一个多语言者才有资格参加的大会，里面有很多会说多种语言的人（polyglot），每一个人都有自己独特的方法来学，她经过分析研究，找出了一些原因。

 

 

 

演讲精彩片段（节选）欣赏

 

I only realized this after meeting other polyglots. We are no geniuses and we have no shortcut to learning languages. We simply found ways how to enjoy the process, how to turn language learning from a boring school subject into a pleasant activity which you don’t mind doing every day. If you don’t like writing words down on paper, you can always type them in an app.

在我遇到了其他多语言者之后，我才明白这一点。我们不是天才，我们也没有学习语言的捷径。我们只是找到了享受这一过程的方式，以及如何将语言学习从一项枯燥的学校课程转变为一项你不介意每天都做的有趣活动。如果你不喜欢在纸上写单词，那你可以在软件里面打单词。

 

If you don’t like listening to boring textbook material, find interesting content on YouTube or in podcasts for any language. If you’re a more introverted person and you can’t imagine speaking to native speakers right away, you can apply the method of self-talk.

如果你不喜欢听无聊的课程材料，你总是可以在YouTube上或播客里找到任何一种语言的有趣内容。如果你是个内向的人，不愿意马上就和母语者交谈，你总可以和自己练习对话。

 

You can talk to yourself in the comfort of your room, describing your plans for the weekend, how your day has been, or even take a random picture from your phone and describe the picture to your imaginary friend. This is how polyglots learn languages, and the best news is, it’s available to anyone who is willing to take the learning into their own hands.

你可以在自己的房间里，对自己说话，描述你的周末计划，一天过得怎么样，甚至是从你的手机里随便选一张照片，然后把它描述给你想象中的朋友。这就是多语言者学习语言的方式，而好消息是，这种方法对每个想要自主学习语言的人来说，都是可行的。

 

So meeting other polyglots helped me realize that it is really crucial to find enjoyment in the process of learning languages, but also that joy in itself is not enough. If you want to achieve fluency in a foreign language, you’ll also need to apply three more principles.

所以，遇到其他的多语言者让我意识到在学习语言的过程中，找到乐趣是十分重要的，但是仅凭兴趣是不够的。如果你想要流利的说一门外语，还需要遵守三大准则。

 

First of all, you’ll need effective methods. If you try to memorize a list of words for a test tomorrow, the words will be stored in your short-term memory and you’ll forget them after a few days. If you, however, want to keep words long term, you need to revise them in the course of a few days repeatedly using the so-called space repetition.

首先，你需要找到有效的方法。如果你正为明天的考试复习，要去试着记住一系列单词，这些单词只会被储存在你的短期记忆里，而你过几天就会忘得一干二净。相反，如果你想长期记住单词，就需要隔几天就复习一下，用所谓的间隔重复法。

 

You can use apps which are based on this system such as Anki or Memrise, or you can write lists of word in a notebook using the Goldlist method, which is also very popular with many polyglots. If you’re not sure which methods are effective and what is available out there, just check out polyglots’ YouTube channels and websites and get inspiration from them. If it works for them, it will most probably work for you too.

你可以试试基于这种方法设计的软件，譬如Anki或Memrise，或是在笔记本上用“黄金列表”法写下一系列单词，这也在许多多语言者之间十分流行。如果你不确定什么方法是有效的，以及现在有些什么方法，那么就去看看多语言者的YouTube和主页，你可以从那里获得灵感。如果这些方法对他们适用，那么可能也对你适用。

 

The third principle to follow is to create a system in your learning. We’re all very busy and no one really has time to learn a language today. But we can create that time if we just plan a bit ahead. Can you wake up 15 minutes earlier than you normally do? That would be the perfect time to revise some vocabulary.

你需要遵守的第三个原则就是制定一套自己的学习体系。如今我们都很忙，没有人真正有时间去学习一门语言。但是如果我们事前计划一下，就能挤出那个时间。你可以比平时早起15分钟吗？这段时间可以用来复习一些单词。

 

Can you listen to a podcast on your way to work while driving? Well, that would be great to get some listening experience. There are so many things we can do without even planning that extra time, such as listening to podcasts on our way to work or doing our household chores.

你可以在开车去上班时听一段博客吗？这可以算是很不错的听力练习。甚至不需要提前规划时间，我们也可以做很多事情，比如在上班的路上或是做家务时，我们可以听听播客。

 

The important thing is to create a plan in the learning. “I will practice speaking every Tuesday and Thursday with a friend for 20 minutes. I will listen to a YouTube video while having breakfast.” If you create a system in your learning, you don’t need to find that extra time, because it will become a part of your everyday life.

重要的是，制定一个学习计划。“我要在每周二和每周四和朋友练习20分钟口语。吃早饭时，我要听一段YouTube视频。”如果你建立了自己的学习体系，就不需要挤出额外的时间，因为这已经成为你每日生活的一部分了。

 

And finally, if you want to learn a language fluently, you need also a bit of patience. It’s not possible to learn a language within two months, but it’s definitely possible to make a visible improvement in two months, if you learn in small chunks every day in a way that you enjoy. And there is nothing that motivates us more than our own success.

最后，如果你想要流利掌握一门语言，还需要一点耐心。一个人不可能在两个月之内就掌握一门语言，但是如果你以自己喜欢的方式每天学习一点点的话，在两个月之内肯定可以取得显著的进步。没有比我们自己的成功更能激励我们的了。