11国语言达人：如何学好英德日法西

 "I agree that language learning is cool, but I challenge the assumption that it’s difficult."

“我认同语言学习很酷，但我不认同语言学习不容易这一说法。”
Languages cannot be taught, they can only be learned. Having someone or something to aid with the process is of great benefit. Find a guide, not an instructor 1.
语言是教不会的，它们只能被学会。有人或物从旁相助，你会大受裨益。去找引路人，而不是指挥者。
English was already a world language by the time I turned 10 in 1991. Its study was mandatory 2. Istruggled at first. I didn’t like the teacher, grammar explanations confused me, and the material wasmonotone. I thought I’d never learn it. Then my parents decided 3 to hire a private Englishtutor. I was 13 and she was wonderful. She set me on the right path to learning and, most importantly, learning to love language. The combination of reading books, watching movies every day and talking to my tutor once a week for two years worked wonders.
1991年那会，我才十岁，而英语已经成为世界通用的语言了。英语学习成为必须。起初我学得很困难 。我不喜欢给我上课的英语老师，语法解释让我满头雾水，学习材料还很乏味。我想我不可能学会这种语言了。后来在13岁那年，我的父母决定给我聘请一位私人英语辅导老师。她人很好。她把我领上了学习的正确道路。最重要的是，她让我爱上了这门语言。随后的两年我广泛阅读，每天会看电影，每周和她对话，这些努力让我的英语水平突飞猛进。
德语
"Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going" –Rita Mae Brown
“语言即有关文化的一份路线图，告诉你人们从哪里来，将要去何方。”——丽塔·麦·布朗
If you find a method you like and which works for you, you can start learning any language by yourself. There is no one best method to learn a language. Find something that is effective for you. And above all, experiment!
如果你找到一种你喜欢并对你行之有效的学习方法，你能开始自学任何一种语言。学习语言不存在最好的法门。要找到那个对你有效的方法，最重要的是，去实验尝试！
German was the first language I started learning completely on my own. I don’t remember exactly why I embarked 4 on this journey, but I remember I had no idea how to learn German. Later I came up with my method, and quickly realised that it was effective for me. I always remember people repeatedly asked in bewilderment, “Wie kannst du so gut 5 Deutsch?!” (how can you speak German so well?). From that moment on I started reading insatiably. The language had become an integral part of my life.
德语是第一门我完全靠自学而成语言。我记不清楚自己为什么要开始这趟语言学习之旅，但我有印象，当时自己不晓得如何入手德语。后来我找到了适合自己的学习方法，很快地了解到它对我来说很有效。我总是会想起人们不断询问我的疑惑语气：“你是怎么把德语说得如此好的？”从那刻起，我开始如饥似渴地阅读。这门语言至此成为我生命中一个不可或缺的部分。
日语
"The limits of my language are the limits of my world." ? Ludwig Wittgenstein
路德维希·维特根斯坦说过：“我语言的局限便是我看世界的盲点。
Some languages have completely new features, so be flexible and adapt your learning method to the language. If your approach is not working, change it! Don’t give up. Don’t give in.
有些语言与母语相比，具有完全不同的特征。因而要灵活处理，用合适的学习方法学这门语言。如果你的方法没什么作用，换一种！不要放弃。不要气馁。
When I started learning Japanese, I wanted a new challenge, but I didn’t imagine it would be so hard. I couldn’t even build simple sentences because the structure in Japanese was so completely different from any language I had ever learned. I initially 6 thought that this problem was just temporary and could be solved by speaking more regularly, but this simply wasn’t the case. Japanese feels like my biggest challenge yet, but I’m confident that I will get there. I just need to recalibrate my approach and live the language.
初学日语时，我想给自己一个新挑战，但我决没想到它这么难。由于日语的句式结构和我之前学过的任何一门语言相比大相径庭，我甚至都造不出简单的句子。我一开始觉得这个问题只是暂时的，通过经常说日语便能解决，但显然我把问题想得太简单了。尽管日语好似成为我语言学习最大的挑战，我有信心有一天我能将其掌握。我只需要重新调整我的学习方法，把这门语言学活。
法语
"Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere." ? Chinese Proverb
中国有句谚语：“一招鲜，吃遍天。”
I started learning French around the same time as I started learning English. At the age of fourteen, I discovered that I could watch French TV. I started watching two hours every day after dinner. By the age of 15 I was fluent in French. In 2010 I moved to Paris. Living there for three years enabled me to gain invaluable 7 insights into French culture: history, traditions, jokes, cultural references, and a respect for French pride in their cuisine 8 and language.
我法语的学习差不多和英语学习同时起步。十四岁那年我发现自己竟然能够看懂法语的电视。于是每天晚饭后，我都会看上2小时法语电视。十五岁时，我能讲一口流利的法语。2010年，我搬到巴黎。在那里3年的居住时光使我更为深入地了解法国文化，如其历史、传统、玩笑和文化参照。这无比珍贵。我还敬仰法国对其菜肴和语言所拥有的骄傲。
西班牙语
"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart." ? Nelson Mandela
纳尔逊·曼德拉曾说：“当和人交谈时，用一种他能听懂的语言与之交流，话语会进入他的大脑；而若用他自己的语言与之交流，话语能直击他内心。”
Spanish and Italian are like two sisters; different and yet similar at the same time. One common myth in Italy is that Spanish is easy: that you just have to speak Italian and add an “s” to every single word. The overall structure of the two languages is similar, but there are a fair few disparities in terms of pronunciation, intonation 9 and idiomatic 10 usage.
西班牙语与意大利语就如同两姐妹，不同又相似。在意大利有个寻常的谜团，那便是西班牙语不难。只要你在说意大利语的时候，于每个词的词尾添上“s”就好了。两种语言的总体结构相似，却在发音、语调和俗语使用上有着些许差别。
Speaking multiple languages is not and shouldn’t be an intellectual performance. It is an act of love towards yourself and others which helps you discover the amazing diversity of human nature as well as discovering the multiple facets 11 of your personality. To those who ask me why I like learning so many languages I always reply: “I don’t live to learn languages, I learn languages to live a better life”.
说多国语言不是，也不应是，聪明的表现。而它是向你自己与他人表达爱的举动。它使你发掘人类天性中惊人的多样性，也让你探寻到自己那多面化的人格。对于那些问我为何喜欢学习如此多语言的人，我总是回答：“学习这么多语言不是我活着的意义，而是为了有更好的明天。”