Becoming bilingual opens up a whole new world—a world of different people, of different cultures, of different emotions.
掌握一门外语、拥有双语能力会为你展开一个全新的世界：不一样的人、不一样的文化和不一样的情感。
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.
从认知的角度来讲，学一门第二外语有不少益处。比如，有研究显示学习一门新语言可以延缓老年痴呆症，可以提升大脑能力，可以降低认知偏差，甚至还可以增强注意力防止分心。掌握一门新语言，可以培养不少好习惯。
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.
不过学一门新语言有哪些好处可不止是认知成效。掌握一门第二语言还有不少的社会效益。在海外的餐厅你可以用员工的母语点菜，你可以偷听电梯里大家的外语交谈。和当地人交流时，你会说他们的语言能听懂他们的意思，也会给他们留下深刻的印象。这类想想是否就感觉非常高兴？
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.
我感觉学第二语言超酷的事情是：掌握了它会叫你学3、第四甚至第五语言的过程更容易。你所面临的挑战不是掌握一门新语言，而是掌握怎么样学语言。一旦你学会了方法，你就能把同样的语法模式和语言方法应用到你想学的任何一种新语言上。
Why most people are wrong about language learning
大多数人对语言学习的误区
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.
我在高中的时候学过几年的西班牙语，还在全国性的考试中拿到了挺高的分数，但有一天，当我想说西班牙语的时候，我忽然意识到：在学校学了四年西班牙语的我，连点份玉米煎饼都不会。
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!
到底哪儿出问题了？依据官方标准测试的结果，我可是西班牙语的专家呀！但我却没办法用西班牙语来进行最基本的交流。
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.
事实是在学校老师教大家语言的方法并非理想的学习技巧。大多数的学生都是在班级里一大群人一块学语言，大家以为做一些语法复习资料，就够大家掌握一门语言。其实大家基本没学习怎么样去说这门语言。
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.
事实上，做复习资料的办法，只不过让大家完成训练。但假如你想要掌握开口说，你其实需要通过讲话的方法来训练。
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.
所以每次我遇见想通过一本书掌握一门语言的人，我一般都会告诉他们：这种办法没办法让他们达成语言学习的目的。假如你想要说，你就要通过口语训练。假如你想让自己说得很流利，那你就要开始做很多的口语训练。
The Basic Strategy Of Rapid Language Learning
迅速语言学习的基本方案
Learning a language can seem daunting, so I’m going to provide an overview of the general strategy, before we get into the specifics.
学习一门语言好像叫人畏惧，所以大家先来看看基本方案，然后再详细说明。
1. Get the right resources for learning: A grammar book, memorization software, and films/books.
找到学习的正确资源：一本语法书，一个记忆软件，若干电影或书本。
2. Get a private tutor. You want one for at least a month. I recommend four hours/day.
请一位私人教师。你至少需要私人教师陪练一个月时间，我建议天天四小时。
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.
试着只用这门新的语言说话和考虑。每当你想不起一个单词的时候，把那个词输入你的记忆软件。天天进行词语训练。
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.
探寻朋友、语言学习搭档或者其他说这门语言的人。一旦你可以和私人教师进行基本会话，你就需要探寻其他的搭档。假如你还没筹备好，考虑考虑搬去说那门语言的国家。也可以参加集体讲课班级。要不停地训练。
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.
这就是基本方案。这类方案实行起来很有强度，由于在三个月内掌握一门语言并不是易事。假如你想要慢点学或者你没法搬去另一个国家，或者你不可以保证天天学习4-8小时，你也可以调整计划。非常重要的是你要天天训练，天天20分钟总比一周才练一两次要好。
The Resources You Need To Learn A Language
学习一门语言需要的资源
A good grammar book. This is essential if you want to learn a language.
一本好的语法书。假如你想要学习一门语言，这是应具备的。
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.
一本短语手册。这和字典类似，但内容是关于短语的。你可以从记忆完整的句子和短语开始，之后自然会掌握单独的词汇。
An online dictionary. For most romance langauges, I recommend . 谷歌翻译 can be useful, but it easily becomes a crutch. Use it sparingly.
一个在线字典。对于大多数由拉丁语演变而成的语言，我推荐wordreference网站。Google Translate可以非常有用，但也容易产生依靠性，要适度用。
A memorization app. You have to memorize vocabulary. I always put new words in my app, and practice them every night.
一款记忆应用程序。你需要要记单词。我一直把新单词输入记忆程序，然后每晚训练。
去高兴词场背单词>>>
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