Becoming bilingual opens up a whole new world—a world of different people, of different cultures, of different emotions.

學(xué)會(huì )一門(mén)外語(yǔ)、擁有雙語(yǔ)能力會(huì )為你展開(kāi)一個(gè)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(lái)說(shuō)，學(xué)一門(mén)第二外語(yǔ)有很多益處。比方說(shuō)，有研究顯示學(xué)習一門(mén)新語(yǔ)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(xué)會(huì )一門(mén)新語(yǔ)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(guò)學(xué)一門(mén)新語(yǔ)言的好處可不僅僅是認知效果。學(xué)會(huì )一門(mén)第二語(yǔ)言還有很多的社會(huì )效益。在國外的餐廳你可以使用服務(wù)員的母語(yǔ)點(diǎn)餐，你可以偷聽(tīng)電梯里人們的外語(yǔ)交談。和當地人交流時(shí)，你會(huì )說(shuō)他們的語(yǔ)言能聽(tīng)懂他們的意思，也會(huì )給他們留下深刻的印象。這些想想是不是就覺(jué)得很開(kāi)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(jué)得學(xué)第二語(yǔ)言最酷的事情是：學(xué)會(huì )了它會(huì )讓你學(xué)第三、第四甚至第五語(yǔ)言的過(guò)程更容易。你所面臨的挑戰不是學(xué)會(huì )一門(mén)新語(yǔ)言，而是學(xué)會(huì )如何學(xué)語(yǔ)言。一旦你掌握了技巧，你就可以把同樣的語(yǔ)法模式和語(yǔ)言技巧應用到你想學(xué)的任何一種新語(yǔ)言上。

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(shí)候學(xué)過(guò)幾年的西班牙語(yǔ)，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(shuō)西班牙語(yǔ)的時(shí)候，我突然意識到：在學(xué)校學(xué)了四年西班牙語(yǔ)的我，連點(diǎn)份玉米煎餅都不會(huì )。

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(wèn)題了？根據官方標準測試的結果，我可是西班牙語(yǔ)的專(zhuān)家呀！但我卻無(wú)法用西班牙語(yǔ)來(lái)進(jìn)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(shí)是在學(xué)校老師教我們語(yǔ)言的方式并不是理想的學(xué)習方法。大部分的學(xué)生都是在班級里一大群人一起學(xué)語(yǔ)言，我們以為做一些語(yǔ)法練習題，就夠我們學(xué)會(huì )一門(mén)語(yǔ)言。其實(shí)我們基本沒(méi)有學(xué)習如果去說(shuō)這門(mén)語(yǔ)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(shí)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(xué)會(huì )開(kāi)口說(shuō)，你其實(shí)需要通過(guò)講話(huà)的方式來(lái)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(guò)一本書(shū)學(xué)會(huì )一門(mén)語(yǔ)言的人，我通常都會(huì )告訴他們：這種方法無(wú)法讓他們實(shí)現語(yǔ)言學(xué)習的目標。如果你想要說(shuō)，你就要通過(guò)口語(yǔ)練習。如果你想讓自己說(shuō)得非常流利，那你就要開(kāi)始做大量的口語(yǔ)練習。

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(xué)習一門(mén)語(yǔ)言似乎讓人畏懼，所以我們先來(lái)看看基本策略，然后再詳細說(shuō)明。

1. Get the right resources for learning: A grammar book, memorization software, and films/books.

找到學(xué)習的正確資源：一本語(yǔ)法書(shū)，一個(gè)記憶軟件，若干電影或書(shū)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(gè)月時(shí)間，我建議每天四小時(shí)。

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(zhù)只用這門(mén)新的語(yǔ)言說(shuō)話(huà)和思考。每當你想不起一個(gè)單詞的時(shí)候，把那個(gè)詞輸入你的記憶軟件。每天進(jìn)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(yǔ)言學(xué)習搭檔或者其他說(shuō)這門(mén)語(yǔ)言的人。一旦你可以和私人教師進(jìn)行基本會(huì )話(huà)，你就需要尋找其他的搭檔。如果你還沒(méi)有準備好，考慮一下搬去說(shuō)那門(mén)語(yǔ)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(lái)非常有強度，因為在三個(gè)月內學(xué)會(huì )一門(mén)語(yǔ)言并非易事。如果你想要慢點(diǎn)學(xué)或者你沒(méi)法搬去另一個(gè)國家，或者你不能保證每天學(xué)習4-8小時(shí)，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。

A good grammar book. This is essential if you want to learn a language.

一本好的語(yǔ)法書(shū)。如果你想要學(xué)習一門(mén)語(yǔ)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(yǔ)手冊。這和字典類(lèi)似，但是內容是關(guān)于短語(yǔ)的。你可以從記憶完整的句子和短語(yǔ)開(kāi)始，之后自然會(huì )學(xué)會(huì )單獨的詞語(yǔ)。

An online dictionary. For most romance langauges, I recommend http://wordreference.com. Google Translate can be useful, but it easily becomes a crutch. Use it sparingly.

一本在線(xiàn)字典。對于大部分由拉丁語(yǔ)演變而成的語(yǔ)言，我推薦wordreference網(wǎng)站。谷歌翻譯可以很有用，但也容易產(chǎn)生依賴(lài)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。