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为什么学外语急不来

文章来源: italki

本文作者: Luciana Pegoraro

What does language learning mean to you?

学外语对你来说到底意味着什么？

Today, I write as a teacher and a student of languages. Recently, I have started learning French online. I have looked for group lessons in a school, as well as a private teacher from where I live, but for many reasons, learning online is much more practical for me, and I ended up choosing to stay at home to learn over the Internet.

笔者以学外语的学生和教外语的老师的双重身份来跟读者娓娓道来。最近我开始在网上学法语。我有找过去学校以小组学习的形式学法语，或者从我住的地方请私教。但出于种种原因，网上学外语对我来说更实际。所以最后我决定待在家里在线学习。

I started learning French for pleasure. I do not need French to work. I do not have plans to take tests in French. It is not necessary to speak French to travel to French speaking countries (although I believe you will enjoy travel more if you speak the local language). I want to say that I did not have any obligation to learn a new language. Rather, I simply just wanted to include a new activity in my routine.

刚开始我以学习法语为乐。我的工作不需要法语，也不想参加法语考试。就算要去说法语的国家也不一定要会说法语（当然如果你会说的话一定旅游的时候更开心）。我想表达的是我并非一定要学一门外语。我只不过是想在我平凡的生活中增加一项活动罢了。

I am only taking one 45 minute lesson a week. But, I really enjoy these 45 minutes and there is no pressure to learn. I am relaxed and, after the lesson and during the days that follow, I review what was learned. I constantly remember the lessons, the sounds and the activities. When I have some time, I redo the activities and listen to the audio.

我每星期只上45分钟的法语课。不过我非常享受这45分钟，而且学习也没有压力。我放轻松，上完课后的几天，我复习了上课的内容。我不断回忆上过的课、发音以及活动。有时间的话，我会重新做练习听录音。

These lessons are also important to me as a teacher. It reminds me of what it is like to be a student, to have difficulties listening and pronouncing words, making sentences, and remembering a word. As such, it becomes easier for me to put myself in the students' shoes when they are trying to pronounce the hard ão sound of Portuguese, which comes so easily to Portuguese speakers.

作为老师，这些课程也十分重要。让我回想起当初做学生的感觉，觉得听力和发音，造句以及词汇记忆很难。因此，作为老师的我也可以换位思考，从学生的角度体会到葡萄牙语发ão这个音是很难的，而葡萄牙人却觉得很容易。

Now here is my rant
接下来就进入我的正题

What makes me sad about language learning is the rush that people have to learn. If we look closely, the schools’ advertisements on language courses only talk about the structure of the place, the tailor-made services in small groups, the speed of the course, and the technology that they have in the classroom. Sometimes, they even imply that if people do not speak English (in Brazil), they have no future.

让我感到悲哀的是，很多人学语言总是很急，是为了学而学。如果仔细看看，学校宣传的语言课程只会说课程的结构，量身定做的小组学习，课程进度，课堂上的高科技辅助教学。甚至有时候他们会隐射如果在巴西不说英语的话，人就没有未来。

Many times, the students are lost when they get into a language classroom; all they have in mind is the technology and not the language itself.

许多时候学生到教室之后就会变得迷茫；他们脑子里有的就是那些科技教学而不是语言学习本身。

Learning a language is much more than the structure that the school offers, the tailor-made services, small groups or speed. Learning a language is, above all, learning a new culture and discovering new ways of seeing the world. For example, picking up new books to read, choosing new songs to listen to, watching foreign movies, tasting exotic food, and maybe even making new friends. These are only a few examples of the new world that unfolds with a new language.

学语言绝不是单单在于学校提供的课程结构，那些量身定做的服务，小组学习或者课程进度。学语言最重要的是学习一种新的文化，发掘探索世界的新角度。比如，找一本新的书来读，选一首新歌来听，看外语电影，尝各国美食，甚至交新的朋友。以上只不过是当你学了外语后，新的世界想你展现的几个例子而已。

A language goes beyond new words in someone's head. It is necessary to be educated in the new language. For example, a situation that is informal in Brazil may not be in another country; a trivial matter in one culture may be taboo in another. When we learn new words, it is also important to learn when to use them.

语言不单单是人脑子里的几个词罢了。词要在外语的环境下教学。比如，在巴西某个非正式的场合在其他国家可能是正式的。在某个国家被人当做鸡毛蒜皮的小事，其他国家可能觉得是不能谈论的禁忌。当我们学新的词汇的时候，更重要的是学习如何使用他们。

Ok, but what about those who need to learn urgently?
好吧，但是对于那些特别想要速成的学生怎么办呢？

My advice as a teacher
作为老师，我的建议如下

Beside lessons, is to try to take a more meaningful interest in the language. If you like to dance, you can look for songs and dance videos in the language you are learning. If you like crafts, cooking, TV series, drawing, travelling, sports, whatever the subject, nowadays it is possible to find everything on the Internet.

除了上课，就是要培养学习语言比较有意义的兴趣。如果你喜欢跳舞，你可以找外语歌或者外语跳舞的影片跟着跳。如果你喜欢手工、烹饪、电视连续剧、画画、旅游、体育，不管什么领域，你都可以在网络找到相应的材料。

The idea is, if you like a certain subject a lot, and studying a new language is an obligation, try to learn more of what you like in the new language. Use the new language to your advantage to learn more about what you like.

总的来说，如果你很喜欢某个领域，而且学语言又是你不得不做的一件事情的话，那就在学外语之中找到你喜欢的部分吧。用外语作为优势，对你喜欢的领域进一步深入挖掘吧。

Try to research the country or countries where the language is spoken, the history, food, tourism, landscapes, etc. Look for people online to talk to.

尝试研究下你所学语言的母语国家，他们的历史、食物、旅游业、风景等等。在网上跟他们的当地人聊聊。

English is an important language, but not the only one. If you think English is hard, but you like Spanish, try Spanish and who knows? Perhaps, you may feel more pleasure in learning English because you will know what it feels like to speak another language.
英语是一种重要的语言，但不是唯一一种语言。如果你觉得英语很难，但你喜欢西班牙语，那就学西班牙语，谁知道你说不定学的更好呢？有可能你会觉得学习英语更开心，因为你会知道学其他语言的感觉。

When I arrived in Spain, I did not know much Spanish, and I also did not know what to cook. Many common dishes in Brazil were either not so common in Spain or too expensive. I did discover some new ingredients, however, I did not know what to do with them at first. So, I watched many videos of cooking classes in Spanish, eventually learning the language and also learned what to cook.

当我一开始来西班牙的适合，我不会说多少西班牙语，而且我也不知道怎么烧饭。许多巴西的食物在西班牙并不常见，或者太贵了。不过我确实发现了新的食材，但一开始我不知道那他们怎么办。所以我在西班牙语课上看了许多烹饪视频，最后学会了西班牙语，而且知道怎么烹饪了。

So today, I am writing not only as a teacher and a student, but also as someone who likes languages and wants to show that it is possible to learn them without being bored and getting tired.
所以今天我在这里不仅仅是学生或者老师，而是语言学习爱好者，想要告诉大家学外语也能让人感到有趣而且不觉得累。

It does not only depend on the teacher, but also it depends on the way the student is confronting the learning process. It is necessary to be aware that when learning a language, it is not about enrolling in a school or starting lessons because the structure is excellent. Even more so, it is not about enrolling simply to avoid having “no future”.

不仅仅这取决于老师，而且也取决于学生学习的方法。学外语的意义不仅仅在于去学校学，上课，或者课程结构有多优秀。意义也不在于避免“没有未来”的情况。

Rather, it is to enroll in a school, to start lessons with a private teacher, or to study alone knowing that you are going to become part of another culture, and that you are not just simply learning to translate words.

相反，去学校上课，找私教，或者自学，这些都表示你会成为另一种文化的一部分，而不仅仅是简单地翻译词汇。