如何学外语

“如何学习外语”是每一个语言学习者努力探究的问题。这个领域的牛人都有着自己独到的学习方法和坚持不懈的精神。我们就来看看来自不同国家的教师、学习者和语言学者的做法吧。

I am often asked by learners， including my clients， what is the best way to practise and consequently improve their English language skills. My response often varies depending on who the learner is. I try to advise them taking into account their learning methods， general interests and time they have available to dedicate to their learning.

However， I feel that great advice to learners can also come from other learners and not just teachers. There isnt only one approach to learning a language and whilst a teacher/coach can provide the tools to facilitate learning， ultimately its up to the learner to work out what works for them.

So I decided to ask some of my clients if they would be willing to share their experiences oflearning and practising their language and what tips they would offer their fellow learners in the form of a guest post on this blog.

The first client I asked was Alessandra who seized the opportunity with great enthusiasm. I have been teaching Alessandra online for just under a year. She is a corporate lawyer based in Milan. We have a conversation class once a week. Alessandra is passionate about learning the English language and is a joy to teach. I have pleasure in introducing you to Alessandra.

經常有学习者问我如何学英文，当中也包含我的客户，那么练习和提高英语语言技巧的最佳方法是什么呢？我的回答取决于学习者是谁。我试着建议他们考虑自己的学习方法、兴趣爱好和能花费在学习上的时间。

但是，我也意识到真正好的建议也许来自于学习者本身而非老师。学习英文并非只有一个办法，而老师或教练只是起到提供工具促进学习的作用，最终还是要靠学习者个人去找到对自己来说行之有效的方法。

于是我决定来问问我的一些学员是否愿意分享他们学习、练习语言的经验，我邀请他们作为我博客的嘉宾来和其他学习同伴分享一些学习技巧。

第一位学员是Alessandra，她对于此事抱有极大的热情。我在线教Alessandra英语已有一年。她在一家米兰的公司做律师。我们每周进行一次对话课程。Alessandra对学习英文充满热情而且她也愿意分享。在此我很荣幸地把Alessandra介绍给大家。

Alessandra

Ive been asked by my lovely English teacher， Shanthi to write about my learning process and what makes it （hopefully） a success and-above all-a pleasure. I studied English for 8 years at school-a long time ago. After graduating from university， I tried not to lose my English but it was not always easy. I didnt have classes or online courses until 2012 when a South-African company took over the company I was working for and my boss organized a two-month English course for all the directors of the board. On that occasion， I found out that I remembered something and could speak， but I was no longer able to listen to the radio or watch TV and really understand the language. What a disappointment！

First of all， I must say that Im a mature student. I have a job， a family， a life to live， but about a year ago I started to feel the need to improve my English， which used to be good but not perfect. I wanted to be understood when being abroad， to write an e-mail without panicking and to understand most of （not all） the contents of a newspaper. So， I set out to do things which I believe is what my fellow learners should do.

Alessandra：我敬爱的老师Shanthi邀请我分享一些我个人的学习过程以及我是如何从中获得成功以及快乐的。很久以前，我在学校里学习英文长达八年之久。当我从大学毕业后，我试图不丢下英文，然而我发现这很难实现。在这之前我没有上任何英语课程或在线课程，直到2012年，我所在的公司被一家南非公司收购，新老板为公司董事会所有管理者组织了一个为期两个月的英语课程。从那以后，我突然发现我还记得一些英文而且还能开口说英文，但我无法用英文听广播，看电视，没有办法真正理解这门语言。多么令人失望啊！

首先，我必须要说我是一个很成熟的学生。我有工作，有家庭，有自己的生活要过，我的英文之前虽不算完美但也是不错的。但是一年前我开始感受到我还是需要提高我的英文。我希望我出国时别人能听懂我说话，发邮件时不用感到恐慌，看報纸时至少大部分内容能看懂（我不要求全部）。于是，我决定做三件事，我想我的英语学习同伴们也应该这样做。

1 Find a teacher

找一个老师

The teacher is， in fact， essential to your learning process. He or she must understand your needs and keep your interests high and your enthusiasm alive， especially when youre tried or discouraged. Your teacher must know what to do or what not to do to make you feel confidient and still eager to learn.

事实上，老师是你学习过程中必不可少的。他或她必须明白你的学习目的，保持你的学习兴趣高涨，维护你的学习热情，尤其是当你感到累了或泄气的时候。老师必须知道如何使你感到自信并渴望学习，什么能做，什么不能做，你的老师都要清楚。

2 Find something you like and do it in English

找到你喜欢做的事情，然后用英文去做

The second advice I want to share with my fellow students is this：find something you really like and do it in English. I love TV dramas， biopics， TV series and entertainment shows like Graham Norton or The David Letter man Show. I started to watch them in English with Italian subitles， then with English subtitles and， now， I watch them without snbtitles！ After a while I found myself able to capture the deeper meaning of the dialogue and， as an old Italian proverb says， “Ive started to understand not only the language but the culture behind it（the dialogue）.”

我想分享给同伴们的第二条经验是：发现你喜欢做的事情，然后用英文去做。我喜欢看电视剧、传记片、娱乐节目，比如格拉汉姆·诺顿脱口秀，戴维脱口秀。于是我开始看英文版带意大利语字幕的这类节目，之后看带英文字幕的，现在，我看不带字幕的。经过一段时间，我发现我可以理解对话中更深层的意义，正如一句古老的意大利谚语所说：“我不仅能理解语言本身，还开始理解其中的深层文化内涵。”

3 Establish a routine

建立程序

I have an “English” routine. Just as athletes run or swim every day not to lose their fitness， I watch English TV every evening. It doesnt matter whether its Downton Abbey or The Graham Norton Show， I just feel better if I listen to or watch just a little bit of my favourite programmes. When I feel too better if I listen something new， I simply watch an episode or an interview Ive already seen and liked， in order to enjoy myself without being a lazy student. Learning English seriously is not for sissies， so come on， get to work and very soon youll find yourself captured by the new， different， amazing and fasciating world of words.

我有一套自己的英语“例行公事”。就像运动员每天跑步或游泳以保持身材一样，我每天晚上看英语电视节目。无论是《唐顿庄园》还是格拉汉姆·诺顿脱口秀，只要我看一下，哪怕是一点点我喜欢的节目，我就感觉非常不错。当我感觉很累不想看新东西时，我会看一看之前看过的比较喜欢的电视剧片段或采访，这样做的目的时使自己再享受的同时不至于变成懒学生。学习英文严格地说不是胆小鬼得游戏，所以，加油朋友，赶快开始行动起来，很快你就会发现自己沉浸在一个新的、不同的、美妙无比的文字世界里。