The Secrets of Learning a New Language

Lýdia Machová

学习语言有什么秘诀吗？为什么很多人多年试着学习哪怕一门语言，却从未达到流利的程度，而一些人却能够学了一门再学一门？一起来听听一位通晓多种语言者的建议吧！

They wanted to know the secret of polyglots,people who speak a lot of languages.And that made me wonder,too.How do actually other polyglots do it? What do we have in common?

If I asked a hundred different polyɡlots,I would hear a hundred different approaches to learning languages.Everybody seems to have a unique way they learn a language,and yet we all come to the same result of speaking several lanɡuaɡes fluently.

And as I was listening to these polyglots telling me about their methods,it suddenly dawned on me: the one thing we all have in common is that we simply found ways to enjoy the language learning process.All of these polyglots were talking about language learning as if it was great fun.

You should have seen their faces when they were showing me their colorful ɡrammar charts and their carefully handmade flash cards,and their statistics about learning vocabulary using Apps,or even how they love to cook based on1)recipe [ˈresəpi] n.食谱；方法recipesin a foreign language.All of them use different methods,but they always make sure it’s something that they personally enjoy.

I only realized this after meetinɡ other polyɡlots.We are no ɡeniuses and we have no2)shortcut [ˈʃɔːtkʌt] n.捷径；近路shortcutto learning languages.We simply found ways to enjoy the process,to turn language learning from a boring school subject into a pleasant activity which we don’t mind doing every day.

So meetinɡ other polyɡlots not only helped me realize that it is really crucial to find enjoyment in the process of learning languages,but also that joy in itself is not enough.If you want to achieve fluency in a foreign language,you’ll also need to apply three more principles.

First of all,you’ll need effective methods.If you try to memorize a list of words for a test tomorrow,the words will be stored in your short-term memory and you’ll forget them after a few days.If you,however,want to keep words long-term,you need to revise them in the course of a few days3)repeatedly [rɪˈpiːtɪdli] adv.重复地；再三地repeatedlyusing the so-called space repetition.

You can use Apps which are based on this system,or you can write lists of words in a notebook using the Goldlist method,which is also very popular with many polyglots.

The second principle to follow is to create a system in your learning.We’re all very busy and no one really has much time to learn a language today.But we can create that time if we just plan a bit ahead.Can you wake up 15 minutes earlier than you normally do? That would be the perfect time to revise some vocabulary.

Well,that would be great to get some listening experience.There are so many things we can do without even planning that extra time,such as listening to4)podcast [ˈpɒdkɑːst] n.播客podcastson our way to study or during doing our household chores.The important thing is to create a plan in the learning.

“I will practice speakinɡ every Tuesday and Thursday with a friend for 20 minutes.I will listen to the radio while havinɡ breakfast.” If you create a system in your learninɡ,you don’t need to find that extra time,because it will become a part of your everyday life.

And finally,if you want to learn a lanɡuaɡe fluently,you need also a bit of patience.It’s not possible to learn a language within two months,but it’s definitely possible to make a visible improvement in two months,if you learn in small chunks every day in a way that you enjoy.And there is nothing that motivates us more than our own success.

他们想知道通晓多种语言者，即说多种语言的人的秘密。我也对此感到好奇。其他的通晓多种语言者到底是怎么做的？我们有什么共同点吗？

如果我去询问一百个通晓多种语言者，我会听到一百种不同的关于学习语言的方式。似乎每个人都对学习语言有着独门秘籍，但是我们最终都能流利地说多种语言。

当我倾听这些通晓多种语言者讲述他们学习语言的方法时，我突然意识到：我们有一个共同点，那就是我们找到了享受语言学习这一过程的方法。所有这些多语言者在谈论语言学习时，都认为这是一件趣事。

你们应该看看当他们向我展示他们多彩的语法表、专心制作的语言卡片、学习软件上学习词汇的统计量，甚至是他们如何爱上用外文菜谱烧菜时，脸上自豪的神情。他们用着不同的方法，但是他们做到了让这件事情变成一种享受。

在我遇到其他通晓多种语言者之后，我才明白这一点。我们不是天才，也没有学习语言的捷径。我们只是找到了享受这一过程的方式，以及如何将语言学习从枯燥的学校课程转变为我们不介意每天都做的有趣活动。

所以，遇到其他的通晓多种语言者让我意识到在学习语言的过程中，找到乐趣是十分重要的，但是仅凭兴趣是不够的。如果你想要流利地说一门外语，还需要遵守三大准则。

首先，你需要找到有效的方法。如果你正为明天的考试记忆一系列单词，这些单词只会被储存在你的短期记忆里，而过几天你就会忘得一干二净。相反，如果你想长期记住单词，就需要隔几天就复习一下，即所谓的间隔重复法。

你可以试试基于这种方法设计的软件，或是在笔记本上用黄金列表法写下一系列单词，这在许多多语言者中也十分流行。

你需要遵守的第二个准则就是制订一套自己的学习体系。如今我们都很忙，没有人真正有很多时间去学习一门语言。但是如果我们事前计划一下，就能挤出时间。你可以比平时早起15 分钟吗？这段时间可以用来复习一些单词。

做一些听力练习也是很不错的。我们甚至不需要提前规划时间就可以做很多事情，比如在上学的路上或是做家务时，我们可以听听播客。重要的是，要制订一个学习计划。

“每周二和周四我会和朋友练习20 分钟口语。吃早饭时，我会听一段广播。”如果你建立了自己的学习体系，就不需要挤出额外的时间，因为这已经成为你日常生活的一部分了。

最后，如果你想要流利地掌握一门语言，还需要一点耐心。一个人不可能在两个月之内就掌握一门语言，但是如果你以自己喜欢的方式每天学习一点点的话，在两个月之内肯定可以取得显著进步。没有比我们自己的成功更能激励我们的了。