专家：快速学习一门语言有秘诀(双语)

 　
Picture this: You want to apply for a dream assignment abroad. There’s just one problem. You need foreign language skills– and time is not on your side。

　　设想一下：你想申请国外一份梦寐以求的职位。但是有个问题：你需要外语技能，但又没有时间了。

　　It might sound like an impossible task, but according to language experts, you can learn basic communication skills in weeks and master the basics of a foreign language in several months。

　　听起来，这好似不能实现，但语言专家表示，你可以在数周内学习基本的交流技巧，并在几个月内掌握一门外语的基础。

　　Getting started

　　入门指导

　　Sometimes travelling the globe for work will force you to come up with ways to master conversation in many languages. Benny Lewis, an engineer, learned enough of seven languages -- including Spanish, French and German — to work easily。

　　有时到全球各地出差会迫使你想出方法掌握多种语言。工程师本尼·刘易斯为了便于工作，学习了七种语言，包括西班牙语、法语以及德语。

　　Learning Spanish, Lewis’s first non-native language, took over a year but subsequent languages were quicker。

　　刘易斯学习第一门外语西班牙语时，花费一年时间。但是接下来学习的几门语言花费的时间短了。

　　Phrasebooks and online tutorials can prove useful in this early stage, experts say, as they can give you the vocabulary and the confidence to have basic conversations with native speakers, the crucial first step in learning a language。

　　专家表示，在初级阶段，外语常用手册以及网上教程非常有用，因为这些能提供词汇以及与本族语言者交谈的勇气。与本族语者交谈是学习一门语言首要且关键的一步。

　　Indeed, simply having the courage to speak is necessary if you are going to make progress in a foreign language, language experts said. This means not being afraid to take risks or make mistakes。

　　语言专家表示，学习外语要想进步，就必须有说这种语言的勇气。这意味着不怕冒险，不怕犯错误。

　　Immerse yourself

　　参与其中

　　Experts believe that total immersion is key to mastering a foreign language quickly. The more you immerse yourself in the foreign language the more rapid your progress will be。

　　专家认为完全参与外语语境是快速掌握一门外语的关键。参与的越多，掌握的越快。

　　Getting to basic conversational proficiency can be achieved in much less time, just several weeks according to experts, particularly if you can speak regularly. James North, associate director for instruction at the Foreign Service Institute, said students are encouraged to get to know native speakers。

　　专家表示，如果你经常说，那么可在几周内掌握基本的会话能力。外交学院副主任詹姆斯·诺斯表示他们鼓励学生结识一些说本族语言的人。

　　By conversing regularly with language experts or native speakers you also have someone to check – and correct – your progress。

　　除了与语言学家以及说本族语言的人交谈之外，还须有人检查你学习的进程，并进行更正。

　　You’ll need to ask those you speak with for feedback and make sure they can correct your pronunciations and grammar, although experts say you need not worry too much about grammar in the early stages。

　　与你交谈过的人应给你回馈，你须确保他们能够更正你的发音和语法，尽管专家表示在初级阶段，不用过于在意语法问题。

　　Use the language first and focus on the grammar later, Lewis said. When you are ready to pick up the grammar, he recommended using podcasts at sites such as radiolingua.com。

　　刘易斯说，先使用语言，然后再集中精力学习语法。如果你决定学习语法，刘易斯推荐使用网络博客，如radiolingua.com。

　　As you learn, be sure to consume media in the foreign language. If you are starting out, read illustrated children’s books in a foreign language, experts advise。

　　学习时，确保使用外语网站。专家建议，如果你正打算开始学习，首先从外语儿童读物开始。

　　But beware lofty ambitions. If you say you want to be fluent in two months, you will likely be disappointed. But if your goal is to reach some level of conversational proficiency, that’s entirely possible。

　　但是要警惕远大的志向。如果你想在两月里达到流利的水平，那么你要失望了。但是如果你的目标是达到能够交流的水平，这是完全可以达到的。