人們學習語言的方式

　　Learning language is something we’re born to do. As children, we learn to think, learn tocommunicate and intuitively pick up an understanding of grammar rules in our mothertongue, or native language. From then on, we learn all new languages in relation to the one wefirst knew—the one that we used to understand the world around us for the first time ever.

　　學習語言是人類與生俱來的行為。從孩提時起，我們就學習思考、學習交流，并且本能地掌握母語或本族語的語法。從那時起，我們便學習跟初識有關的任何新語言——正是憑著初識，我們才懂得周圍的世界。

　　Learning a foreign language

　　學習一門外語

　　When it comes to learning a second language, adults are at a disadvantage. As we age,our brain’s plasticity (its ability to create new neurons and synapses) is reduced. Followingbrain damage that causes a loss of speech, for instance, researchers have observed thatchildren are more likely to regain the power of speech, by creating new pathways in the brain toreplace the damaged ones.

　　說到學習第二語言，成人總是處于不利地位。隨著年齡增長，人類大腦的可塑性就會衰退，而這種可塑性卻能產生新的神經元與突觸。緊接著大腦損傷便會造成語言能力的喪失。比如，研究人員已經發現，通過新陳代謝取代大腦受損細胞，兒童更容易重新獲得語言能力。

　　There’s still hope, though. A study of secondary language pronunciation found that somelearners who started as adults scored as well as native speakers. It’s also been shown thatmotivation to learn can improve proficiency, so if you really want to learn a language, it’s notnecessarily too late.

　　當然希望還是有的。一項有關第二語言發音的研究發現，有些成年學習者照樣可以將外語學得很地道。而且，學習語言的動機能極大提高語言掌握的熟練度。所以，如果你真的特別想學某種語言，任何時候都不算晚。

　　Give yourself the best chance

　　給自己最好的機會

　　If you want to put in the effort to learn a new language, try these methods that are knownfor improving learning and memory.

　　如果你想努力學一門新語言，那就試試下面這些方法吧，這些方法可以在學習和記憶方面幫到你。

　　1. Spaced repetition

　　1. 間隔重復

　　Spaced repetition is a proven memory technique that helps you keep what you’ve learnedstrong in your mind. The way it works is you revise each word or phrase you’ve learned inspaced intervals. Initially the intervals will be smaller: you might revise a new word a few timesin one practice session, and then again the next day. Once you know it well you’ll be able toleave days or weeks between revisions without forgetting it。

　　“間隔重復”是很有效的記憶技巧，有助于將學過的知識牢牢記在大腦里。具體方法就是：每隔一段時間就復習學過的每個單詞或詞組。剛開始間隔時間比較短：你可能需要在某個練習階段復習好幾次生詞，然后第二天再重復。一旦熟悉以后，你可以幾天或者幾個星期再復習一下，這樣依舊可以記得清清楚楚。

　　2. Learn before you sleep

　　2. 睡前學習

　　One of the many benefits we get from sleep is that it helps to clear out the brain’s "inbox" -the temporary storage of new information and memories from our time awake. We need sleep(even just a nap) to move anything we’ve recently learned into our brain’s long term storage.Once it’s safely stored, spaced repetition will help to strengthen the connection so we canrecall the information faster and more accurately.

　　睡眠的一個好處就是它能清除大腦的“收件箱”——也就是我們在清醒時臨時儲存的新信息和記憶。我們需要睡眠(哪怕只是打盹)將最新學習的東西轉換到大腦的長期儲存中。一旦儲存固定，“間隔重復”將強化之間的聯系，這樣我們便能更快更準確地記住信息了。

　　3. Study content, not the language

　　3. 學習語言內容，而非語言本身

　　Although most language learning classes and progams focus on purely learning thelanguage, a study of high school students studying French found that when they studiedanother subject taught in French instead of a class purely to teach French, the students testedbetter for listening and were more motivated to learn. Students in the standard French classscored better on reading and writing tests, so both methods clearly have merit.

　　盡管多數語言教學課程重點強調單純學習語言本身，但一項有關高中生學法語的研究發現，如果學生學習某個用法語教學的課程，而非單純的法語課，那么學生的法語聽力成績更出色，而且學生也更有動力去學。不過，標準法語班的學生在閱讀和寫作上的成績更高。顯然，兩種方法各具優勢吧。

　　Once you’ve mastered the basics of a new language, try including some content on a topicyou’re interested in to improve your understanding. You could have conversations with friendslearning the same language, read articles online or listen to a podcast to test yourcomprehension.

　　當你掌握某個語言的基本知識后，請嘗試了解自己關心的話題內容，這樣可以提高理解能力。你可以跟學這門語言的同伴交談，閱讀網絡文章，或者通過聽播客來測試自己的理解力。

　　4. Practice a little everyday

　　4. 每天都練習一點點

　　If you’re busy, you might be tempted to put off your studying and cram in a big chunk oflearning once every week or two. However, studying a little every day is actually more effective.Because your brain’s "inbox" has limited space and only sleep can clear it out, you’ll hit the limitof how much you can take in pretty quickly if you study for hours at a time.

　　如果你很忙，可能會拖延學習，然后每個一兩個星期再集中填鴨式地學一會兒。但實際上，每天堅持學一點的方法更有效率。因為你大腦“收件箱”的空間是有限的，只能在睡覺時清空，所以如果你選擇一次性快速學一堆知識的話，最終能夠掌握的也很有限。

　　5. Mix new and old

　　5. 溫故知新

　　The brain craves novelty but attempting to learn lots of new words or phrases at once canbe overwhelming. Novel concepts work best when they’re mixed in with familiar information.

　　大腦渴望新鮮知識，但如果一次性學習太多生詞短語的話，則會欲速不達。只有結合已經熟悉的知識，才能更好地掌握新知識。

　　When you add new words to your vocabulary, try spacing them in - between words you’realready familiar with so they’ll stand out—your brain will latch onto them more easily。

　　當你學習新詞匯時，請把它與已經掌握的、意義接近的詞匯區分開來——這樣大腦才能更容易地記住生詞。