They say that children learn languages the best. But that doesn’t mean that adults should give up. We asked some of the polyglots in TED’s Open Translation Project to share their secrets to mastering a foreign language. Their best strategies distill into seven basic principles:
人们常说，孩子们学习外语是最好的，但这并不意味着成年人应该放弃。我们咨询了TED字幕翻译计划的多语用户掌握一门外语的秘密。他们的方法可以提炼成七条基本规则：
1. Get real. Decide on a simple, attainable goal to start with so that you don’t feel overwhelmed. German translator Judith Matz suggests: “Pick up 50 words of a language and start using them on people — and then slowly start picking up grammar.”
投身于真实的背景。从设定一个简单和可实现的目标开始，你就不会找不到方向。德语翻译朱迪思·马茨建议：先找到50个外语单词，与他人交流，然后慢慢学习语法。
2. Make language-learning a lifestyle change. Elisabeth Buffard, who in her 27 years of teaching English has always seen consistency as what separates the most successful students from the rest. Find a language habit that you can follow even when you’re tired, sick or madly in love.
让外语学习成为你的生活习惯。伊利莎白·布法尔德教英语已经27年了。她一直认为，正是习惯让成功的学生从别人中脱颖而出。培养学习外语的习惯可以让你学习，无论你是累、生病还是坠入爱河。
3. Play house with the language. The more you invite a foreign language into your daily life, the more your brain will consider it something useful and worth caring about. “Use every opportunity to get exposed to the new language,” says Russian translator Olga Dmitrochenkova. Label every object in your house in this language, read kids’ books written in it, watch subtitled TED and TEDx talks, or live-narrate parts of your day to an imaginary foreign friend.
和语言一起玩每个家庭。你越让外语进入日常生活，你的大脑就越会认为它有用，并给予关注。俄语翻译欧佳·迪米特罗肯科娃说：“充分利用每一个接触新语言的机会。用那种语言做标签，贴在家里的一切上，读用那种语言写的童话故事，看有字幕的TED演讲，或者告诉你想象中的外国朋友一天发生了什么。
4. Let technology help you out. Dmitrochenkova has a great idea: “A funny thing like resetting the language on your phone can help you learn new words right away,” she says. Ditto for changing the language on your browser. Or you can seek out more structured learning opportunities online.
帮助学习技术。迪米特罗肯科娃有一个很好的方法，她说：“重新设置手机语言可以让你立即学习新单词。”你也可以改变浏览器的语言，或者在互联网上找到一些更系统的学习资源。
Dutch translator Els De Keyser recommends Duolingo for its gamified approach to grammar, and Anki for memorizing vocabulary with its “intelligent” flashcards.
荷兰翻译埃尔斯·德凯瑟建议用“多邻国”像玩游戏一样学习语法，用Anki的智能卡背单词。(多邻国:英语是Duolingo，是免费语言学习网站；Anki：通过记忆卡呈现一个帮助记忆单词的软件。)
5. Think about language-learning as a gateway to new experiences. To Spanish translator Sebastián Betti, learning a language has always been about focusing on the experiences that the new language would open up, from “visiting theme parks, attending air shows, enjoying cowboy poetry and folk-rock festivals, to learning about photo-essay techniques.” In other words, he thinks of fun things that he wanted to do anyway, and makes them into a language-learning opportunity. Many of our translators shared this advice.
将外语学习视为通往新世界的大门。巴斯蒂安·贝蒂认为，外语学习是一种关注外语带来的新体验，包括“参观主题公园、观看现场表演、欣赏牛仔诗歌和民间摇滚音乐节、学习摄影技术”。换句话说，他找到了他想做的有趣的事情，然后把它们变成了学习外语的机会。我们的许多翻译都提到了这一点。
Italian and French translator Anna Minoli learned English by watching undubbed versions of her favorite movies, while Croatian translator Ivan Stamenković suddenly realized he could speak English in fifth grade, after years of watching the Cartoon Network without subtitles. So the next time you need a vegan carrot cake recipe, find one in the language you’re trying to learn.
意大利语和法语翻译安娜·米诺里通过看她最喜欢的原创英语电影来学习英语，而克罗地亚语翻译伊凡·斯达门科威克小时候看了很多年没有字幕的卡通频道，然后在五年级，他突然发现自己会说英语。所以下次你需要一个素食萝卜蛋糕的食谱，找一个用你想学的语言写的。
6. Make new friends. Interacting in the new language is key — it will teach you to intuitively express your thoughts, instead of mentally translating each sentence before you say it. Find native speakers near you. Or search for foreign penpals or set up a language tandem online, where two volunteers help one another practice their respective languages.
交新朋友。用新语言交流至关重要。它可以教你直接用外语表达你的想法，而不是在你的脑海中翻译后说出来。找一些说那种语言的母语人士，或者在网上找一些外国作家和语言伴侣。他们自愿帮助对方练习语言。
7. Do not worry about making mistakes. One of the most common barriers to conversing in a new language is the fear of making mistakes. But native speakers are like doting parents: any attempt from you to communicate in their language is objective proof that you are a gifted genius. They’ll appreciate your effort and even help you.
不要害怕犯错误。外语对话最大的障碍是害怕犯错误。但母语人士就像溺爱孩子的父母一样。他们会认为每次你试图说他们的语言，都是你才华横溢的客观证明。他们欣赏你的努力，甚至帮助你。
Nervous about holding a conversation with a peer? Try testing your language skills with someone a little younger. “I was stoked when I was chatting with an Italian toddler and realized we had the same level of Italian,” recalls German translator Judith Matz.
和同龄人交流很紧张？然后和比你年轻的人一起练习外语。“当我告诉一个意大利的人时德语翻译朱迪斯·马茨回忆说：“当利语的孩子们聊天时，我发现他的意大利语水平和我一样。”。
And be patient. The more you speak, the closer you’ll get to the elusive ideal of “native-like fluency.”
要有耐心，你说得越多，你就越接近“像母语一样流利”的境界。
And to talking to people your own age.
和同龄的人聊天。
最后，与大家分享一段TED视频：
脱口秀演员Sarah Jones莎拉·琼斯 一场精彩的单口秀来到TED现场，她生动地模仿了八国人说英语，令人惊叹。
它包括英国口音、美国口音、印度口音、法国口音、中国口音和阿拉伯口音。在短短的20分钟内，莎拉·琼斯似乎带领你环游世界。莎拉·琼斯独自扮演了一位固执的犹太老太太、一位语速非常快的多米尼加裔女大学生和许多其他精彩的角色。
被莎拉·琼斯模仿的八个国家和地区有：英国、纽约皇后区、澳大利亚、多米尼加、法国、德国、 印度、中国和约旦。它代表了八种不同的口音：英语、美国、西班牙、法语、德语、印度、汉语和阿拉伯。
当然，从Sarah的初衷出发，这次旅行的重点不仅仅是口音，还有文化交流。我们生活在地球村，距离越来越短，联系越来越近。一种语言就像一把钥匙，打开地球另一边人们生活的大门。如果你的语言是一个维度，它带来了一个角度，更多的语言能力是更多的思维维度，更多的窗口看世界，生活的厚度叠加得越来越丰富多彩。
所以问题来了：Sarah的八种口音，你最喜欢哪一种？
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