過去幾年,我在國(guó)外旅行和生活。在此期間,我和許多把英語(yǔ)作為外語(yǔ)的人交談過。在與成千上萬這樣的人用英語(yǔ)交談后,我注意到他們做了幾件事,損害了他們作為一個(gè)語(yǔ)言學(xué)習(xí)者的進(jìn)步。

下面是常見的7個(gè)問題:

1. Don’t Be too Ashamed to Speak
1.不要羞于啟齒

There is only one way to learn how to speak English, and that is to open your mouth and speak English! The only way you will ever get better at speaking is by speaking, and speaking a lot!
學(xué)習(xí)如何說英語(yǔ)只有一種方法,就是張開你的嘴說英語(yǔ)!如果在說的方面更好那一定是通過說,而且要多說!

You can make excuses for why you don’t want to speak, like saying that you’re too embarrassed to speak, but these won’t get you any closer to your goal of achieving English fluency. It doesn’t matter if you have no vocabulary, or if your pronunciation isn’t perfect, you need to open your mouth and speak if you want to improve.
你可以為你不想說話的原因找借口,比如說你不好意思說話,但這些不會(huì)讓你的英語(yǔ)更流利。如果你沒有詞匯,或者你的發(fā)音不完美,那也沒關(guān)系,如果你想提高的話,你需要張開嘴說話。

Whatever you do, don’t say that you can’t speak English because this will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. By believing that you can’t speak English you close your mind to trying, and never give yourself the opportunity to improve. The only way to improve your English is to practice it, no matter how bad you may or may not be at it.
不管你做什么,不要說你不會(huì)說英語(yǔ),因?yàn)檫@將成為一個(gè)自我實(shí)現(xiàn)的預(yù)言。通過相信你不會(huì)說英語(yǔ),你不會(huì)再努力嘗試,永遠(yuǎn)不要給自己機(jī)會(huì)去提高。提高你的英語(yǔ)的唯一方法就是練習(xí),不管你有多糟糕或不好。

2. Don’t Be Afraid of Making Mistakes
2.不要害怕犯錯(cuò)誤。

Another thing you shouldn’t do when speaking English is to be afraid of making mistakes. Part of being human is making mistakes and sooner or later you’re going to have to accept the fact that you’re not perfect and that you will always make mistakes. The only way you can avoid making mistakes is by not trying at all. If you follow this approach you’ll avoid making mistakes, but you’ll never improve either.
你說英語(yǔ)時(shí)不應(yīng)該做的另一件事是害怕出錯(cuò)。人的一部分就是犯錯(cuò)誤,遲早你必須接受你并不完美的事實(shí),你會(huì)犯錯(cuò)誤。你唯一能避免犯錯(cuò)的方法就是不去嘗試。如果你遵循這種方法,你將避免犯錯(cuò)誤,但你也永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)提高。

This may seem counter-intuitive, but you should try making as many mistakes as possible. If you are making mistakes that means you are actually speaking English and improving. If you aren’t making mistakes every day then you aren’t speaking enough. Of course, you shouldn’t intentionally make mistakes, and you should try to be aware of your mistakes so you can learn from them and improve your skills.
這似乎有違本能,但你應(yīng)該盡量犯盡可能多的錯(cuò)誤。如果你犯了錯(cuò)誤,那就意味著你實(shí)際上在說英語(yǔ),并在進(jìn)步。如果你每天不犯錯(cuò)誤,那你就說的不夠了。當(dāng)然,你不應(yīng)該故意犯錯(cuò)誤,你應(yīng)該盡量意識(shí)到自己的錯(cuò)誤,以便從中吸取教訓(xùn),提高自己的技能。

Grammar is the last thing you should be worried about when speaking English. You don’t need to have perfect grammar in order to communicate with someone in English. Native speakers aren’t going to judge you for having bad grammar, they are going to be more focused on understanding your meaning and continuing the conversation.
講英語(yǔ)時(shí)你最不應(yīng)該擔(dān)心的是語(yǔ)法。你不需要有完美的語(yǔ)法才能和別人用英語(yǔ)交流。母語(yǔ)為英語(yǔ)的人不會(huì)因?yàn)槟愕恼Z(yǔ)法不好而評(píng)價(jià)你,他們會(huì)更專注于理解你的意思并繼續(xù)交談。

As long as you speak clearly and confidently, it doesn’t matter if you use the wrong article, adjective ending or sentence order.So don’t be discouraged by your mistakes. Learn to embrace them and value them for the role they play in your learning.
只要你說得清楚自信,用錯(cuò)冠詞、形容詞結(jié)尾或句子順序都沒關(guān)系,所以不要因錯(cuò)誤而氣餒。學(xué)會(huì)擁抱他們,重視它們?cè)谀銓W(xué)習(xí)中扮演的角色。

3. Don’t Apologize For Your Level
3.不要為你的水平道歉。

Something that really annoys me when I’m talking to someone in English is when they apologize for how much English they speak. I’ve never been offended by someone’s level of English, and I don’t get upset when someone makes mistakes.
當(dāng)我和某人用英語(yǔ)交談時(shí),我真的很惱火的時(shí)刻,那就是當(dāng)他們?yōu)檎f了多少英語(yǔ)而道歉的時(shí)候。我從來沒有被別人的英語(yǔ)水平所冒犯,當(dāng)別人犯錯(cuò)時(shí)我也不會(huì)生氣。

Most of the people who apologize for their level of English feel like they should speak better than they do. Its fine to think this, but don’t get upset at yourself for not knowing more than you do. Achieving fluency in any language is a process that takes time, and you can’t expect to become fluent overnight. Whether you’ve been studying English for years or only for a few months, you’ve put in a lot of work to get where you are, so don’t underestimate yourself.
大多數(shù)為自己的英語(yǔ)水平而道歉的人覺得他們應(yīng)該說得更好。這樣想很好,但是不要因?yàn)槟悴恢赖亩喽趩省T谌魏握Z(yǔ)言中達(dá)到流利是一個(gè)需要時(shí)間的過程,你不能指望一夜之間流利。不管你是學(xué)了幾年英語(yǔ)還是僅僅學(xué)了幾個(gè)月,你已經(jīng)投入了大量的工作來達(dá)到你現(xiàn)在的目標(biāo),所以不要低估你自己。

4. Don’t get frustrated with yourself
4.不要對(duì)自己感到失望

Learning English will come with a certain amount of frustration. At some point you will come to a stage where you won’t be able to fully express yourself like you would be able to in your native language, and there will be times when you won’t be able to find the right word to say.
學(xué)習(xí)英語(yǔ)總會(huì)有一定的挫折感。在某個(gè)時(shí)刻,你將進(jìn)入一個(gè)你不能完全表達(dá)自己的階段,有時(shí)你也找不到合適的詞來表達(dá)。

Nearly everyone who learns English goes through this phase; it’s just a natural part of the language learning process. This stage may last only a few weeks if you are completely immersed in English, but it could last years if you only use English twice a week at your language school. The only way to overcome this frustration is by practice, practice, practice.
幾乎每個(gè)學(xué)習(xí)英語(yǔ)的人都經(jīng)歷了這個(gè)階段,這只是語(yǔ)言學(xué)習(xí)過程中的一個(gè)自然部分。如果你完全沉浸在英語(yǔ)中,這個(gè)階段可能只持續(xù)幾個(gè)星期,但如果你每周在你的語(yǔ)言學(xué)校只使用兩次英語(yǔ),那么它可能會(huì)持續(xù)幾年??朔煺鄣奈ㄒ环椒ㄊ蔷毩?xí),練習(xí),再練習(xí)。

Keep in mind that this frustration isn’t because you’re not smart enough, or because the language is too difficult, it is something that many people have to go through. By embracing this frustration and feeling it more intensely through increased exposure you can pass through this stage more rapidly.
記住,這種挫折不是因?yàn)槟悴粔蚵斆?,或者是因?yàn)檎Z(yǔ)言太難,而是許多人必須經(jīng)歷的事情。通過這種挫折感,通過增加曝光,你會(huì)更迅速地通過這個(gè)階段。

5. Don’t take it personally when people don’t understand you
5.別人不理解你時(shí),不要把它當(dāng)回事。

You’ll have this problem a lot when talking with people who aren’t used to dealing with foreigners. If they don’t have this experience they will be used to hearing English spoken in a very specific way, and they won’t have any frame of reference when talking to you. Realize that this isn’t a reflection of your language skills, but rather a reflection of this person’s lack of exposure to different people.
當(dāng)你和不習(xí)慣與外國(guó)人打交道的人交談時(shí),你會(huì)有很多問題。如果他們沒有這方面的經(jīng)驗(yàn),他們將習(xí)慣于用一種非常特別的方式來聽英語(yǔ)口語(yǔ),在和你談話時(shí)他們不會(huì)有任何參照。要意識(shí)到這不是你語(yǔ)言技能的反映,而是反映了這個(gè)人對(duì)不同的人缺乏接觸。

This can also happen when talking to English learners who have a lower level of English than you. They won’t be able to understand everything you say because of your more advanced vocabulary. Try to remember that you were once at their level and not everyone is at the same place on their language journey.
這也可以發(fā)生在英語(yǔ)學(xué)習(xí)者比你低英語(yǔ)水平說話的時(shí)候。他們不能理解你所說的一切,因?yàn)槟阌懈呒?jí)的詞匯。請(qǐng)記住,你曾經(jīng)也處在在他們的水平,并不是每個(gè)人,在他們學(xué)習(xí)語(yǔ)言的旅程中都處在相同的水平。

6. Don’t compare yourself to other English Speakers
6.不要拿自己和其他講英語(yǔ)的人比較。

No matter what level your English is at, you had to work hard to bring yourself to that level. Be proud of what you’ve accomplished and don’t be too concerned with what other people think about it. They don’t know how many hours you’ve had to work to get to where you are, they don’t know all the struggles you’ve been through to get there.
不管你的英語(yǔ)水平如何,你都必須努力工作,使自己達(dá)到那個(gè)水平。為你所取得的成就感到驕傲,不要太在意別人對(duì)你的看法。他們不知道你必須工作多少個(gè)小時(shí)才能到達(dá)你所在的地方,他們不知道你為達(dá)到那里所做的所有努力。

This also means you shouldn’t go around comparing yourself to other people. Everybody is different; some people learn languages more easily than others and some people have spent more time working to improve their English. Just because your friend who lived in London for 3 years can speak really well doesn’t mean that you’re not on the right path.
這也意味著你不應(yīng)該把自己和別人比較。每個(gè)人都是不同的,有些人比其他人更容易學(xué)習(xí)語(yǔ)言,有些人花更多的時(shí)間來提高他們的英語(yǔ)水平。僅僅因?yàn)槟阍趥惗厣盍?年的朋友能說得很好并不意味著你走錯(cuò)了路。

Some people like to see others fail, and by paying any attention to these people you are just feeding their negativity. Any time you spend worrying about what they think of you is time wasted that could be better spent by working to improve your English.
有些人喜歡看到別人失敗,通過關(guān)注這些人,你只是在為他們的消極情緒而煩惱。任何時(shí)候你擔(dān)心他們對(duì)你的看法都是浪費(fèi)時(shí)間,通過努力提高你的英語(yǔ)會(huì)更好。

7. If you are fluent, or just think you are, Don’t Get Cocky (arrogant)
7.如果你很流利,或者只是認(rèn)為你是,不要變得傲慢(傲慢)

English is not a chip in your brain. It’s a learning process. Maybe this is gonna seem harsh, and definitely a bit paradoxical, but for the rare English Jedi breed, they realize that there’s never really perfect fluency, only the impassioned and ever-approaching journey toward it.
英語(yǔ)不是你腦子里的芯片。這是一個(gè)學(xué)習(xí)的過程。也許這看起來很刺耳,當(dāng)然也有點(diǎn)自相矛盾,但是對(duì)于罕見的英國(guó)絕地來說,他們意識(shí)到從來沒有真正完美的流暢性,只有充滿激情和接近的旅程。

This means that when you finally become fluent, (whatever that really means to you or to the world), you shouldn’t adopt the attitude of somebody who thinks “I already learned English” because there are some fundamental problems and limitations that come from this assumption. Here are just a few:
這意味著,當(dāng)你終于變得流利,(無論對(duì)你或世界意味著什么),你不應(yīng)該采取的態(tài)度,認(rèn)為“我已經(jīng)學(xué)會(huì)英語(yǔ)”的人,因?yàn)橛幸恍┗镜膯栴}和局限性,從這個(gè)假設(shè)。這里只有幾個(gè)類型:

You’re living a lie because you never stop learning a language. It is like calling yourself a fully-realized human being.? There’s always the next level up, and the current level always needs practice.
你生活在謊言中,因?yàn)槟銖奈赐V箤W(xué)習(xí)語(yǔ)言。這就像把自己稱為一個(gè)完全實(shí)現(xiàn)的人??倳?huì)有下一個(gè)臺(tái)階,現(xiàn)在的水平總是需要練習(xí)的。

The learner tends to get lazy, and it’s a universal fact about any learning process, that if you aren’t growing, you are probably getting worse.
學(xué)習(xí)者往往變得懶惰,這是任何學(xué)習(xí)過程的普遍事實(shí),如果你不成長(zhǎng),你可能變得更糟。

There is a tendency to treat other English learners (or people who are learning their language) in a condescending, totally idiotic way, forgetting what it is like to learn because they themselves are no longer connected to their own learning process.
有一種傾向是以一種居高臨下的、完全愚蠢的方式對(duì)待其他的英語(yǔ)學(xué)習(xí)者(或正在學(xué)習(xí)他們的語(yǔ)言的人),忘記了學(xué)習(xí)是什么樣子,因?yàn)樗麄冏约阂呀?jīng)不再與自己的學(xué)習(xí)過程聯(lián)系在一起了。

Cultural Understanding: You can know everything about grammar, but that doesn’t mean you are fluent. You need to be constantly connected to the source of the language (culture) so that it flows from who you really are.
文化理解:你可以了解語(yǔ)法的一切,但這并不意味著你很流利。你需要不斷地連接到語(yǔ)言(文化)的源頭,這樣才能從真正的你身上流淌出來。

So there you have it, 7 things not to do when speaking English. Now that you know what not to do, go out there and speak English!
所以已經(jīng)告訴你啦,說英語(yǔ)時(shí)七件事不要做。既然你知道不該做什么,就走出去說英語(yǔ)吧!