I love learning foreign languages. In fact, I love it so much that I like to learn a new language every two years, currently working on my eighth one. When people find that out about me, they always ask me, "How do you do that? What's your secret?" And to be honest, for many years, my answer would be, "I don't know. I simply love learning languages." But people were never happy with that answer. They wanted to know why they are spending years trying to learn even one language, never achieving fluency, and here I come, learning one language after another. 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? And what is it that enables us to learn languages so much faster than other people? I decided to meet other people like me and find that out. 我喜歡學外語。 實際上，這種痴迷讓我 每兩年就想學一門新的外語， 現在我正在學第八門外語。 當人們得知此事後，總是問我， “你怎麼做到的？你的秘訣是什麼？” 說實話，這麼多年來， 我的回答總是， “我不知道啊。我只是喜歡學語言。” 但是人們從來都不會對 這個回答感到滿意。 他們想知道為何他們花了多年 試著學習哪怕只有一門語言， 卻從未達到流利的程度， 而我卻能夠學了一門再學一門。 他們想知道多語言者， 即說多種語言的人的秘密。 我也對此感到好奇， 其他的多語言者到底是怎麼做的？ 我們有什麼共同點嗎？ 是什麼讓我們 較之他人能夠更快的學習語言？ 我決定見見其他像我一樣的人， 並試著找尋背後的答案。
The best place to meet a lot of polyglots is an event where hundreds of language lovers meet in one place to practice their languages. There are several such polyglot events organized all around the world, and so I decided to go there and ask polyglots about the methods that they use. 能夠遇到很多多語言者的最佳地點 是聚集了數百名多語言者的地方， 他們在那裡進行練習。 世界各地有許多類似的多語言者活動， 所以我決定去看看， 打聽一下他們各自使用的方法。
And so I met Benny from Ireland, who told me that his method is to start speaking from day one. He learns a few phrases from a travel phrasebook and goes to meet native speakers and starts having conversations with them right away. He doesn't mind making even 200 mistakes a day, because that's how he learns, based on the feedback. And the best thing is, he doesn't even need to travel a lot today, because you can easily have conversations with native speakers from the comfort of your living room, using websites. 我遇到了來自愛爾蘭的本尼， 他告訴我他用的方法是 從第一天就開始說出口。 他從一本旅遊指南上學了一些詞組， 然後就去見母語者， 立馬和他們展開對話。 他不介意一天犯 200 個錯誤， 因為這就是他 基於反饋的學習方式。 最棒的一點是， 如今他甚至不需要出遊， 因為你只需要呆在愜意的房間中， 就能在網絡上和母語者進行交談。
I also met Lucas from Brazil who had a really interesting method to learn Russian. He simply added a hundred random Russian speakers on Skype as friends, and then he opened a chat window with one of them and wrote "Hi" in Russian. And the person replied, "Hi, how are you?" Lucas copied this and put it into a text window with another person, and the person replied, "I'm fine, thank you, and how are you?" Lucas copied this back to the first person, and in this way, he had two strangers have a conversation with each other without knowing about it. And soon he would start typing himself, because he had so many of these conversations that he figured out how the Russian conversation usually starts. What an ingenious method, right?我還遇到了來自巴西的盧卡斯， 他學習俄語的方法很有意思。 他就在 Skype 上隨機添加了 上百個說俄語的人， 然後打開其中一個人的聊天框， 用俄語寫下“嗨”。 然後對方回覆，“嗨，你好嗎？” 盧卡斯了複製這段話， 再把它發給另一個人， 然後另一個人回覆， “我很好，謝謝，你怎麼樣？” 盧卡斯又把這段話複製發給第一個人， 這樣，他就讓兩個陌生人 在完全不知情的情況下 展開了交談。 過不了多久，他就可以自己打字了， 因為他看了那麼多的對話， 已經知道俄語的交流 大概是怎麼開始的了。 很聰明的辦法，是吧？
And then I met polyglots who always start by imitating sounds of the language, and others who always learn the 500 most frequent words of the language, and yet others who always start by reading about the grammar. If I asked a hundred different polyglots, I heard 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 languages fluently. 此外，我還遇到了總是從 模仿聲音開始學習語言的多語言者， 從學習 500 個最常用詞 開始的多語言者， 以及總是從學習語法開始的多語言者。 如果我去詢問一百個多語言者， 我會聽到關於學習語言方式的 一百種不同的答案。 每個人似乎都對學習語言 有著獨門秘笈， 但是我們最終都能 流利的說多種語言。
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 grammar charts and their carefully handmade flash cards, and their statistics about learning vocabulary using apps, or even how they love to cook based on recipes in a foreign language. All of them use different methods, but they always make sure it's something that they personally enjoy. 當我傾聽著這些多語言者 講述他們學習語言方法的時候， 我突然意識到： 我們有一個共同點， 那就是我們找到了享受 學習語言這一過程的方法。 所有這些多語言者 在談論語言學習的時候， 都表現得像那是一種趣事。 你們應該看看當他們 向我展示他們多彩的語法表， 專心製作的語言卡片， 他們語言學習軟件上的統計量， 甚至他們是如何愛上用外文菜譜 燒菜時，臉上自豪的神情。 每個人都用著不同的方法， 但是他們做到了 讓這件事情變成一種享受。
I realized that this is actually how I learn languages myself. When I was learning Spanish, I was bored with the text in the textbook. I mean, who wants to read about Jose asking about the directions to the train station. Right? I wanted to read "Harry Potter" instead, because that was my favorite book as a child, and I have read it many times. So I got the Spanish translation of "Harry Potter" and started reading, and sure enough, I didn't understand almost anything at the beginning, but I kept on reading because I loved the book, and by the end of the book, I was able to follow it almost without any problems. And the same thing happened when I was learning German. I decided to watch "Friends," my favorite sitcom, in German, and again, at the beginning it was all just gibberish. I didn't know where one word finished and another one started, but I kept on watching every day because it's "Friends." I can watch it in any language. I love it so much. And after the second or third season, seriously, the dialogue started to make sense.
我意識到，這實際上也是 我學習語言的方式。 當我學習西班牙語時， 我對書本上的文章沒什麼興趣。 我想說，誰想學胡賽 是怎麼問去火車站的路的啊。對吧？ 相反，我想讀《哈利·波特》， 因為這是我孩童時期最喜歡的書， 而且我已經閱讀了很多遍。 所以我買了本西語版的 《哈利·波特》開始閱讀， 毫無疑問，最開始我幾乎什麼都看不懂， 但是我堅持讀了下來， 因為我喜歡這本書， 直到讀完此書，我基本可以 不費力的跟上故事情節。 同樣的事情也發生在我學德語的時候。 我決定看我最喜歡的電視劇 《老友記》的德語版本， 同樣的，最開始我基本上聽不懂。 我不知道一個單詞在何處結束， 另一個單詞在何處開始， 但是我堅持每天觀看， 因為這是《老友記》。 我可以看不同的語言版本。 我太喜歡這部劇了。 在看完兩季或三季之後， 說真的，我能漸漸聽明白對話了。
I only realized this after meeting other polyglots. We are no geniuses and we have no shortcut to learning languages. We simply found ways how to enjoy the process, how to turn language learning from a boring school subject into a pleasant activity which you don't mind doing every day. If you don't like writing words down on paper, you can always type them in an app. If you don't like listening to boring textbook material, find interesting content on YouTube or in podcasts for any language. If you're a more introverted person and you can't imagine speaking to native speakers right away, you can apply the method of self-talk. You can talk to yourself in the comfort of your room, describing your plans for the weekend, how your day has been, or even take a random picture from your phone and describe the picture to your imaginary friend. This is how polyglots learn languages, and the best news is, it's available to anyone who is willing to take the learning into their own hands.
在我遇到了其他多語言者之後， 我才明白這一點。 我們不是天才， 我們也沒有學習語言的捷徑。 我們只是找到了 享受這一過程的方式， 以及如何將語言學習從 一項枯燥的學校課程 轉變為一項你不介意 每天都做的有趣活動。 如果你不喜歡在紙上寫單詞， 那你可以在軟件裡面打單詞。 如果你不喜歡聽無聊的課程材料， 你總是可以在 YouTube 上或 播客裡找到任何一種語言的有趣內容。 如果你是個內向的人， 不願意馬上就和母語者交談， 你總可以和自己練習對話。 你可以在自己的房間裡， 對自己說話， 描述你的週末計劃， 一天過得怎麼樣， 甚至是從你的手機裡 隨便選一張照片， 然後把它描述給你想象中的朋友。 這就是多語言者學習語言的方式， 而好消息是，這種方法對每個 想要自主學習語言的人 來說，都是可行的。
So meeting other polyglots 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. 所以，遇到其他的 多語言者讓我意識到 在學習語言的過程中， 找到樂趣是十分重要的， 但是僅憑興趣是不夠的。 如果你想要流利的說一門外語， 還需要遵守三大準則。
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 days repeatedly using the so-called space repetition. You can use apps which are based on this system such as Anki or Memrise, or you can write lists of word in a notebook using the Goldlist method, which is also very popular with many polyglots. If you're not sure which methods are effective and what is available out there, just check out polyglots' YouTube channels and websites and get inspiration from them. If it works for them, it will most probably work for you too.
首先，你需要找到有效的方法。 如果你正為明天的考試複習， 要去試著記住一系列單詞， 這些單詞只會被儲存在 你的短期記憶裡， 而你過幾天就會忘得一乾二淨。 相反，如果你想長期記住單詞， 就需要隔幾天就複習一下， 用所謂的間隔重複法。 你可以試試基於這種方法 設計的軟件，譬如 Anki 或 Memrise， 或是在筆記本上用“黃金列表”法 寫下一系列單詞， 這也在許多多語言者之間十分流行。 如果你不確定什麼方法是有效的， 以及現在有些什麼方法， 那麼就去看看多語言者的 YouTube 和主頁， 你可以從那裡獲得靈感。 如果這些方法對他們適用， 那麼可能也對你適用。
The third principle to follow is to create a system in your learning. We're all very busy and no one really has 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. Can you listen to a podcast on your way to work while driving? 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 to podcasts on our way to work or doing our household chores. The important thing is to create a plan in the learning. "I will practice speaking every Tuesday and Thursday with a friend for 20 minutes. I will listen to a YouTube video while having breakfast." If you create a system in your learning, you don't need to find that extra time, because it will become a part of your everyday life. 你需要遵守的第三個原則 就是制定一套自己的學習體系。 如今我們都很忙，沒有人真正 有時間去學習一門語言。 但是如果我們事前計劃一下， 就能擠出那個時間。 你可以比平時早起15分鐘嗎？ 這段時間可以用來複習一些單詞。 你可以在開車去上班時 聽一段博客嗎？ 這可以算是很不錯的聽力練習。 甚至不需要提前規劃時間， 我們也可以做很多事情， 比如在上班的路上或是做家務時， 我們可以聽聽播客。 重要的是，制定一個學習計劃。 “我要在每週二和每週四和朋友 練習20分鐘口語。 吃早飯時，我要 聽一段 YouTube 視頻。” 如果你建立了自己的學習體系， 就不需要擠出額外的時間， 因為這已經成為 你每日生活的一部分了。
And finally, if you want to learn a language 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. 最後，如果你想要 流利掌握一門語言， 還需要一點耐心。 一個人不可能在兩個月之內 就掌握一門語言， 但是如果你以自己喜歡的方式 每天學習一點點的話， 在兩個月之內肯定可以 取得顯著的進步。 沒有比我們自己的成功更能 激勵我們的了。
I vividly remember the moment when I understood the first joke in German when watching "Friends." I was so happy and motivated that I just kept on watching that day two more episodes, and as I kept watching, I had more and more of those moments of understanding, these little victories, and step by step, I got to a level where I could use the language freely and fluently to express anything. This is a wonderful feeling. I can't get enough of that feeling, and that's why I learn a language every two years. 我清晰的記得，當我第一次 看懂德語版《老友記》 裡面的笑話時的情形。 我十分開心，備受鼓舞， 又忍不住多看了兩集。 隨著我不斷觀看， 我能看懂的片段越來越多， 這些小小的成就 積少成多，使我可以自由熟練的 使用這個語言去表達任何事物。 這種感覺太棒了。 這種感覺總是讓我意猶未盡， 就成了我每兩年 就學習一門語言的原因。
So this is the whole polyglot secret. Find effective methods which you can use systematically over the period of some time in a way which you enjoy, and this is how polyglots learn languages within months, not years. Now, some of you may be thinking, "That's all very nice to enjoy language learning, but isn't the real secret that you polyglots are just super talented and most of us aren't?"
這也是所有多語言者的秘密。 找到你可以在一段時間內 系統使用的有效方法， 而且你還很享受這個過程， 這就是多語言者在數月而非 數年內就能學會語言的秘訣。 你們中的有些人可能會想， “享受語言學習固然美好， 但是真正的秘密 難道不是你們多語言者 天生就比我們 更擅長學習語言嗎？”
Well, there's one thing I haven't told you about Benny and Lucas. Benny had 11 years of Irish Gaelic and five years of German at school. He couldn't speak them at all when graduating. Up to the age of 21, he thought he didn't have the language gene and he could not speak another language. Then he started to look for his way of learning languages, which was speaking to native speakers and getting feedback from them, and today Benny can easily have a conversation in 10 languages. Lucas tried to learn English at school for 10 years. He was one of the worst students in class. His friends even made fun of him and gave him a Russian textbook as a joke because they thought he would never learn that language, or any language. And then Lucas started to experiment with methods, looking for his own way to learn, for example, by having Skype chat conversations with strangers. And after just 10 years, Lucas is able to speak 11 languages fluently. 先別急，關於本尼和盧卡斯， 有件事我還沒說。 本尼在學校時學習了 11 年的 愛爾蘭蓋德爾語和 5 年的德語。 而當他畢業時，卻還完全不會用。 直到 21 歲，他都認為 自己沒有語言天分， 也學不會其他的語言。 然後他開始找尋適合 自己的語言學習方式， 那就是和母語者交談， 並從他們那裡得到反饋， 而今天本尼可以毫不費力的 用 10 種語言進行交流。 盧卡斯在學校學了 10 年的英語。 他是課堂上最差的學生之一。 他的朋友們甚至取笑他， 給了他一本俄語教材，想看他笑話， 因為他們認為他永遠也不可能 學會俄語，或是任何一門外言。 然後盧卡斯開始試驗其他方法， 尋找適合自己的學習方式， 比如，用 Skype 和陌生人聊天。 僅僅 10 年後， 盧卡斯已經可以流利的說 11 種語言。
Does that sound like a miracle? Well, I see such miracles every single day. As a language mentor, I help people learn languages by themselves, and I see this every day. People struggle with language learning for five, 10, even 20 years, and then they suddenly take their learning into their own hands, start using materials which they enjoy, more effective methods, or they start tracking their learning so that they can appreciate their own progress, and that's when suddenly they magically find the language talent that they were missing all their lives. 這聽起來是不是很神奇？ 如果是這樣，那麼 我每天都會看到類似的奇蹟。 作為一名語言教師， 我幫助人們自學語言， 我每天都能看到奇蹟發生。 有些人 5 年、10 年甚至 20 年 都在語言學習中掙扎， 然後他們突然就能夠將學習 掌握在自己的手中， 開始使用他們感興趣的材料， 更加有效的方法， 或是開始記錄自己的學習進度， 這樣他們才能肯定自己的進步。 就在這段時間， 他們突然神奇般的找到了 自以為一直欠缺的語言才能。
So if you've also tried to learn a language and you gave up, thinking it's too difficult or you don't have the language talent, give it another try. Maybe you're also just one enjoyable method away from learning that language fluently. Maybe you're just one method away from becoming a polyglot. 如果你也曾試著學習一門語言， 然後你因為它太難了，或是 覺得自己沒有語言天賦而放棄了， 再試試吧。 或許你離熟練的說一門語言 只差一種合適的， 讓你樂在其中的方法。 也許你離成為一名多語言者， 只差那一種方法。
Thank you. 謝謝。
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