What's the difference here?

這些能力的差異在哪？

You see the simplest answer is this: that understanding is a passive skill.

答案其實很簡單，因為「理解」是一種被動的技能。

Speaking English is an active skill.

而「說英文」則是一種主動的技能。

You see, understanding English, understanding a language only requires passive, or what I call uncontrolled memory.

理解英文或是理解任何一種語言只需要被動的記憶，或者我把它稱為不能控制的記憶。

Speaking requires controlled memory.

但口說需要的是可控制的記憶。

Have you ever been in a situation that you remember you want to go some place, and you kind of vaguely remember what it looks like, but you just can not recall the street name, just can not remember.

你有曾經發生過...你記得你要去某地，也對那個地方有模糊的記憶，但你就是想不起來那條路的名字，你就是想不起來的狀況嗎？

But until you see something, or see a sign, suddenly you remember, "oh yup that's what it is."

但直到你看到某些東西或是一個記號，你就會突然想起來了，就是這麼一回事。

Now, I remember that.

我突然記得了。

You see, that's uncontrolled memory.

你看，這就是所謂不能控制的記憶。

It's passive memory.

屬於被動記憶。

But when you are speaking, you do not have that luxury.

但當你在說話的時候，你沒有這種記憶。

Another reason is, when you first learn a language, especially when English may not be your first language, right, there are a lot of fears.

另外一個原因是，當你學一個新語言，特別是當英文不是你的母語，你就會感到恐慌。

You don't want to look bad, you don't want to look stupid.

你不想要讓人覺得你很差、很笨。

So even though you are listening, (and) you understand some of it, you're afraid to practice.

雖然你聽得懂，但你就是害怕開口練習。

And if you don't practice speaking, you're not going to get good simply because speaking as I said, is an active skill.

但如果你不開口練習，你的口說能力永遠不會進步，因為正如我所講的，這是一項主動的技能。

Now one of the things that you could do is to get a boyfriend, or a girlfriend who speaks English.

你可以做的是，交一個會說英文的男朋友或女朋友。

That is their native (language), English.

而英文就是他們的母語。

That is probably the fastest way to learn because you have no choice, but to speak the language every single day on the phone, through text with them, or face-to-face.

這大概是學英文最快速的方式，因為你一定會每天用英文跟他們講電話、傳訊息或是面對面交談。

That's probably the quickest way to learn.

這大概是最快速的方法。

But another way that you could learn it, if you don't want to do that, is to actually learn public speaking in English.

如果你不想透過這方法，另一個方法就是練習在大家面前說英文。

Here's why.

原因如下。

When you have to present, when you have to speak to groups, in English, it forces you, first of all, to develop that active skill.

當你準備在大家面前用英文報告時，這情況迫使你的主動技巧進步。

You're practicing, you are speaking.

你可以靠真的開口說話來練習。

And when you are speaking to groups, you're actually over-training.

而在大家面前說話就等同於一種訓練。

What I mean by that, because if you could speak to groups, in English fluently, you can definitely do one-on-one.

我的意思是，只要你可以在大家面前說英文說得很流暢，那一對一的時候絕對沒有問題。

When you're speaking to a group of people, it forces you to think about the structure of what you are going to say.

當你在大家面前說話，你勢必要先想好整個邏輯架構。

It forces you to articulate.

它迫使你開口練習。

It forces you to project.

它迫使你去組織架構。

It forces you to use your body language.

它迫使你使用肢體語言。

Some of these things that you probably wouldn't practice if it's one-on-one.

而這些都是在一對一說話時可能無法訓練到的技能。

So by being an effective public speaker in English, naturally it makes you more fluent in the English language.

透過當一個優秀的英文演講者，自然而然你的英文就會變得相當流暢。

Does that make sense?

聽起來有道理嗎？

And this is why most people they struggle with the English language, because they can read, that can write, they can listen but they just can not speak it.

這也是為什麼人們覺得英文很難，儘管他們的讀、寫、聽的能力都很好，但他們就是無法開口說。

Because they don't practice enough.

主要都是來自練習不足。

So go, take some public speaking classes, and then come back 30, 60 days from now.

所以，快去報名參加演講課程，過了三十或六十天再回來這裡。

Come back, right here, and let me know how that works out for you, and if that helps you to become more fluent in English.

讓我知道這個建議是否有效，是否讓你的英文口說更流利！