You have probably encountered many teachers, books, and apps that promise to take you to that advanced level.

你可能遇到過很多老師、書籍、以及承諾帶你達到高級水準的應用程序。

But what exactly is advanced English?

但究竟什麼是高級英語？

In this video, I'm going to answer that question and explain why you should be careful what you wish for.

在本影片」中，我將回答這個問題並解釋為什麼要小心自己的願望。

Let's start by looking at the most common thing that is associated with advanced English: Vocabulary.

讓我們先看看與高級英語相關的最常見的東西：詞彙。

Advanced vocabulary is often presented like this.

高級詞彙通常是這樣的。

Instead of bad, say detrimental.

與其說 bad，說 detrimental。

Or instead of happy, say over the moon.

或是與其說 happy，說 over the moon。

But we need to ask a really important question here: Why are those words considered to be advanced English?

但我們需要問一個非常重要的問題：為什麼這些詞被認為是高級英語？

Why is "detrimental" more advanced than "bad"?

為什麼 detrimental 比 bad 更高級？

The answer is that those advanced words are used with less frequency.

答案是，這些先進的詞語使用頻率較低。

For example, in a single average fiction novel, you will find the word "bad" approximately 20 times,

例如，在一部普通小說中你會發現 bafd 這個字出現了大約 20 次，

but you would need to read 20 novels to find the word "detrimental" only once.

但你需要閱讀 20 本小說只發現一次 detrimental。

So, advanced vocabulary is actually a synonym for infrequent vocabulary and using infrequent vocabulary has some serious consequences.

因此，高級詞彙其實是不常用詞彙的同義詞，使用不常用詞彙會產生一些嚴重的後果。

Firstly, the majority of conversations in English today are between foreign learners, who in general have a smaller vocabulary.

首先，當今大多數英語對話都是外國學習者之間的，他們的詞彙量通常較小。

So if you use infrequent words, it's more likely you will use words the other person doesn't know.

因此，如果你使用不常見的單詞，更有可能使用其他人不知道的單字。

But this is not just a problem for foreign learners.

但這不僅僅是外國學習者的問題。

Research has shown that that native speakers use a much more limited vocabulary in spoken conversation because our brains are not able to produce or process infrequent vocabulary fast enough.

研究表明，母語人士在口語對話中使用的詞彙量要少得多，因為我們的大腦無法足夠快地產生或處理不常見的詞彙。

And that's not all.

這還不是全部。

In this experiment, the researchers substituted the nouns, verbs, and adjectives in a piece of writing for their longest synonyms.

在這個實驗中，研究人員用一篇文章中的名詞、動詞和形容詞取代了最長的同義詞。

They found that the more complex vocabulary made the writer appear less intelligent to the people who read it.

他們發現，越複雜的詞彙，對於閱讀它的人來說，作者顯得越不聰明。

So using advanced vocabulary is more likely to cause communication problems and it will also make people view you in a negative way.

因此，使用高級詞彙更容易造成溝通問題，也會讓人對你產生負面看法。

But, as we all know, language is more than just words; it's also how we put those words together.

但是，眾所周知，語言不僅僅是文字；它還包括語言。 這也是我們將這些字詞組合在一起的方式。

So let's look at what is probably considered by many to be the most advanced form of English: Legalese (UK) Legalize (US).

因此，讓我們來看看可能被許多人認為是最高級的英語形式：Legalese（英國）Legalize（美國）。

Legalese is the English used by lawyers and it is famously difficult for ordinary people to understand.

法律術語是律師使用的英語，眾所周知，一般人很難理解。

But, again, let's ask why.

但是，讓我們再問一下為什麼。

To answer this question, in 2022, researchers analyzed thousands of legal documents and they discovered that the reason is simply poor writing,

為了回答這個問題，2022年，研究人員分析了數千份法律文件，他們發現原因很簡單，就是文筆不好，

which makes "legalese" more difficult to process and remember and that is no accident.

這使得「法律術語」更難以處理和記憶，這並非偶然。

Every day, millions of people click "I agree to the terms of service" on websites.

每天，都有數百萬人在網站上點擊「我同意服務條款」。

In a shocking experiment, researchers created a fake website where the terms of service made the user agree that they would give the company their firstborn child; 93% of people clicked "I agree".

在一項令人震驚的實驗中，研究人員創建了一個虛假網站，其服務條款要求用戶同意將他們的第一個孩子交給該公司； 93%的人點擊了「我同意」。

People didn't read that legalese because nobody is interested in language that they can't understand.

人們沒有讀那些法律術語，因為沒有人對他們無法理解的語言感興趣。

Now, I know what you're thinking that advanced English is more specific.

現在，我知道你在想什麼，高級英語更具體。

It can express subtle differences and also it's just more poetic and beautiful and this is when you have to ask yourself about your view of communication

它可以表達微妙的差異，而且更有詩意和美麗，這是你必須問自己對溝通的看法的時候。

Successful communication is when people transmit and receive messages they can understand.

成功的溝通是人們發送和接收他們可以理解的訊息。

If you use language that the other person doesn't understand, then you're not communicating; you're building a wall around you.

如果你使用對方無法理解的語言，那麼你就沒有在溝通； 你正在你周圍築起一道牆。

And that is a terrible way to treat yourself... and others

這樣對待自己......和他人，實在是太糟糕了。

Advanced English is often sold as something that will allow you to express yourself more easily and understand more.

高級英語通常被認為可以讓你更輕鬆地表達自己並理解更多內容。

But low frequency vocabulary and complicated grammatical structures are often more of a restriction

但低頻詞彙和複雜的語法結構往往更多是一種限制。

How many times have you told yourself that you can't do something because you're not ready?

你有多少次告訴自己，你不能做某件事，因為你還沒準備好？

How much time have you wasted learning words that you never use?

你浪費了多少時間來學習從未使用過的單字？

How many conversations have you avoided while you wait to "level up" your English?

在等待「提升」英語能力的過程中，你錯過了多少對話？

That feeling of guilt that something is missing, the endless search for the next grammar structure or list of words or the next certificate or exam to tell you that you are good enough...

那種因為缺少某些東西而感到內疚的感覺，無休止地尋找下一個語法結構或單詞列表或下一個證書或考試來告訴你你已經足夠好了......

the constant reminders of all the things you can't do.

不斷提醒你所有你做不到的事情。

Enough.

夠了。

Don't wait any longer.

不要再等了。

You don't need more English, you need more practice.

你不需要更多的英語，你需要更多的練習。

When you let go of those artificial restrictions, you become free.

當你放下那些人為的限制，你就自由了。

Free to share a story, to tell a joke, to give a presentation, to spark an idea, to say sorry, to give thanks, to be heard.

自由地分享故事、講笑話、進行簡報、激發想法、說抱歉、表達感謝、被傾聽。

And in that freedom, you will find the true meaning of advanced English.

在這種自由中，你將找到真正的意義高級英語。

I'm Christian, this is Canguro English, and I'll see you in class.

我是 Christian，這裡是 Canguro English，我們課堂上見。