Everyone says learning a language is supposed to be fun and easy.

每個人都說學習語言應該是輕鬆有趣的。

Just immerse yourself, use the right app, and you'll be fluent in no time.

只需沉浸其中，使用正確的應用程序，你就能在短時間內流利地使用。

Right?

對不對？

Well, here's the truth no one tells you.

好吧，沒人告訴你的真相是這樣的。

It's not that simple.

事情沒那麼簡單。

And that's exactly why most people quit.

而這正是大多數人放棄的原因。

In this video, I'm going to break down the harsh realities of language learning that no one talks about, but every single language learner has to face.

在這段視頻中，我將分析語言學習中的殘酷現實，這些現實無人提及，但卻是每個語言學習者都必須面對的。

The first uncomfortable truth is language learning isn't always fun.

第一個令人不安的事實是，語言學習並不總是有趣的。

And that's okay.

沒關係。

If this is the first video you're watching about language learning, maybe it's going to make you feel a little bit sad.

如果這是你觀看的第一部關於語言學習的視頻，也許會讓你覺得有點難過。

But that's the reality.

但這就是現實。

I feel like some people who are learning foreign languages tend to romanticize the process.

我覺得有些學習外語的人傾向於把這個過程浪漫化。

Like learning a foreign language is always exciting.

學習外語總是令人興奮的。

It's always fun.

它總是很有趣。

But the reality is it can feel monotonous.

但現實是，這可能會讓人感到單調。

Just like every single skill that you're acquiring.

就像你掌握的每項技能一樣。

Sometimes it's fun.

有時這很有趣。

Sometimes it's boring.

有時很無聊

And when it becomes dull and monotonous, it doesn't mean that you have to quit.

當工作變得單調乏味時，並不意味著你必須放棄。

It doesn't mean that language learning isn't for you.

這並不意味著語言學習不適合你。

That's the reality.

這就是現實。

Like sometimes it happens and that's okay.

就像有時會發生這種情況，沒關係。

It happens to me right now.

我現在就是這樣。

It happened to me in the past with English, Spanish, Chinese, and all the other foreign languages I was learning.

過去，我在學習英語、西班牙語、中文和其他外語時都遇到過這種情況。

I think the key here is to accept that not every single aspect of language learning is going to be fun.

我認為，關鍵在於接受這樣一個事實：並非語言學習的每一個方面都是有趣的。

For example, to me, I would say learning grammar right now is not that fun.

例如，對我來說，現在學習文法並不那麼有趣。

It just isn't.

就是沒有。

It's monotonous.

很單調。

It's boring.

太無聊了

It's dull.

太沉悶了

And that's okay.

沒關係。

And the real progress happens when you push through these boring parts.

而真正的進步就發生在你突破這些枯燥乏味的部分時。

When you find a way to make these boring things less boring, I would say less monotonous.

當你找到一種方法，讓這些無聊的事情變得不那麼無聊，我想說的是不那麼單調。

I know that deep down I don't enjoy grammar that much.

我知道，在內心深處，我並不那麼喜歡文法。

But I know that if I'm watching a YouTube video about a specific grammar rule, I'm going to enjoy it a lot more.

但我知道，如果我在 YouTube 上觀看有關特定文法規則的視頻，我會更喜歡它。

Like instead of being this boring, it becomes this boring.

比如說，它不是這麼無聊，而是變得這麼無聊。

Which is already a lot better.

這已經好多了。

The next uncomfortable truth about language learning that I want to talk about in this video is that fluency is a moving target.

我想在本視頻中講述的關於語言學習的下一個令人不安的事實是，流利是一個移動的目標。

Many people think that once they reach fluency, they're done.

很多人認為，一旦達到流利的程度，就大功告成了。

I'm fluent.

我說得很流利。

Woohoo.

嗚呼。

Success.

成功。

But fluency is fluid and your language skills change all the time, depending on your environment, depending on how much you practice, depending on your confidence levels.

但是，語言的流暢性是不穩定的，你的語言技能會隨著你所處的環境、你練習的程度以及你的自信程度而不斷變化。

One day I'm in a good mood.

有一天，我心情很好。

I feel super confident.

我感到超級自信。

And my English is amazing.

我的英語也非常棒。

The next day, all the words I have in my brain are just in Russian.

第二天，我腦子裡所有的單詞都變成了俄語。

It happens.

它發生了。

And also different levels of fluency are required for different situations.

此外，在不同的情況下也需要不同程度的流暢性。

We were talking about fluency at work.

我們在討論工作中的流暢性。

If you are a doctor, a surgeon, let's say, obviously your English skills will have to be a lot higher for you to be truly confident and professional when it comes to your job.

比方說，如果你是一名醫生或外科醫生，顯然你的英語水平必須更高，才能在工作中真正自信和專業。

Like speaking English at your job.

比如在工作中講英語。

But if your goal for learning English is to talk to your friends in English, you will reach fluency a lot faster this way.

但如果你學習英語的目的是用英語與朋友交談，那麼這種方法會讓你更快地達到流利的程度。

When I was in high school and in college, I wanted to become fluent in English so bad.

在我上高中和大學的時候，我非常想說一口流利的英語。

Like when I first heard this word, I was like, yes, this is my goal.

當我第一次聽到這個詞時，我就想，是的，這就是我的目標。

I want to be fluent in English.

我想說一口流利的英語。

But like, what is fluency?

但是，什麼是流暢性？

You know, for different people, for different goals, for different situations, fluency is going to be a different thing.

要知道，對於不同的人，不同的目標，不同的情況，流利程度是不同的。

And so now when I'm a more experienced language learner, if I can call myself that, I don't want to be fluent in Spanish.

是以，現在當我成為一名更有經驗的語言學習者時，如果我可以這樣稱呼自己的話，我並不想成為一名西班牙語流利的人。

I have my goals in Spanish and I want to reach my specific goals in Spanish.

我有我的西班牙語目標，我想通過西班牙語實現我的具體目標。

When I do these specific small actions every single day, I know that I'm getting closer and closer to my goals.

當我每天都做這些具體的小行動時，我知道我離目標越來越近了。

Some people are going to say, oh my God, you're already fluent in Spanish.

有些人會說，天哪，你的西班牙語已經很流利了。

Other people are going to say, uh, you still need to work on your grammar.

其他人會說，呃，你還需要在文法上下功夫。

But I know what my goals are.

但我知道我的目標是什麼。

And I know when I reach a certain goal that I set for myself in this language.

當我達到自己在這門語言上設定的某個目標時，我就會知道。

Uncomfortable truth number three is that a lot of people give up language learning because of a lack of emotional resilience, not intelligence.

第三個令人不安的事實是，很多人放棄語言學習的原因是缺乏情緒恢復能力，而不是智力。

A lot of language learners quit because they say that they're not smart enough or that language learning is just not for them or that they're just not naturally gifted at language learning.

很多語言學習者之所以放棄，是因為他們認為自己不夠聰明，或者語言學習不適合他們，或者他們天生就沒有語言學習的天賦。

But I honestly think that the main reason why people quit language learning is because they can't handle the emotional rollercoaster of language learning.

但說實話，我認為人們放棄語言學習的主要原因是他們無法承受語言學習過程中的情緒波動。

Yes, sometimes you're going to feel frustrated and that's okay.

是的，有時你會感到沮喪，這沒關係。

That's a part of the journey and a lot of people can't fully come to terms with it.

這是人生旅途的一部分，很多人無法完全接受這一點。

And that's why they quit.

這就是他們辭職的原因。

And so training the skill of emotional resilience when it comes to language learning is going to be key.

是以，在語言學習方面，訓練情緒復原能力將是關鍵。

Being in those situations where you forget a word, where you make a mistake, where you say something stupid is going to build your emotional resilience.

在忘詞、犯錯、說蠢話的情況下，你的情緒韌性就會得到鍛鍊。

And instead of giving up, quitting immediately and saying that it's too hard, it's not for me, you know, I'm not naturally gifted at language learning, try again and you will succeed.

不要放棄，不要馬上放棄，不要說這太難了，這不適合我，我天生沒有學習語言的天賦，再試一次，你就會成功。

And speaking of building resilience, whether you're learning a new language or launching a passion project, having the right tools to stay consistent is key.

說到培養應變能力，無論你是在學習一門新語言，還是在啟動一個激情項目，擁有正確的工具以保持始終如一都是關鍵所在。

That's where today's sponsor Squarespace comes in.

這就是今天的贊助商 Squarespace 的用武之地。

Squarespace is an all-in-one platform to build your online presence, whether you're starting a blog, showcasing your portfolio, or even selling products.

Squarespace 是一個一體化平臺，無論您是創建博客、展示作品集，還是銷售產品，都可以在這裡建立自己的在線形象。

One thing that I love about Squarespace is how incredibly easy it is to use.

我最喜歡Squarespace的一點就是它的易用性。

Even if you're not tech savvy, you don't have to be a coding expert to have a professional website up and running in no time.

即使你不精通技術，也不必成為編碼專家，也能在短時間內建立並運行一個專業網站。

Let me show you how I've been using it to create my own website.

讓我向你展示我是如何使用它來創建自己的網站的。

Squarespace's design intelligence feature takes their two decades of design experience and integrates it with cutting-edge AI to help you create a unique, visually stunning website without any hassle.

Squarespace 的設計智能功能將其二十年的設計經驗與最先進的人工智能相結合，幫助您輕鬆創建獨一無二、視覺效果極佳的網站。

It adapts to your preferences, ensuring that your website looks personalized and professional.

它可以根據您的喜好進行調整，確保您的網站看起來個性化、專業化。

If you're looking to grow your audience, Squarespace offers tools for running email campaigns to keep your subscribers engaged and drive more traffic to your content.

如果您希望增加閱聽人，Squarespace 提供了用於開展電子郵件營銷活動的工具，以保持訂閱者的參與度，併為您的內容帶來更多流量。

If you're ready to take your passion project to the next level, head to squarespace.com.veronica to start your free trial.

如果您已準備好讓自己的激情項目更上一層樓，請前往 squarespace.com.veronica 開始免費試用。

When you're ready to launch, use my code VERONICA for 10% off your purchase of a website or domain.

當你準備好啟動時，使用我的代碼 VERONICA，你就可以在購買網站或域名時獲得 10% 的折扣。

Trust me, it's one of the best investments you'll make to showcase your skills and launch your dream project.

相信我，這是你展示技能和啟動夢想項目的最佳投資之一。

Let's move on to uncomfortable truth number four.

讓我們繼續討論令人不舒服的真相之四。

You will never speak perfectly and that's perfectly okay.

你永遠不會說得完美無缺，這完全沒有問題。

It happens to all of us language learners, to me too, even when I record these YouTube videos.

我們所有語言學習者都會遇到這種情況，我也一樣，甚至在錄製這些 YouTube 視頻時也是如此。

I want to speak perfectly.

我想說得完美無缺。

I don't want to make any mistakes.

我不想犯任何錯誤。

And honestly, this pressure to be perfect can be paralyzing.

老實說，這種要求完美的壓力會讓人癱瘓。

Because you're so afraid to make a mistake or mispronounce something, you're going to be less likely to want to actually speak the language, to want to actually share your perspective with others.

因為你害怕出錯或唸錯什麼，所以你就不太想真正說這門語言，不太想真正與他人分享你的觀點。

And yes, while this idea that even native speakers make mistakes can help you, and if it helps you, that's amazing.

是的，"即使是母語人士也會犯錯 "這一觀點可以幫助你，如果它能幫助你，那就太好了。

I also think that when native speakers say something and they know they made a mistake, they don't really care.

我還認為，當母語為英語的人知道自己說錯了什麼時，他們並不太在意。

Like their confidence level is so high just because it's their native language.

就像他們的自信水準很高，只是因為這是他們的母語。

And generally, language learners really struggle with their confidence levels.

一般來說，語言學習者的自信心都很強。

Usually we think that, you know, when we make a mistake, because our confidence level is already here versus a native speaker is going to be up here.

通常我們會認為，你知道，當我們犯錯時，因為我們的自信水準已經在這裡，而母語使用者的自信水準會在這裡。

When a native speaker makes a mistake, they're like, whatever, nothing will change.

當母語使用者犯錯時，他們就會說，管它呢，不會有什麼變化。

I'm still a native speaker.

我還是母語使用者。

I still know that I know the language.

我仍然知道我懂這門語言。

I can speak the language well.

我的語言說得很好。

But when we non-native speakers of English make a mistake, our confidence was here.

但是，當我們這些英語非母語者犯錯時，我們的自信就來了。

And when we say something incorrectly, it goes here, here, here, here.

如果我們說錯了什麼，它就會出現在這裡、這裡、這裡、這裡。

So it's really important to work on your confidence levels when you are a language learner.

是以，在語言學習過程中，增強自信真的很重要。

And honestly, those people who have higher confidence levels, they learn foreign languages faster just because they don't care that much.

老實說，那些自信心較強的人學習外語的速度會更快，因為他們並不那麼在意。

Not because they have a mysterious, unique language learning ability.

這並不是因為他們有一種神祕而獨特的語言學習能力。

No, it's because when they make a mistake, when they mess up, when they say something incorrectly, they just don't care.

不，這是因為當他們犯錯時，當他們搞砸時，當他們說錯話時，他們根本不在乎。

They learn from that mistake and they move on.

他們從錯誤中吸取教訓，繼續前進。

Their confidence, it was here, it stays here.

他們的信心，就在這裡，就在這裡。

Maybe it decreases a little bit, but then, you know, they learn from their mistake, it's back to normal.

也許會減少一點，但隨後，你知道，他們就會從錯誤中吸取教訓，恢復正常。

The next uncoverable truth is that your native language can really hinder your progress if you're not managing it correctly.

下一個可以揭示的事實是，如果你的母語管理不當，確實會阻礙你的進步。

There is a term in linguistics called cross-language interference.

語言學中有一個術語叫跨語言干擾。

It's basically where your native language's grammar and structure influence the way you talk and write in a foreign language.

基本上，母語的文法和結構會影響你用外語說話和寫作的方式。

And for many of us, this cross-language interference is a serious challenge.

對我們許多人來說，這種跨語言干擾是一個嚴峻的挑戰。

But instead of fighting it, instead of feeling sad when you have it, because we all do, all language learners are going to experience that at some point, we should just be aware of it and know how to navigate around it.

但是，與其與之抗爭，與其在遇到這種情況時感到悲傷，因為我們都會遇到這種情況，所有語言學習者都會在某些時候遇到這種情況，我們應該意識到這一點，並知道如何繞過它。

So for you to better understand what this linguistic term is and how it shows in practice, I'm going to give you a few examples.

是以，為了讓大家更好地理解這個語言術語是什麼，以及它在實踐中是如何體現的，我將給大家舉幾個例子。

If your native language is Russian or if your native language is Spanish, because I'm quite familiar with both of these languages.

如果你的母語是俄語，或者你的母語是西班牙語，因為我對這兩種語言都非常熟悉。

So the Russian language doesn't have articles.

是以，俄語中沒有冠詞。

And for Russians who are learning English, it becomes very hard to grasp the idea of when they have to use a, an, or the.

對於正在學習英語的俄羅斯人來說，他們很難掌握何時必須使用 a、an 或 the 的概念。

Honestly, me being a native Russian speaker, I struggle so much with just the pronunciation of all of these articles, let alone how to use them grammatically.

老實說，作為一個以俄語為母語的人，我對所有這些冠詞的發音都很費勁，更不用說如何按文法使用它們了。

In Russia, it's totally okay to say, I have car.

在俄羅斯，說 "我有車 "完全沒問題。

But in English, you absolutely have to say, I have a car.

但在英語中，你絕對要說 "我有一輛車"。

You can't just say, I have car.

你不能說，我有車。

It's going to be a grammar mistake.

這將是一個語法錯誤。

And these little mistakes can help you understand what the native language of the person you're talking to is.

這些小錯誤可以幫助你瞭解對方的母語是什麼。

Because when I talk to a person and they always admit articles, I can understand why they are doing that.

因為當我和一個人交談時，他們總是承認有文章，我能理解他們為什麼這樣做。

Because my native language is Russian.

因為我的母語是俄語。

And for the longest time, I struggled with a, an, and the as well.

在很長一段時間裡，我也一直在與 "a"、"an "和 "the "作鬥爭。

I live in Mexico and I speak Spanish.

我住在墨西哥，會說西班牙語。

And because of that, I can already notice the cross-language interference that happens to Spanish speakers.

正因為如此，我已經能注意到講西班牙語的人受到的跨語言干擾。

In Spanish, people often use double negatives for emphasis.

在西班牙語中，人們經常使用雙重否定來強調。

For example, no veo nada.

例如，no veo nada.

I don't see anything.

我什麼都沒看到。

Even though, like, the direct translation to English is going to be, I don't see nothing.

儘管，就像直接翻譯成英語一樣，我什麼也沒看到。

And so exactly because of that, a lot of people who speak Spanish as their native language, once they start speaking English, they continue using double negatives.

正因為如此，很多以西班牙語為母語的人一旦開始說英語，就會繼續使用雙重否定。

They continue saying, I don't see nothing.

他們繼續說，我什麼也沒看見。

I don't know nothing.

我什麼都不知道。

Even though in English, grammatically, in most, okay, in most situations, it's going to be incorrect.

儘管在英語中，從文法上講，在大多數情況下，好吧，在大多數情況下，這都是不正確的。

And so again, understanding that this cross-language interference happens to every single English learner, every single language learner out there is going to help you navigate around all of these challenges and all of these problems.

是以，再次強調，理解這種跨語言干擾會發生在每一個英語學習者和每一個語言學習者身上，這將有助於你應對所有這些挑戰和問題。

Is it a feeling like you will never understand English grammar?

是不是感覺自己永遠都不會理解英語語法？

Yes, the pattern is different, but you can understand this new pattern.

是的，模式不同了，但你可以理解這種新模式。

Now let's move on to uncomfortable truth number six, the myth of immersion.

現在，讓我們來談談令人不舒服的真相之六--浸入式教學的神話。

It's often not enough.

這往往是不夠的。

Immersion is often seen as this ultimate hack for language learning.

浸入式學習通常被視為語言學習的終極法寶。

Everyone talks about immersion online, and I support it 100% because it's an amazing principle when it comes to language learning.

每個人都在談論沉浸式在線學習，我對此表示百分之百的支持，因為在語言學習方面，這是一個了不起的原則。

However, being surrounded by the language doesn't necessarily mean that you will learn it because you have to be active.

然而，被語言包圍並不一定意味著你就能學會語言，因為你必須積極主動地學習。

You have to be actively engaged with the language to be able to successfully learn it.

要想成功地學習語言，您必須積極參與。

There are so many people who move abroad, let's say to an English-speaking country like the USA.

有很多人移居國外，比方說去美國這樣的英語國家。

And then what happens is because they are immersed in the language in terms of, yes, they live in the United States of America, but they're not actively engaged with the language, their progress is very slow, even though, yes, technically they live in an English-speaking country.

然後發生的事情是，因為他們沉浸在語言中，是的，他們生活在美利堅合眾國，但他們並沒有積極地學習語言，所以他們的進步非常緩慢，儘管從技術上講，他們生活在一個英語國家。

And that's why I often say that just moving to an English-speaking country is not enough.

所以我常說，僅僅搬到英語國家是不夠的。

I mean, I can learn a language to a very good level without actually being in that country.

我的意思是，我可以在沒有真正到過那個國家的情況下，把一門語言學得很好。

It's 100% possible.

這是 100% 的可能。

And if you move to the country where your target language is spoken, it's not a guarantee that you're going to become fluent in this language.

如果你搬到了目標語言所在的國家，也不能保證你一定能流利地使用這門語言。

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, intentional and focused learning are important, even in those immersive environments.

不幸的是，或者說幸運的是，即使在那些身臨其境的環境中，有意識和有重點的學習也很重要。

Again, I'm highlighting it here because I've noticed that a lot of people think that immersion just means listening to music in your target language, somewhere in the background while you're driving, singing along, and that's it.

我在這裡再次強調這一點，是因為我注意到很多人認為沉浸式學習僅僅意味著在開車時聽聽目標語言的背景音樂，跟著唱唱，僅此而已。

I mean, it can be a part of the process, but if you never look up the words, if you never actively engage with the language, I don't think your language skills are going to improve fast.

我的意思是，這可能是學習過程的一部分，但如果你從不查字典，從不主動接觸語言，我不認為你的語言能力會快速提高。

You know, sometimes when you listen to music, you understand the lyrics and you can sing along, but you don't actually know what that means.

你知道，有時聽音樂時，你能聽懂歌詞，也能跟著唱，但實際上你並不知道那是什麼意思。

And it happens to a lot of us.

我們很多人都遇到過這種情況。

And so if that happens to you, and if you consider that immersion, it's not going to be good quality, engaged, active immersion.

是以，如果這種情況發生在你身上，如果你認為那是一種沉浸，那它就不會是高質量的、參與式的、積極的沉浸。

Okay, now let's talk about language learning apps.

好了，現在讓我們來談談語言學習應用程序。

I personally think that language learning apps are a tool, not a solution.

我個人認為，語言學習應用程序只是一種工具，而不是解決方案。

I know we're all looking for a magic pill, an app that is going to make us miraculously fluent.

我知道我們都在尋找一種神奇的藥丸，一種能讓我們奇蹟般地流利使用的應用程序。

I know that you guys want that, and I know that I want that too, but unfortunately, it's just not realistic.

我知道你們想這樣，我知道我也想這樣，但不幸的是，這並不現實。

There are so many amazing language learning apps out there, and they should be just a part of your toolkit.

現在有這麼多令人驚歎的語言學習應用程序，它們應該成為你工具包的一部分。

You know, sometimes you get bored, and so you use this app.

你知道，有時你會覺得無聊，於是你就會使用這個應用程序。

Sometimes you start using a different resource.

有時，你會開始使用不同的資源。

It all depends on how you feel.

這完全取決於你的感覺。

You know, if you're a little bit bored, like your language learning has become monotonous or dull, you can give this one app a try, or maybe this other resource a try.

要知道，如果你覺得有點無聊，覺得你的語言學習變得單調乏味，你可以試試這個應用程序，或者試試其他資源。