something out of this world and out of reach

天方夜譚

for the vast majority of us.

對於我們絕大多數人來說。

This isn't a belief, however, just held by many English monolinguals on our island.

然而，這並不是'的信念，只是我們島上許多英語單語者所持有的。

It's also shared by many of our linguistic cousins

這也是我們很多語言上的表親所共有的。

further afield, say, in the United States or Australia.

更遠的地方，比如美國或澳洲。

Let's be honest:

讓我們說實話吧。

when it comes to learning languages or speaking them,

在學習語言或說語言的時候。

we are the kind of people that likes to think

我們是那種喜歡思考的人。

we're fluent in a multitude of diverse languages

我們精通各種不同的語言。

such as Geordie, Kiwi, Cockney, or what about Canadian?

如Geordie，Kiwi，Cockney，或者Canadian呢？

Don't get me wrong.

不要誤會我的意思。

I'm very, very proud of my Mancunian heritage,

我'我非常非常自豪我的曼城傳統。

but I wouldn't suggest it's a separate language just yet.

但我還不會建議它'是一種獨立的語言。

After all, we don't need subtitles

畢竟，我們不需要字幕。

when we are watching Coronation Street, now do we?

當我們在看《加冕街》的時候，現在是嗎？

Although I can see you two saying, "I do."

雖然我可以看到你們兩個說，"我願意"。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Yet, despite this, if you were to cross the Channel,

然而，儘管如此，如果你要穿越海峽。

or say, if you're feeling slightly more adventurous,

或者說，如果你'感覺稍微有點冒險。

cross the Severn Estuary into Wales,

越過塞文河口進入威爾士。

there you would find

在那裡你會發現

that speaking another language or being bilingual is simply a reality.

說另一種語言或雙語只是一個現實。

Yet, there and further afield,

然而，那裡和更遠的地方。

many are still convinced of the fact

很多人還深信不疑

this is a long, challenging, somewhat painful,

這是一個漫長的，具有挑戰性的，有些痛苦的。

and dare I say, daunting task.

而且我敢說，任務艱鉅。

In this room of 100 people,

在這個100人的房間裡。

I'd guess that at least 15 other languages are spoken besides English.

我'會猜測，除了英語之外，至少還有15種其他語言被使用。

In fact, the last census of 2011 revealed that a staggering 22% of Londoners -

事實上，2011年的最後一次人口普查顯示，倫敦人的比例達到了驚人的22%------。

that's 22%, one in four, almost -

那是22%，四分之一，幾乎------。

speak another language at home apart from English.

在家講英語以外的另一種語言；

I myself, even as a Mancunian, speak approximately 20 languages,

我自己，即使是一個曼城人，也會說大約20種語言。

and of those, around half I speak fluently.

其中，大約有一半我說得很流利。

And the question I get asked by people the most is, "Why?"

而人們問我最多的問題是："為什麼？"

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Well, the answer, for me at least, is rather simple.

嗯，至少對我來說，答案相當簡單。

I'm convinced

我相信

learning languages, any language per Se, is actually easy.

學習語言，任何語言每Se，其實很容易。

And I want to show you how.

我想告訴你怎麼做。

As a linguist, a polyglot, and a lecturer,

作為一名語言學家、多語者和講師。

I know what it entails to learn and study a language.

我知道學習和研究一門語言需要什麼。

And one of the biggest obstacles

而最大的障礙之一

we're faced [with] when learning are myths.

我們'學習時面臨[的]是神話。

And I genuinely believe that we have to debunk them.

而我真心認為，我們必須揭穿他們。

In order to remember these more effectively,

為了更有效地記住這些。

I came up with the nice and friendly sounding acronym D.I.E.

我想出了一個好聽又友好的縮寫詞D. I. E.

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

which funnily enough, if you write it out not pronounce, if you write it out,

有趣的是，如果你把它寫出來不發音，如果你把它寫出來。

it's one of the words for 'the' in German.

它'是德語中的'the'的一個詞。

Myth number one: learning a language is simply too difficult.

誤區一：學習一門語言實在太難。

I will never be able to speak another language

我永遠不會說別的語言

quite like the language I was born with.

很像我生來就有的語言。

Technically, you're not born with a language.

從技術上講，你'不是天生的語言。

All of us here could have ended up, with say, Japanese as our first language.

我們在座的所有人都可以結束，比如說，日語是我們的第一語言。

We were simply surrounded or immersed in the language

我們只是被包圍或沉浸在語言中而已

generally from a very early age.

一般來說，從很小的時候就開始了。

There are people, however, out there - many of them, in fact -

然而，有一些人--事實上，他們中的許多人--在那裡。

who started to learn a language, the second or maybe even the third,

誰開始學習一門語言，第二個甚至可能是第三個。

much later on in life.

在以後的生活中。

And guess what?

你猜怎麼著？

They're now completely fluent in this language or these other languages

他們現在完全可以流利地使用這種語言或這些其他語言了

even perhaps more so than in their so-called mother tongue.

甚至可能比他們所謂的母語更甚。

Why is this?

為什麼會這樣？

Because there is no cutoff date

因為沒有截止日期

by which you have to have learned another language.

你必須學會另一種語言。

Think about how many people you know who say,

想想你認識多少人說。

"Ugh! My kids are doing French in school. I really want them to become fluent.

"唉！我的孩子在學校裡做法語。我真的希望他們能變得流利。

But I can't, no way, it's impossible.

但我不能，沒辦法，這是不可能的。

I should've simply paid more attention when I was at school."

我應該'在學校的時候根本就應該多注意。"

Well, studies reveal

那麼，研究顯示

that whilst children generally are much faster

雖然兒童的速度一般要快得多

at picking up a new language than people older than them,

比比他們年長的人更善於學習新語言。

it's actually us - you can just breathe as a sign of relief -

它'實際上我們--你可以只是呼吸作為一種解脫的跡象--。

It's us, the adults, who are more effective at learning them.

是我們這些成年人，更有效地學習它們。

Why is this?

為什麼會這樣？

Because we have the experience of learning.

因為我們有學習的經驗。

We know how to learn already.

我們已經知道如何學習了。

Myth number two: languages are simply irrelevant.

誤區二：語文根本就無關緊要。

I don't need to learn another language at all.

我根本不需要學習其他語言。

And as we hear, and unfortunately hear quite a lot -

而我們聽到的，不幸的是，我們聽到了很多------。

I was going to do in a cockney accent, but I won't do it at all.

我本來想用公子哥腔做，但我根本不會做。

I'll spare myself the embarrassment of doing that -

我就不尷尬了，這樣做------。

languages ... everyone speaks English, anyway.

語言......反正大家都說英語。

Well, besides the obvious benefits of speaking another language -

好吧，除了說另一種語言的明顯好處----------。

for example, financial benefits and mental benefits,

例如，經濟利益和精神利益。

i.e., better pay, more job opportunities, keeping us mentally fit,

即更高的薪酬，更多的工作機會，讓我們的心理健康。

and actually helping to stave off neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's-

和實際幫助避免神經系統疾病，如阿爾茨海默'的-。

there are real hidden gems

大有文章可做

we can discover when we speak another language.

當我們說另一種語言時，我們可以發現。

How about getting an upgrade on your hotel room,

不如讓酒店房間升級。

as was recently the case with my uncle before going to Turkey on holiday?

就像最近我叔叔去土耳其度假前的情況一樣？

He asked me if I could send him over

他問我能不能讓他過來

a few phrases and greetings in the language

幾句語言問候語

that he could try out in the hotel.

他可以在酒店裡試試。

Turns up, caught over this suitcase,

結果，在這個行李箱上被抓到了。

throws out a few sentences in Turkish,

拋出幾句土耳其語。

and bam!, he's given an upgrade on his hotel room straight away.

咣噹！，他&#39；的酒店房間直接給升級了。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

You might not always get an upgrade on your hotel room.

你不一定能在酒店房間裡得到升級。

I can't promise you this.

我不能向你保證。

However, I can promise that you maybe just maybe,

不過，我可以保證，你也許只是也許。

through another language, will meet the love of your life.

通過另一種語言，會遇到你一生的愛。

We all remember Jamie from Love Actually learning Portuguese for Aurélia.

我們都還記得《其實愛情》中的傑米為奧蕾莉亞學習葡萄牙語。

And in fact,

而事實上。

almost one in ten Brits is married to someone

幾乎每十個英國人中就有一個人結婚了

who was born overseas.

出生在海外的人。

Furthermore, the Guardian reported on research

此外，《衛報》報道了研究

showing that people who are able to speak two languages or more

顯示，能夠講兩種或兩種以上語言的人。

better adapt or are better equipped at dealing with problems,

更好地適應或更有能力處理問題。

that they're better at multitasking and prioritizing tasks.

他們'更擅長多任務處理和優先處理任務。

This is definitely a much sought-after skill in our day and age

在我們這個時代，這絕對是一項非常搶手的技能。

when all of us appeared to be glued to our phones.

當我們所有的人似乎都盯著手機的時候。

I wonder how many people now who're watching this

我不知道現在有多少人在看這個。

will be glued to their phones,

會被粘在手機上。

and how many are actually going to bilingual?

又有多少人真正要去學雙語呢？

Myth number three:

誤區三：

you have to be an expat and be in a place where the language is constantly spoken,

你必須是一個外籍人士，並在一個地方的語言是不斷地說話。

even to just get a grasp of the language.

甚至只是為了掌握語言。

There's no harm in simply packing up

and moving to a village in the middle of nowhere,

並搬到一個偏僻的村莊。

but it's not actually necessary.

但其實沒有必要。

Now the great unknown: my brother and I - I'll leave you to decide who's who;

現在，偉大的未知：我和我的兄弟--我讓你來決定誰'是誰。

he's actually my twin brother -

他實際上是我的雙胞胎兄弟----。

my brother and I whilst being based in Berlin, Germany,

我和我的兄弟在德國柏林的時候。

decided to undertake the challenge of learning Turkish in just seven days.

決定進行挑戰，在短短七天內學習土耳其語。

We decided to undertake the challenge of learning Turkish in just seven days

我們決定進行挑戰，在短短七天內學習土耳其語。

in order to show what you can do by simply putting your mind to it.

為了顯示自己的能力，只要把心思用在這上面。

I'm not saying

我不是說

we all need to be going out there and learning a language in a week

我們都需要走出去，並在一週內學習一門語言。

nor that it's actually possible

也不可能

to learn absolutely everything there is in such a short space of time.

在這麼短的時間內，絕對能學到所有的東西。

I can assure you, it isn't.

我可以向你保證，它不是'。

Perfection isn't the goal here.

完美不是這裡的目標。

The goal, however, is to get as good as we possibly can

然而，我們的目標是，儘可能地獲得良好的

in a particular language, in the shortest time possible.

在特定的語言中，在儘可能短的時間內。

This means

這意味著

to the dismay of school teachers all throughout the globe,

讓全球的學校教師都感到失望。

"Take shortcuts."

"走捷徑。"

The best thing about these shortcuts

這些捷徑的好處是

is we can apply them to any language that we would like to learn.

是我們可以將它們應用到任何我們想學習的語言中。

And furthermore, they're so simple, you might be left thinking at the end,

而且，他們'很簡單，你可能會在最後留下思考。

"Why didn't I think of that?"

"我怎麼沒有想到呢？"

So let's take a look at these shortcuts.

那麼我們就來看看這些捷徑吧。

Number one: analyze the similarities, focus on similar elements.

第一：分析相似之處，關注相似元素。

As speakers of English,

作為英語使用者，

we already know so much about other languages,

我們對其他語言的瞭解已經很多了。

given the fact that our language itself, essentially, is a Germanic language

鑑於我們的語言本身，本質上是一種日耳曼人的語言。

with the wealth of influences and vocabulary

豐富的影響力和詞彙量。

from a multitude of different languages as diverse as Latin, Hebrew, or Hindi.

來自拉丁語、希伯來語或印地語等多種不同的語言。

Doing this will help develop patterns in the language

這樣做將有助於發展語言的模式。

and also will help us to guess the meaning and formation of words and things

同時也會幫助我們猜測字詞和事物的含義和形成方式

that we don't yet know.

我們還不知道的。

As you see in this slide, for example,

比如說，你在這張幻燈片中看到的。

we can see how closely related English is to fellow other Germanic languages

我們可以看到英語與其他日耳曼語系的關係有多密切

and even to languages that are, in this case, Romance languages,

甚至對語言，在這種情況下，是羅曼斯語言。

despite the fact that English is a Germanic language essentially.

儘管英語本質上是一種日耳曼語。

Shortcut number two: keep it simple.

捷徑二：保持簡單。

At first sight, you might think you're learning a language

乍一看，你可能會認為你正在學習一門語言'。

that doesn't have that much in common with our own,

那和我們自己的沒有那麼多共同點。

but by focusing on easy elements, we will be able to learn it much quickly

但只要把重點放在簡單的元素上，我們就能很快學會它。

because every language has easy elements to it.

因為每一種語言都有簡單的元素。

Some languages only have two or three tenses.

有些語言只有兩種或三種時態。

For example, you end up saying 'I had,' in this one form,

比如說，你最後說'我有，'這一個形式。

for 'I had,'I have had,' and 'I had had,'

因為'我有了，'我有了，'我有了，&#39。

and 'I am' also can be 'I will be' and 'I would be.'

和'我是'也可以是'我將是'和'我將是.&#39。

In other cases, if we look at, for example, German,

在其他情況下，如果我們看，比如說德國。

we have a case of advanced vocabulary

我們有一個高級詞彙的情況

that is derived from a few simple words or verbs.

是由幾個簡單的詞或動詞衍生出來的。

In this case, we have the verb 'sprechen' which is 'to speak,'

在這種情況下，我們有動詞'sprechen'，這是'說話，&#39。

which has now gone on and lent itself

時至今日

to become 'besprechen' - to discuss, 'entsprechen' - to correspond,

成為'besprechen'-討論，'entsprechen'-對應。

'versprechen' and 'absprechen,' and so on, and so on.

'versprechen'和'absprechen，'等等，等等。

Shortcut number three: keep it relevant.

捷徑三：保持相關性。

Especially at the beginning of our process,

尤其是在我們剛開始的時候。

we need to make sure that it's relevant to us.

我們需要確保它'與我們相關。

Not everyone is learning German

不是每個人都在學習德語

in order to discuss business with colleagues in Berlin.

以便與柏林的同事討論業務。

Think about this.

你想想看

As speakers of English,

作為英語使用者，

we don't know every single word in the Oxford English Dictionary.

我們不'牛津英語詞典中的每一個單詞都知道。

So why should we fret

那我們為什麼要擔心呢？

about remembering every single word we encounter in the new language?

關於記住我們在新語言中遇到的每一個單詞？

We simply have to make it relevant to our own specific situation right now.

我們只需根據自己現在的具體情況，將其與自己的具體情況相結合即可。

When it comes to learning a language, perhaps the most crucial element is time.

說到學習一門語言，也許最關鍵的因素就是時間。

And by time, I don't mean years upon years of endless learning

而我所說的時間，並不是指年復一年的無休止的學習。

as some people still like to think.

因為有些人還喜歡這樣想。

How long does it take to learn a language?

學習一門語言需要多長時間？

How about if I were to tell you

如果我告訴你

that 30 minutes per day are a great and effective start?

每天30分鐘是一個很好很有效的開始？

Thirty minutes - these are minutes we all have.

30分鐘--這是我們每個人都有的時間。

Be ten in the morning, ten in the afternoon,

早上要十點，下午要十點。

ten in the evening, or 30 minutes in simply one go

晝伏夜出

on the way to work, to university, to school,

在上班、上大學、上學的路上。

out in the evening, meeting friends, whilst we are on the train or bus.

傍晚時分，我們在火車或公共汽車上和朋友見面。

We all have all these minutes that we can commit to learn.

我們都有這麼多分鐘的時間，可以投入到學習中去。

Furthermore, by learning for smaller periods and regular intervals,

此外，通過較小時期和規律的學習。

we won't feel so overwhelmed by the language.

我們就不會覺得語言如此不堪重負。

And even better,

甚至更好。

learning for regular periods means that it's more effective,

定期的學習，意味著它'更有效。

because chances are

因為有可能

that if you're learning for once a week or once a fortnight,

那如果你'一週或兩週學習一次。

by the time you next come to learn,

到你下次來學習的時候。

you'll already have forgotten what you initially learned.

你'會已經忘記了你最初所學的東西。

The goal therefore is

是以，目標是

to fit language learning into our daily routines

將語言學習融入我們的日常工作中

and not the other way around.

而不是相反。

And by doing this,

而通過這樣做。

there's no reason why after simply one month,

有'沒有理由，為什麼僅僅一個月後。

you can't get by in your new language.

你不能通過你的新語言。

These active forms of learning, we need to compliment them

這些主動的學習形式，我們要讚美它們

with what I'd like to refer to as passive forms of learning.

與我想說的被動學習形式。

Having breakfast: switch the radio on and listen to a station in the language,

吃早飯：打開收音機，聽一個電臺的語言。

become acquainted with the music of the language.

熟悉語言的音樂。

The music will not only help you get used to the sounds,

音樂不僅可以幫助你習慣聲音。

to the intonation, and to the rhythm

的音調，和節奏。

but the words you'll hear will also help you associate them;

但你'聽到的話語也會幫助你聯想到它們。

because you know the songs,

因為你知道這些歌曲。

and you'll be able to associate them with these songs,

和你'就能把它們和這些歌曲聯繫起來。

thus expanding our vocabulary.

從而擴大我們的詞彙量。

Had a hard day?

今天辛苦了？

Treat yourself to a TV series or a film in the language,

犒勞一下自己，看一部電視劇或電影的語言。

and put subtitles on, in English,

並放上字幕，英文。

and then, others can join and watch with you as well.

然後，其他人也可以加入，和你一起觀看。

We all know how everyone seems to be going crazy about