美語情景對話 第918期:Language Learners 語言學習者
Jana: So we're talking about learning English. Has that worked for you in any other languages too?
嘉娜：我們之前談了英語學習。你還學過其他語言嗎？Peter: Actually I thought about that question before and I started studying Japanese a few years ago. I shouldn't say studying because I haven't studied so much but for some reason my Japanese learning is very different to my English learning.
彼得：我以前也想過這個問題，幾年前我開始學習日語。我想我不應該說是學習，因爲我學的並不多，但是基於某些原因，我學習日語時和學習英語時有很大的不同。Jana: How is it different?
嘉娜：有什麼不同？
Peter: I've learned, the little bit of Japanese that I've learned, I've learned through listening mostly and having to speak or, you know, helping myself in daily situations. I haven't been able to master enough kanji and Japanese symbols to be able to read it well or to write it well at all. So I couldn't, like before I studied English, a lot of English came to me because I read so much but now I can't read in Japanese so I'm having to rely on listening mostly and how about you?
彼得：日語我只學了一點，主要是通過聽力來學習，而且我也要說日語，這對我的日常生活有幫助。不過我沒能掌握日語中的漢字體系，而且有關日語符號，我讀和寫都不太擅長。以前我學習英語時，我可以很容易的理解，因爲我閱讀了大量書籍，但是現在我看不太懂日語，所以我基本上是依靠聽力，你呢？Jana: Yeah, I learned Spanish in a similar way I learned English and that is I did study but I didn't think of it as studying. It was fun for me but I did a lot of homework and learning vocabulary and then once I reached a certain level then I went to Spain to practice but with Japanese I haven't reached that level yet and somehow I seem to have forgotten how to learn a language. It doesn't work any more so, yeah, I have been trying to learn Japanese for a few years but I think my brain has just become lazy.
嘉娜：我學習了西班牙語，也是和學習英語時用的類似方法，我雖然是在學習，但我並不認爲那是學習。對我來說這是種樂趣，不過我要做很多作業，還要學習詞彙，一旦我達到一定的水平，我就去西班牙練習，不過目前我的日語還沒有達到這種水平，而且看起來我有些忘記要怎樣學習一種語言了。我以前的方法不太有用了，這幾年來我一直在努力學習日語，可是我想我的大腦變得越來越懶了。Peter: It's interesting. Maybe our brains tackle every language in a different way, I don't know, because I'm also finding out it's becoming more difficult but maybe we're only getting older and that's maybe one of the reasons.
彼得：真有意思。也許我們的大腦用不同的方法來應對各種語言的學習，因爲我也發現現在學習越來越難，可能是因爲我們的年齡越來越大了，也許這是其中一個原因。Jana: Maybe so.
嘉娜：也許吧。Peter: Do you think age matters as you've, for language learning?
彼得：你認爲對語言學習來說，年齡很重要嗎？Jana: I would like to say no but I think there are different factors. So, surely, when you're young you learn faster and I think especially because there's nothing else that's occupying your mind. You're just studying. Maybe you go to high school or even university so it's easy to take on another subject. So say I want to learn French or whatever, so it's just more similar kind of thing learning but once you start working and your brain is not used to that kind of input any more, I think then it becomes more difficult.
嘉娜：我很想說不重要，不過我認爲有很多不同的因素。當然，年輕的時候學的更快，尤其是因爲你當時頭腦裏沒有其他事情。你只專注於學習。你在高中或大學時學東西很容易。比如，我想學法語，那隻要學習就好，但是一旦你開始工作以後，你的大腦就不再適應這種輸入信息了，我認爲學習就會變得越來越難。Peter: So age might have something to do with it? But I think though I had this old friend who started, he retired and then he started studying French and he studied French I believe when he was in his twenties but then he started working and gave up and then he started again and he could afford to go to France for three months and just learn and live there and he came back and at the age of sixty five and he was so much better in his French and he'd made some French friends, so I think it has a lot to do maybe with your motivation too maybe, your interest.
彼得：也許這和年齡有關？不過我有一個年紀大一些的朋友，他在退休後開始學法語，他在20多歲的時候學過法語，不過工作以後他就放棄了，後來他退休後又重新學法語，然後他去法國生活了三個月，去那裏繼續學習，他在65歲的時候回來了，他的法語進步了很多，還交了一些法國朋友，我認爲學習和你的動力以及興趣有很大關係。Jana: That's right. I was just going to say maybe more so than age.
嘉娜：沒錯。我也認爲相比年齡，興趣的作用更大。Peter: Yeah.
彼得：對。Jana: Maybe when you're young you might be more eager to learn but if you have that same kind of motivation when you're older then why not?
嘉娜：也許年輕的時候，更渴望學習，那老了以後，如果還有這種動力，那爲什麼不呢？Peter: Because a lot of people take up studying a language later in life when they have more time or maybe more money to spend on it.
彼得：因爲很多人很晚纔開始學習一門語言，在他們可以在學習上花費更多時間和錢的時候纔開始學習。Jana: That's right. OK, let's try a bit harder.
嘉娜：沒錯。我們再努力一些吧。Peter: I think so too. Let's try harder.
彼得：我也是這麼想的。我們再努努力。
譯文屬僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載
重點講解：
1. for some reason 不知爲何；不知什麼原因；
例句：But for some reason it's never worked out.
可是，由於某種原因從未成功。
2. rely on 依賴；依靠；
例句：Don't rely on Smith; he's as green as a gooseberry.
不能依靠史密斯，他少不更事。
3. take on 承擔，接受(尤指艱鉅工作或重大責任)；
例句：I'm going to take on the editor job next week.
我下星期要當編輯了。
4. be eager to do sth. 熱切的；渴望的；
例句：The company is eager to expand into new markets.
那家公司急欲開闢新的市場。
5. take up 開始從事；喜歡上；
例句：He did not particularly want to take up a competitive sport.
他並不特別想從事競技體育運動。
