美語情景對話 第706期:Being Bilingual 雙語者
Kara: So, Lupe, you moved to the United States when you were about eight, and you had to learn English because Spanish is your first language. What did you think about bilingual education in the United States?
卡拉：盧佩，你八歲的時候搬到美國生活，你的母語是西班牙語，所以你搬到美國後要學習英語。你認爲美國的雙語教育怎麼樣？Lupe: You know coming in, I was really, really scared of not being able to communicate with other children and being able to fit in. But coming at a really young age like that, you realize that it's not as hard to learn the language and the school I happened to go to had a great bilingual program and they were actually helping us continue our Spanish speaking education and the reading and writing, which was great because I never wanted to lose that aspect of my life and a lot of kids had to do that because there are schools that don't have bilingual programs, so a lot of kids our born and raised speaking Spanish, but once they start school and they start learning English they really forget their Spanish, so it was really important for me to be able to learn the English language, but still be able to know the Spanish language and it's a great benefit because now in my job it really helps me to be bilingual and not only to speak both languages but to be able to read and write both because it's really important to be able to communicate with other people not only, you know, speaking but also in reading and writing.
盧佩：你知道，我搬到美國以後，曾經非常害怕和其他的孩子交流，我也無法很好的適應。不過在很小的年紀搬到美國的好處是，學習語言不會那麼難，而且我念的那所學校擁有非常棒的雙語教學體系，老師幫助我們繼續西班牙語聽說讀寫的學習，這點非常棒，因爲我不想讓這些在我的生活中消失，可是有很多孩子卻必須這麼做，因爲有些學校沒有雙語教學體系，所以有很多出生後說西班牙語長大的孩子在美國上學，開始學習英語以後，都會忘了西班牙語怎麼說，所以對我來說，既能學習英語又能繼續學習西班牙語非常重要，而且這給我帶來了很多好處，會說兩種語言對我工作上的幫助很大，我不僅會說兩種語言，而且能閱讀兩種語言也能用這兩種語言寫作，因爲和其他人交流時，不僅僅是說，讀寫也非常重要。Kara: Now, you've also taken classes in French in school. Do you think it has been easier learning French through a textbook or learning English being thrown into the United States and having to learn it?
卡拉：你在學校裏還學過法語。你認爲是通過教材學習法語更容易，還是在美國有語言環境的情況下學習英語更容易？
Lupe: I think learning a second language made it that much easier to jump in to a third language. You already sort of have a foundation of what it's like to start learning to speak a different language and communicate in a different language, but as you get older I definitely think it gets a little harder with pronunciation and different, you know, different aspects of the language and learning it, but I think it depends a lot on the teachers and the way they teach the language because I can read a textbook and try to understand what they are teaching but it's a lot easier when I have someone in front of me who knows the language, who can answer my questions and not only that: someone I can listen to and see the pronunciation and make sure that I'm doing it correctly.
盧佩：我認爲學會第二種語言後再學第三種語言就容易多了。因爲你已經有了基礎，你已經知道如何開始學習其他語言，知道如何用另一種語言去交流，不過隨着年齡的增長，在學習時會更難掌握髮音和語言的其他方面，不過這很大程度上取決於老師和他們教學的方法，因爲我可以看教材去理解他們教的內容，而如果我身邊有一個懂這種語言的人會更利於學習，因爲這個人可以解答我的疑問，而不僅僅是教我發音，確保我的發音正確而已。Kara: Now, do you think it would be easier for you to learn French if you actually went to France and lived there?
卡拉：你認爲如果你去法國生活，學習法語更容易一些？Lupe: Definitely. I think being around other people that speak the language make it that much easier to learn the language and I think that's why I learned to speak English when I moved here so quickly because I was surrounded by people who primarily spoke English, so there were times when I had no choice but to try and speak it and it kind of forced me to give it a try even more when I was afraid because I had no other way to communicate, so I think being around others who speak and understand the language definitely makes it easier for you to understand it and learn it quicker.
盧佩：當然是。我認爲旁邊有說這種語言的人會讓我更容易地學會這種語言，我搬到這裏以後能很快地學會英語，就是因爲我周圍的人們都說英語，我沒有別的選擇，只能學着去說英語，雖然我有點害怕，但是我不得不去試，因爲我沒有其他方法來交流，所以我認爲有語言環境的話，肯定會更容易去理解這種語言，也可以更快地學會。
譯文屬僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載
重點講解：
1. be scared of 驚恐的；恐懼的；害怕的；
例句：Sarahis scared ofall kinds of things, even rabbits. She's such a wuss!
莎拉無所不怕，連兔子都怕。她真是個膽小鬼！
2. fit in 相處融洽；適應；
例句：I'll change my timetable tofit inwith yours.
我將改動我的時間表以適應你的。
3. depend on 取決（於）；有賴（於）；
例句：Much willdepend onthe ingenuity of mediators.
這就有賴於調停者的足智多謀了。
4. have no choice but to do sth. 不得不；只好；
例句：Ihave no choice but to doas he tells me.
除了按照他告訴我的去做，我沒有選擇餘地。
