2020年经济学人约翰逊语言专栏--如何在家学习一门外语(1)（打印版）

Living in lockdownhas led many people to undertake some self-improvement.

隔离在家让许多人开始进行自我提升。

Alongside baking or cramped fitness regimes, some have chosen intellectual projects—such as picking up or mastering a foreign language.

除了烘焙或居家健身计划外，一些人选择了学习项目——比如学习或掌握一门外语。

This interactive skill might not seem to be one that is best honed alone. But learning a language in isolation is much easier than it used to be.

这种互动技能可能不适合独自磨炼。但在隔离期间学习一门语言要比过去容易得多。

One summer many years ago, as he spent many hours driving alone to work,

很多年前的一个夏天，当时本刊专栏作家还需要花很多时间独自开车去上班，

your columnist learned French with the help of an ancient course developed to train American diplomats.

他参加了一门课程，学会了法语，该课程是为培训美国外交官而开设。

Not only were its text basic and cassettes low-tech; it was also low-concept. Exercises seemed to have much more repetition than was necessary:

课本很简单，磁带的技术含量也很低；课程概念设置不高。练习中，不必要的重复也很多：

Mon frere va bien. Mon pere va bien. Mon fils va bien.

Mon ami va bien, murmured the tape, with pauses for repetition. (My brother is doing well. My father is doing well…)

Mon ami va bien, 磁带有间隔地重复着。（哥哥很好。我父亲很好……）

There was method in this drudgery. The skeleton of the sentence was drummed in, with just one word changing: Mon X va bien.

做这种沉闷的工作是有方法的。反复灌输句子的框架结构，只改变句子中的一个单词：Mon X va bien。

Next, another variable was altered. A new list of six sentences cited feminine nouns instead: Ma Z va bien.

接下来，另一个变量被改变了。新的六个句子中名词换成了阴性名词：Ma Z va bien。

With little instruction, the variation between feminine and masculine was pounded home.

在没有指导的情况下，反复强调阴性和阳性名词。

It was slow, not much fun—and incredibly effective. (Many of these old courses are now free online at www.fsi-language-courses.net.)

这种模式，进展缓慢又无趣——但却非常有效。（许多这样的老课程现在都可以在www.fsi-langua-courses.net上免费在线学习。）

That primitive method has since been replaced by whizzy programmes promising easier progress.

从那以后，这种老方法就被承诺更容易取得进展的新奇项目所取代。

In the end, though, language is a skill more than a body of knowledge, acquired not so much by learning as by doing.

然而，说到底，语言与其说是一种知识体系，不如说是一种技能，与其说是通过学习获得，不如说是通过实践习得。

Put another way, learning a language with an app is a bit like getting fit with one. The device can guide you, but you still have to work.

换句话说，用一款应用学习一门语言有点像是适应一门语言。这个应用可以指导你，但你仍然要努力。

Duolingo, a popular "freemium" app, has bite-sized lessons and gamified exercises.

多领国是一款很受欢迎的“免费增值”应用程序，它提供小课程和游戏化的练习。

Babbel, an inexpensive subscription service, offers more structured lessons and useful real-world material.

Babbel是一个价格便宜的订阅服务，它提供更结构化的课程和更贴近现实的材料。

Busuu, another subscription, focuses on networking with other users.

另一款订阅服务，Busuu则专注于与其他用户建立网络。

The best thing such apps can do is get you away from your screen, and talking.

这类应用程序能最棒的部分就是让你远离屏幕，开始交谈。

Learn a bit, then try to escape family or roommates and articulate your thoughts about your day and your life:

学一点，然后试着避开家人或室友，清晰地表达你对这一天生活的想法：

J'aime la beurre. J'aime le pain. J'aime mon mari. Je n'aime pas le lockdown… It is better to repeat a formula to death than to move on too soon.

J'aime la beurre. J'aime le pain. J'aime mon mari. Je n'aime pas le lockdown......与其过早进行下一课的学习，还不如重复一个句型。