美語情景對話 第917期:Learning Language 語言學習

Jana: So Peter, you also learned English as a foreign language, right?

嘉娜：彼得，你也是把英語作爲一門外語來學習，對吧？

Peter: That's right, yes.

彼得：沒錯。

Jana: It's not your first language? So how did you do it?

嘉娜：英語不是你的母語？你是怎麼學習的？

Peter: That's a good question. When I think back, I think, I try to think about the things that helped me most and I think it was a funny combination of things. I had one really interesting English teacher, she was really strict, but she was really interesting and I think she inspired me in some ways because her English was so good and I thought 'wow' that's really great. I wouldn't mind being able to be as good as her. The other thing that really helped me was reading like I really read so much in English. I think you mentioned, I remember you saying that too at some other point.

彼得：這是個很好的問題。回想一下，我想對我幫助最大的應該是各種事情有趣的事情。我的英語老師非常風趣，她很嚴格，不過她真的很風趣，我想從某些方面來說，是她激勵了我，因爲她的英語非常棒，我當時想“哇，真是太好了”。我希望我的英語能和她的一樣棒。另外閱讀對我幫助也很大，我讀了很多英語作品。我想你之前提到過，我記得你也說過這點。

Jana: Yeah, I think so too. I read a lot, not because I wanted to learn but because I like reading and so I read in English and later on I realized I must have learned a lot of vocabulary and things that I didn't even realize I learned.

嘉娜：對，我也記得。我讀了很多書，不是因爲我想學習，而是因爲我喜歡閱讀，所以我看了很多英語書籍，後來我發現這讓我學會了很多詞彙和其他知識，我都沒有意識到我其實是在學習。

Peter: I think yes.

彼得：對。

Jana: Just through reading.

嘉娜：通過閱讀學習。

Peter: Yeah, the same thing happened to me. My home had so many books in it, I was lucky I guess in that way and at least half of them were in English and when I discovered that there were books in the house that I couldn't get into and I was really into stories and reading, I felt so angry that I couldn't get into them so I said OK I'll start try and read them and I guess it started off there because then I started reading so much and it was really good for me in the end, I think.

彼得：對，我和你情況一樣。我媽媽有很多書，我想我非常幸運，其中至少有一半的書是英語書籍，我家裏有那些書，可是我發現我竟然看不進去，可是我非常喜歡看故事，也喜歡閱讀。所以我因爲自己看不進去這些書而感到非常生氣，我想“好，我要試着讀這些書”，我想就是從那時開始，我閱讀了大量的英語書籍，這對我非常有幫助。

Jana: So that was your motivation, you wanted to read those mysterious books?

嘉娜：閱讀那些神祕的書籍是你的動力嗎？

Peter: Yes and it was really good for me that way I guess.

彼得：對，我想這對我幫助很大。

Jana: That's interesting. You see people ask me how did I learn English. I didn't really have a plan, I just enjoyed English that's why I studied in my free time but I didn't think of it as something I have to do, I just did it for fun.

嘉娜：真有意思。有人問我怎麼學習英語。我其實並沒有計劃，我只是喜歡英語，所以我在空閒時間學習，但是我不認爲這是我必須要做的事情，我只是爲了興趣而學習。

Peter: I think so too for me. Also in high school I remember my classmates complaining about all the homework in English and they couldn't do it and they used to come to me for help and then I thought but hang on it's not, it doesn't feel like work to me, it just feels like something kind of fun.

彼得：我想我也是這樣。我記得上高中時，同學們都抱怨英語作業，他們都做不了作業，然後他們就會來尋求我的幫助，當時我並不認爲這是工作，我認爲這是很有意思的事。

Jana: That's right.

嘉娜：沒錯。

Peter: But I can't tell you where that fun started. I guess it has something to do with being curious about things that are written or said. Do you think so?

彼得：不過我也說不清是從何時開始產生興趣的。我想可能是因爲我很好奇那些書裏寫了什麼吧。你也這樣想嗎？

Jana: Yeah, I also sort of remember when I first became interested in English but later on when I met some people from different countries, I became more interested in communicating with them and, like you said, my teacher also inspired me. I enjoyed just chatting to her in English.

嘉娜：對，我記得我第一次對英語產生興趣也是因爲這樣，後來我遇到了很多來自不同國家的人，我想和他們進行交流，如你所說，我的老師也激勵了我。我非常喜歡和她用英語聊天。

Peter: Really?

彼得：真的嗎？

Jana: Yeah, it was basically fun. It was not studying hard for me.

嘉娜：對，很有意思。對我來說，這並不是努力學習。

Peter: Yeah, I suppose it's the same for me I think. I think when I got to university and I could read and write and my listening was really good in English but I couldn't speak so well at all and then I happened to make some English friends and they couldn't speak a word of Afrikaans or any other language so I was kind of forced to communicate with them in English and that, I think that really helped me too because I was forced in a way to be able to speak my mind and in the way that they could only understand so you know.

彼得：對，我也是這樣認爲的。我上大學時，我可以看英語書籍，而且我的英語聽力很好，可是我的口語不好，然後我剛巧交了一些英國朋友，他們完全不會南非語或其他語言，所以我只能用英語和他們交流，我認爲這也對我幫助很大，我不得不讓自己用英語表達出我的想法，讓他們明白我的意思。

Jana: Right, that really makes it meaningful doesn't it? You really need to, you want to express yourself so you have to try hard.

嘉娜：對，這真的很有意義，不是嗎？你要表達自己的想法，所以你要努力嘗試。

Peter: Yeah, and I remember this frustration. They would have these arguments about things that I was interested in and I wanted to join but I couldn't and so I just decided well I have to just do this. I want to talk so I'd better do it in English.

彼得：對，我還記得當時的挫敗感。他們會討論一些我感興趣的事情，我也想加入他們的討論，可是我做不到，所以我決定一定要做到這件事。我也想用英語說出我的看法。

Jana: That's right. Yeah, I think I improved a lot by talking to people from different countries, not necessarily native speakers but having friends from different countries and I wanted to communicate with them so, yeah, you just do it and you learn as you go.

嘉娜：沒錯。我認爲和不同國家的人交流可以提高英語水平，不一定和那些母語是英語的人交流，我也想和來自其他國家的朋友交流，所以要學習，去開口說話。

Peter: Yeah, I think so too.

彼得：對，我也是這麼想的。

譯文屬僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載

重點講解：
1. think back 回憶；回想；
例句：I keep thinking back to the day I arrived here.
我不斷回想起剛到這兒那一天的情景。
2. in some ways (某個)方面；(某)點；
例句：In some ways this sort of relativism strikes a progressive and reasonable note.
在某些方面，這種相對論有其進步和合理的地方。
3. start off 從…開始；從…着手；
例句：The story starts off with a lead.
故事用一段引子開始。
4. happen to do sth. 碰巧；湊巧；
例句：We happen to hold the same view.
我們兩人的想法不謀而合。
5. be interested in 感興趣的；有興趣的；關心的；
例句：He is interested in Eastern philosophy.
他對東方哲學感興趣。