農村老太會說11門外語，學習外語是日積月累的結果

With 11 foreign languages under her belt, 68-year-old villager-turned tour guide Xiu Xiuzhen has become a celebrity in the town of Yangshuo, a backpacker mecca in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

會說11門外語的68歲的農村導遊徐秀珍成爲了陽朔鎮上的名人。陽朔位於中國南部廣西壯族自治區，是揹包客們心中的旅遊聖地。

Xu lives at the foot of Moon Mountain, a must-see tourist attraction in Yangshuo, where she has guided countless tourists. Her sincerity has won her the name "Mama Moon."

徐秀珍住在月亮山腳下，這是陽朔的一個必去的旅遊景點。徐秀珍在那兒帶過無數遊客，親切的她被遊客們稱爲“月亮媽媽”。

Yangshuo, known for its other-worldly karst landscape and the Lijiang River, has been drawing millions of foreign tourists since China opened its door to international travelers in the early 1980s.

陽朔超凡脫俗的喀斯特地貌景觀和灕江使其聲名遠揚，自從中國在80年代早期向國際遊客開放後，它吸引了數以百萬計的外國遊客。

The scenic town is home to many people who make a living by both farming and working as tour guides.

這個風景優美的小鎮的居民，多依靠農牧業和爲遊客做導遊爲生。

Over the past 16 years, Xu has taught herself 11 foreign languages, including English, Spanish, Japanese and Korean. In addition to making her incredibly popular, her linguistic prowess has made it easier for her to communicate with foreign tourists.

在過去的16年中，徐秀珍自學了11門外語，包括英語，西班牙語，日語和韓語等。這個會說多種語言的技能不但讓她十分出名，更讓她與外國遊客交流起來更便利。

"My peers are trying to pick up new languages to boost their business, but no one can catch up with me," she said.

徐秀珍說：“我的一些同行也想多學一些語言來促進自己的生意，但沒有人能趕得上我。”

But the polyglot farmer's success has been hard-won. She started learning simple English phrases 16 years ago, when Yangshuo's tourism industry started to boom.

但這位會說數國語言的農婦的成功得來不易，早在16年前，也就是陽朔的旅遊業剛開始起步時，她就開始學習一些基礎英語。

Illiterate, she was unable to read grammar books, so she had to memorize each word by its sound. But Xu seized every opportunity to talk to foreign tourists and tried to utter out her English.

因爲之前目不識丁，她並不能通過閱讀語法書來學習英語，所以她必須通過讀音來記憶每一個單詞。但是徐秀珍抓住每個能與外國遊客說話的機會，去說一些她學到的英語。

Constant communication and a sense of perseverance proved effective, and she was gradually able to express herself in English. The determined woman has since learned other foreign languages in succession.

頻繁的交流和毅力終於收到了回報，她漸漸地開始能用英語表達自己，這個堅持到底的農婦自此之後又接連學會了其它多種語言。

With her command of 11 foreign languages, Xu is one of the busiest tour guides in Yangshuo. Her reputation draws a large crowd of tourists every day, especially foreign visitors, who come to meet the multilingual guide out of admiration.

掌握了11門外語，徐秀珍成了陽朔最繁忙的導遊，她的名聲也爲她每天都招攬了一大批遊客，特別是一些對她敬仰已久特地來找她的外國遊客。

"More and more foreign tourists are coming to Yangshuo, and I hope they will feel at home here with my help," she said.

她說：“越來越多的外國遊客來到陽朔，我希望通過我的幫助，他們都能把這兒當成自己家一樣。”

Not content to simply serve as a tour guide, she now owns a popular restaurant and operates a reputable hotel.

不滿足於僅僅做一位導遊，徐秀珍現在還開了一家受歡迎的餐館以及一家好名聲的旅館。

Huang Yongzhong, director of Yangshuo's tourism bureau, said Xu's success has encouraged many farmers to follow suit.

陽朔旅遊局局長黃永忠說，徐秀珍的成功鼓勵了許多農民也開始追隨仿效她。

Official statistics show that 1.5 million foreign tourists visited Yangshuo in 2012, a number that has inspired local tour guides to jump on the foreign language bandwagon with hopes of achieving success on par with that of "Mama Moon."

官方數據顯示2012年有150萬外國遊客來陽朔旅遊，這個數字激勵了許多當地導遊去學習外語，希望能取得和“月亮媽媽”同樣的成功。

"What 'Mama Moon' does is a good interpretation of the Yangshuo farmers' shared Chinese dream -- to make life better by learning new skills," Huang said.

黃永忠稱：“月亮媽媽的行爲代表了陽朔農民的中國夢——通過學習新的技能來讓自己的生活變得更好。”

He added that the government supports local tour guides by providing frequent training on the laws and regulations of the tourism industry.

他補充道，政府會通過提供頻繁的旅遊業法規培訓來支持當地導遊。

Farmers in Yangshuo are passionate, sincere and hard-working, and this spirit will lead to more success stories like that of "Mama Moon," he said.

他還說：“陽朔的農民熱情、親切並努力，正是這種精神將會帶來諸如月亮媽媽那樣的更多的成功故事。”