And then I met polyglots who always start by imitating sounds of the language, and others who always learn the 500 most frequent words of the language, and yet others who always start by reading about the grammar. If I asked a hundred different polyglots, I heard a hundred different approaches to learning languages. Everybody seems to have a unique way they learn a language, and yet we all come to the same result of speaking several languages fluently.
此外，我还遇到了总是从模仿声音开始学习语言的多语言者，从学习500个最常用词开始的多语言者，以及总是从学习语法开始的多语言者。如果我去询问一百个多语言者，我会听到关于学习语言方式的一百种不同的答案。每个人似乎都对学习语言有着独门秘笈，但是我们最终都能流利的说多种语言。
And as I was listening to these polyglots telling me about their methods, it suddenly dawned on me: the one thing we all have in common is that we simply found ways to enjoy the language-learning process. All of these polyglots were talking about language learning as if it was great fun. You should have seen their faces when they were showing me their colorful grammar charts and their carefully handmade flash cards, and their statistics about learning vocabulary using apps, or even how they love to cook based on recipes in a foreign language. All of them use different methods, but they always make sure it's something that they personally enjoy.
当我倾听着这些多语言者讲述他们学习语言方法的时候，我突然意识到：我们有一个共同点，那就是我们找到了享受学习语言这一过程的方法。所有这些多语言者在谈论语言学习的时候，都表现得像那是一种趣事。你们应该看看当他们向我展示他们多彩的语法表，专心制作的语言卡片，他们语言学习软件上的统计量，甚至他们是如何爱上用外文菜谱烧菜时，脸上自豪的神情。每个人都用着不同的方法，但是他们做到了让这件事情变成一种享受。
I realized that this is actually how I learn languages myself. When I was learning Spanish, I was bored with the text in the textbook. I mean, who wants to read about Jose asking about the directions to the train station. Right? I wanted to read "Harry Potter" instead, because that was my favorite book as a child, and I have read it many times. So I got the Spanish translation of "Harry Potter" and started reading, and sure enough, I didn't understand almost anything at the beginning, but I kept on reading because I loved the book, and by the end of the book, I was able to follow it almost without any problems. And the same thing happened when I was learning German. I decided to watch "Friends," my favorite sitcom, in German, and again, at the beginning it was all just gibberish. I didn't know where one word finished and another one started, but I kept on watching every day because it's "Friends." I can watch it in any language. I love it so much. And after the second or third season, seriously, the dialogue started to make sense.
我意识到，这实际上也是我学习语言的方式。当我学习西班牙语时，我对书本上的文章没什么兴趣。我想说，谁想学胡赛是怎么问去火车站的路的啊。对吧？相反，我想读《哈利·波特》，因为这是我孩童时期最喜欢的书，而且我已经阅读了很多遍。所以我买了本西语版的《哈利·波特》开始阅读，毫无疑问，最开始我几乎什么都看不懂，但是我坚持读了下来，因为我喜欢这本书，直到读完此书，我基本可以不费力的跟上故事情节。同样的事情也发生在我学德语的时候。我决定看我最喜欢的电视剧《老友记》的德语版本，同样的，最开始我基本上听不懂。我不知道一个单词在何处结束，另一个单词在何处开始，但是我坚持每天观看，因为这是《老友记》。我可以看不同的语言版本。我太喜欢这部剧了。在看完两季或三季之后，说真的，我能渐渐听明白对话了。
I only realized this after meeting other polyglots. We are no geniuses and we have no shortcut to learning languages. We simply found ways how to enjoy the process, how to turn language learning from a boring school subject into a pleasant activity which you don't mind doing every day. If you don't like writing words down on paper, you can always type them in an app. If you don't like listening to boring textbook material, find interesting content on YouTube or in podcasts for any language. If you're a more introverted person and you can't imagine speaking to native speakers right away, you can apply the method of self-talk. You can talk to yourself in the comfort of your room, describing your plans for the weekend, how your day has been, or even take a random picture from your phone and describe the picture to your imaginary friend. This is how polyglots learn languages, and the best news is, it's available to anyone who is willing to take the learning into their own hands.
在我遇到了其他多语言者之后，我才明白这一点。我们不是天才，我们也没有学习语言的捷径。我们只是找到了享受这一过程的方式，以及如何将语言学习从一项枯燥的学校课程转变为一项你不介意每天都做的有趣活动。如果你不喜欢在纸上写单词，那你可以在软件里面打单词。如果你不喜欢听无聊的课程材料，你总是可以在YouTube上或播客里找到任何一种语言的有趣内容。如果你是个内向的人，不愿意马上就和母语者交谈，你总可以和自己练习对话。你可以在自己的房间里，对自己说话，描述你的周末计划，一天过得怎么样，甚至是从你的手机里随便选一张照片，然后把它描述给你想象中的朋友。这就是多语言者学习语言的方式，而好消息是，这种方法对每个想要自主学习语言的人来说，都是可行的。
So meeting other polyglots helped me realize that it is really crucial to find enjoyment in the process of learning languages, but also that joy in itself is not enough. If you want to achieve fluency in a foreign language, you'll also need to apply three more principles.
所以，遇到其他的多语言者让我意识到在学习语言的过程中，找到乐趣是十分重要的，但是仅凭兴趣是不够的。如果你想要流利的说一门外语，还需要遵守三大准则。
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