看看老外怎么学英文:一个歪国英语学习者的自白

I am often asked by learners, including my clients, what is the best way to practise and consequently improve their English Language skills. My response often varies depending on who the learner is. I try to advise them taking into account their learning methods, general interests and time they have available to dedicate to their learning.
经常有学习者问我如何学英文，他们当中也包含我的客户，那么练习和提高英语语言技巧的最佳方法是什么呢？我的回答是取决于学习者是谁。我试着建议他们考虑自己的学习方法，兴趣爱好和能花费在学习上的时间成本。

However, I feel that great advice to learners can also come from other learners and not just teachers. There isn’t only one approach to learning a language and whilst a teacher/coach can provide the tools to facilitate learning, ultimately it’s up to the learner to work out what works for them.
但是，我也意识到真正好的建议也许来自于学习者本身而非老师。学习英文并非只有一个办法，而老师或教练只是起到提供工具促进学习的作用，最终学习效果如何只能取决于学习者个人感觉哪种方法是行之有效的。

So I decided to ask some of my clients if they would be willing to share their experiences of learning and practising their language and what tips they would offer their fellow learners in the form of a guest post on this blog.
于是我决定来问问我的一些学员是否愿意分享他们学习练习语言的经验，我邀请他们做为我博客的嘉宾来给其它学习同伴分享一些学习技巧。

The first client I asked was Alessandra who seized the opportunity with great enthusiasm. I have been teaching Alessandra online for just under a year. She is a corporate lawyer based in Milan. We have a conversation class once a week. Alessandra is passionate about learning the English Language and is a joy to teach.
第一位学员是Alessandra，她对于此事抱有极大的热情。我在线教Alessandra英语已有一年。她在一家米兰的公司做律师。我们每周一次对话课程。Alessandra对学习英文充满热情而且她也愿意分享。

I have pleasure in introducing you to Alessandra.
在此我很荣幸的把Alessandra介绍给大家。

Alessandra

I’ve been asked by my lovely English teacher, Shanthi to write about my learning process and what makes it ( hopefully) a success and – above all- a pleasure.
我敬爱的老师Shanthi邀请我分享一些我个人的学习过程以及我是如何成功达到目标的，总而言之，我感到很荣幸。

I studied English for 8 years at school – a long time ago. After graduating from university, I tried not to lose my English but it was not always easy. I didn’t have classes or online courses until 2012 when a South African company took over the company I was working for and my boss organized a two- month English course for all the directors of the board. On that occasion, I found out that I remembered something and could speak, but I was no longer able to listen to the radio or watch TV and really understand the language. What a disappointment!
很久以前，我在学校里学习英文长达8年之久。当我从大学毕业后，我试图不丢下英文，然而我发现这很难实现。在这之前我都是没有任何英语课程或在线课程的，直到2012年，我所在的公司被一家南非公司收购，新老板为公司董事会所有管理者组织一个为期2个月的英语课程。从那次以后，我突然发现我能记住一些英文而且还能开口说英文，但我却无法用英文听广播，看电视，没有办法真正理解这门语言。多么令人失望啊！

First of all, I must say that I’m a mature student. I have a job, a family, a life to live, but about a year ago I started to feel the need to improve my English, that used to be good but not perfect. I wanted to be understood when abroad, to write an e- mail without panicking and to understand most of (not all) the contents of a newspaper. So, I set out to do 3 things which I believe is what my fellow learners should do.
首先，我必须要说我是一个很成熟的学生。我有工作，有家庭，有自己的生活要过，我的英文之前虽不算完美但是也是不错的。但是一年前我开始感受到我还是需要提高我的英文。我希望我出国时别人能听懂我说话，发邮件时不用感到恐慌，看报纸时至少大部分内容能看懂（我不要求全部）。于是，我决定做三件事，我想我的英语学习同僚们也应该这样做。

1.Find a teacher找一个老师

The teacher is, in fact, essential to your learning process. He or she must understand your needs and keep your interests high and your enthusiasm alive, especially when you’re tired or discouraged.
事实上，老师是你学习过程中必不可少的一部分。他或她必须明白你的学习目的，保持你的学习兴趣高涨，维护你的学习热情，尤其是当你感到累了或泄气的时候。

Your teacher must know what to do or what not to do to make you feel confident and still eager to learn.
老师必须知道如何使你感到自信并渴望学习，什么能做，什么不能做，你的老师都要清楚。

2.Find something you like and do it in English挖掘你喜欢做的事情，然后用英文去做

The second advice I want to share with my fellow students is this: find something you really like and do it in english.
我想分享给同胞的第二条经验是：发现你热衷做的事情，然后用英文去做。

I love TV dramas, biopics, TV series and entertainment shows like Graham Norton or The David Letterman Show. I started to watch them in English with Italian subtitles, then with English subtitles and, now, I watch them without subtitles!
我喜欢看电视剧，传记片，娱乐节目，比如格拉汉姆.诺顿，戴维脱口秀。于是我开始看英文版带意大利语字幕的这类节目，之后看带英文字幕的，现在，我看不带字幕的。

After a while I found myself able to capture the deeper meaning of the dialogue and, as an old Italian proverb says, ‘I’ve started to understand not only the language but the culture behind it (the dialogue)’.
经过一段时间，我发现我可以理解对话中更深层的意义，正如一句古老的意大利谚语所说：“我开始从对话中理解埋藏在语言表面下的深层文化内涵。”

3. Establish a routine建立程序

I have an “English” routine. Just as athletes run or swim every day not to lose their fitness, I watch English TV every evening. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Downton Abbey or The Graham Norton Show, I just feel better if I listen to or watch just a little bit of my favourite programmes.
我有一套自己的英语”例行公事“。就像运动员每天跑步或游泳以保持身材，我每天晚上看英语电视节目。无论是《唐顿庄园》还是《格拉汉姆.诺顿》，只要我看一下，哪怕是一点点我喜欢的节目，我就感觉非常不错。

When I feel too tired to deal with something new, I simply watch an episode or an interview I’ve already seen and liked, in order to enjoy myself without being a lazy student.
当我感觉很累不想处理事情时，我会看一看之前看过的比较喜欢的电视剧片段或采访，这样做的目的是使自己在享受的同时不至于变成懒学生。

Learning English seriously  (like old age) is not for sissies, so come on, get to work and very soon you’ll find yourself captured by the new, different, amazing and fascinating world of words.
学习英文严格的说（像年龄稍大些）不是胆小鬼的游戏，所以加油朋友，赶快开始行动起来，很快你就会发现自己沉浸在一个新的与众不同的，美妙无比的文字世界里。

Thank you so much to Alessandra for taking the time to write this post and sharing her learning journey.
非常感谢Alessandra花时间与大家分享她的学习旅程。

If you would like to share your learning journey and any tips that you feel have worked or work for you with me and my readers, I would be thrilled to hear from you. Simply drop me a line here and we can work out a plan.
如果你也想分享你的学习之旅和对你行之有效的学习技巧给我和我的读者，我很期待收到您的来信。简单的留一句言我们就能做出一个计划。