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Living in lockdownhas led many people to undertake some self-improvement.
隔離在家讓許多人開始進(jìn)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計劃外，一些人選擇了學(xué)習(xí)項目——比如學(xué)習(xí)或掌握一門外語。
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.
這種互動技能可能不適合獨(dú)自磨煉。但在隔離期間學(xué)習(xí)一門語言要比過去容易得多。
One summer many years ago, as he spent many hours driving alone to work,
很多年前的一個夏天，當(dāng)時本刊專欄作家還需要花很多時間獨(dú)自開車去上班，
your columnist learned French with the help of an ancient course developed to train American diplomats.
他參加了一門課程，學(xué)會了法語，該課程是為培訓(xùn)美國外交官而開設(shè)。
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:
課本很簡單，磁帶的技術(shù)含量也很低；課程概念設(shè)置不高。練習(xí)中，不必要的重復(fù)也很多：
Mon frere va bien. Mon pere va bien. Mon fils va bien.
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, 磁帶有間隔地重復(fù)著。（哥哥很好。我父親很好……）
There was method in this drudgery. The skeleton of the sentence was drummed in, with just one word changing: Mon X va bien.
做這種沉悶的工作是有方法的。反復(fù)灌輸句子的框架結(jié)構(gòu)，只改變句子中的一個單詞：Mon X va bien。
Next, another variable was altered. A new list of six sentences cited feminine nouns instead: Ma Z va bien.
接下來，另一個變量被改變了。新的六個句子中名詞換成了陰性名詞：Ma Z va bien。
With little instruction, the variation between feminine and masculine was pounded home.
在沒有指導(dǎo)的情況下，反復(fù)強(qiáng)調(diào)陰性和陽性名詞。
It was slow, not much fun—and incredibly effective. (Many of these old courses are now free online at www.fsi-language-courses.net.)
這種模式，進(jìn)展緩慢又無趣——但卻非常有效。（許多這樣的老課程現(xiàn)在都可以在www.fsi-langua-courses.net上免費(fèi)在線學(xué)習(xí)。）
That primitive method has since been replaced by whizzy programmes promising easier progress.
從那以后，這種老方法就被承諾更容易取得進(jìn)展的新奇項目所取代。
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，說到底，語言與其說是一種知識體系，不如說是一種技能，與其說是通過學(xué)習(xí)獲得，不如說是通過實踐習(xí)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.
換句話說，用一款應(yīng)用學(xué)習(xí)一門語言有點(diǎn)像是適應(yīng)一門語言。這個應(yīng)用可以指導(dǎo)你，但你仍然要努力。
Duolingo, a popular "freemium" app, has bite-sized lessons and gamified exercises.
多領(lǐng)國是一款很受歡迎的“免費(fèi)增值”應(yīng)用程序，它提供小課程和游戲化的練習(xí)。
Babbel, an inexpensive subscription service, offers more structured lessons and useful real-world material.
Babbel是一個價格便宜的訂閱服務(wù)，它提供更結(jié)構(gòu)化的課程和更貼近現(xiàn)實的材料。
Busuu, another subscription, focuses on networking with other users.
另一款訂閱服務(wù)，Busuu則專注于與其他用戶建立網(wǎng)絡(luò)。
The best thing such apps can do is get you away from your screen, and talking.
這類應(yīng)用程序能最棒的部分就是讓你遠(yuǎn)離屏幕，開始交談。
Learn a bit, then try to escape family or roommates and articulate your thoughts about your day and your life:
學(xué)一點(diǎn)，然后試著避開家人或室友，清晰地表達(dá)你對這一天生活的想法：
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......與其過早進(jìn)行下一課的學(xué)習(xí)，還不如重復(fù)一個句型。
譯文由可可原創(chuàng)，僅供學(xué)習(xí)交流使用，未經(jīng)許可請勿轉(zhuǎn)載。
