用新语言来学习新语言

你是否注意到有些人外语说得非常好，但有时被某个词难住了？突然，他们会回到母语:“这个用语怎
么说？”虽然这是很自然的事，但在学习外语时这是最最无益的事。
你可能还记得那位在香港当首席执行官的迈克尔，他在学普通话。一天，迈克尔举起他的领带，用标准
的普通话说:“我的领带。”我们都听到了。
然后，发生了一件事。他的脸有点红，转过头来，用英语问:“Necktie 用汉语怎么说？”他自己的嘴
默默地回答了这个问题。你能看到他的嘴形是正确的，并说出了“领带”这两个 audibol。
显然，他知道用汉语怎么说。他大声说了一遍，静静地说了一遍，他的意识头脑还未弄明白事实。
用英语来问汉语对他来说是非常有害的。他失去了练习一个简单外语词组的机会，本来这个机会有助于
在头脑中挖掘记忆沟纹，从而帮他更自然地使用万能”短语和词语。
为了掌握外语，你需要反复地记住（直到它成为根深蒂固的习惯），你的目标是直接联系，从思想到词
语，再到思想，全都使用外语，不用母语作为媒介。就像任何新技能，尽最大可能去练习。
用新语言来学习新语言可以在很大程度上改变达到流利的速度和简易度。当你这样做时，是在大脑中铺
路，强化了外语的重要性以及学习的决心。你的记忆加强，并锻炼了达到完美表现所需的心理和生理肌肉。

Use the language to learn the language

Have you ever noticed how somebody will be doing credibly well in a new
language, then they'll get stuck trying to find a word? Suddenly, they drop back
into their mother tongue with something like: How do you say that in ____ ? Even
though it's such a natural thing to happen, this is probably the single most
unhelpful thing you can do when you're learning a language.
You may remember Michael, the CEO in Hong Kong who was learning Mandarin. On
one particular day, Michael held up his necktie and said, in perfect Mandarin, ’Wo
de ling dai'(my necktie). We all heard it.
Then, something happened. He looked a little red in the face, turned, and
asked, in English, 'What's necktie in Chinese?' Silently, his own mouth answered
the question. You could see the lips forming the shapes, and mouthing out the
audibols ‘ling dai’.
Clearly, he knew what to say in Chinese. He said it out loud once. and silently
once. His conscious mind hadn't caught up with the fact. Slipping back into English
to ask about the Chinese was doing himself a massive disservice. He lost a chance
to practise one simple phrase in his new language that would help to dig the memory
grooves in his mind and to become more automatic in his use of 'skeleton key'
phrases and words.
To master the new language, you need to remember, over and over again, until it
is already second nature, that your goal is to direct connect. To move from thought
to words to thought, all in the new language. No first- language mediation. And,
like any new skill, you practise with the performance that you language mediation.
And, like any new skill, you practise with the performance that you want.
Using the language to learn the language can make a major difference in the
speed and ease with which you accelerate towards fluency. When you do this, you lay
down pathways in the brain. You emphasise the importance of the new language, and
your determination to learn. You build memory. And you train the mental and
physical muscles that you need for a seamless performance.