We've had a sunny weekend here in Vancouver.

溫哥華的週末陽光明媚。

Temperatures have been cool, which is good, or not good, because I'm going up north tomorrow, going up to Manning, Alberta, northern Alberta, where it's probably going to be 25 or 30 below centigrade.

氣溫一直很低，這是件好事，或者說不是好事，因為我明天就要北上，去阿爾伯塔省北部的曼寧，那裡的氣溫可能會在攝氏 25 或 30 度以下。

I'm going to talk a little bit about what I would call, or the post that I made on my blog, the Linguist on Language blog, and that is to say that you don't need language instruction to learn another language.

我想談一下我所說的，或者說我在我的博客--"語言學家談語言 "博客--上發表的文章，那就是你不需要語言教學就可以學習另一種語言。

I just want to make this point, because I often hear people say that, you know, a teacher will say, you have to come to class to learn.

我只想說明這一點，因為我經常聽到有人說，你知道，老師會說，你必須到課堂上來學習。

Or, you know, it's all well and good to listen to the language, but ultimately, if you want to speak correctly, you have to have formal instruction.

或者說，你知道，聽語言固然很好，但歸根結底，如果你想說得正確，就必須接受正規的指導。

Or, I often hear, too, the statement that older language learners like formal grammar explanations.

或者，我也經常聽到這樣的說法：年長的語言學習者喜歡正式的文法講解。

They don't like things to be loosey-goosey.

他們不喜歡鬆鬆垮垮的東西。

So, let me address these issues here.

是以，讓我在這裡談談這些問題。

You can certainly learn in a classroom.

你當然可以在課堂上學習。

I don't think it's the most efficient place to learn, but it can be done.

我認為這不是最有效的學習場所，但可以做到。

But, it's not necessary.

但是，沒有必要。

I think the majority of people who have learned another language do it exclusively or primarily outside the classroom.

我認為，大多數學習其他語言的人都是完全或主要在課堂外學習的。

That has been true since the beginning of time, I believe.

我相信，從古至今都是如此。

And, it's certainly been true in my case.

我的情況確實如此。

Either people don't go to class at all, or the class manages to turn them on so that they go out and seek out other resources, things to listen to, things to read, people to talk to.

要麼人們根本不去上課，要麼上課讓他們興奮起來，從而出去尋找其他資源，尋找可以聽的東西、可以讀的書、可以交談的人。

So, the learning takes place primarily outside of the classroom.

是以，學習主要在課外進行。

I think it can take place entirely outside the classroom.

我認為這完全可以在課堂之外進行。

And, as I say in my post, there's three things that you need to learn a language.

正如我在文章中所說，學習一門語言需要具備三樣東西。

You need the motivation, you need the time, and you need to have some degree of alertness or attentiveness to what's happening in the language.

你需要動力，需要時間，還需要對語言中發生的事情有一定程度的警覺性或關注度。

So, the motivation, of course, is crucial.

是以，動機當然至關重要。

It's hard to learn something that you're not motivated to learn.

沒有學習動力的東西是很難學會的。

The time, and here, I think, you know, as I've said many times, the modern technology, iPod, iPhone, MP3 players, Internet enables us to get at the language in so many different situations so that we can use up a lot of dead time, which is certainly my case with my Russian study.

在這裡，我認為，正如我多次說過的那樣，現代技術、iPod、iPhone、MP3 播放器、互聯網讓我們能夠在許多不同的情況下學習語言，這樣我們就可以利用大量的空閒時間，我的俄語學習就是如此。

It's mostly dead time that I use.

我用的主要是死時間。

So, we can find the time.

所以，我們能找到時間。

And, of course, the motivation and the time are connected.

當然，動機和時間也是相關聯的。

If you haven't got the motivation, you won't find the time.

如果沒有動力，就不會有時間。

You'll say, I'm too busy.

你會說，我太忙了。

The other thing is noticing the language.

另一件事是注意語言。

And, obviously, listening a lot, you start to see some patterns.

顯然，聽得多了，你就會開始發現一些規律。

The brain starts to pick up on certain patterns just naturally.

大腦開始自然而然地捕捉某些模式。

However, you can do things to help you.

不過，你可以做些事情來幫助自己。

Flashcards, I think the things we do at LingQ with the highlighting in yellow of words that you've seen before can help.

閃存卡，我認為我們在 LingQ 所做的事情，即用黃色高亮顯示你以前見過的單詞，會有所幫助。

I find now that I'm more advanced in my Russian, talking to my tutor, and getting my report back with all of the things that I said wrong helps me to notice.

我發現，現在我的俄語水準提高了，與我的導師交談，並在我的報告中指出我說錯的所有地方，都有助於我注意到這些問題。

Correcting people's writing can help them notice.

糾正人們的書寫可以幫助他們注意到這一點。

Reviewing grammar can help you notice.

複習文法可以幫助你注意到這一點。

Sitting in a classroom can help you notice.

坐在教室裡可以幫助你注意到這一點。

But none of them individually is necessary.

但它們都沒有單獨存在的必要。

And I think the big thing there is to do those things that you like doing.

我認為最重要的是做自己喜歡做的事情。

So, if you like going to class, then that's fine.

所以，如果你喜歡上課，那就沒問題。

But formal instruction is not necessary, especially if you don't like formal instruction, which happens to be my case.

但正式的教學並不是必須的，尤其是如果你不喜歡正式的教學，而我恰好就是這種情況。

Now, I hear teachers say that the older learner must have this formal structure.

現在，我聽到老師們說，高年級學生必須有這種正式的結構。

But if I look at the case here in Canada with these adult ESL learners, who presumably, many of them will say, I need the formal grammar explanation.

但是，如果我看看加拿大的成人 ESL 學習者，他們中的許多人可能會說，我需要正式的文法解釋。

Well, if that's the case, why are they still sitting in a classroom?

既然如此，他們為什麼還坐在教室裡？

If that worked so well for them, many of them had 10 years of that kind of instruction, why are they still sitting in a classroom?

如果這樣的教學方法對他們如此有效，他們中的許多人已經接受了 10 年這樣的教學，那他們為什麼還坐在教室裡？

Maybe they should look at doing it some other way.

也許他們應該考慮用其他方法。

And we have had learners, adult learners, who have told me, whether it be with reference to Spanish verbs or trying, you know, getting, being asked to identify transitive and intransitive verbs in English.

我們有一些學習者，成年學習者，告訴我，無論是西班牙語動詞，還是嘗試，你知道，獲得，被要求識別英語中的及物動詞和不及物動詞。

And people, a lot of people dislike that kind of instruction.

而人們，很多人都不喜歡這樣的指導。

So, some adults may feel they need it.

是以，一些成年人可能會覺得他們需要它。

Some maybe do need it.

有些人可能確實需要。

Many who feel they need it may not have explored other ways of learning.

許多認為自己需要學習的人可能沒有探索過其他學習方式。

And many of them actually don't like it.

事實上，很多人並不喜歡這樣。

So, I don't think we can generalize.

是以，我認為不能一概而論。

And I think there also are teachers who consider that the, what is done in the classroom is a bit of a game just to amuse these learners.

我認為也有一些教師認為，課堂上所做的事情有點像遊戲，只是為了逗這些學習者開心。

And it's a game that both the teacher and the student play with not very much in the way of great learning taking place.

老師和學生都在玩這種遊戲，卻沒有學到多少東西。

Now, some teachers will say that.

現在，有些老師會這麼說。

Other teachers will claim that you can only learn in a classroom.

其他老師會說，你只能在課堂上學習。

And of course, I get into these great debates on this Listserv with teachers who feel you have to go to these, you know, structured linguistically sound TESOL programs where they do sociolinguistics and all this other stuff before you can help your students learn.

當然，我也會在 Listserv 上與一些教師展開激烈的爭論，他們認為你必須去參加這些，你知道的，結構化的語言健全的 TESOL 課程，在那裡他們會做社會語言學和所有其他的東西，然後你才能幫助你的學生學習。

And I say, no, I don't think that's the case.

我說，不，我不認為是這樣。

And there was research I mentioned again on my blog that in Japan, some Japanese students who were studying German actually did better just listening to stories.

我在博客上還提到過一項研究，在日本，一些學習德語的日本學生聽故事的效果更好。

They picked up more words just listening to stories than through more traditional language instruction.

與傳統的語言教學相比，他們通過聽故事掌握了更多的單詞。

And certainly that's been my experience.

當然，這也是我的經驗之談。

There was another point I wanted to make, but you know, I always, I launch into these things without any notes and sometimes I forget.

還有一點我想說，但你知道，我總是在沒有任何筆記的情況下就開始做這些事情，有時我會忘記。

Oh yes, there was the case in New Jersey or New York where in some high school they had these English as a second language students from somewhere in Latin America.

哦，對了，在新澤西州或紐約有這樣一個案例，在一些高中，他們有來自拉丁美洲某地的英語作為第二語言的學生。

And they found that if they gave them all iPods and had them listen to songs or whatever they like to listen to in English, that those kids got out of their English as a second language class after one year.

他們發現，如果給他們所有的 iPod，讓他們聽英文歌曲或任何他們喜歡聽的東西，這些孩子一年後就能從英語作為第二語言的課程中脫穎而出。

Whereas in a more formal sort of structured environment, the kids would stay in those classes for five or six years.

而在更正規的結構化環境中，孩子們會在這些班級裡待上五六年。

And I'm totally persuaded that if all the people who went to these ESL classes here in Vancouver, if they could be persuaded that their language learning was up to them and that the best way to learn was to be exposed to a lot of the language, to listen to stories, to watch soap operas, but with a little bit of system.

我完全相信，如果所有在溫哥華上 ESL 課程的人都能被說服，他們的語言學習是由他們自己決定的，最好的學習方法是接觸大量的語言，聽故事，看肥皂劇，但要有一點系統性。

In other words, it's not enough to watch something that you don't understand or listen to something that you don't understand and continue not understanding.

換句話說，看不明白的東西，聽不明白的東西，繼續聽不明白是不夠的。

It is necessary to put a bit of effort into trying to mine this content for words and phrases, which is of course what we do at LingQ.

是以，我們有必要花點精力來挖掘這些內容中的單詞和短語，這當然也是我們 LingQ 所做的工作。

But I remember too a statement once I was at a conference put on by the Vancouver Board of Trade or some organization, I can't remember which, for a group of Chinese immigrant engineers.

但我也記得，有一次我參加了溫哥華貿易委員會或某個組織（我記不清是哪個組織了）為一群中國移民工程師舉辦的會議。

Yeah, I think that the immigrant service organization Success here in Vancouver was also involved in this thing.

是的，我想溫哥華的成功移民服務組織也參與了這件事。

And a fellow by the name of Edwin Wong, who is the head of training and development for the British Columbia Employers Association, fairly senior guy.

他是不列顛哥倫比亞省僱主協會培訓與發展部的負責人，相當資深。

He's of Chinese origin.

他是中國人。

I'm not sure whether he speaks Chinese or not, but he told these engineers, and they were all complaining about that their credentials weren't recognized and so forth.

我不確定他是否會說中文，但他告訴這些工程師，他們都在抱怨自己的證書不被認可等等。

And he said, you know, the employers actually hire a lot of people from China.

他說，你知道，僱主實際上從中國僱傭了很多人。

They know which universities are highly rated, which are not.

他們知道哪些大學評價高，哪些評價低。

They understand what your credentials are worth.

他們瞭解您的資質價值所在。

The biggest problem is that you can't communicate.

最大的問題是你們無法溝通。

And what you really should do is you should read the cartoons, the comics in the newspapers and read them until you can understand them.

你真正應該做的是閱讀報紙上的漫畫和連環畫，讀到你能理解為止。

And when you can even understand the ones that have very, very few words, that means you've made it.

當你甚至能聽懂那些字數很少的單詞時，就意味著你成功了。

You can communicate.

你可以交流。

Now, those are the kinds of things that you're not going to learn in a classroom.

這些都是課堂上學不到的。

You're going to have to do that outside the classroom through a lot of listening and communicating and talking to people and so forth.

你必須在課外通過大量的傾聽、交流和與人交談等方式來做到這一點。

So I think I've kind of drawn down enough.

所以我覺得我已經畫得夠多了。

So I just want to reiterate then that do what you like to do in language learning.

是以，我只想重申，在語言學習中，做你喜歡做的事情。

And if you like the classroom, and I can see why many people would.

如果你喜歡教室，我知道為什麼很多人會喜歡。

It's very social.

它非常具有社會性。

Maybe you have a delightful teacher and you have friends.

也許你有一個討人喜歡的老師，你有朋友。

Go for it.

去吧

But it is not necessary.

但這並非必要。

You don't need to go to class.

你不需要去上課。

You don't need formal instruction in order to learn a language.

學習語言並不需要正規的指導。

And I'm talking about right up to a very, very high level of proficiency.

我說的是非常非常高的熟練程度。

That's my view.

這就是我的觀點。

I look forward to comments and criticism.

我期待著大家的評論和責備。

Thank you.

謝謝。