(单词翻译:单击)
情景对话
Jana: So we're talking about learning English. Has that worked for you in any other languages too?
嘉娜：我们之前谈了英语学习。你还学过其他语言吗？
Peter: Actually I thought about that question before and I started studying Japanese a few years ago. I shouldn't say studying because I haven't studied so much but for some reason my Japanese learning is very different to my English learning.
彼得：我以前也想过这个问题，几年前我开始学习日语。我想我不应该说是学习，因为我学的并不多，但是基于某些原因，我学习日语时和学习英语时有很大的不同。
Jana: How is it different?
嘉娜：有什么不同？
Peter: I've learned, the little bit of Japanese that I've learned, I've learned through listening mostly and having to speak or, you know, helping myself in daily situations. I haven't been able to master enough kanji and Japanese symbols to be able to read it well or to write it well at all. So I couldn't, like before I studied English, a lot of English came to me because I read so much but now I can't read in Japanese so I'm having to rely on listening mostly and how about you?
彼得：日语我只学了一点，主要是通过听力来学习，而且我也要说日语，这对我的日常生活有帮助。不过我没能掌握日语中的汉字体系，而且有关日语符号，我读和写都不太擅长。以前我学习英语时，我可以很容易的理解，因为我阅读了大量书籍，但是现在我看不太懂日语，所以我基本上是依靠听力，你呢？
Jana: Yeah, I learned Spanish in a similar way I learned English and that is I did study but I didn't think of it as studying. It was fun for me but I did a lot of homework and learning vocabulary and then once I reached a certain level then I went to Spain to practice but with Japanese I haven't reached that level yet and somehow I seem to have forgotten how to learn a language. It doesn't work any more so, yeah, I have been trying to learn Japanese for a few years but I think my brain has just become lazy.
嘉娜：我学习了西班牙语，也是和学习英语时用的类似方法，我虽然是在学习，但我并不认为那是学习。对我来说这是种乐趣，不过我要做很多作业，还要学习词汇，一旦我达到一定的水平，我就去西班牙练习，不过目前我的日语还没有达到这种水平，而且看起来我有些忘记要怎样学习一种语言了。我以前的方法不太有用了，这几年来我一直在努力学习日语，可是我想我的大脑变得越来越懒了。
Peter: It's interesting. Maybe our brains tackle every language in a different way, I don't know, because I'm also finding out it's becoming more difficult but maybe we're only getting older and that's maybe one of the reasons.
彼得：真有意思。也许我们的大脑用不同的方法来应对各种语言的学习，因为我也发现现在学习越来越难，可能是因为我们的年龄越来越大了，也许这是其中一个原因。
Jana: Maybe so.
嘉娜：也许吧。
Peter: Do you think age matters as you've, for language learning?
彼得：你认为对语言学习来说，年龄很重要吗？
Jana: I would like to say no but I think there are different factors. So, surely, when you're young you learn faster and I think especially because there's nothing else that's occupying your mind. You're just studying. Maybe you go to high school or even university so it's easy to take on another subject. So say I want to learn French or whatever, so it's just more similar kind of thing learning but once you start working and your brain is not used to that kind of input any more, I think then it becomes more difficult.
嘉娜：我很想说不重要，不过我认为有很多不同的因素。当然，年轻的时候学的更快，尤其是因为你当时头脑里没有其他事情。你只专注于学习。你在高中或大学时学东西很容易。比如，我想学法语，那只要学习就好，但是一旦你开始工作以后，你的大脑就不再适应这种输入信息了，我认为学习就会变得越来越难。
Peter: So age might have something to do with it? But I think though I had this old friend who started, he retired and then he started studying French and he studied French I believe when he was in his twenties but then he started working and gave up and then he started again and he could afford to go to France for three months and just learn and live there and he came back and at the age of sixty five and he was so much better in his French and he'd made some French friends, so I think it has a lot to do maybe with your motivation too maybe, your interest.
彼得：也许这和年龄有关？不过我有一个年纪大一些的朋友，他在退休后开始学法语，他在20多岁的时候学过法语，不过工作以后他就放弃了，后来他退休后又重新学法语，然后他去法国生活了三个月，去那里继续学习，他在65岁的时候回来了，他的法语进步了很多，还交了一些法国朋友，我认为学习和你的动力以及兴趣有很大关系。
Jana: That's right. I was just going to say maybe more so than age.
嘉娜：没错。我也认为相比年龄，兴趣的作用更大。
Peter: Yeah.
彼得：对。
Jana: Maybe when you're young you might be more eager to learn but if you have that same kind of motivation when you're older then why not?
嘉娜：也许年轻的时候，更渴望学习，那老了以后，如果还有这种动力，那为什么不呢？
Peter: Because a lot of people take up studying a language later in life when they have more time or maybe more money to spend on it.
彼得：因为很多人很晚才开始学习一门语言，在他们可以在学习上花费更多时间和钱的时候才开始学习。
Jana: That's right. OK, let's try a bit harder.
嘉娜：没错。我们再努力一些吧。
Peter: I think so too. Let's try harder.
彼得：我也是这么想的。我们再努努力。
译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载
重点讲解
重点讲解：
1. for some reason 不知为何；不知什么原因；
例句：But for some reason it's never worked out.
可是，由于某种原因从未成功。
2. rely on 依赖；依靠；
例句：Don't rely on Smith; he's as green as a gooseberry.
不能依靠史密斯，他少不更事。
3. take on 承担，接受(尤指艰巨工作或重大责任)；
例句：I'm going to take on the editor job next week.
我下星期要当编辑了。
4. be eager to do sth. 热切的；渴望的；
例句：The company is eager to expand into new markets.
那家公司急欲开辟新的市场。
5. take up 开始从事；喜欢上；
例句：He did not particularly want to take up a competitive sport.
他并不特别想从事竞技体育运动。
