对外语的热爱
For the love of foreign languages
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
大家好。这里是BBC教学英语的《六分钟英语》节目。我是尼尔。
And I'm Rob.
我是罗伯。
Bonjour, Rob!
你好，罗伯！
こんにちは!
你好！
Excuse me?
什么？
hola como estas？
你好！一切还好吗？
Oh, OK, I think Neil's saying 'hello' in different languages
哦，好的，我想尼尔在用不同的语言说“你好”，
– French, was it? And then.. Japanese? And… Spanish? Is that right?
第一种是法语，是吗？然后是日语？还有西班牙语？对吗？
Si, muy bien!
是的，不错呦！
The English are famously slow to learn other languages.
众所周知，英国人学习其他语言的速度很慢。
But it seems that Rob and I
但似乎罗伯和我，
- and of course you - our global audience here at 6 Minute English - are good examples of polyglots
当然还有你们——我们《六分钟英语》的全球观众，都是通晓数种语言的人的好例子
– people who speak more than one language, sometimes known as "superlinguists".
——通晓数种语言的人有时也被称为“superlinguists”。
People who speak multiple languages benefit from many advantages,
会说多种语言的人会受益于一些优势，
as we'll be hearing in this programme.
我们将在本期节目中听到这方面内容。
That word polyglot sounds familiar, Neil.
“polyglot”这个词听起来很熟悉，尼尔。
Doesn't the prefix – poly – mean, "many"?
前缀“poly”不是表示很多吗？
That's right, like polygon – a shape with many sides.
没错，就像“polygon”——多边形。
Or polymath – someone who knows many things.
或者“polymath”——博学的人。
And speaking of knowing things, it's time for my quiz question.
说到博学，是时候回答我的测试问题了。
The word polyglot comes from Greek and is made up of two parts:
“polyglot”这个词源于希腊语，它由两部分组成：
poly, which as Rob says, means "many", and "glot".
“poly”和“glot”，正如罗伯所说，“poly”的意思是“许多”。
But what does "glot" mean?
但“glot”是什么意思呢？
What is the meaning of the word polyglot?
“polyglot”这个词是什么意思呢？
Is it: a) many words,b) many sounds or c) many tongues?
是：a）多个单词，b）多个声音，还是c）多种语言？
Well, there's three syllables in 'polyglot', Neil, so I reckon it's b), many sounds.
好吧，“polyglot”有三个音节，尼尔，所以我猜应该是b)，多个声音。
OK, Rob, we'll find out if that's right at the end of the programme.
好的，罗伯，我们将在节目最后揭晓你的回答是否正确。
But leaving aside the origins of the word, what exactly does being a polyglot involve?
但抛开“polyglot”这个词的起源不谈，“polyglot”到底有什么意思？
British-born polyglot, Richard Simcot speaks eleven languages.
出生在英国的理查德·西姆考特就是这样的人，他能说11种语言。
Listen to his definition as he speaks to BBC World Service programme, The Documentary:
听一下他在BBC全球服务节目The Documentary中对这个词的定义：
A polyglot for me can be anyone who identifies with that term
对我来说，通晓多种语言的人认同这个观点
– it's somebody who learns languages that they don't necessarily need for their lives,
——他们学习的语言不一定是他们生活所必需的，
but just out of sheer enjoyment, pleasure or fascination with another language or culture.
而是纯粹出于对另一种语言或文化的享受、喜欢或着迷。
For Richard, being a polyglot simply means identifying with the idea
对理查德来说，身为通晓多种语言的人就意味着要认同那个观点
- feeling that you are similar or closely connected to it.
——感觉你的观点和它相似或联系紧密。
He says polyglots learn languages not because they have to,
他说，通晓多种语言的人之所以学习语言，并不是因为他们必须学，
but for the sheer enjoyment, which means, "nothing except" enjoyment.
而是纯粹为了享受，也就是说，“只是享受而已”。
Richard uses the word sheer to emphasise how strong and pure this enjoyment is.
理查德用“sheer”这个词来强调这种享受有多么强烈和纯粹。
As well as the pleasure of speaking other languages, polyglots are also better at communicating with others.
除了说其他语言的乐趣以外，通晓多种语言的人也更擅长与人沟通交流。
My favourite quote by South Africa's first black president, Nelson Mandela, is:
我最喜欢南非首位黑人总统纳尔逊·曼德拉的一句话：
"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.
“如果你用一个人听得懂的语言跟他交流，他会记在脑子里；
If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."
如果你用他自己的语言跟他交流，他会记在心里。”
How inspiring, Rob – I'm lost for words!
太鼓舞人心了，罗伯，我简直说不出话了。
Here's another: "To have another language is to possess a second soul".
还有一句：“学会第二种语言，就拥有了第二个灵魂。”
So language learning is good for the head, heart and soul
因此，学习语言有益于人的大脑、心灵和灵魂
– a person's spirit or the part of them which is believed to continue existing after death.
——一个人的精神或精神的一部分，人们认为它在人死后还会继续存在。
Yes – and what's more, language learning is good for the brain too.
是的，而且学习语言对大脑也有好处。
That's according to Harvard neuroscientist, Eve Fedorenko.
那是哈佛大学神经系统科学家夏娃·费多伦科的观点。
She's researched the effects of speaking multiple languages on the brains of growing children.
她研究了说多种语言对成长中儿童大脑的影响。
Eve predicted that multilingual children would have hyperactive language brains.
夏娃预测会说多种语言的孩子会有非常活跃的大脑语言区。
But what she actually found surprised her,
但她的实际发现却让她大吃一惊，
as she explains here to BBC World Service's The Documentary:
正如她在BBC全球服务节目The Documentary中解释的那样：
What we found – this is now people who already have proficiency in multiple languages
我们发现——那些现在已经精通多种语言的人，
- what we found is that their language regions appear to be smaller,
我们发现他们的语言区变小了，
and that was surprising…
那令人惊讶……
and as people get better and better, more automatic at performing the task, the activations shrink,
而且随着人们变得越来越熟练，任务的完成更加无意识，激活程度也随之降低，
so to speak, over time, it becomes so that you don't have to use as much brain tissue to do the task as well,
可以说，随着时间的推移，你也不需要使用那么多的脑组织去完成任务，
right you become more efficient.
你会变得更高效。
Eve was testing children who already have language proficiency
伊芙对那些已经具备一定语言水平的孩子进行测试，
– the skill and ability to do something, such as speak a language.
水平指的是做某件事的技巧和能力，比如能说一门语言。
Her surprising discovery was that the language regions of these children's brains were shrinking
她出人意料地发现，这些孩子大脑语言区正在变小，
– not because their speaking skills were getting worse, but the opposite;
不是因为他们的语言技能变差了，而正相反；
as they learned and repeated language patterns, their brain tissue became more efficient
随着他们学习以及重复语言模式，他们的大脑组织变得更高效
– worked quicker and more effectively.
——工作得更快且更有效率。
It's suggested that this increased efficiency is a result of exposure to different languages.
有人认为，这种效率的提高是接触不同语言的结果。
So that proves it, Neil: speaking many languages is good for the head, heart, mind and soul!
所以，尼尔，那证明了这一点：说多种语言对大脑、心灵、思维和灵魂都有好处！
You took the words right out of my mouth!
你把我要说的话都说了！
And speaking of words, what does the "glot" in polyglot actually mean?
说到单词，“polyglot”中的“glot”到底是什么意思？
Was my answer correct?
我的答案正确吗？
Ah, that's right. In my quiz question I asked you for the meaning of the word "polyglot".
啊，对呀。在我的测试问题中，我问你“polyglot”这个词的意思。
And I said, b) many sounds.
我说是，b）多个声音。
But in fact the correct answer was c) many tongues.
但实际上正确答案是c）多种语言。
You may be a polyglot, Rob, but you're not quite a polymath yet!
你可能是通晓多国语言的人，罗伯，但你还不是知道很多事情的人！
OK, well, let me get my brain tissues working by recapping the vocabulary,
好吧，通过回顾词汇让我的大脑组织工作起来吧，
starting with polyglot – someone who speaks many languages.
从“polyglot”开始，那是指能说多种语言的人。
The language centres in a polyglot's brain are efficient – they work quickly and effectively in an organised way.
精通多种语言的人的大脑语言中枢是高效的——它们以一种有组织的方式快速且有效率地工作。
Proficiency means the skill and ability to do something well.
水平指的是做好某事的技巧和能力。
And if you identify with something, you feel you are similar or closely connected to it.
如果你认同某物，你就觉得自己的观点和它相似或联系紧密。
Polyglots learn languages for the sheer enjoyment of it
精通多种语言的人学习语言纯粹是为了享受
– a word meaning "nothing except" which is used to emphasise the strength of feeling.
——“sheer”这个词的意思是“只是……而已”，用来强调感受的强烈程度。
So speaking many languages is good for mind and soul – a person's non-physical spirit which some believe to continue after death.
所以说多种语言对思维和灵魂都有好处——灵魂是指人的非物质精神，一些人相信在人死后它会继续存在。
That's it for this programme!
今天的节目就到这里了！
Bye for now!
再见啦！
Bye!
再见！