Why is English so hard for a Chinese person?
为什么中国人学英语这么难？

 

获得132.5k好评的回答@Rebecca Ann Zimmerman：

I teach English as a Second Language in Taiwan, so I see native Mandarin speakers struggle with English every day. Below are some of the things my students do that make learning English more difficult:
我在台湾教英语这门外语，所以我看到说普通话的人每天学英语多费劲。以下就是我学生所做的一些把英语学习变得更困难的事：

Not having a clear idea of why they are learning English, or how to make a study plan to help them reach a realistic goal.
学英语的动机不明确，或者不知道如何制定学习计划来帮助自己取得实效。

When I ask them their goal, every single reply is the same: I want to be fluent in English.
我问他们学习目标时，统一的回答是：我想把英语说流利。

It sounds awesome, but it probably won’t happen.
这听起来很好，但不可能实现。

If you imagined yourself in a meeting with foreign colleagues; expressing your thoughts well, impressing others with your ideas; then, that's where you start.
如果你想象自己是在和外国同事一起开会；想清晰地表达自己的想法，让别人记住，那你就要从这个角度出发。

Start reading industry websites and blogs, watch videos or listen to podcasts to see and hear how people communicate.
开始浏览行业网站和博客、看视频或听播客看看听听人们是怎样沟通的。

Learn and know the vocabulary about your job, then join discussion groups and practice expressing yourself.
学习了解与你的工作相关的词汇，然后加入讨论团队并练习表达自己。

If you picture yourself traveling the world, making new friends, then do the same with travel shows, videos, blogs, etc.
如果你想象自己是在周游世界、交新朋友，那你同样要看旅行节目、视频、博客等等。

You probably won't, or don't need to be fluent, so relax and focus on your specific goal. Figure out why you want or need to study English and go from there.
你可能说得不流利，或者也不需要流利，所以你要放松，关注自己特定的目标，弄明白为什么你想或需要学英语，然后从自己的目标出发。

Learning a language is a journey- not a destination.
学语言是一个过程，而非终点。

If you are like my students, you have probably studied English for years, but still don't feel confident using English.
如果你像我学生一样，那你可能学英语很多年了，但仍然没有信心使用英语。

How can this be?
怎么会这样呢？

The more we do something, the better we will be, right?
什么事都是熟能生巧的，对吧？

If you study by memorizing words and grammar patterns; English will be hard and boring.
如果你通过记忆单词和语法规则学英语，那英语就会很难学很无聊。

Change your thinking and change your study method. Make English a fun part of your daily life and you will learn and enjoy the process.
改变一下思路和学习方法，让英语成为日常生活中有趣的一部分，你将学好英语并享受这一过程。

When something becomes a habit, we no longer think about- we just do it.
当一件事成为习惯时，我们不再思考，就只是去做。

Daily: Start with 10 minutes a day. Making daily contact with English depends on your personality and schedule.
日常：从每天10分钟开始。根据自己的个性和日程接触英语。

Schedule: Can you wake up 10 minutes earlier in the morning and read English aloud? Do you have 10 minutes on your way to/from work or school to listen to English, write in a journal, or use a learning app? Find your 10 mins each day.
日程：你早上能提前10分钟起床大声读英语吗？上班上学或下班放学路上有10分钟时间听英语、写日记或使用学习软件吗？找到你每天的10分钟。

Personality: If you're not very motivated, start with an app that will remind you to study. Challenge a friend or classmate to study for 10 mins a day and do it together. The point is: if you don't have an English environment, you can make your own. If it interests you, you'll stick with it!
性格：如果你不是特别积极的人，利用应用软件提醒自己学习。每天向朋友或同学挑战英语，一起学习10分钟。关键是如果你没有英语环境，可以自己创造。对英语感兴趣了就能坚持下去！

Good luck!
祝你好运！

 

（翻译：菲菲）