1。Enthusiasm熱情

It always starts like this… Whether you did it for fun or necessity， you probably struck out on this path with good intentions， high motivation and a spectacular fireworks show of new insights。 A good start is half the battle!

開始的時候總是這樣的，不管你是出于興趣還是出于需要，學習新語言的時候你都是滿心好奇，充滿興致。不管怎么說，好的開始就已經成功了一半了呀!

2。Obsession癡迷

Then comes the brief period in which it seems like your entire existence revolves around the effort to penetrate this new language and culture。 I don’t know if that’s ever happened to you， but it’s always that way for me。 When I learned French， everything I did had to shimmer with Parisian elegance。

有那么一段時間，你會完全沉溺于新的語言及其所屬的文化中。我不知道你是否有這種感覺，但是我經歷過。當我開始學習法語后不久，我的生活中到處都充斥著法式優雅，我的衣柜里都是條紋襯衫，我的書架上都是法國作家和導演的作品。你覺得這有些夸張?可能吧，但我要學的不只是法語，還有一切與法語有關的事!

3。Discomfort苦惱

After the manic phase is over， the time comes for the actual language learning to begin。 And it’s exactly at this point that the first setbacks emerge。 You’ll first be overcome with a feeling of sheer panic… because nothing you learn seems to stay in your memory。 The words seem so different than anything familiar to you and you can’t make any connection between them。 Not to mention the many verb forms。 It’s at this stage that you’ll feel the temptation to simply disappear and leave it all behind。

在狂熱階段過去之后，才是語言學習的真正開始。在這時，第一道障礙出現了，你開始感到不安，因為你發現你沒有辦法記住你所學的新知識，你記不住那些單詞，更別提那些動詞形式了。在這個階段，你會發現學習的動力開始消失了。

4。Shyness不敢開口

We all know that the key to fast progress when learning a language is practice – preferably with a native speaker。 Sounds easy。 But putting this knowledge into practice is something totally different。 In truth we’re all incurably shy， and it’s hard for us to get past ourselves and show our vulnerable sides。 The secret is to always ask yourself， “What could happen if I make a mistake?” The answer： nothing terrible!

我們都知道“熟能生巧”是語言學習的必經之途，尤其是和以該種語言為母語的人交流。但是這并不容易，因為這意味著要想別人展示自己的不足之處。每當這時候，你可以問問自己：“如果我說錯了會發生什么?”然后回答：“總不會發生壞事。”

5。Lack of Understanding缺乏理解

It usually goes something like this： you’ve finally found the courage to jump in the deep end。 You’ve rehearsed everything you want to say over and over in your head and even practiced in front of the mirror so you look as cool as possible when you say it。 You finally get the opportunity to use your knowledge on the lady at the register， on a passerby or on the waiter at the restaurant。 You already imagine emerging from your conversation bursting with pride。 But what happens instead? After listening to your well-thought-out sentence with a big smile， your conversation partner answers and… you don’t understand a thing!

好了，你終于鼓氣勇氣要開口了。你已經在腦海中預演了無數遍你要說的話，也對著鏡子練習了好幾遍，你覺得已經萬無一失了。你找到機會和外國人交流，當你充滿自信、面帶微笑的說出你想說的話，你卻發現······你聽不懂對方的回答!

6。Frustration沮喪

Now comes a truly critical phase。 “How can it be?” you ask yourself sadly。 “I’ve been learning this language for months and don’t understand a thing when someone speaks to me。 I have absolutely no talent for languages。 That’s it! I’m done!”

之后，你就捶胸頓足的問自己“為什么會這樣”。我都學好幾個月了，為什么別人跟我說話是，我還是聽不懂。我肯定沒有語言天賦，算了。

7。Revelation新的發現

And then something magical happens。 It happens unexpectedly when you’ve given up all hope： suddenly you understand! Everything seems to be in order and you no longer have thoughts of trying to escape when asking a random stranger something on the street。 Off you go! It’s all downhill from here!

然而，當你已經絕望到要放棄時，神奇的事情發生了。突然你能聽懂了!一切都順理成章，你不再逃避和外國人交流，在大街上隨便找個人說話也沒問題。一切變得好起來了。

8。Excitement興奮

At this point you’re suddenly sociable and your shyness is all but gone。 You talk and talk and aren’t afraid of anything。 Isn’t it great? Just don’t let go of the reins now， because there always lurks the danger of…

這時你就拋開害羞，樂于交際了。你滔滔不絕，無所畏懼，這看起來挺好的，但是千萬別就此變成一匹脫韁的野馬，因為危機無處不在。

9。Embarrassment尷尬

You feel so safe that no one and nothing can stop you。 And it’s exactly at this point that the most embarrassing – but also funniest – things happen。 A falsely-used word， one verb in the place of another， a saying that actually doesn’t exist in that language。 But have no fear： you learn from your mistakes， and this is how you progress along the way。

你覺得萬無一失，無所阻擋，往往就在這時會發生一些尷尬又有趣的事情——用詞不當、亂用熟語······但是不要因此膽怯，吃一塹長一智，你將由此獲得進步。

10。Triumph!勝利

It’s done： the new language doesn’t hold any more secrets from you。 You understand everything and can speak without difficulty。 You can even laugh at the mistakes that just a short time ago were so frustrating。 Great job! As we said earlier， the most important thing is to keep at it!

這門新語言對你來說已經不算什么了!你能聽懂別人說的話，流利地表達自己的想法，你甚至能對不久前讓你沮喪不已的錯誤一笑置之。太棒了!就像我們之前說的那樣，最重要的是堅持不懈!