Note: I don’t claim that following these instructions will make you fluent. Fluency requires time and immersion. What this post will help you do is become conversant. You will be able to have a simple conversation, ask for directions, order at a restaurant, make small talk, etc. You will also be able to read fairly well with the use of a dictionary. Following these steps will give you a great base in a new language.
聲明：我不保證以下這些方法能讓你的外語流利。要想流利你需要時間和專心練習。但以下這些步驟能幫你用外語和人交流。你可以和外國人開始簡單的交談、問問路、訂個餐館、或者閒聊什麼的。你也基本上可以明白怎麼用字典。根據以下步驟你能有一個學習新語言的好基礎。
Course Materials
課程教材
The first step is acquiring the materials you will use to teach yourself. The first thing you need is an audio language course. This is essential for developing your basic vocabulary and, more importantly, your pronunciation.
第一步，你要找一些自學材料。有聲的語言教程是第一件，這對一開始給你基本的詞彙量、和塑造你的發音都非常重要。以日語為例，在國內很多人喜歡選擇它為第二外語。而我們自學的教材一般是《標準日本語》，現在它出到新版，比老版的內容有趣很多。但語法講地極亂！網校的N3全程班是我見過很適合自學的一個有聲網絡初級教程，按新版講、但因為有老師帶領，所以在發音和語法上都能在一開始為初學者打好基礎。而且網絡課程時間比較靈活、能隨時隨地上課，比較推薦。點擊免費試聽>>
The next thing you’ll need is a basic grammar guide and a dictionary for the language you want to study. This will help you understand the basic mechanics of the language and the differences and similarities with English. You will use this continuously as a reference.
第二件事，你要去找一本基礎的'語法指南和一本該門語言的字典（小編：不廢話！我要學日語還能去買一本法語字典啊……）。這些能幫你瞭解這門語言的基本架構，以及它和你母語的相似和不同之處。以後你會不斷用它做參考。
You should also get some interesting books in the language. For me this is a huge motivator because reading something interesting is much more rewarding than reading a text book. The way to go in the beginning is dual language books. This allows you to start reading great books without having to reach for a dictionary every other word. It is also great for learning idioms, expressions, and verb tenses.
你還應該去買一些該語言的有趣書籍（比如“達芬奇密碼”一類>>）。對我來説，比起讀教材，還是讀有趣書籍的動力大些。要起步可以買雙語的書籍。這樣你開始讀的時候就不會老查字典。同樣，閲讀也能幫你學到不少慣用語、表達方式和動詞時態。
Getting Started
開始學習
Once you have your materials you are ready to learn. Start off by doing the first lesson of your audio language course. Continue doing a lesson a day. You can do these on your commute or while you exercise to save time.
當你買齊所需的材料時，就要開始有聲教程的第一課了，堅持每天一課。你可以在上下學/班途中學習，或者在做運動時學習以節省時間。
In conjunction with this you should read your introductory grammar guide. This will give you a foundation in the language and help you learn the different parts of speech and their English equivalents. Don’t worry about memorizing every single rule. It simply isn’t possible. The idea is to get a general understanding first. This is the most boring part of the process, but don’t give up because it’s well worth it.
作為補充，你也要開始讀基礎語法指南。語法能讓你瞭解這門語言的基礎、幫你學習該語言與你母語的相同和不同之處。不用擔心記不住每條語法規則，因為要全部記住也不可能。要你去看語法的本意是為了讓你有個大致的瞭解。這部分大概會是學習中最煩人，但不要放棄，因為以後會非常有用。
Making Progress
進階學習
When you finish the grammar guide you will also have completed several days of audio lessons. At this point you will feel much better about your learning ability. You will know the important basic phrases and speak much more naturally. This method of learning is much more effective than traditional school teaching because you are actively engaged the entire time. The audio lessons force you to listen and speak more than I ever did in school.
當你把語法書看完，有聲教程的第一階段差不多也該學完了。到這個階段你對自己的學習能力就會比較有信心了。你知道了基本的表達方式、説的也自然多了。這種自學的方式比傳統教學更有效率，因為你完全投入在學習過程中。比起學校，這種有聲課程是在逼着你去多説、多聽。
Now it’s time to start reading those dual language books. Digging into some interesting material will build your vocabulary. Whenever possible always read aloud. This helps your speech, memorization, and makes you start thinking in the new language. I’ve found reading and doing the audio lessons concurrently enhances both experiences. During the lessons, being able to visualize words makes them easier to understand.
現在，是時候開始讀那些雙語書了。把自己完全沉浸在有趣的閲讀材料裏能大大提高你的詞彙量。如果可能，儘量大聲朗讀出來。這能幫助你提高口語、記憶能力和開始用這門新的語言思考。我發現跟着有聲教程走能同時增進我多方面的能力。學習的時候，詞彙被視覺化、能更好地理解記憶。
Don’t be in a rush. Read slowly and reread until you understand. Don’t hesitate to look up verb conjugations in your grammar guide. The same goes for the audio lessons. If you have trouble with a lesson, repeat it the next day. As the lessons get more complicated, I start doing them twice. The second time is actually more enjoyable.
不要急，慢慢讀、直到讀懂為止。別急着去查語法書弄懂那些動詞變化。在聽有聲教程的時候也記得如此。如果你在學某一課的時候感覺吃力，那麼第二天就再重複學一次。當課程變得越來越複雜，我就會聽兩遍。實際上第二次這個過程是很享受的。
Be consistent
要堅持下去！
It is extremely important to study for a short time every day. Daily repetition makes the language second nature. It is much better to read for a short time every day than to put in several hours once or twice a week. When you get a spare minute, try finding new things to read online. You will be surprised how good your comprehension is.
每天花一點時間學習是很重要的。（小編：老話怎麼説來着，三天不讀口生）每日的重複能使一門語言變得自然。堅持每天閲讀一小段時間，比每次讀幾小時、但每星期一兩次的效果要來的好。當你閒的時候，在線找一點新東西閲讀（比如最好的閲讀資源就在咱了，哈哈）。堅持下來，你會被自己的能力嚇到，呵呵。
After a few months of consistent practice you will really start to see progress. Beautiful foreign phrases will be stuck in your head, your pronunciation will be damn near decent, and you will be able to read and understand whole paragraphs. Once you make it this far, you’ll have some serious momentum going. You will understand more than you ever did in school and you won’t want to stop.
在堅持了幾個月後你就能看到真正的進步。那些漂亮的外語表達會迴盪在你腦中，而你的發音也會很接近地道，並且，這時你已經能讀懂整段整段的文字了！當你自學到這一步，你就會發現一些里程碑式的進展，你會比學校的正規教學進步很多，並且你就不會想停下來了。
Taking off the Training Wheels
學以致用
Eventually you will complete all the audio lessons and a couple dual language books. You’ll be able to read well with a dictionary and carry on simple conversations. You are now ready to spread your wings and fly. Start reading the greatest books in your language and use a dictionary when you need to. Find someone who speaks your new language and talk to them. Go to online forums for your new language and make an email buddy. If you can, plan a trip to a country that speaks your language and experience the local culture. If you are curious about another language, then start learning that too!
最終，你還是會完成所有的有聲教程、並且讀完好幾本雙語書籍。藉助字典你已經能很好地閲讀、並且能和人進行簡單對話了。現在就是你大展拳腳的時候。去找一些新學外語中最棒的書來讀、有必要時用用字典。去認識一些將這門語言的人，和他們交流。上網、去外語論壇（論壇有英、法、韓、日、德、西多種語言交流區，戳我進入>>）和大家交流、或者交一個外語筆友。如果有條件，乾脆到這個國家去旅行一趟，把學到的外語都用起來、也感受一下當地的文化。如果你對另一門語言也感興趣，還可以開始下一門！
Regardless of how you use your new language skills, you will have become a more educated interesting person. More importantly, you will have proven to yourself that you are much smarter than you thought.
不管你如何使用這門新的語言技巧，你已經在這個過程中變得更加智慧和風趣。更重要的是，你證明了自己比想象的還要聰明！
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