TED演讲:学习新语言的四个理由(3)
So for example, let’s take an English speaker.
拿一个母语是英语的人来举例。
Up on the screen, that is Bono. He speaks English. I presume he has a worldview.
这是波诺。他说英文，他有一个世界观。
Now, that is Donald Trump. In his way, he speaks English as well.
现在这个人是唐纳德·特朗普。他同样也说英文。
And here is Ms. Kardashian, and she is an English speaker, too.
这是卡戴珊，她也说英文。
So here are three speakers of the English language.
现在这里有三位说英文的人。
What worldview do those three people have in common?
他们的世界观有什么共同点吗？
What worldview is shaped through the English language that unites them?
英语塑造了什么样的世界观让他们有共同之处？
It’s a highly fraught concept.
这个问题很难说。
And so gradual consensus is becoming that language can shape thought,
逐渐达成的共识认为语言能塑造思维，
but it tends to be in rather darling, obscure psychological flutters.
但只是非常模糊的一种心理暗示。
It’s not a matter of giving you a different pair of glasses on the world.
它并不是能让你用不同的态度来看待世界。
Now, if that’s the case, then why learn languages?
如果这个想法不成立，那么我们为什么要学习外语？
If it isn’t going to change the way you think, what would the other reasons be? There are some.
如果外语并不能改变你的思维方式，那么我们学习的原因是什么？有几个理由。
One of them is that if you want to imbibe a culture,
首先，如果你想学习一个文化，
if you want to drink it in, if you want to become part of it,
如果你想吸收并让自己融入这个文化，
then whether or not the language channels the culture
那么不论如何，这个语言是否为此文化的载体，
and that seems doubtful — if you want to imbibe the culture,
或许有人会质疑，如果你想汲取这个文化，
you have to control to some degree the language that the culture happens to be conducted in. There’s no other way.
你就必须对这个文化使用的语言有一定程度的掌握。没有捷径。
英语正迅速成为世界通用语言，同步翻译技术也在逐年提高。那么为什么还要学习一门外语呢？美国哥伦比亚大学教授、语言学家约翰·麦克沃特分享了学习一门不熟悉的语言的四个好处。