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Interpretation at a meeting
英语学习有感
在香港高校工作，我接触英语的时间比汉语多，沟通交流也主要是英语而非汉语，写作90%用英文。在公众号发帖，最近我用中文较多，是因为粉丝们多元化，不仅有大批英文老师，还有很多不能通顺阅读英文的学生家长。如果探讨英语基础学习，当以中文为首选。
一系列出差活动结束后，我总算找回了往日单调而宁静的生活。我的个人天性可以从八字中体现出来，地支四柱无冲，驿马逢合，所以喜静不喜动；如果远离居住的地方，多半是身不由己。
回想逝水流年几十载，我自幼就不爱热闹，畏惧与人交往。虽然我掌握了多门外语，但并不喜欢到处找人喋喋不休地练习口语，主要靠读与听的输入获得知识与技能。相信粉丝们从001BetterEnglish的帖子中早已发现：我从不强调英语口语。
不重视“说”，并不代表我的口语差；恰恰相反，学生们都知道我的口语如何。想当年我轻松荣获河南省首届青年英语电视大奖赛冠军、十四年大学英文专业教学、再加上十余年在国际顶尖院校从事口译笔译与担当大典司仪，粉丝们不用想也知道我的英语口语一定高于平均水平。因此，我所分享的学习经验对于广大师生和家长们具有一定的参考价值。
最近，挚友接到讲学邀请，请他去就英语教学改革的主题发表演讲。他可能比较忙吧，无暇欣然前往，我就打趣说请他“让贤”于我去越俎代庖，专门讲讲模仿、朗读与背诵的重要性，把小测模考“逆向改革”回归千年祖传的学习方法。
当然，那只是玩笑话。不过，学习英语的规律与我们掌握汉语古文颇为相似，“学习英语的正轨，不出仿效与热诵；仿效即整句的仿效，热诵则仿效之后必回环练习，必须能顺口而出而后已。”（--林语堂）。
我们不妨观察一下：包括英语老师在内的学习者们，有多少人每天认真模仿与朗读英语、阅读英文材料、收听英文播客、学习英文影视、使用英文界面的电脑与手机呢？如果这些都能做到，哪里还需要英语教学改革？整个义务教育阶段的《新大纲》，要求不过是两三千词汇量的最低水平，必须得通过眼花缭乱的各种“改革”措施才能实现？那样缘木求鱼的“改革”浪费了师生们多少时间与精力啊！想想就可惜。
个人还是建议学习者们回到学习的正轨上来，认真对待聆听、阅读、理解、模仿、朗读、背诵、思考，通过少量练习检测学习效果与进度，半年进行一次考试足矣。
有些家长可能会说：“我的孩子还小啊，怎样进行英语启蒙？”这个问题嘛，最好还是家长自己先努力一下，重拾大中小学英语，在家中营造英语学习的氛围，这是最佳的引导方法。如果家长自身能力不济，就有必要聘请英语高手专门指点。最近国家对教培的管控由严格转为宽松，所以还是可以找到较好的老师来线下或线上辅导。
学校里的英语教学问题，大家还是向李陆桂老师请教吧。我真不懂，不能妄语。
Reflections on Learning EnglishWorking at a university in Hong Kong, I use English more
frequently than Chinese. Most of my communication and 90% of my writing is in
English. Recently, I've been posting more in Chinese on my WeChat blog because
my followers are diverse, including both English teachers and parents who may
not be able to read English. When discussing basic learning, it's best for me
to use Chinese.After a series of business trips, I've finally returned to
my usual quiet and peaceful life. My personality, as reflected in my
astrological chart, shows a preference for calm over activity, and I only
travel far from home when necessary.Looking back over the past decades, I've never enjoyed
crowds or socialising. Despite my command of multiple languages, I don't like
practising speaking with others. I gain knowledge and skills mainly through
reading and listening. My followers on 001BetterEnglish have likely noticed
that I never emphasise speaking English.But this doesn't mean my spoken English is poor. On the
contrary, it is quite the opposite. My former students know how well I can
speak English. I won the provincial English speech competition, taught English
at various universities for fourteen years, and have worked as an interpreter
and MC at a leading international institution for over a decade. My English-speaking
skills are certainly above average, making my learning experiences valuable for
teachers, students, and parents.Recently, a close friend was invited to give a lecture on
English teaching reform. As he was too busy to go, I jokingly offered to take
his place and talk about the importance of imitation, reading aloud, and
recitation, advocating a return to traditional learning methods.Of course, that is just a joke. However, the principles of
learning English are similar to those of learning classical Chinese. "The
proper way to learn English is through imitation of whole sentences and
recitation until sentences spontaneously flow out of your mouth." (Lin
Yutang)Let's just look around to see how many learners, including
English teachers, actively engage in imitation, reading aloud, close reading,
listening to English podcasts, watching English media, and using English
interfaces on their devices. If they did, there would be no need for any
teaching reforms. The “New Curriculum” of Compulsory Education requires
learning a basic vocabulary of two to three thousand words. Do we need various
"reform" measures to achieve this? Such reforms waste a lot of time
and energy for both teachers and students.I suggest learners return to the basics: listen, read,
understand, imitate, read aloud, recite, and internalise. Teachers should refrain
from frequent testing and exams to check progress, as they are more likely to
discourage learners.Some parents might ask, "How should I tutor my children
in English?" The best approach is for parents to improve their own English
first, creating a learning environment at home. If parents lack the ability,
they may consider finding skilled tutors. With recent relaxed regulations on
tutoring, it's possible to find good tutors for offline or online training.For English teaching at school, you may consult Mr. Li Lugui
for advice. I apologise for my ignorance in this professional field.![]()
