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老實說, 早在幾個月前我就想寫一篇關於我如何學英文的文章. 起先是因為有格友問起, 後來也有格友誤以為我是在國外讀書學英文...那些好奇和疑問不禁讓我覺得還是要跟我的讀者們袒裎相見... 喔! 寫錯了! 是 "坦誠" 相見!

首先, 要先說我是土生土長的台灣人, 我從來沒有出國留學過, 也不是外文系畢業 (學歷只有高中畢業), 而我的英文能力完全是自學自修後的成果.

寫到這, 也許你會認為我哪裡來的資格跟大家分享學習英文的正確方法. 我可以理解你的疑問, 因為大部分的人都有種 "學語文最好是出國留學才厲害才會道地" 的想法! 沒錯! 如果你有錢有能力與機會可以出國或移民, 那或許你的語文能力會比沒出過國的人還要好! 但也有很多人出了國, 移了民, 英文沒學到, 反而學了廣東話或台語的都有～

那麼, 對於那些沒錢沒能力出國的人 (包括我) 要怎麼學英文呢 ?

現在台灣的英文環境比十多年前還要普遍許多, 很多的小孩從幼稚園就開始學雙語, 甚至多種語言. 父母基於孩子在起跑點不能輸人的心態下, 幾乎都希望孩子能夠學至少一種外語! 我只能說那種壓力對孩子有好有壞, 不過, 這跟這篇文章的主題無關.

我從國一才開始接觸英文, 但我對英文簡直到了痛恨的地步. 上課完全沒在聽課, 考試成績永遠是個位數, 英文是個我連猜都不想猜的科目! 就那樣, 擺爛了三年, 英文有學跟沒學一樣 ! 上了高中, 在高二那年, 英文課來了一位留美的代課老師. 她的教法顛覆了我對所有老師的刻板教學方式! 她採取發問和討論方式來刺激學生自我思考, 並要求學生分組比賽, 而不是跟隨著課本的沉悶課材來教導! 我知道其他同學有點不適應那種教法, 但對我來說卻非常適用!我開始專心上課, 努力積極地參與和用功考試, 我在課堂上付出後所得到的成就感讓我開始喜歡上英文! 只是, 好景不長, 她代了一年的課就離開了! 沒人知道我當時是有多麼的失望與難過. 雖然之後的英文老師教的課既沉悶又無聊, 我自己還是會努力自修來維持好成績!

那位女老師改變了我的人生, 很遺憾的是, 我卻記不住她的臉或名字. 我只記得她人很好又公正, 走路很有自信, 說話語調堅定.

除了一位好老師給了我學習的動機之外, 那幾年我媽雇用了一位印尼幫傭來照顧我大姊的小孩和幫忙家裡大小事. 通常我在放學後都會跟她在廚房聊天, 她一邊煮飯, 我們一邊聊天. 那時我的英文還是中式英文的程度 (用中文文法來說英文, 例如 : “You want what?”或著“In school, I am very fun!” 正確的應該是,“What do you want?”跟“I had a great time at school!”), 而她的英文也不是非常好, 但我會跟她聊同學和學校的生活. 在閒聊的過程, 我的英文也慢慢的在進步, 只是自身沒有感覺而已! 不管我們之間溝通的英文文法到底正不正確, 我們也變成了好朋友! 雖然現在我不知道她人在何方, 但我會永遠記得她.

另外, 我自己本身也很喜歡看外國電影 (浪漫喜劇居多)! 我常會去錄影帶店租電影, 在夜深人靜的時候用錄音機把電影裡的對話錄起來 (必須夜深人靜錄才不會有雜音, 也代表著熬夜是必須的. 我媽有時會下樓罵我不睡覺浪費電, 所以我必須停錄, 等她罵完後我才倒帶繼續錄... 好啦! 我知道我是不聽媽媽話的叛逆女), 然後在房間重複的播放. 只要是我喜歡的電影, 我也會看至少三遍才會還片!

或許你會覺得我是真的很熱愛英文, 因為我當初用盡方法, 利用現有的環境以聊天, 電影和英文歌詞來開始我學習英文的捷徑! 或許你會問: "為何我會喜歡英文?" 而我能給你的答案是: "因為我想旅遊! 因為我覺得能夠用自己嘴巴說出另一種語言是一件非常酷的事 !" 當初我學英文並不是為了將來的職業生涯所打算, 所以, 苦讀文法這種事我可是一點興趣也沒有 (到現在還是這樣). 也許是因為沒有苦讀過, 所以我的英文寫作能力還是無法寫出像新聞那樣的專業!

總之, 高中畢業後, 因為家裡的關係, 我毅然決定出社會工作 (我不是個愛讀書的人, 賺錢反而比較重要和實際)! 而我選擇的工作都是跟英文有關的. 例如: 西餐廳外場和吧檯人員; 雙語幼稚園和補習班的老師; 家教和翻譯的工作都做過 (我最喜歡的工作還是外場, 因為可以認識很多人! 雖然有些人很機車, 但外場的工作比較適合我愛好自由的天性!).

在工作職場上所認識的一些外國同事們和外國客人們因為機緣而變成朋友 (我的一些好朋友們都是外國人, 雖然他們現在人都不在我身邊, 不過網路發達, 保持聯絡不是問題!), 經由外國朋友們也認識了更多的外國朋友... 這就是為何我身邊都不缺外國人來練習英文的原因!

對我來說, 學英文根本不用出國. 就算台灣的英文環境無法像外國一樣, 時時刻刻都可以講到英文, 不過, 我除了碰到台灣人講中文之外, 大部分的時間都是在講英文 (我室友們都是外國人, 所以日常生活上的溝通也都是用英文)! 只要把自己生活中的大小事跟英文連結起來, 你的英語會話能力自然而然就會達到流利的境界! 重要的一點是, 你要敢開口! 不要害怕說錯就是個好的開始!

除了會話能力, 若要加強閱讀能力的話, 那可以先找些自己喜歡的短篇故事來開始閱讀. 如果你喜歡愛情喜劇的故事, 那就往那方面找. 如果你喜歡懸疑緊張的故事, 我相信也很容易找得到. 不過我個人覺得, 愛情喜劇對初學者較容易起步, 等閱讀能力更上一層後, 再嘗試閱讀長篇小說. 千萬不要剛開始就嘗試閱讀長篇小說, 不然很容易因為太艱難, 強烈的挫折感會令人產生放棄學習的想法喔!

至於寫作方面, 那要配合閱讀方面的練習, 這是一種相輔相成的作用. 多閱讀對寫作有很大的幫助, 如果你像我一樣不愛讀文法, 那你需要利用多聽多讀來加強你對多種句子的熟悉度! 基本的動詞變化能力還是要有, 剛開始或許你會用錯時態, 不過這種錯誤只要在多寫多讀之下就可以自我改正了!

大腦的記憶是可以很驚人的, 只要你重複的學習, 再難的語言都難不倒你 ! (我自己也會用英文寫日記! 雖然有些文法錯誤, 尤其是剛開始的那幾年... 我現在重看都看不懂當初自己在寫什麼呢!不過只要持續下去, 總有寫對的一天! 哈哈哈～)

還有腔調部分也很重要, 在這方面我也下過功夫! 在練習的時候, 我會自言自語, 但不是無意義的喃喃自語, 而是練習你之前所聽過, 看過, 讀過的句子! 在閱讀時, 我有時也會念出來 (千萬不要在公共場所做這種事, 人家會當你是神經病, 自己在家做就好! ), 聽聽自己所發的音到底夠不夠圓潤流利, 也可以嘗試模仿某個演員的腔調, 那對糾正發音都有幫助!

我認識十幾年的好朋友蛋餅是英國人, 當我們是室友時, 我的腔調也被他影響, 有好幾年我的英文都有英國腔! 另外也認識了其他國家的人 (加拿大人和美國人), 有一陣子我的腔調變成美國腔, 現在我想可能變成法國腔了 ! 哈哈哈~

哇~ 不知不覺又寫了那麼多...我試著長話短說吧!

在法國居住, 法文是一定要學, 所以我的英文能力比以前還要退步. 我不喜歡這種變化, 不過事實就是這樣! 語言這種東西不用就很容易忘記! 好險我開了部落格, 可以強迫自己加強英文寫作能力. 雖然有時會失去動力, 想擺爛不寫, 因為要注意文法很累, 但英文是寫給好朋友們看的 (因為我懶得再去開另一個專門寫英文的網誌, 所以我就將兩種語言放在一起. 我在這寫英文可不是要炫耀什麼, 千萬別誤會了!), 若不寫豈不是太不公平, 太對不起他們了! 不管如何, 繼續練習對我自己也有好處!

反正, 不管是學英文還是別種語言, 在學之前一定要有動機. 不管是想學起來罵外國人, 還是想交個外國伴侶, 還是想去環遊世界... 不管是哪一種動機都可以! 再來是興趣. 當有了動機卻沒有興趣幫助之下, 也許學習過程不會持久! 大家都知道興趣是無法強求 (但可以培養), 不過一但你將正在學的東西當成是種沒有壓力的興趣, 即使辛苦, 你也能容易地苦中作樂和苦盡甘來喔 !

P.S. 我只有高中學歷, 我沒有去考過任何證照來證明我的英文能力, 但為何當初能找到翻譯和英語老師的工作? 我只能說, 在這世上還是有不以學歷來評量能力的老闆!   另外, 如果你學英文的目地是為了出國念書, 想考托福之類的, 那我建議你還是努力用功讀英文, 額外時間再利用電影和新聞來考驗你的聽力和閱讀能力, 這樣效果會很好喔～ 如果能找到好老師教導那就更好了!

I started to learn English when I was 13 years old (junior high). It was one of the mandatory subjects, and I hated it completely. I never listened in class and my grades were always poor. English was my nightmare indeed. However, it all changed during my second year of senior high school. A substitute teacher who studied in the U.S. came to teach for a year. The way she taught was different from every other teacher I knew. She didn’t teach by the book. She always asked questions, and that forced students to think instead of parroting what the book says. I don’t know about other students, but it worked for me! I began to listen and wanted to learn more when she came to class. I started to enjoy learning English.

I was very disappointed and sad when I learnt that she wouldn’t be coming back for the next year (The teacher we had afterwards was quite awful and boring as hell!). She changed my life, and now I don’t even remember her name or her face. I remember that she was nice and fair to us; she walked confidently and talked firmly. That is all I can remember!

Besides school, my mother hired an Indonesian helper to take care of the house and my nephews for few years (family issues). I would talk to her with my then poor English (Chinglish), such as “You want what?” instead of “What do you want?” or “In school, I am very fun!” instead of “I had a great time at school!” My English was poor, but her English wasn’t very good, either. However, it didn’t matter how Chinglish my English was, we became friends, and I got pleasure from speaking a foreign language (I don’t know where she is or what she is doing right now, but I will always remember her)!

Furthermore, I love to watch English movies (mostly romantic comedy). I used to rent them from the shop, and I would record the sound with my tape recorder, and then listen to the movie dialogues repeatedly in my room (I would watch the movies I like repeatedly, too). We didn’t have a computer at the time and there was only one TV. First, I had to wait until everyone went to bed, so I could have the TV all to myself. That means I often stayed up late in order to do it. Sometimes, my mom would come downstairs and give me shit, so I would have to stop the recording, and then rewind the tapes when she’s finished with me (the tape in the recorder and the tape of the film)! It was such a task.

You must think that I have a great passion towards English, because it sounds like I would do anything to learn it. The thing is, I just thought that it was cool to speak another language, and I wanted to travel, too. I didn’t set out to make a career out of it, and I didn’t make any effort to study English grammar at all (still don’t). Maybe that’s the reason why my writing has no depth.

Well, I met some of you when I was working in Taichung, and I was still speaking incorrectly in English. I am grateful for your patience. I know my personality isn’t exactly “gentle”, so not only you had to tolerate my “awesome” temper, but you also had to bear with my shitty English grammar… That's how lucky I was to have you as my friends! (I think my English got a lot better when I was working in Taipei. Well, after all those years of speaking, listening, talking and reading, that was bound to happen.)

After senior high school, I've looked for jobs that require English ability so that I could continue to use the language. I’ve met quite a lot of foreigners through the jobs I had (mostly Canadian and British), and I became friends with some of them, and then I met more people through them (One shity thing about being friends with foreigners is that they leave and go back to their countries in the end). That's why I’ve had opportunities to speak English all the time, even though I was living in Taiwan.

To make the long story short, I learnt English through chatting, movies, music (lyrics) and writing in my diary. I’ve tried to read English books, and I started with short stories first; nevertheless, it didn’t last long (I prefer to have a chat instead of reading on my own). As for my accent, I practiced it a lot by talking on my own and reading the words out loud. The funny thing is, for a while, my accent sounded a bit like British; for another period of time, it sounded more like American. Now, it sounds like French (FUCK)! I have been living in France, and learning French is inevitable in this country. I have forgotten a lot of English slangs and vocabs over the years. I don’t like it, but that’s the way it is. When you don’t use it, you forget it! The good thing is, I have been forcing myself to write in English. It has been exhausting because of the grammar issues; still, I think I must keep doing it.

I know that my English isn’t as good as a native speaker (it will probably never be), but some of you gave me reassurance with your nice comment on my English, and I thank you for that. I think the only way to improve my English grammar is to study my ass off...Ha! It made me laugh just writing it. I would have done it years ago if it wasn’t a real pain in my ass! Honestly, any language’s grammar rule is like Greek to me! I can’t FUCKING understand it (Pardon my French)!!

Anyway, you will just have to bear with my grammar issues for now.