大多數(shù)中國人學(xué)英文的過程都有一種「磨難」之感。也許有極少數(shù)的人自幼即得天獨厚，沒有感受到背生字、記文法、苦練發(fā)音等等是一樁苦事，相信那絕對是少數(shù)。
For most of us, learning English was an enduring experience. Except for the gifted few, we all suffered. We all have had a lot of trial and tribulation in the process. We all went through the dreadful chores of memorizing words and studying grammar. And, of course, there was always that awful pronunciation drills.
我沒有研究過別的國家的年輕人在學(xué)外國語文時會不會跟我們學(xué)英文一樣苦，但是我認(rèn)識幾位必須修拉丁文的英國同學(xué)，其苦況和我在大學(xué)讀楚辭和尚書時的感受非常之相像 －文字既看不懂；內(nèi)容也很陌生。
I haven’t done any research and don’t know if young people in other countries suffer as much when they learn a foreign language. But I do know a few British friends who have to take Latin. It isn’t a time of joy and comfort for them – the language is archaic and content exotic. I feel for them for I went through the same thing when I was studying "Poetry of the South" and “The book of History” in college.
若從這個角度來看問題，凡學(xué)一種外國語文，首先必須看清它的應(yīng)用層面有二︰
(一)它是一種工具－一種認(rèn)知其他「實體內(nèi)容」的一種工具或手段，也可以說，它是本國語文以外的另一種專供傳播用的「符號」。
(二)它是一種「內(nèi)容實體」。例如讀英文版的「低溫物理學(xué)」、「神經(jīng)生理學(xué)」，文字與語言所占的角色是很次要的。
The suffering can be mitigated if, at the outset, a learner understands that a foreign language serves two functions:
1. It is a tool, a means to learn the “content” of the material one is reading. In other words, a foreign langue, just like one’s mother tongue, is a system of symbols for communication.
2. It forms the content itself, like English edition of “Low-Temperature Physics” or “Nerve Physiology.” In this case, the role of language and style is only secondary.
偶然也有第三種層面出現(xiàn)－例如兩位外交官在密商一件條約；或兩位劇作家在討論一個劇本(當(dāng)然是國籍不同，而一方或雙方都必須使用其母語以外的語文時)，這時候，被使用的那種外國文字就必須在第一和第二兩個層面都能發(fā)生作用才行。這是第一與第二兩種層面的重疊使用，是「外文」的境界。
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可惱的是︰當(dāng)我們做學(xué)生，開始學(xué)英文時，從來不曾有老師給過我們這麼清楚的導(dǎo)向。絕大多數(shù)的大學(xué)二年級的學(xué)生，雖然從初一到大一業(yè)已苦讀了七年英文，可是既不能流利的講，更談不上寫。能讀的也不多。如果有少數(shù)幾個能夠把他所「熟悉的內(nèi)容」翻譯成中文的，那就很了不起了。我之所以特別提出「熟悉的內(nèi)容」，因為他實在沒有能力翻譯他所不熟悉的內(nèi)容。
What irks me is that, when we started learning English in school, we were never given such clear guidance. We all labored for a total of seven years – from grade seven to freshman year in college. But we can neither speak fluently nor write effectively. A few have learned to read. It’s a marvel that some can translate a few familiar English fragments. I want to emphasize the word “familiar” for it’d be otherwise beyond their capability.
這種現(xiàn)象多年以來已引起廣泛的討論－眾信我們的英文教學(xué)方法可能有了問題。照說，教學(xué)的目的應(yīng)該不難厘定－至少從初中到高中這六年，學(xué)英文應(yīng)該「首重」其「工具價值」－易言之，就是教學(xué)生學(xué)習(xí)怎樣去使用「英文」這個工具。至於這個工具在學(xué)習(xí)的當(dāng)時能夠表達(dá)什麼樣的「內(nèi)容實體」，那是次要的問題。
This phenomenon has already stirred up extensive discussions and debates. And many believe that there may be problems in English teaching. It doesn’t seem to be that difficult to set firm goals for English teaching. I believe high school English should emphasize primarily its application as a tool. In other words, teach students how to use English to learn and to acquire new “contents.” How well a student can use the language to create “contents” should be of secondary importance.
事實上，問題並不這麼單純。因為任何語言文字都會「同時」顯露一種「意義」。如果教材中容蓄的內(nèi)容過於淺薄或十分深奧，都會挫折學(xué)生的學(xué)習(xí)興趣。學(xué)英文不能像聲樂，老師可以強迫學(xué)生天天練唱一些毫無意義的音階，用來磨練發(fā)聲。因此，不論讀英文會話或文選，其「內(nèi)容」(也就是教材)也相當(dāng)重要。否則學(xué)生不僅沒有樂趣學(xué)，就是年年考一百分的學(xué)生，到頭來他還是不能「使用」英文。這正如同今天的初高中國文課本中不乏許多經(jīng)典之作的文言文，學(xué)生在考國文時都背得滾瓜爛熟，而所有背誦的文章無不辭章雅麗，內(nèi)容精邃，或大氣磅礡。可是，通常大多數(shù)的高中畢業(yè)生，不僅作文程度欠佳，有些連一封信都寫不通。這便是中國國文的教材和教學(xué)上有了問題。其實，英文也是一樣。
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除了「教材」(也就是「內(nèi)容實體」)的問題外，教學(xué)法也是可以研究的重點之一。比方說︰英文老師若是用中文上課、講解，在五十分鐘一節(jié)課中有四十分鐘說中文，十分鐘說英文。這時候，英文就「被」變成了「內(nèi)容實體」，就自然而然成為一種所要表達(dá)的事物。如果老師從頭到尾五十分鐘都用英文來講，這時候的英文才會成為一種表達(dá)的工具。這就是為什麼一些教會中學(xué)，由外籍教士擔(dān)任初一英文的學(xué)生往往英文程度好過一般中學(xué)的基本原因。
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學(xué)英文的功用有四︰讀、講、譯、寫。我把「讀」放在第一位，大致上是根據(jù)國內(nèi)一般情形而定的。對大多數(shù)學(xué)過英文的人來說，能夠讀－熟讀英文書報雜志、相關(guān)資料的人，受益。因為英語世界中的出版品不僅種類繁多，水準(zhǔn)高的也很多。一個人要想追求較多、較深，甚至較快的知識資訊，不從先進國家的出版品中去發(fā)掘是不行的。其次是「講」，這只有對某些特別需要以語言為溝通工具的人，才顯得重要，其情況和「譯」與「寫」差不多。拿我個人來說，大半生學(xué)英文，說、寫、講俱不夠格，也受益不多；唯獨在「讀」這方面，確實獲益匪淺，它擴大了我的知識采擷領(lǐng)域；也讓我有機會經(jīng)常接觸得到第一流人物的智慧與筆鋒。
Of the four aspects of English – reading, speaking, translating and writing -- I put reading first. This is based on my understanding of the general domestic situations. People benefit most when they are able to read English publications – books, newspapers, journals,reference books, and the like. There are a great number of high-quality English publications in various fields. One can pursue in-depth information in many fields much faster. “Speaking” comes next. The ability to speak English is only important to a certain group of people who have to communicate orally. “Translating” and “writing” are likewise special skills. I’ve been learning English almost all my life. It’s a shame that I can’t speak, write and translate well enough to benefit from it. Luckily I do profit greatly from my ability to read and comprehend. It expands the field from which I gather my knowledge and it affords me great opportunities to come into contact with the works and wisdom of top-rate people.
事實上，學(xué)「讀」也不是容易事。因為英文天地裡天天有新字，如果靠中文字典，根本無濟於事。因此，不但要懂得利用英文字典，而且還得知道哪一本字典最新？以及有什麼特別。不久以前，我讀到light-headed一個字，就在字典上查不到，雖然猜想它可能是heavy-headed的反義字，可是沒有字典就是沒有把握。我請教英文中國日報總編輯朱良箴兄，他說沒見過這個字；再請教中央社總編輯冷若水兄，他終於在一本一九八三年出版的字典裡查出來了。字典對於學(xué)英文的人，是非常重要的。
Well, learning to read may turn out not as easy after all. New words come into existence everyday, often rendering an ordinary dictionary useless. We have to know not only how to use dictionaries but also which dictionary to use. Not long ago, I encountered the word “l(fā)ight-headed.” I could surmise it’s the opposite of “heavy-headed,” but wasn't comfortably until I found it in a dictionary. I ask Mr. Chu, the managing editor-in-chief of the English edition of China Daily, for help. He said he had never seen the word before. I consulted Mr. Nen who was the editor-in-chief at Central News Agency. He managed to find it in a 1983 dictionary. How important dictionaries are to learners of English!
因此，我常常感覺到︰學(xué)英文是一輩子的事。一輩子都不能停。因為除了它的「工具」性能外，事實上它是一種「文化整合」的工具。我們中國文化和西方文化有許多不盡相同的地方。有些觀念常常不是對等的。有的情形中文的形意較大；有的英文較大；在這「大小有別」的情況下來辨識一個字的內(nèi)容，那是絕頂困難的事。因為那時候便已超越了語文的階層，而發(fā)展到「學(xué)問」的領(lǐng)域來了。例如Sonata這個字，無論譯成奏鳴曲或者是「朔拿大」，如果沒研究過音樂的人，都不會懂。其他像 perspective, comprehensive 這些英文中的常用字，也都不是一個中文字詞所能涵蓋的。這正如外國人學(xué)中文一樣，像「太極」這個字，有人譯成 absolute，根本不能表達(dá)太極這個字的整個內(nèi)涵。
So, I often feel that learning English is a lifetime endeavor. And there can be no letting up. There are differences between Chinese and Western cultures. We often find concepts that are similar, but not equal. Chinese concepts are sometimes deeper and broader than their Western counterparts and vice versa. This cultural aspect is extremely difficult to grasp for it transcends into the realm of culture. Take the word “sonata”, for example. Some translate it as 奏鳴曲and others as朔拿大. But neither is going to help you if you don’t know music. There are also words, like “perspective” and “comprehensive,” whose true meaning cannot conveniently be covered in one simple Chinese phrase. Of course, foreigners run into similar problems too when they try to learn Chinese. For instance, the translation of太極as “absolute” simply just doesn’t convey its full meaning.
因此，我常常自勉︰學(xué)英文是一輩子的事。天天會遇見新字，新的「內(nèi)容實體」，要天天查字典，或請教高明。這其中，苦樂參半，不過若算總帳，用功的總是比較劃算的。
So I often remind myself: learning English is a lifetime endeavor. Daily I will run into new words and new areas of study. Daily I will consult dictionaries and experts. It’s a joy and it’s an agony. But, in the final analysis, diligence does pay off handsomely.