They say that children learn languages the best. But that doesn’t mean that adults should give up. We asked some of the polyglots in TED’s Open Translation Project to share their secrets to mastering a foreign language. Their best strategies distill into seven basic principles:

　　1. Get real. Decide on a simple, attainable goal to start with so that you don’t feeloverwhelmed. German translator Judith Matz suggests: “Pick up 50 words of a language and start using them on people — and then slowly start picking up grammar.”

　　2. Make language-learning a lifestyle change. Elisabeth Buffard, who in her 27 years of teaching English has always seen consistency as what separates the most successful students from the rest. Find a language habit that you can follow even when you’re tired, sick or madly in love.

　　人們常說小孩子學外語最厲害，但這并不是說成年人就該放棄了。我們向TED字幕翻譯計劃的多語使用者請教了掌握一門外語的秘訣。他們的方法可以提煉成7條基本法則：

　　1. 投身于真實語境。從定一個簡單、可實現的目標開始，那樣你就不會找不著方向。德語翻譯朱迪思·馬茨建議：先找50個外語單詞，用它們來跟別人交流，然后慢慢地學習語法。

　　2. 讓外語學習成為你的生活習慣。伊利莎白·布法爾德教了27年英語，她一直認為正是習慣使得成功的學生從其他人中脫穎而出。培養(yǎng)學習外語的習慣，能讓你不管累了、病了還是墮入愛河了，都會去學習。

　　3. Play house with the language. The more you invite a foreign language into your daily life, the more your brain will consider it something useful and worth caring about. “Use every opportunity to get exposed to the new language,” says Russian translator Olga Dmitrochenkova. Label every object in your house in this language, read kids’ books written in it, watch subtitled TED and TEDx talks, or live-narrate parts of your day to an imaginary foreign friend.

　　3. 和語言玩過家家。你越多地讓外語進入日常生活，你的大腦就越會認為它有用并給予關注。“利用好每一個接觸新語言的機會，”俄語翻譯歐嘉·迪米特羅肯科娃說。用那門語言做成標簽貼在家里的每一樣東西上，讀用那門語言寫的童話，看有字幕的TED演講，或者跟你想象中的外國朋友講述一些一天里發(fā)生的事。

　　4. Let technology help you out. Dmitrochenkova has a great idea: “A funny thing like resetting the language on your phone can help you learn new words right away,” she says. Ditto for changing the language on your browser. Or you can seek out more structured learning opportunities online. Dutch translator Els De Keyser recommends Duolingo for its gamified approach to grammar, and Anki for memorizing vocabulary with its “intelligent” flashcards.

　　4. 用科技幫助學習。迪米特羅肯科娃有一個很好的方法，她說：“重新設置手機語言就能讓你馬上學到新單詞。”你也可以改瀏覽器的語言，或者在網上找一些更系統(tǒng)的學習資源。荷蘭語翻譯埃爾斯·德凱瑟建議用“多鄰國”像玩游戲一樣學習語法，用Anki的智能卡片背單詞。(多鄰國：英語為Duolingo，是一個免費語言學習網站;Anki：一款幫助記單詞等的軟件，通過記憶卡片呈現。)

　　5. Think about language-learning as a gateway to new experiences. To Spanish translator Sebastián Betti, learning a language has always been about focusing on the experiences that the new language would open up, from “visiting theme parks, attending air shows, enjoying cowboy poetry and folk-rock festivals, to learning about photo-essay techniques.” In other words, he thinks of fun things that he wanted to do anyway, and makes them into a language-learning opportunity. Many of our translators shared this advice. Italian and French translator Anna Minoli learned English by watching undubbed versions of her favorite movies, while Croatian translator Ivan Stamenković suddenly realized he could speak English in fifth grade, after years of watching the Cartoon Network without subtitles. So the next time you need a vegan carrot cake recipe, find one in the language you’re trying to learn.

　　5. 把外語學習看作通往新世界的大門。西班牙語翻譯巴斯蒂安·貝蒂認為，外語學習就是著眼于外語帶來的新的體驗，包括“游覽主題公園、觀看現場表演、欣賞牛仔詩歌和民謠搖滾音樂節(jié)、學習攝影技術”。換句話說，他找出他想做的、好玩的事，然后把這些事變成學習外語的機會。我們很多翻譯都提到了這點。意大利語和法語翻譯安娜·米諾里通過看她喜歡的英語原版電影來學英語，而克羅地亞語翻譯伊凡·斯達門科威克小時候看過很多年沒有字幕的卡通頻道，之后在5年級的時候，他突然發(fā)現自己會說英語了。所以你下次需要一份素蘿卜蛋糕的食譜的時候，找一份用你想學的語言寫的吧。

　　6. Make new friends. Interacting in the new language is key — it will teach you to intuitively express your thoughts, instead of mentally translating each sentence before you say it. Find native speakers near you. Or search for foreign penpals or set up a language tandem online, where two volunteers help one another practice their respectivelanguages.

　　6. 交新朋友。用新語言交流很關鍵，能教會你直接用外語表達自己的想法，而不是在腦子里翻譯一遍后才說出來。在自己身邊找一些說那種語言的母語人士，或者在網上找外國筆友和語伴，兩個人自愿地互相幫助練習對方的語言。

　　7. Do not worry about making mistakes. One of the most common barriers to conversing in a new language is the fear of making mistakes. But native speakers are like doting parents: any attempt from you to communicate in their language is objective proof that you are a gifted genius. They’ll appreciate your effort and even help you.

　　7. 不要害怕說錯。外語對話最大的障礙就是害怕說錯。但是母語人士就像溺愛孩子的父母一樣，他們會覺得你每一次嘗試說他們的語言都是你天資聰穎的客觀證明。他們很欣賞你的努力，甚至還會幫助你。

　　Nervous about holding a conversation with a peer? Try testing your language skills with someone a little younger. “I was stoked when I was chatting with an Italian toddler and realized we had the same level of Italian,” recalls German translator Judith Matz.

　　跟同輩交流很緊張?那就和比你年輕一點的人練習外語。“當我跟一個說意大利語的小孩聊天時，我發(fā)現他的意大利語水平跟我一樣，我頓時非常開心，”德語翻譯朱迪斯·馬茨回憶到。

　　And be patient. The more you speak, the closer you’ll get to the elusive ideal of “native-like fluency.”

　　要有耐心，你說得越多，你就會越接近“像母語一樣流利”這個模糊的概念。

　　And to talking to people your own age.

　　跟和你年齡相仿的人聊天。