"Knowing another language helps to break barriers and to connect on a special level of mutual understanding; be it while on the street, traveling, or in business."
"了解另一种语言有助于打破障碍,通过特殊层面的相互理解进行沟通;不论是在街头,旅行中,还是在商业交往中."
Globally, more than half the world can speak at least two languages -- but Western English-speakers are lagging behind.
从全球来看,全世界有一半以上的人至少会说两种语言——但西方国家的英语人群开始落后了.
A 2001 Gallup poll found about a quarter of Americans could hold a conversation in a second language -- mostly Spanish -- while a 2014 study by Eurobarometer revealed about 60% of people in the UK and Ireland are monolingual.
2001年盖洛普的一项调查发现,大约四分之一的美国人能用第二语言交谈——主要是西班牙语——而2014年欧洲晴雨表的一项研究发现,60%的英国人和爱尔兰人都只会说一门语言(英语).
Influential factors
影响因素
"Different factors influence how easy (or difficult) it is to learn a new language," says Plieninger.
Plieninger表示:"学习一门新语言的难易程度受到不同因素的影响."
"If the language you are learning is part of the same family as your mother tongue, it is generally much easier to access."
"如果你正在学习的语言与你的母语属于同个语系,那么通常掌握起来更容易."
Theoretically, English-speakers should therefore be more comfortable with Germanic languages like German or Dutch, as both are historically very close to English.
从理论上讲,说英语的人理应觉得学日耳曼语言更轻松,比如德语或荷兰语,因为二者在历史上都非常接近英语.
However, familiarity picked up in everyday life or in the classroom makes a big difference, which is why Americans feel at ease with Spanish and Brits with French -- both romantic languages.