Want greater success in your career and your love life, as well as a healthy brain long into old age?

想要事業(yè)愛情雙豐收，并且在垂暮之年也能依然擁有健康的大腦？

The answer could be to learn another language.

答案或許是，學(xué)習(xí)另一種語言。

Or at least that’s the case according to a majority of Americans and Britons polled in a new survey by language app Babbel.

由語言軟件Babbel進(jìn)行的一項(xiàng)新調(diào)查顯示，至少多數(shù)美國人和英國人是這樣認(rèn)為的。

Apparently, 71% of Americans and 61% of Britons believe speaking more than one language makes a person seem more attractive.

顯然，71%的美國人和61%的英國人認(rèn)為，會(huì)說一種以上的語言似乎使人更具吸引力。

Oui, c’est vrai!

對(duì)，是真的?。ǚㄕZ）

Of 3,000 English-speakers polled in the US and the UK, nine out of 10 admitted they’d learn a new language in pursuit of love.

在3000名說英語的英美受訪者中，有九成承認(rèn)他們?cè)敢鉃榱俗穼矍槎鴮W(xué)習(xí)一種新的語言。

About half said they’d dreamed about a romance with someone from another country.

大約一半的人說，他們?cè)?jīng)夢(mèng)想和來自另一個(gè)國家的人擁有一段浪漫的愛情。

And moving from the bedroom to boardroom, about one in four Americans and Britons think that being monolingual has held them back professionally.

從家庭轉(zhuǎn)到工作上來說，約四分之一的美國人和英國人認(rèn)為，只會(huì)一種語言阻礙了他們的職業(yè)發(fā)展。

So it’s probably no surprise that one in eight confessed to having exaggerated their language skills on a resume.

因此，有八成人承認(rèn)他們?cè)诤?jiǎn)歷中夸大了自己的語言技能，這也許不足為奇。

'Languages not only enable you to expand yourself in terms of perspective and skillset, but they also open doors and help you better understand other cultures and peoples,' Miriam Plieninger, director of didactics at Babbel, tells CNN.

Babbel的教學(xué)主任米里亞姆·普利寧格在美國有線電視新聞網(wǎng)上表示，“語言不僅能拓寬你的視野、提高你的技能，而且也能打開通往世界的大門，幫你更好地理解其他文化和民族?！?/p>

'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.'

“了解另一種語言有助于打破障礙，在特殊層面進(jìn)行相互理解；不管是在街頭，旅行中，還是在商業(yè)方面?！?/p>

Globally, more than half the world can speak at least two languages -- but Western English-speakers are lagging behind.

從全球來看，全世界有一半以上的人至少會(huì)說兩種語言——但西方國家說英語的人數(shù)開始落后了。

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年蓋洛普的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)，約四分之一的美國人能用第二語言交談——主要是西班牙語——而2014年歐洲晴雨表的一項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，60%的英國人和愛爾蘭人都只會(huì)說一門語言。

Influential factors

影響因素

'Different factors influence how easy (or difficult) it is to learn a new language,' says Plieninger.

普利寧格表示：“學(xué)習(xí)一門新語言的難易程度受不同因素的影響?！?/p>

'If the language you are learning is part of the same family as your mother tongue, it is generally much easier to access.'

“如果你正在學(xué)習(xí)的語言和你的母語屬于同一語系，那么這種語言一般更容易掌握?！?/p>

Theoretically, English-speakers should therefore be more comfortable with Germanic languages like German or Dutch, as both are historically very close to English.

從理論上來說，說英語的人應(yīng)該覺得學(xué)日耳曼語言更輕松，如德語或荷蘭語，因?yàn)槎咴跉v史上都很接近英語。

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.

然而，人們對(duì)語言的通曉程度在日常生活中和在課堂上有很大的不同，這就是為什么美國人覺得西班牙語好學(xué)，而英國人覺得法語好學(xué)——雖然二者同屬羅曼語族。

And although the majority of Americans and Britons polled thought Russian was the trickiest to pick up, it’s actually 'part of the same Indo-European language family as English,' Plieninger adds.

普利寧格補(bǔ)充說，盡管多數(shù)美國人和英國人認(rèn)為俄語是最難學(xué)會(huì)的語言，但實(shí)際上俄語“與英語一樣，同屬印歐語系?！?/p>

'What makes it difficult, however, is that it uses the Cyrillic alphabet, which is a big hurdle for beginners, and it also has a different grammar structure to English.'

“然而，俄語難學(xué)是因?yàn)樗褂梦骼餇栕帜副?，這對(duì)初學(xué)者來說是一個(gè)很大的障礙，而且俄語和英語的語法結(jié)構(gòu)也不同?！?/p>

Romantic language is most romantic

羅曼語族最浪漫

And which languages have the most sex appeal -- in UK and US eyes, at least?

在英國人和美國人的眼里，哪種語言最性感呢？

Well, the Babbel guys asked that in a previous survey.

Babbel的調(diào)查人員在之前的調(diào)查中問過這個(gè)問題。

French was considered the 'sexiest' language by respondents on both sides of the Atlantic (US 40%, UK 32%) and the hottest foreign accent in which to hear English (US 38%, UK 40%).

大西洋兩端的受訪者（40%的美國人，32%的英國人）認(rèn)為法語是“最性感”的語言，（38%的美國人，40%的英國人）認(rèn)為帶有法語口音的英語是最性感的外國口音。

So being multilingual can make you more appealing, more successful and more compassionate. And it’s also good for your health.

所以，會(huì)說多種語言可以讓你更有吸引力，更成功，且更富有同情心。而且對(duì)你的健康也有好處。

In 2011, Canadian neuroscientist Ellen Bialystok found that speaking more than one language regularly from an early age enhances cognitive abilities and can also delay symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

2011年加拿大神經(jīng)科學(xué)家艾倫?比亞萊斯托克發(fā)現(xiàn)，從小經(jīng)常說一種以上的語言能提高認(rèn)知能力，也可以延緩阿爾茨海默癥的出現(xiàn)。

It’s 'a great way to train your brain,' says Plieninger.

普利寧格表示，這是“訓(xùn)練大腦的好方法?！?/p>

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