In the Education Tips series, education experts in the United States give you ideas about how you can improve your English skills. This week, Eli Hinkel, a professor at Seattle Pacific University, and Marla Yoshida, a Teaching English as a Foreign Language Teacher at the University of California, Irvine, talk about accents and pronunciation.
在教育技巧系列中，美国的教育专家为您提供有关如何提高英语技能的想法。本周，西雅图太平洋大学教授伊莱·欣克尔 (Eli Hinkel) 和加州大学欧文分校外语英语教师玛拉·吉田 (Marla Yoshida) 谈论口音和发音。
For VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.
这是美国之音英语学习频道的教育报告。
Learning a new language is a long, difficult process.
学习一门新语言是一个漫长而艰难的过程。
This process can become easier if you set goals. Goals help guide language learners and give them reasons to continue studying a language.
如果您设定目标，这个过程会变得更容易。目标有助于指导语言学习者并给他们继续学习语言的理由。
However, if you set unreasonable goals, then you will probably become discouraged .
然而，如果你设定了不合理的目标，那么你很可能会灰心丧气。
Many English learners set difficult, even unreasonable goals. For example, here at VOA Learning English, we often read emails with comments like: "My goal is to sound like a native speaker..." or "My goal is to lose my accent ."
许多英语学习者设定了困难的、甚至不合理的目标。例如，在美国之音学习英语中，我们经常阅读带有以下评论的电子邮件：“我的目标是听起来像母语人士......”或“我的目标是失去我的口音。”
The problem with the goal of sounding like a native speaker is that it is not a reasonable goal for many people.
以听起来像母语人士为目标的问题在于，对于许多人来说这不是一个合理的目标。
Why it is difficult to sound like a native speaker
为什么听起来像母语人士很困难
When English learners begin studying English after a certain age, they are not able to sound exactly like a native English speaker. That is the opinion of Eli Hinkel, a professor at Seattle Pacific University.
当英语学习者在一定年龄后开始学习英语时，他们的发音无法完全像以英语为母语的人一样。这是西雅图太平洋大学教授伊莱·辛克尔的观点。
She says that people who have not reached puberty still have enough muscle and brain plasticity to allow their brain to control their mouth muscles. Puberty is the period of life when a child becomes an adult.
她说，未到青春期的人仍然有足够的肌肉和大脑可塑性，让大脑能够控制嘴部肌肉。青春期是孩子成为成年人的人生阶段。
After your physical growth has stopped, the brain loses some of its ability to change the way it controls the muscles of the mouth. This is what results in an accent, according to Hinkel.
当你的身体发育停止后，大脑就会失去一些改变控制口腔肌肉方式的能力。辛克尔认为，这就是口音产生的原因。
In other words, having an accent is a natural part of the aging process of the brain.
换句话说，有口音是大脑衰老过程的自然组成部分。
It's OK to have an accent
有口音没关系
Just because you might not sound like a native speaker does not mean that you should give up trying to improve your pronunciation.
仅仅因为您听起来不像母语人士并不意味着您应该放弃尝试提高发音。
And just because you have an accent does not mean that your language skills are poor.
仅仅因为你有口音并不意味着你的语言能力很差。
Hinkel suggested that English learners should not be too disheartened about their accents.
辛克尔建议英语学习者不要对自己的口音过于沮丧。
"So, there is really no connection between the quality of one's language and the accent."
“所以，一个人的语言质量和口音之间确实没有任何联系。”
She adds that there are even benefits to having an accent.
她补充说，有口音甚至还有好处。
Eli Hinkel is a native Russian speaker. But she works as a professor in a Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) program. She believes her accent helps her when she is teaching students.
伊莱·辛克尔的母语是俄语。但她是英语作为第二语言教学 (TESL) 项目的教授。她相信自己的口音在教学生时对她有帮助。
"I teach MA TESL courses …So, my students think that I really, really know what I'm talking about…accent goes a great deal toward that."
“我教授 MA TESL 课程……所以，我的学生认为我真的非常知道我在说什么……口音对此有很大帮助。”
Practical tips
实用技巧
Another teacher says sounding like a native speaker is not necessary.
另一位老师说，听起来像母语人士是没有必要的。
Marla Yoshida is a Teaching English as a Foreign Language Teacher at the University of California, Irvine. She says that improving your pronunciation is definitely possible – if you choose a reasonable goal.
玛拉·吉田 (Marla Yoshida) 是加州大学欧文分校的英语外语教师。她说，如果你选择一个合理的目标，那么提高你的发音绝对是可能的。
"You can reach a stage where your pronunciation is easy for people to understand, where it never causes a problem... you go into Starbucks and say your name, and they understand … you give your order and they understand. So, that's a reasonable goal: being understood easily. Where sounding like a native speaker is wonderful if you can do it… it's not necessary."
“你可以达到一个阶段，你的发音很容易让人们理解，永远不会造成问题……你走进星巴克，说出你的名字，他们就会理解……你下订单，他们就会理解。所以，这是一个合理的目标：容易被理解。如果你能做到，听起来像母语者就很棒了……但没有必要。”
So, what can English learners do to improve their pronunciation?
那么，英语学习者可以做些什么来提高发音呢？
Marla Yoshida says that, like when you decide to diet, you are more likely to have success if you set reasonable goals. She suggests working on specific areas of pronunciation that you can improve, instead of trying to sound like a native speaker.
玛拉吉田说，就像当你决定节食时一样，如果你设定合理的目标，你就更有可能取得成功。她建议在可以改进的特定发音领域进行努力，而不是试图听起来像母语人士。
"Work consciously, if you are an adult, to change the way you pronounce. It's kind of like a diet. If you set a more reasonable goal... then, the diet might succeed. In the same way, pronunciation … if you have a more reasonable goal, like… 'I have trouble with the r and l sounds, so first I'm going try those. And then, when I'm comfortable with those, then I'll move on to some other sound that causes problems.' It takes time, but it is possible."
“如果你是成年人，有意识地改变你的发音方式。这有点像节食。如果你设定一个更合理的目标……那么节食可能会成功。同样，发音……如果你有一个更合理的目标，比如……‘我对 r 和 l 的发音有困难，所以首先我要尝试这些。然后，当我对这些感到满意时，我会转向其他会引起问题的声音。’这需要时间，但这是可能的。”
Yoshida added that English learners should understand that improving their pronunciation can take a long time. She said that learners should not be tricked by people who claim to be able to help people get rid of their accents:
吉田补充说，英语学习者应该明白，提高发音可能需要很长时间。她说，学习者不应该被那些声称能够帮助人们摆脱口音的人所欺骗：
"It is good to realize that it [improving pronunciation] is not a fast process. Everyone has been speaking their native language for years and years and years. And it's hard to change. Habits of how you move your mouth are really hard to change. So, don't expect miracles. Sometimes, people see advertisements for software or courses that say 'get rid of your accent in only five lessons'—or something... It's not going to happen! There are no miracles."
“很高兴认识到它（改善发音）并不是一个快速的过程。每个人多年来一直在说自己的母语。而且很难改变。你如何移动嘴巴的习惯真的很难改变。所以，不要指望奇迹。有时，人们会看到软件或课程的广告说‘只需五堂课就可以摆脱口音’——或者其他什么……这不会发生！没有奇迹。”
So, what can you do?
那么，你能做什么呢？
Start by setting a reasonable goal. Choose one or two sounds that are difficult for you to pronounce. Then, work to improve those sounds. When you have improved, study other sounds. Progress might be slow for you, but don't give up!
首先设定一个合理的目标。选择一两个你很难发音的声音。然后，努力改善这些声音。当你进步了之后，再研究其他的声音。进步对你来说可能很慢，但不要放弃！
Next week, we will give you examples of exercises that you can do to start improving your pronunciation.
下周，我们将为您提供一些练习示例，您可以通过这些练习来开始提高发音。