Mistakes in Foreign Language Learning
In order to learn foreign language well, it is necessary to overcome the fear of making mistakes. If the main purpose of language use is communication, then mistakes are secondary considerations that may be dealt with gradually. On the other hand, students should not ignore their mistakes. The language learner may observe how native speakers express themselves, and how native expressions differ from the way the learner might say them. For example, a Spanish speaker who has been saying "I do it" to express willingness to do something in the immediate future, could, by communicating with native speakers of English, observe that native speakers actually say "I'll do it". The resulting difference can serve as a basis for the student to modify (改变) his way of using the present tense in English. But a student who is unwilling to talk in the first place would lose this opportunity to learn foreign language by actually practising it.
[点评]
外语学习中，错误是不可避免的。作者认为只要学习者克服对错误的恐惧心理，积极地开口用所学外语去交谈，就会取得进步。文章只用了一个段落，集中说明了该说的问题，符合英语段落单一性的特点。
[参考译文]
外语学习中的出错问题
要想学好外语，克服对出错的恐惧心理是必要的。如果说语言使用的主要目的是交流的话，那么下一步要考虑的就是犯错误问题，这可以逐渐得到解决。另一方面，学习者也不应该不在乎自己的错误。语言学习者可以观察讲母语者是如何表达他们的思想，以及那种语言的表达法是如何不同于学习者可能会用的表达法。比如说，一位讲西班牙语的人说“I do it，(我做它)”来表达他想在近期做某件事的意愿，他可以通过与母语为英语的人交流来观察到讲英语的人实际上会说我将会做这件事(I'll do it)。学习者会因此而改变他学习使用英语现在时态的方法。但是压根就不情愿去说的学习者会失去这种通过实际运用来学习外语的机会。
相关内容：
