Want to learn a new language, but don't have the time? Here are a few simple tips on how to make your journey into a new language a success.

想学习一门新语言，但没有时间？下面教你几个诀窍，让你踏上学习新语言的成功之路。

“I would love to learn another language – the problem is that I just don’t have the time!”

“我想学习一门新语言，但问题是我没时间。”

In reality, we simply have to be a bit more organized and show some initiative¹. To learn a language from the ground up, you have to be committed and resilient. But when it comes to language practice, it’s often enough to use your time more optimally² and to jump at any opportunity to put your new knowledge to use.

在现实中，我们不得不更有条理一点，表现出一定的主动性。从头开始学习一门语言，你必须坚定且有活力。但是，当涉及到语言实践时，往往只要更高效利用时间，并抓住每个机会来操练就可以了。

Here are a few simple tips on how to make your journey into a new language a success:

下面教你几个诀窍，让你踏上学习新语言的成功之路。

Read Newspapers in a Foreign Language

读外文报纸

Buy an international newspaper (many kiosks have a section dedicated³ to international newspapers) or treat yourself to a weekly newspaper or magazine subscription⁴, and use the train ride into work to keep up on current events. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t understand every last word. Try to grasp the meaning of the words from their context⁵, or underline them, look them up in a dictionary later and write them down in your own custom vocabulary book.

购买一份国际报（许多报亭都有个国际报纸专区）或为自己订阅一份周报或杂志，并使用坐火车上班的时间来关注最新资讯。如果你不能理解每个单词，不要气馁。尝试通过语境来理解单词意思，或标注下来，之后再查字典并记录在自己的词汇本上。

Fitness⁶ Training for Body and Mind

身体和心灵的训练

This tip is doubly valuable. If you exercise regularly, you’ll of course feel in shape physically⁷. But if you implement⁸ this piece of advice, you’ll also make major progress in your language learning. How? It’s simple: Find a podcast, audio book or some lively music in your target language, and listen to it while you work out. You’ll get double the training, and the time you spend exercising will seem to fly by!

这个诀窍有双重的价值。如果你定期锻炼，你当然会觉得体形良好。但是如果你实施了这条建议，你在语言学习方面也将会有很大的进步。怎么实施？这很简单：找一个你目标语言的播客，有声读物或者一些轻快的音乐，然后在锻炼的时候听它们。你不仅可以收获锻炼的效果，锻炼的时光也会飞逝而过！

Go Out to Eat

出去吃饭

A typical excuse for people who work a lot is, “I don’t even have time to cook. Every night, I just grab⁹ something quick on the go!”. Great! Now you can kill two birds with one stone. The next time you find yourself ordering food from another culture (it’s pretty common these days), try to do it in the language of the person serving you. While you’re waiting for your food, you can try to strike up a simple conversation with the owner or your server. It doesn’t have to be anything profound¹⁰ – the important thing is to overcome your shyness of speaking a new language out loud and to get used to the way it sounds.

工作忙的人们有一个典型的借口是，“我甚至没有时间做饭。每天晚上，我只是在忙碌中很快地吃点东西！。” 棒！你现在可以一石二鸟了！下一次你在异国餐厅点菜时（最近很常见），尽量用服务生的语言点菜。在等餐时，你可以尝试与店长或是服务生对话。对话不需要深刻，重要的是要克服开口说一门新语言的羞涩，并习惯这门语言的发音。

Make Friends With Your French Co-Worker or Polish Neighbor

与你的法国同事或是波兰邻居交友

Is there really any better way to improve your language skills? Go out to lunch with that co-worker of yours from another country, find a conversation topic and ask them to correct your mistakes and pronunciation. If you have a neighbor that comes from another country, organize a dinner and put your skills to the test. It might even be the beginning of a new friendship!

真的有更好的方式来提高语言能力吗？和你的外国同事出去吃中饭，找一个谈话主题并让他们纠正你的错误和发音。如果你有来自外国的邻居，安排一次晚餐，并利用你所学到的技巧。这甚至可能是一段新友谊的开端。

The Well-Earned Evening

收获颇丰的晚上

There’s nothing better after a long day’s work than sitting on the sofa watching a movie or reading a book. Why not use this downtime to combine relaxation¹¹ with something useful? Watch a foreign film in its original language with subtitles¹² (you can even try to use the original language subtitles) so you can immediately see and review the words you’ve just heard. Pay attention to idioms and expressions typical of the language and use them in your own life the next chance you get. If you’re more of a book lover, avoid books that are too difficult or complicated at first. It’s been said that some of the greatest language talents start learning foreign languages with cartoons and children’s books – the proof of the pudding is in the eating!

一天的工作结束后，没有什么比坐在沙发上看电影或看书更好的事情了。为何不好好利用这段时间，把放松与一些有用的东西结合起来呢？看一部有字幕的外国电影（你甚至可以尝试使用源语言的字幕），这样你可以马上看到并回顾你刚刚所听到的单词。注意典型的习语和表达方式，并在生活中有机会的时候使用它们。如果你更爱读书，开始的时候要避免阅读晦涩难懂的书籍。有人说，一些最伟大的语言人才是通过漫画和儿童读物开始学习外语的——实践是最好的检验。