Elder villager taught herself 11 foreign languages

農(nóng)村老太會(huì)說11門外語(yǔ),學(xué)習(xí)外語(yǔ)是日積月累的結(jié)果

Nóngcūn lǎotài huì shuō 11 mén wàiyǔ,xuéxí wàiyǔ shì rìjīyuèlěi de jiéguǒ

An elder villager taught herself 11 foreign languages

陽(yáng)朔位于中國(guó)南部廣西壯族自治區(qū),是背包客們心中的旅游圣地.會(huì)說11門外語(yǔ)的68歲的農(nóng)村導(dǎo)游徐秀珍成為了陽(yáng)朔鎮(zhèn)上的名人.

With 11 foreign languages under her belt, 68-year-old villager-turned tour guide Xu Xiuzhen has become a celebrity in the town of Yangshuo, a backpacker mecca in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

徐秀珍住在月亮山腳下,這是陽(yáng)朔的一個(gè)必去的旅游景點(diǎn).徐秀珍在那兒接待過無數(shù)游客,她被游客們稱為"月亮媽媽".

Xu lives at the foot of Moon Mountain, a must-see tourist attraction in Yangshuo, where she has guided countless tourists. Her sincerity has won her the name "Mama Moon".

陽(yáng)朔超凡脫俗的喀斯特地貌景觀和漓江使其聲名遠(yuǎn)揚(yáng),自從中國(guó)在80年代早期向國(guó)際游客開放后,它吸引了數(shù)以百萬(wàn)計(jì)的外國(guó)游客.

Yangshuo, known for its other-worldly karst landscape and the Lijiang River, has been drawing millions of foreign tourists since China opened its door to international travelers in the early 1980s.

在過去的16年中,徐秀珍自學(xué)了11門外語(yǔ),包括英語(yǔ),西班牙語(yǔ),日語(yǔ)和韓語(yǔ)等.這個(gè)會(huì)說多種語(yǔ)言的技能不但讓她十分出名,更讓她與外國(guó)游客交流起來更便利.

Over the past 16 years, Xu has taught herself 11 foreign languages, including English, Spanish, Japanese and Korean. In addition to making her incredibly popular, her linguistic prowess has made it easier for her to communicate with foreign tourists.

徐秀珍說："我的一些同行也想多學(xué)一些語(yǔ)言來促進(jìn)自己的生意,但沒有人能趕得上我." 但這位會(huì)說數(shù)國(guó)語(yǔ)言的農(nóng)婦的成功得來不易,早在16年前,也就是陽(yáng)朔的旅游業(yè)剛開始起步時(shí),她就開始學(xué)習(xí)一些基礎(chǔ)英語(yǔ).

"My peers are trying to pick up new languages to boost their business, but no one can catch up with me," she said. But the polyglot farmer's success has been hard-won. She started learning simple English phrases 16 years ago, when Yangshuo's tourism industry started to boom.

頻繁的交流和毅力終于收到了回報(bào),她漸漸地開始能用英語(yǔ)表達(dá)自己,這個(gè)堅(jiān)持到底的農(nóng)婦自此之后又接連學(xué)會(huì)了其它多種語(yǔ)言.掌握了11門外語(yǔ),徐秀珍成了陽(yáng)朔最繁忙的導(dǎo)游,她的名聲也為她每天都招攬了一大批游客,特別是一些對(duì)她敬仰已久特地來找她的外國(guó)游客.

Constant communication and a sense of perseverance proved effective, and she was gradually able to express herself in English. The determined woman has since learned other foreign languages in succession. With her command of 11 foreign languages, Xu is one of the busiest tour guides in Yangshuo. Her reputation draws a large crowd of tourists every day, especially foreign visitors, who come to meet the multilingual guide out of admiration.

她說："越來越多的外國(guó)游客來到陽(yáng)朔,我希望通過我的幫助,他們都能把這兒當(dāng)成自己家一樣." 不滿足于僅僅做一位導(dǎo)游,徐秀珍現(xiàn)在還開了一家受歡迎的餐館以及一家好名聲的旅館.

"More and more foreign tourists are coming to Yangshuo, and I hope they will feel at home here with my help," she said. Not content to simply serve as a tour guide, she now owns a popular restaurant and operates a reputable hotel.

官方數(shù)據(jù)顯示2012年有150萬(wàn)外國(guó)游客來陽(yáng)朔旅游,這個(gè)數(shù)字激勵(lì)了許多當(dāng)?shù)貙?dǎo)游去學(xué)習(xí)外語(yǔ),希望能取得和"月亮媽媽"同樣的成功.

Official statistics show that 1.5 million foreign tourists visited Yangshuo in 2012, a number that has inspired local tour guides to jump on the foreign language bandwagon with hopes of achieving success on par with that of "Mama Moon".

詞語(yǔ)解釋

自治區(qū) （zìzhì qū） autonomous region

超凡脫俗的 （chāofán tuōsú de） other-worldly

目不識(shí)丁 （mùbú shídīng） illiterate

名聲 （míngshēng） reputation

激勵(lì) （jīlì） inspire

(Source: myechinese.com)