會(huì)說(shuō)兩種語(yǔ)言的人更有吸引力

A tourist poses in front of the "House of Flags" installation in London's Parliament Square in 2012.

Want greater success in your career and your love life, as well as a healthy brain long into old age? 
想要在事業(yè)上和愛(ài)情生活中獲得更大的成功，并且到暮年仍保持大腦健康？

The answer could be to learn another language. 
答案或許是，學(xué)習(xí)另一種語(yǔ)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. 
至少大多數(shù)的美國(guó)人和英國(guó)人是這么認(rèn)為的，這個(gè)數(shù)據(jù)來(lái)源于語(yǔ)言應(yīng)用軟件Babbel的一項(xiàng)新調(diào)查。

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(guó)人和61%的英國(guó)人認(rèn)為，會(huì)說(shuō)不止一種語(yǔ)言似乎使人更具吸引力。

Oui, c'est vrai! 
嗯，是真的！（法語(yǔ)）

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.
接受調(diào)查的3000名說(shuō)英語(yǔ)的英美人士中，有九成承認(rèn)他們?cè)敢鉃榱俗分饜?ài)情而學(xué)習(xí)一種新的語(yǔ)言。

About half said they'd dreamed about a romance with someone from another country. 
約一半的人表示，他們?cè)鴫?mèng)想著和來(lái)自另一個(gè)國(guó)家的人擁有一段浪漫愛(ài)情。

And moving from the bedroom to boardroom, about one in four Americans and Britons think that being monolingual has held them back professionally. 
從家庭事務(wù)來(lái)到工作事務(wù)上，約有四分之一的美國(guó)人和英國(guó)人認(rèn)為，只會(huì)一種語(yǔ)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)在簡(jiǎn)歷中夸大了自己的語(yǔ)言技能，這也不怎么意外。

"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)論主任Miriam Plieninger表示：“語(yǔ)言不僅能拓寬自己的視野和技能，同時(shí)也打開(kāi)另一扇門，幫助你更好地理解其他文化和民族。”

"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(yǔ)言有助于打破障礙，通過(guò)特殊層面的相互理解進(jìn)行溝通；不論是在街頭，旅行中，還是在商業(yè)交往中。”

Globally, more than half the world can speak at least two languages -- but Western English-speakers are lagging behind. 
從全球來(lái)看，全世界有一半以上的人至少會(huì)說(shuō)兩種語(yǔ)言——但西方國(guó)家的英語(yǔ)人群開(kāi)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)，大約四分之一的美國(guó)人能用第二語(yǔ)言交談——主要是西班牙語(yǔ)——而2014年歐洲晴雨表的一項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，60%的英國(guó)人和愛(ài)爾蘭人都只會(huì)說(shuō)一門語(yǔ)言（英語(yǔ)）。

Influential factors 
影響因素

"Different factors influence how easy (or difficult) it is to learn a new language," says Plieninger. 
Plieninger表示：“學(xué)習(xí)一門新語(yǔ)言的難易程度受到不同因素的影響。”

"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(yǔ)言與你的母語(yǔ)屬于同個(gè)語(yǔ)系，那么通常掌握起來(lái)更容易。”

Theoretically, English-speakers should therefore be more comfortable with Germanic languages like German or Dutch, as both are historically very close to English. 
從理論上講，說(shuō)英語(yǔ)的人理應(yīng)覺(jué)得學(xué)日耳曼語(yǔ)言更輕松，比如德語(yǔ)或荷蘭語(yǔ)，因?yàn)槎咴跉v史上都非常接近英語(yǔ)。

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，在日常生活中習(xí)得的語(yǔ)言與在課堂上學(xué)會(huì)的語(yǔ)言有很大的不同，這就是為什么美國(guó)人覺(jué)得西班牙語(yǔ)更好學(xué)，而英國(guó)人覺(jué)得法語(yǔ)學(xué)起來(lái)輕松——雖然二者同屬羅曼語(yǔ)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. 
Plieninger表示，盡管大多數(shù)美國(guó)人和英國(guó)人認(rèn)為俄語(yǔ)是最難習(xí)得的語(yǔ)言，但實(shí)際上俄語(yǔ)“與英語(yǔ)一樣，同屬印歐語(yǔ)系。”

"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." 
“不過(guò)，俄語(yǔ)難學(xué)是因?yàn)樗褂梦骼餇栕帜副?，這對(duì)初學(xué)者來(lái)說(shuō)是一個(gè)很大的障礙，而且俄語(yǔ)和英語(yǔ)的語(yǔ)法結(jié)構(gòu)也不同。”

Romantic language is most romantic 
羅曼語(yǔ)族最浪漫

And which languages have the most sex appeal -- in UK and US eyes, at least? 
那么，在英國(guó)人和美國(guó)人的眼里，哪種語(yǔ)言最性感呢？

Well, the Babbel guys asked that in a previous survey.
Babbel的調(diào)查人員在此前的調(diào)查中問(wèn)過(guò)這個(gè)問(wèn)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%). 
兩國(guó)的受訪者（40%的美國(guó)人，32%的英國(guó)人）認(rèn)為法語(yǔ)是“最性感”的語(yǔ)言，同時(shí)帶有法語(yǔ)口音的英語(yǔ)也是最性感的外國(guó)口音（38%的美國(guó)人，40%的英國(guó)人）。

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(shuō)多種語(yǔ)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Ellen Bialystok發(fā)現(xiàn)，從小經(jīng)常說(shuō)一種以上的語(yǔ)言能提高認(rèn)知能力，還可以延緩阿爾茨海默病的癥狀。

It's "a great way to train your brain," says Plieninger. 
Plieninger表示，這是“訓(xùn)練大腦的好方法。”