In order to learn a language well, we should also learn about the country as well as the cultures and lifestyles of the people who speak it.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
我完全赞成这个断言，即：要学好一门语言，我们还应该了解这门语言的国家、文化和人民的生活方式。
I fully support the assertion that to learn a language well, we should also learn about the country as well as the cultures and lifestyles of the people who speak it.
先来看看我们一般情况下是如何定义“真正学好一门语言”的。按照我的理解，学好一门语言意味着能够妥当地使用它。这里，对于妥当使用它而言，我们需要知道：由于文化上的差异，很多东西会因此而非常不同。比如，中国人常通过问“吃了吗?”来表达问候，而这对于西方人来讲便构成了午饭或晚饭的邀请。因此，缺乏了对不同国家文化方面的知识，就会引起对所发送或接收到的信息的错误理解，结果便会导致误解。这样一来，我们就不能说我们讲得妥当，再进一步，我们就不能说我们讲得好。
Let’s first see how we normally define “learning a language really well”. By my understanding, learning a language well would mean being able to speak the language in a proper way. Here, with speaking it properly, we need to know that due to cultural differences, many things are just so different from culture to culture. For example, the Chinese often greet each other by asking ‘Have you taken your meal?’ which, to the Western ears, would make an invitation to lunch or dinner. Therefore, the lack of a knowledge of the cultures of different countries will give rise to wrong interpretations of the message issued or received and as a result, lead to misunderstandings. In this way, we can not say that we are speaking the language properly and further, we can not say that we speak it well.
第二，我们学习一门语言的最终目的是用它与讲这门语言的人进行交流，主要就是母语为这门语言的人。设想我们对美国或英国什么也不了解，包括其政府、人民、传统以及其它方面，你想你能妥当地讲英语，从而与美国人或英国人达到有效的交流吗?我要说：至少我是做不到的。
Second, the ultimate purpose for us to learn a language is to use it in our communication with other people who speak it, mainly the native speakers. Suppose we know nothing about the US or Britain, including its government, its people, its tradition, and its other aspects. Do you think you can speak English properly, thus achieving effective communication with the American or British people? I’ll say at least I can’t.
第三，我们还需要知道我们所学语言国家的人民的生活方式才能妥当地讲他们的语言。举个例子吧：中国人吃猪肉，但穆斯林不吃。还有，穆斯林宗教气氛浓郁，每天多次举行仪式。如果我们不知道这些事情的话又怎能指望与他们交流而不招致麻烦呢?按照这一逻辑，如果我们不能保证妥当地讲好他们的语言，我们又怎么说他们的语言我们学得很好呢?
Third, the lifestyle of the people whose language we are learning is also something we need to know in order that we can speak their language properly. For instance, the Chinese eat pork, but this is not the case with Muslims. Also, Muslims are very religious people and perform rituals many times a day. If we don’t know these things, how can we expect to communicate with them without incurring troubles? In this logic, if we cannot make sure that we are speaking their language properly, how can we say that we have learned their language well?
由此，我们可以得出结论了：学好一门语言，我们还必须了解这个国家以及这个国家的文化和其人民的生活方式。
From the above discussion, we can draw the conclusion that to learn a language really well, we also need to learn about the country as well as the cultures and lifestyles of the people who speak it.
