2017年翻译资格考试高级口译翻译练习（8）

　　Speaking two languages rather than just one has obvious practical benefits in an increasingly globalized world. But in recent years, scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism are even more fundamental than being able to converse with a wider range of people. Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter. It can have a profound effect on your brain, improving other skills not related to language.

　　This view of bilingualism is remarkably different from the understanding of bilingualism through much of the 20th century. Researchers, educators and policy makers long considered a second language to be an interference that hindered a child’s academic and intellectual development.

　　But this interference, researchers are finding out, isn’t so much a handicap as a blessing in disguise. It forces the brain to resolve internal conflict, giving the mind a workout that strengthens its ability of knowledge acquisition. The bilingual experience appears to influence the brain from infancy to old age and there is reason to believe that it may also apply to those who learn a second language later in life.

　　在当今日益全球化的世界里，显然会说两门语言要比单单说一种有实际的好处。然而，科学家近年来发现，双语的优势不仅仅在于能够跟更多人交流。事实证明，成为双语人才，能够使人更加聪明。这种能力会对人的大脑产生深远影响，不仅能够提高语言能力，更能改善其他技能。

　　这种对于双语的看法同20世纪的看法有着显著不同。研究员、教育家和决策者曾认为第二种语言会对儿童造成干扰，妨碍其学业及其智力发展。

　　但是研究员发现，这种干扰与其说是一个绊脚之石，不如说是一种塞翁之福。它使得大脑自我消化两种语言的内在冲突，训练心智，能够加强人对知识的吸收能力。一个人从孩提时期到耄耋之际均会持续受到掌握双语所带来的影响。人们也有理由相信那些后天习得第二门语言的人也会受到此影响。