1
I started learning English in third grade. That's about twenty years now.
小学三年级，我开始接触英语，至今大约二十个年头。
In all that time, I've never spoken to a foreigner. When I shared this on Tandem, a girl from the Netherlands was especially surprised. I was surprised too. Learning a language for so long without ever using it to communicate?!
期间，从未跟外国人交流过。当我在tandem上分享这点，其中一个荷兰的妹子感到格外诧异。我也很诧异，学习一门语言如此之久，竟未曾用这门语言交流过？！
But in China, this is utterly commonplace. We learn mainly for exams. To memorize words correctly, to pick the right choice among four options, to write essays full of advanced vocabulary and beautiful phrases. In a chain of obvious "in order tos"—like work and money—we finally arrive at the goal of living a happy life. Even if that goal has not the slightest connection to English anymore.
然而在中国，这实属司空见惯。我们主要是为了考试，为了正确地默写单词，在四个选项中选出正确，为了有着很多高级词汇和漂亮短语的作文，在一连串显而易见的“为了”，诸如工作和钱之类的，最终抵达过上幸福生活的终点。哪怕这终点，与英语不再发生一丝一毫的关系。
A classic checkpoint game. One that's lasted decades and will likely last many more. A bankrupt, boring game.
再典型不过的一种关卡游戏，一种延续了几十年，想必还会再延续很多年的、破产的、无聊的游戏。
Of course, with my current vocabulary, which I've mostly forgotten, it's naturally hard to explain this clearly to the Dutch girl helping with her family business, the British guy planning to come to China, or the Mexican data science researcher.
当然，以我现在已经忘得差不多的词汇量，固然难以向帮家里打理生意的荷兰妹子、准备来中国的英国小哥、墨西哥的数据科学研究员，详细地讲明白这点。
I used whatever words I could recall. Didn't worry about tenses. Couldn't remember singular or plural. Couldn't even guarantee my pronunciation was accurate. I expressed what I could, clumsily enough, in fits and starts, squeezing out whatever I had.
我用着能想得起的词汇，不考虑时态，记不起单复数，甚至发音是否准确也难以保证，足够蹩脚地表达着所能表达的，断断续续，挤出多少就多少。
Surprisingly, they always seemed to understand!?
意外的是，他们似乎总能听懂！？
2
Tandem is a language exchange app. People from all over the world mix there. Everyone exchanges based on their fluent language and the language they want to learn. Participants turn on their mics to chat in various language meetups, like voice conference rooms.
Tandem是一款语言交流软件，全球各个国家的人混迹其中，大家通过流利的语言和想学的语言来进行交换，参与者在各种语言聚会中开麦交流，相当于语音会议室。
I downloaded the app almost a year ago. For a year, I never dared to turn on my mic. Worried I couldn't speak clearly, even more afraid I wouldn't understand what others said. Until recently, I really wanted to try. After all, language—not using it to communicate is just stupid.
这软件我已下载将近一年，一年来从未敢开麦说话。担心说不清楚，更害怕不知道别人说了啥。直到最近确实想试试，毕竟语言嘛，不用来交流真是太愚蠢了。
When some foreigners learning Chinese spoke Mandarin to me, I instantly understood why they could hear my chaotic Chinglish.
当一些学中文的老外跟我讲普通话时，我瞬间就明白了为什么他们能听到我毫无章法的中式英语。
Their Mandarin: mixed-up tones, wrong grammar, pauses, hesitations. Far from standard. But for me, a native Chinese speaker, understanding their expression wasn't much of a problem. Relying on the keywords they squeezed out and the relevant context was enough to get it.
他们的普通话：声调混淆，语法有误，卡顿，支支吾吾，距离标准可谓差远了，但对于母语为中文的我来说，理解他们的表达并没有多大问题，凭着对方挤出的关键词和相关上下文，足以让人理解。
So I thought the reverse. It must be the same when I speak English to English speakers. Keywords + context are enough for them to understand what I'm saying.
于是我反过来一想，我跟那些说英语的人说英语也是如此呢。关键词+上下文，足以让人理解对面的表述。
Realizing this boosted my confidence a lot. In the last ten days, I often entered chat groups. Raised my hand, turned on the mic, introduced myself, asked some questions, answered others' doubts. Topics were broad—from travel, culture, food, to daily life, language learning, family and marriage, and so on.
明白这点让我信心大增。最近十天，我常常进入聊天群。举手，开麦，自我介绍，问一些问题，回答别人的疑惑。话题很宽泛，从旅行、文化、饮食、到日常生活、语言学习、家庭婚恋，诸如此类。
As for listening, it was like opening a blind box of English accents. I couldn't understand much, but guessing and context kept things going. The worst was when the other person spoke fast and long, and expected a response. Then I'd be on pins and needles, just wanting to escape, like an ostrich.
至于听力嘛，仿佛如同开各种口音的英语盲盒，并不能听懂很多，连蒙带猜倒也能进行下去。最糟糕的则是，对方的表达很快又冗长，而他又期待你的回应。此时我总是如坐针毡，只想赶紧溜，像极一只鸵鸟。
What I could do was: "Sorry, could you use some simple words or phrases and speak slowly. I apologize that I could not follow you very well."
为此我能做的就是“Sorry，could you use some simple words or phrases and speak slowly. I apologize that I could not follow you very well.”(让对方用简答词汇和说慢点，因为自己不太跟得上。)
Relying on these crude but practical strategies, I got over my fear of speaking English. Now, I've added a Portuguese guy, a Mexican guy, and a South African guy on WeChat. More than text, I prefer voice calls with them.
靠着这些粗鄙又实用的策略，我打消了交流英语的恐惧。再到现在，我加上了一个葡萄牙老哥和墨西哥老哥的微信，外加一位南非的老弟。比起文字，我更愿意跟他们语音直接交流。
3
This experience also further confirmed a practical idea for me: Minimum Viability. In an article last year, What Did I Learn from Coding?, I mentioned, "...since writing more complex code, I've started to personally understand: complex systems start from simplicity. It's not about preparing everything, but starting from a simple model that works—the so-called MVP (Minimum Viable Product)."
这经历也让我进一步佐证了一个实践思路：最小可行性。去年的一篇文章《从敲代码中我收获了什么？》，提到过，“...自从多写了一些复杂代码后，我开始切身理解到：复杂系统是从简单开始，不是准备好一切，而是先从一个可以跑通的简单模型开始，即所谓的MVP（最小可行产品）”。
The understanding I gained from programming was validated in language practice. Language is essentially a relatively complex system too. Horizontally: sound, form, meaning. Vertically: character, word, sentence, text. Spanning from daily life to academic exchange, covering a huge space. Among listening, speaking, reading, and writing, the basic functions of language are listening and speaking. Just as a baby first learns to listen, then to speak. Reading and writing are derived attributes.
这份在编程中得到的理解，在语言练习中也得到了验证。语言本质上也是相对复杂的系统，横向是音、形、义，纵向是字、词、句、文，由日常生活到学术交流，覆盖空间极大。在听说读写中，语言最初的基本功能是听说，正如婴儿最初学会的是听，之后是说，读写是衍生属性。
In other words, the minimum viability of language is listening and speaking. What's important is to first engage in voice communication with others, to get this viable model running. Or, first draw the gourd like the gourd, make a semblance, then understand why, then expand. Not stand on shore preparing all sorts of swimming theories before getting in the pool.
换言之，语言的最小可行性，是听和说。为此重要的是先和他人进行声音交流，先跑通这个可行性模型。或者说，先依葫芦画瓢画出个样子，再去理解为什么，再拓展。而不是站在岸上准备好各种游泳理论再下游泳池。
Take my experience. The obstacles I encountered in voice communication prompted me to practice more common sentences and vocabulary. I'd think about how to express a sentence I wanted to say, then bring it back to the language practice field.
以我的经验为例，在声音交流中遇到的障碍，会促使我练习更多常用的句子和词汇，会思考想说这句话，应该怎么表达，然后再带着它返回语言练习场。
Thanks to this mindset, my SaaS website launched. I recently got overseas payment processing working (accidentally paid myself over two hundred dollars, lost about a dozen in fees coming and going). In this process, there was a lot I couldn't understand, couldn't figure out, and didn't know how to reproduce (part of it was drawing the gourd like the gourd).
得益于这个思路，我的saas网站上线了，最近跑通海外收款流程（不小心给自己付了一笔两百多美金，来去之间损失十几块美金的手续费）。这其中，有着大量我难以理解，搞不懂，更不知道如何复现的内容（其中一部分就是依葫芦画瓢）。
Same mindset, I uploaded a video to YouTube. Currently only two views, but I'm still satisfied—at least I got the minimum model running. I started.
同样的思路，我上传了视频到油管。目前只有两个播放，但我仍是满意的——起码跑通了最小模型，开始做了。
These things are a long way from producing results. A small start doesn't prove much.
这些事情，距离做出成果有着漫长的路途，小小的起步并不足以说明什么。
4
There was a time I wanted to get a WHV and go to Australia. I imagined myself holding a stack of resumes, going door-to-door looking for work. How to greet people when entering a shop, how to introduce myself, how to understand what they said. The imagination alone made me anxious.
曾经有一段时间，我想抽WHV去澳洲。想象自己拿着一叠简历扫街找工作，进门店如何开口打招呼，如何介绍自己，如何听懂对方说什么。想象就令我感到不安。
In the apartment where I live, there are also foreigners. I imagined many times going up to chat. By the time I was ready, I never saw them again.
在我所住的公寓里，也有外国人。我想象很多次上前去搭讪，等我做好准备，却没再遇到过。
Today, I talked with a guy from Cape Town in English for nearly two hours. The first time in my life I've had a one-on-one conversation with a foreigner for so long. The guy is twenty-one. I met him by posting on Reddit looking for a language partner.
今天和开普敦的老弟通过英文聊了将近两个小时，人生第一次一对一和一个外国人聊这么久的天。老弟二十一岁，是我在reddit上发帖寻找语言伙伴认识的。
He's a freshman, majoring in Philosophy and Theology, usually tortured by Arabic. Has four brothers and two sisters at home. Forgot to ask his birth order. As skinny as me, about the same height. Speaks English with a South African accent. Wants to be an English teacher after graduation. That's not easy there, because English is already the common language in South Africa, just like teaching Chinese in China for Chinese people. It's 33 degrees there now, definitely hot as a panting dog...
他大一新生，主修哲学和神学，平时被阿拉伯语折磨。家里有四个哥弟和两个姐妹，忘记问排行老几。和我一样瘦，一样高矮。操着一口南非口音的英语，毕业后想当英语老师。这在南非并不容易，因为那儿英语本是通用语言，正如中国人在中国教中文。那儿现在温度33度，无疑热成哈巴狗......
What did we talk about for two hours, to keep it going so long? It hasn't been long, and I can't really say.
这两个小时里都聊了什么内容，能持续这么长？这才刚没过多久，我也说不清楚。
What I can say clearly is this: It's the feeling of making progress in an effective way. I salvaged a bit of English back from the bankrupt system.
我能清楚的是，这是用有效的方式获得进步的感觉，破产体制里的英语被我挽救回了一点。