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1. Read in English
1.看英文书
When you want to master a language, you can never read enough.
The easiest way to get started with reading in English rather than your own language is to pick up a non-fiction[非小说类文学作品] book on a familiar, interesting topic. Non-fiction tends to be easier to follow than fiction (fiction authors use tricky[狡猾的] words to touch their readers’ feelings) and reading about a familiar topic makes it easier to guess what the author is trying to say to you when you don’t quite understand the words he’s using. Don’t use a dictionary unless you really have to—just skip the parts you don’t understand. If you make your reading feel too much like work, you’ll lose the fun in it, and the habit of reading won’t last for long.
当你想要掌握一门语言，看再多的书也不够。
开始看非母语的英文书，最简单的方法是挑选一本关于你熟悉且感兴趣的话题的非小说类作品。非小说类作品比小说更容易读懂（因为小说家们通常用一些狡黠的词汇来引起读者的共鸣），而在不怎么理解作者用词的情况下，阅读熟悉的话题让你更容易猜到作者想要表达的意思。若非必要，不要使用字典——跳过你不理解的部分。假如你把看书当成作业，就会乐趣全无，看书的习惯也不能持久。
2. Listen to native speakers
2.听英语演说
If you don’t speak English every day, this is rather tricky advice to follow. The Internet comes to rescue here through podcasts[播客] and videos from speaking events. Pick your favorite speakers and listen to them deliver their message. You will learn not only about how they use the language, but also how to captivate[迷住] the audience, and a bit about the topic at hand.
假如你不是每天都说英语，这将是个不大好办的建议。在这一点上，互联网帮上了忙，它可以提供播客和演讲比赛的视频。选择你喜欢的演说者，听听他们如何传达信息。不单能学习他们使用语言的方法，还可以学习怎样吸引观众，并对正在讨论的这个话题产生一定的了解。
3. When writing in English, think in English 运用英语思维写作
This is one of the biggest things that separates a decent[相当好的] foreign language writer from a lousy one. The lousy writer thinks in his own language and then tries to translate his thoughts to English. But that simply doesn’t work: The idioms, grammar rules, and cultural differences make text written in this manner sound clumsy[笨拙的] and unnatural.
这是区别外语写作者水平优劣的最关键因素之一。糟糕的作者用母语思考，然后试图将他的想法翻译成英文。但显然这行不通：习惯用语、语法结构和文化差异使这种方式写出来的文章看起来拙劣而不自然。
That’s why every time I set out to write in English, I push all my Finnish[芬兰的] thoughts far to the background and don’t even look back. Then I pretend to be English speaking until the work is done and I can move back to my Finnish self.
I suggest you do the same.
这就是为什么我每次进行英语写作时都将自己的芬兰语思维抛得远远的，根本不回头看。然后我假装自己是英语母语者，直至工作完成才回归到芬兰人的自己。
我建议你也这样做。
4. Write
4.多写多练
The best way to learn anything is by throwing yourself out there and practicing. In fact, I would give you the same advice even if you were considering writing in your native language. But of course, it’s even more important when writing in some other language.
最好的学习方法就是全身心地投入其中，然后不断练习。事实上，即使在用母语写作方面，我也会给你同样的建议。但当然，用其他语言写作时，这点更重要。
When you are just starting out with your blogging, you should write something every day to really get your writing routine developed. After a while it’s okay to drop the pace a bit—although even then, if you want to become the best at what you do, keeping up the habit of daily writing helps a lot.
刚开始写博客时，你应该每天都写些东西以真正形成自己的写作习惯。一段时间后，适当放缓速度也无妨——即使到了那个时候，如果你想做到最好，继续保持每天写作的习惯会很有帮助。
Write in different styles: lists, humorous posts注, serious posts, interviews, and if you have the time, even text that is completely unrelated to your blog. Just to get more practice.
写不同风格的文章：列表、幽默文、严肃文及采访等，假如有时间的话，甚至可以是和你博客完全没有关联的文章。笔头一定要勤。
5. Trust your gut[内心的感觉]
5.跟着感觉走
The human brain is an amazing machine.
人类的大脑是一台不可思议的机器。
This can be a bit scary at first as you don’t know how you have learned the sayings and word plays you are using, and can’t be sure if they are correct or not. Uncertainty[不确定] is the price you have to pay for trying to learn to use the language in a natural way. You just have to go with your gut and trust your brain when words keep popping up[突然出现] that you didn’t know you even knew.
这起先也许会让人有些慌乱，因为你不知道自己使用的说法和词汇是怎么学会的，也无法确定它们正确与否。不确定是你想自然地使用这门语言所要付出的代价。当你甚至不知道自己认识的词汇不断地冒出来时，你只要跟着自己的感觉走，相信自己的大脑就行了。
I usually write freely on my first cycle, just trying to get the words and ideas out on paper. And then, on the second round of checking my text, I drop sayings that sound too uncertain to me, or run them through[浏览] a friend to see if they make sense or not. Usually they do.
第一稿我通常会随性而写，只是试着将词汇和想法写到纸上。到了第二稿检查文章时，我会舍弃那些太不确定的语言，或者让一个朋友浏览一番，看看它们是否说得通。通常不会有问题。
6. Proofread
6.校对
When you have finished writing your article and it seems nearly perfect to you, the next thing to do is to check it for typos[打字错误], grammar mistakes, and just some plain weird sounding sentences.
写完作文了，你觉得它看起来很完美，下一步便是检查有没有打错字、有没语法错误以及一些看起来就是怪怪的句子。
The easiest way for checking for typos is to use a spellchecker[拼写检查程序], but checking for grammar mistakes is a lot trickier. What I do is that I usually check the grammar first in Microsoft Word or just play it by the ear, depending on how much you trust your own English language skills.
检查打字问题最简单的方式是使用拼写检查程序，但检查语法错误就繁杂得多。我通常先在Microsoft Word里检查语法或读出来用耳朵听，这取决于你对自己的英语语言技能有多大的自信。
And of course, if you want to play it safe, you can always ask one of your English speaking friends to double check your article.
当然，如果你想更放心，你也可以叫一个以英语为母语的朋友再帮你检查一次。
7. Have English-speaking friends who are not afraid to correct your mistakes
7.结交肯纠错的外国朋友
The best way to learn to sound like a native is to hang out[出去玩] with them as much as you can. By paying close attention to how they speak, you will learn the sayings they use, the slang, and even the jokes that they throw at you. All of this is important in making your English sound more natural and conversational[对话的] rather than something learned from a book.
学习地道英文的最佳途径是多和英语母语者打交道。仔细观察他们的说话方式，你可以学到他们使用的说法、俚语，甚至是包括他们对你说的笑话。所有这些都是重要的帮助，让你的英语听起来更自然、更像日常对话，而不是从书本里学到的东西。
Instant messaging[即时通信], e-mailing, or even chatting with them face to face, if possible, are all good ways to learn from friends. And the best part in all of this? You can do it while having a great time getting to know new, interesting people.
使用即时通信和电子邮件——如果可以的话，和他们面对面地交谈吧，这些都是向朋友学习的好方法。最大的好处？你可以一边学习，一边了解有趣的新朋友，这非常有意思。
8. Study spelling and grammar
8.学习拼写和语法
Yeah. I admit it, this doesn’t sound like a lot of fun at all. But to achieve greatness, you have to put in some effort. And in the end, the reward of learning and becoming more confident with your writing is really worth it. Go find the books you were using on your English courses back in school, or if you can’t find them, check if there are any good course books at the local library.
是的，我承认这看上去一点都不有趣。不过，若想取得成就，你必须付出努力。到头来，学习的成果以及你在写作上的愈加自信完全值得这样的付出。找出学生时代的英语课本，假如找不到，不妨看看当地的图书馆有没有好的教科书。
If you still want to go one step further, you can enroll[登记] to a language course. Just make sure to pick one that is mostly about creative writing because that will get you moving faster towards your goal.
假如你想更进一步，可以报读一门语言课程。要确保你选择的课程主要是讲创意写作的，因为那样可以助你更快地达成目标。
9. Commas[逗号] and hyphens[连字符]—the tricky buggers[家伙]
9.逗号和连字符——两个棘手的家伙
Commas are hard. Hyphenation nearly impossible.
逗号非常难。连字符更是难如登天。
The good thing here is that not even the English speaking bloggers always get these things right. But does that mean you don’t have to worry about them? No. If you want to be a great writer, you have to try to practice the hard things as well. All you can do is to learn about using them and then always double check your text to see if your punctuation[标点] is correct.
值得庆幸的是，即使是以英语为母语的博主也未必能正确使用这些符号。但那意味着你就无须为它们烦恼了吗？不。如果你想成为一名优秀的作者，你必须在这些难点上多加练习。你要做的就是学习使用方法，总是反复检查你的文章，看看你的标点符号是否正确。
10. Relax
10.放松一点
Last comes the most important tip of all: Relax, and enjoy your writing. To be a great writer, you have to put in a lot of effort, but it’s not going to happen overnight. So, while you are practicing, don’t panic[惊慌]. Just write the best content you can with the skill set you have right now. Put it online on your own blog and learn more as you go.
最后是最重要的一点建议：放松一点，享受写作。要成为伟大的作家，你必须多加努力，而且不可能一蹴而就。因此，在练习的时候不要慌张。用你现有的技巧写出最好的文章吧。将它放到你自己的博客上，之后学习更多知识。
Relax, have fun, and share your thoughts with the world!
放轻松，开心玩，和世界分享你的想法吧！
