The Benefits of Bilingualism
双语的益处
When adults are surveyed about the value of learning another language, most respond in terms of immediate personal benefit, such as greater marketability or professional opportunities, or in terms of less tangible benefits, such as increased respect for and awareness of other cultures. But the true benefits of learning an additional language are far broader than that.
对成年人中就学习其它语言的价值进行调查时，大多数人的直接反应是对个人有益，如可获得更良好的交易能力或专业机遇，并没有太多具体的益处，诸如增加了对其它文化的认识和尊重。但是，学习其它语言的真正好处远比上面所述的益处要广泛得多。
When comparing bilingual and monolingual children, bilingual children often outperform their monolingual peers in surprising ways: 12
将使用双语的儿童与持单语的儿童进行比较，令人惊讶的是，双语儿童通常比持单语的同龄儿童做得更好： 12
• They exhibit more creativity.
他们表现出更强的创造力。
• They excel at problem solving.
他们更擅长解决问题。
• Their oral and written communication is richer and more inventive.
他们的口头和书面表达更丰富，且更具有创造性。
• They display a better grasp of grammar.
他们也能更好地掌握语法。
• They score higher on certain intelligence tests.
他们在某些智力测验上往往能取得高分。
More surprisingly, some distinctions can be seen at a very early age. Research shows that infants raised in a bilingual environment show cognitive gains over their monolingual-environment age peers. They learn faster (that is, they adapt more quickly to new stimuli).13 It is the very exposure to a second language that appears to be stimulating neural pathways and enhancing cognitive capabilities at this age. In fact, bilingual children show consistent advantages in processing both verbal and non-verbal information. There is now evidence that suggests that being bilingual may slow the brain's aging process. 14
更令人惊讶的是，在他们很小的时候就能看出一些差别。研究表明，在双语环境中成长的婴儿比单语环境中成长的同龄人表现出更强的认知收益。他们学得更快（也就是说，他们能更快地适应新的刺激）。13这正是由于外语的环境刺激了神经通路，提高这一年龄阶段的认知能力的结果。事实上，持双语的儿童在处理言语信息和非言语信息时，都表现出一致优势。现在还有证据表明，使用双语还可延缓大脑的衰老过程。14
