A tourist poses in front of the "House of Flags" installation in London's Parliament Square in 2012.

Want greater success in your career and your love life, as well as a healthy brain long into old age?
想要在事業上和愛情生活中獲得更大的成功，并且到暮年仍保持大腦健康？

The answer could be to learn another language.
答案或許是，學習另一種語言。

Or at least that's the case according to a majority of Americans and Britons polled in a new survey by language app Babbel.
至少大多數的美國人和英國人是這么認為的，這個數據來源于語言應用軟件Babbel的一項新調查。

Apparently, 71% of Americans and 61% of Britons believe speaking more than one language makes a person seem more attractive.
顯然，71%的美國人和61%的英國人認為，會說不止一種語言似乎使人更具吸引力。

Oui, c'est vrai!
嗯，是真的！（法語）

Of 3,000 English-speakers polled in the US and the UK, nine out of 10 admitted they'd learn a new language in pursuit of love.
接受調查的3000名說英語的英美人士中，有九成承認他們愿意為了追逐愛情而學習一種新的語言。

About half said they'd dreamed about a romance with someone from another country.
約一半的人表示，他們曾夢想著和來自另一個國家的人擁有一段浪漫愛情。

And moving from the bedroom to boardroom, about one in four Americans and Britons think that being monolingual has held them back professionally.
從家庭事務來到工作事務上，約有四分之一的美國人和英國人認為，只會一種語言阻礙了他們的職業發展。

So it's probably no surprise that one in eight confessed to having exaggerated their language skills on a resume.
因此，有八成人承認在簡歷中夸大了自己的語言技能，這也不怎么意外。

"Languages not only enable you to expand yourself in terms of perspective and skillset, but they also open doors and help you better understand other cultures and peoples," Miriam Plieninger, director of didactics at Babbel, tells CNN.
Babbel的教學論主任Miriam Plieninger表示：“語言不僅能拓寬自己的視野和技能，同時也打開另一扇門，幫助你更好地理解其他文化和民族。”

"Knowing another language helps to break barriers and to connect on a special level of mutual understanding; be it while on the street, traveling, or in business."
“了解另一種語言有助于打破障礙，通過特殊層面的相互理解進行溝通；不論是在街頭，旅行中，還是在商業交往中。”

Globally, more than half the world can speak at least two languages -- but Western English-speakers are lagging behind.
從全球來看，全世界有一半以上的人至少會說兩種語言——但西方國家的英語人群開始落后了。

A 2001 Gallup poll found about a quarter of Americans could hold a conversation in a second language -- mostly Spanish -- while a 2014 study by Eurobarometer revealed about 60% of people in the UK and Ireland are monolingual.
2001年蓋洛普的一項調查發現，大約四分之一的美國人能用第二語言交談——主要是西班牙語——而2014年歐洲晴雨表的一項研究發現，60%的英國人和愛爾蘭人都只會說一門語言（英語）。

Influential factors
影響因素

"Different factors influence how easy (or difficult) it is to learn a new language," says Plieninger.
Plieninger表示：“學習一門新語言的難易程度受到不同因素的影響。”

"If the language you are learning is part of the same family as your mother tongue, it is generally much easier to access."
“如果你正在學習的語言與你的母語屬于同個語系，那么通常掌握起來更容易。”

Theoretically, English-speakers should therefore be more comfortable with Germanic languages like German or Dutch, as both are historically very close to English.
從理論上講，說英語的人理應覺得學日耳曼語言更輕松，比如德語或荷蘭語，因為二者在歷史上都非常接近英語。

However, familiarity picked up in everyday life or in the classroom makes a big difference, which is why Americans feel at ease with Spanish and Brits with French -- both romantic languages.
然而，在日常生活中習得的語言與在課堂上學會的語言有很大的不同，這就是為什么美國人覺得西班牙語更好學，而英國人覺得法語學起來輕松——雖然二者同屬羅曼語族。

And although the majority of Americans and Britons polled thought Russian was the trickiest to pick up, it's actually "part of the same Indo-European language family as English," Plieninger adds.
Plieninger表示，盡管大多數美國人和英國人認為俄語是最難習得的語言，但實際上俄語“與英語一樣，同屬印歐語系。”

"What makes it difficult, however, is that it uses the Cyrillic alphabet, which is a big hurdle for beginners, and it also has a different grammar structure to English."
“不過，俄語難學是因為它使用西里爾字母表，這對初學者來說是一個很大的障礙，而且俄語和英語的語法結構也不同。”

Romantic language is most romantic
羅曼語族最浪漫

And which languages have the most sex appeal -- in UK and US eyes, at least?
那么，在英國人和美國人的眼里，哪種語言最性感呢？

Well, the Babbel guys asked that in a previous survey.
Babbel的調查人員在此前的調查中問過這個問題。

French was considered the "sexiest" language by respondents on both sides of the Atlantic (US 40%, UK 32%) and the hottest foreign accent in which to hear English (US 38%, UK 40%).
兩國的受訪者（40%的美國人，32%的英國人）認為法語是“最性感”的語言，同時帶有法語口音的英語也是最性感的外國口音（38%的美國人，40%的英國人）。

So being multilingual can make you more appealing, more successful and more compassionate. And it's also good for your health.
所以，會說多種語言可以讓你更有吸引力，更成功，且更富有同情心。而且對你的健康也有好處。

In 2011, Canadian neuroscientist Ellen Bialystok found that speaking more than one language regularly from an early age enhances cognitive abilities and can also delay symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
2011年加拿大神經科學家Ellen Bialystok發現，從小經常說一種以上的語言能提高認知能力，還可以延緩阿爾茨海默病的癥狀。

It's "a great way to train your brain," says Plieninger.
Plieninger表示，這是“訓練大腦的好方法。”

英文來源：CNN
翻譯：實習生朱善美
編審：Helen/yaning