Plan B Language Solutions

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PODCAST #2

Fear 恐懼

What an array of emotional responses we have to a stimulus that invokes a spectre of fear. Our reactions to fear can range from blushing to flushing to a hair-raising desire to fight or to flee. Fight or Flight? This is a natural response inherent in all animals and even in some plants. One thing is for certain, if we flee, our fear will remain in control over us. But, if we stand and we fight…. and win, we then own that fear. It is gone forever. Just gone. (By the way, in some situations, if you fight and fail, you can die. That’s why we come equipped with the response. ;))
Some situations, but not all.
面對恐懼我們擁有相當獨特且不同的反應，這些反應包括臉紅、臉色發白、寒毛直豎、點燃戰鬥的衝動、或是引起......逃跑的衝動。戰鬥與逃跑，該選哪一個好呢？這是所有動物（甚至是植物）與生俱來的自然反應。可以確定的是，如果我們選擇逃跑，我們仍然在恐懼的掌控之中；但是，如果我們選擇挺身面對並贏得這場戰爭，這個恐懼就會落入我們的掌控之中。它不是躲起來或暫時的消失，而是永遠的消失。（順帶一提，如果你挺身面對但是輸了這場戰爭，在某些特殊情況下是會死人的，這就是為什麼會有上述那些恐懼所帶來的種種反應。;)）不過這只是在某些情況下，並不是像電玩一樣，你每戰輸一次都死一次。

As children we have a bounty of fears. Fear of the dark is one common example. As children we’re absolutely sure that it would harm us. We look back now and see that response as completely irrational. Many people I meet while out walking my sweet little dog are gripped with fear whenever she comes near. They want to run away as fast as they can. But if they just took a second, and put out their hand, they would make a friend for life.
孩童時期的我們有著許多的恐懼，常見的案例之一就是怕黑。身為小孩子的我們無比地確定黑暗會傷害我們，而現在我們回首過去，才發現這是一個完全不理性的反應。每每在街上遛著我可愛的小狗時，小狗總是好奇地想要聞聞所有經過她身邊的人，然而很多人因為她的這個舉動露出驚恐的神情，想拔腿就跑，跑得越遠越好。但是如果他們願意花一秒鐘的時間，伸出手讓她聞聞，也許他們就交到了一個一輩子的朋友。

However, Taiwan (and Japan, South Korea and China) has created another response to the fear of making mistakes: Shame. Loss of Face. This sense of shame has become so manifest that it inhibits progress in some areas while proving truly advantageous in others. It is admirable how Taiwanese students have been able to transfer this sense of shame over mistakes into stalwart study habits. And it has paid off in helping shape Taiwan into the modern success story it has become. How, you may ask? By creating students that excel in the sciences. Taiwanese students’ proclivity for cramming for tests has shown great results in all areas of science-based study and Taiwan has parlayed that success into a robust economy which is the envy of many other Asian countries. When it comes to learning languages, does this shame response become an actual handicap?
然而，害怕犯錯，在台灣（與日本、南韓和中國）產生了另外一種反應：羞恥，也就是我們常說的丟臉。害怕犯錯所帶來的羞恥感，明顯的在一些領域中是一個很大的優勢，但同時抑制一些領域的成長。令人敬佩的是，台灣學生能將這羞恥感轉化成為應付龐大課業的發電機，而如此的轉化造就了台灣現代的成功故事。怎麼說呢？台灣學生對於填鴨式的學習習慣，帶來數不清在科學領域上的成就，而將這些數不清的成就轉變成為經濟起飛，還讓許多其他亞洲國家羨慕不已呢！但是當說到學習語言，害怕犯錯所帶來的羞恥感是助力是阻力呢？

The point is, fear does not have to be autonomic. We can choose to face our fears and yes, we can vanquish them. So your question of how you can overcome your fear of conversing with native speakers is related in this way: You alone are choosing to be afraid. You must face that fear head on. Plan B LS can guide you and challenge you in many ways to help you win out, but ultimately, it is up to you. You will choose to overcome if you really want to.
我想說的就是，恐懼可以不需要是自發性的。我們可以選擇面對恐懼，然後戰勝它。所以如果你想要克服與西方人（意指母語為英文的人）說話的恐懼，首先你必須了解這是你的選擇------你選擇了害怕，接著正視你的恐懼。Plan B語言系統會提供你協助與挑戰，並且藉由各種方法幫助你贏得這場戰爭，但是最終還是是你要做出這個決定！如果你真的想要克服這項恐懼，你就會選擇去征服它。

If only it was as easy as flipping a switch. Getting over your fears of using English has to be the highest priority in ultimately helping you achieve your goals of fluency. Unfortunately, these fears run deep and will take more than an acknowledgement of their existence to vanquish them to the nether regions of your memory. We need to start with defining just what it is you are afraid of? At Plan B LS, we believe it is a combination of two things: fear mistakes and fear of unwanted negative attention.
如果你想要有流利的英文，第一件事就是要克服使用英文的恐懼。我們都希望這就像是開開關一樣簡單，很遺憾的是這些恐懼是根深蒂固的，有些甚至是在孩童時期留下至今的，沒有辦法光憑知道它的的存在就可以戰勝它。我們需要更清楚的了解你究竟害怕的是什麼？在Plan B 語言系統，我們相信是這兩點：犯錯與負面的關注。

We will discuss both these fears in upcoming blogs.

Stay tuned………..

Intro to Fear Does your fear of mistakes help or harm your English Training?   Apprentice Info Link