日志20200925（语言：产品还是工具）

日志20200925

语言：产品还是工具

Language: Product or Instrument

在工作环境里，如果以传递信息为最终目的，语言就是产品。如果语言只用于沟通，辅助完成一项任务，语言就是工具。这种区分非常重要，因为它决定着语言使用者的技能组合中语言技能之外的技能和素质有哪些种类，还有各种技能和素质需要达到何种基本水平。

In working environment, language is product when the purpose is to communicate information in the end. If language is just used to exchange messages to facilitate the success of a task, it is instrument. This distinction is crucial because it determines what kinds of other skills and qualities a language user needs in his or her ability mix and the necessary level that all these skills and qualities need to reach.

首先要考虑的是语言本身的分类和相互关系。语言可以分成口语和书面语，这一区分的根据是语言使用的媒介。口语通过声音来传达，书面语要使用文字。但由于使用过程中的发展，口语倾向于简单明了，书面语倾向于复杂深刻，这样就形成了文体上的区别。然后就出现了一种非常重要的错位，就是媒介和文体两个维度上的交叉，造成了口语和书面语定义上的难度。比如，电视新闻和公开演讲实际上是文体上书面语用声音媒介来传达，而小说和剧本是用书面语记录和文学化的口头语言。

The first thing needs to be considered in discussion is the classification of language itself and the relationship between different types of language. Language can be divided to spoken and written languages. The basis of the classification is the media used in language. Spoken language is transmitted through sound while written language needs to use alphabetical letters or characters. Then the development in their use makes spoken language simple and clear and written language complicated and profound, which results in the distinction in style. And now comes a paradoxical mismatch, i.e. the overlapping in the two dimensions of medium and style causes difficulty in defining spoken and written language. For example, television news broadcasts and public speeches are in fact stylistically written language produced through the medium of sound while novels and dramas are spoken language literalized and recorded in writing.

语言上另外一个重要区分是外语和母语。从语言使用上来说，很好的母语水平是必需的。要适应现代社会生活，需要具备很好母语的听说读写能力，这样才能在复杂社会环境中实现有效的口头和书面表达，然后才能在职场工作中成功。这是因为社会发展的关系，所有的工作场合都形成了自身的语境，有特殊的语言使用规则。一个人在日常生活中接触的各种场景，正是其他人的工作环境，加在一起就是前面所说的那个复杂社会环境。所以，母语使用者的问题不是语言能力，而是语用能力，就是学习识别和使用某个社会环境中所选择的、固定的一套口语和书面语语篇组合。

Another important distinction in language is native and foreign language. In language use, good proficiency of native language is necessary. In order to adapt to modern social life, a person needs good listening, speaking, reading, and writing ability in his or her native language to effectively express him- or herself in complex social environment and then achieve success in career. This is because social development shapes unique linguistic context for all kinds of working environments and forms specific rules of language use. The various occasions that a person meets in his or her daily life are in fact the working environment of other people. And they comprise a whole complex social environment just mentioned when added together. Therefore, the problems of a native language user are not about language itself but about pragmatics or language use. Namely, he or she needs to learn to identify and use a fixed combination of discourses in spoken and written languages selected for certain social environment.

当代教育体系中都把外语作为一门重要科目。由于英语是现实中的世界通用语，除了以英语为官方语言的国家，英语都被作为外语教育的首选。

All contemporary education systems take foreign language as an important subject. As English is the world language in reality, it is taken as the primary foreign language in education in countries where English is not an official language.

外语能力并不是日常生活中必需的能力，毕竟只有少数人才真正生活在国际化的社会环境中每天和外国人打交道，外语能力一般是工作环境中才需要。要区分不同职业外语使用的情况，就可以用到前面的结论了。也就是说，外语工作的成果是产品还是工具，使用口语还是书面语，要不要同时使用母语；或者这几种情况同时都存在。

Foreign language ability is not a necessary one in daily life. After all, only a small number of people truly live with foreigners in internationalized social environment. So foreign language is generally only used in working environment. The conclusions above are useful when we try to see the situations of foreign language use in different occupations. Namely, whether work results created with foreign language are product or instrument, spoken or written, and whether or not native tongue is used at the same time or all these happens together.

外语教师其实是很神奇的存在。首先作为教师同时要有较好母语和外语能力，也有较好的口语和书面语表达能力。课堂教学里，需要有很好的公开演讲能力；此时，母语是工具，外语则同时作为工具和产品。处理课程设计和教案时，需要有很好的书面表达能力，母语和外语都是产品的一部分。同学生和家长沟通时，需要有很好的母语口头表达能力。

A foreign language teacher is somehow a miraculous being. First of all, as a teacher, he or she needs to have good native and foreign language proficiency and good expressive ability in spoken and written languages. He or she needs to speak well in public in classroom teaching. At this moment, native tongue is instrument and foreign language is both instrument and product. When processing curriculum design and teaching materials, he or she needs to have good writing ability and both native tongue and foreign language are part of product. When exchanging with students and their parents, he or she needs to express him- or herself well in spoken language with native tongue.

翻译分类上一般分为口译和笔译，按照不同的能力和工作要求又分成初中高级。翻译把语言作为产品，同时使用母语和外语。但实际工作当中，翻译经常作为事务性工作的辅助岗位。除了口译、笔译之外，需要处理一些外事和外贸相关的事务，比如，人员接待和货物通关之类。所以，这类翻译也需要同时把语言作为产品和工具。直到翻译服务发展为专门行业之后，才有真正的笔译和口译从业者。

Translation in general is classified into interpretation and translation in writing. There are elementary, intermedia and advanced levels to show different abilities and meet different work requirements. In translation, language is taken as product. Both native and foreign languages are used. However, in reality, a translator is often regarded as an auxiliary position to daily general affairs in a company. In addition to interpretation and translation, he or she needs to handle matters related to foreign affairs and foreign trade, such as receiving visitors and clearing customs for goods. So this type of translator also needs to take language as both product and instrument. Translator and interpreter in the real sense truly emerge only after translation service develops into a specialized industry.

其实还有很多使用外语、制作外语语言产品的工作，比如法律、金融、媒体、出版一类行业，但这些行业都以真正的专业知识作为基本内容，所以外语本质上仍然是工具。外事、外贸、旅游也把外语作为工具，处理与国际事务相关工作的行业。我并没有真正接触过这些工作的工作环境，很多年前学过的课程多半都还给老师了，所以并没有资格讨论。

In actuality, there are many other areas that use foreign languages and produce in foreign language, such as law, finance, media and publication. But these industries have their own expertise as fundamental content in production, so foreign language is in essence instrument. Foreign affairs, foreign trade and tourism also use foreign language as instrument for handling international matters. But I am not in a good position to discuss these as I do not really get involved in the working environment of these industries and most of the courses I have taken in school many years ago have already faded in my brains.