Nobody likes exams, let alone studying for them, but with these tips you'll conquer those tricky language exams with no trouble at all.

　　没有人喜欢考试，更别说为了考试而学习了，不过通过下面的小窍门，你就可以毫不费劲地通过那些复杂的语言考试了。

　　We all know the score: exams are quickly approaching, your stress levels are rising, and you feel like the days are getting shorter and shorter as you run out of time to study. Heck, even the nights feel shorter, as the idea of cramming for your English, French, German, or Spanish exams is giving you nightmares. Panicking is rarely a good way to cope with stress, so if you’re studying for those upcoming exams, follow these simple tricks to boost your confidence for the big day.

　　我们都知道考试的分数：就要考试了，你的压力越来越大。同时你会感觉时间越来越少，你就快没有时间为考试做准备了。妈蛋，你觉得每天晚上都很短暂!为准备英语、法语、德语或者西班牙语考试而死记硬背，这简直是噩梦。恐慌不是应对压力的好办法，所以你如果正在为了这些即将到来的考试而学习，不妨通过下面一些简单的小窍门，来增加你在考试当天的自信吧!

　　1)Don’t be afraid to try out some unconventional techniques

　　不要害怕尝试一些非常规的方法

　　Geography, history, math… they might be interesting subjects, but let’s be honest, they’re a little hard to connect to your everyday life. Languages, on the other hand, are alive. They can be used to communicate with anyone, anywhere, and at any time.

　　地理，历史，数学......它们也许是有趣的科目，不过老实说，它们与你日常的生活的联系是很少的。然而，语言是活的。我们可以用语言去跟任何人、在任何地点、时间进行交流。

　　If you can afford a little linguistic holiday away, go for it! One week abroad can teach you more than an entire year sitting in class. If a quick trip to Sicily is a little beyond your budget just now, don’t despair — there are still plenty of possibilities to practice a foreign language. For instance, try finding a partner you can practice with over Skype.

　　如果你有钱去国外旅游，那就赶紧的!在国外待一个礼拜将给你带来比在课堂里学习一年更多的知识。如果目前阶段去西西里岛的短期旅行会让你超支，不要灰心——你仍然有许多练习外语的可选方法。比如，找一个可以用Skype进行外语练习的伙伴。

　　2)Prioritize your revision

　　优先考虑你的复习计划

　　Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to studying for exams. Every exam is unique, with a certain set of specific skills being tested. For example, being fluent in Italian might make you a pro at the spoken exam, but you’ll probably crash and burn in the written exam if your grammar knowledge is lacking.

　　可惜地是，并没有什么适用于所有考试的通用方法。每个考试都是独一无二的，都有自己固定的一套测试技巧。比如说，一口流利的意大利语也许能让你在口语考试中成为一个佼佼者，不过如果你缺乏语法知识，那么你可能会在笔试中一败涂地。

　　If you grew up bilingual, or have loads of friends who speak the language you’re learning, then you most likely learned the language in an intuitive way. You should therefore focus your study time on mastering the grammar rules.

　　如果你是从小就是一个双语者，或者你有一些朋友、他们的母语正是你在学的语言，那么你很有可能用偏直觉化的方式学习语言。那么，你就应该把你的学习时间集中在掌握语法规则上。

　　Plan ahead, make sure you know exactly what aspects of the language are being tested in the exam itself, and prioritize your revision on improving the weakest parts of your linguistic repertoire. After all, no one likes a surprise on exam day, do they?

　　你应该提前计划，确保你知道在这场考试中会考这个语言的什么方面，然后优先考虑能改善你最薄弱部分的复习计划。不管如何，没有人会喜欢在考试当天的“惊喜”，对不对?

　　3) Make a war plan

　　制定一个作战(冲刺)计划

　　Start as soon as possible! Look at your schedule and build yourself a tailor-made plan that gives you ample time to focus on all areas of the language. Dedicate between 30-90 minutes a day to your language learning, and be honest about your specific needs: you might need to adjust the amount of time you spend learning grammar/vocabulary versus the amount of time you spend practicing speaking, reading or writing.

　　尽快开始吧!看一下你的时间表，然后为自己制定一个专门的计划、给自己充足的时间去突破语言考试的每一专项。每天花30到90分钟去进行语言学习，并且根据你的特定需要进行调整：也许相对于练习说、读、写的时间，你需要调整你学习语法/词汇的时间。

　　Just remember — you are the master of your own study plan, so if you hate the inanity of the same daily routine, you can always switch things up by dedicating an entire day to just one area. And if you thrive on structure and routine, build yourself a clear daily agenda and stick to it!

　　记住——你是自己学习计划的掌控者，所以你如果讨厌一成不变的计划，可以花一天的时间只学习一个部分来转换一下。如果你喜欢结构化和常规化，那就为自己制定一个清晰的每日学习日程表并且坚持下去!

　　Whichever approach you choose, the most important thing is to plan long in advance to give you a clear understanding of your strengths and weaknesses right from the start. Plus, to give yourself a little motivational boost during your review time, set yourself daily or weekly goals that you can aim for.

　　不论你选择什么方法，最重要的是你应该提前做好计划，在一开始就清楚地知道自己的优势和薄弱点。除此之外，为了在你复习的时候给自己一点提高的动力，给你自己设立可实现的每日或者每周阶段性目标。

　　4) Teamwork makes dreamwork

　　团队协作创造神奇效果

　　Don’t be a hermit — foreign language is the perfect subject to learn in pairs or groups!

　　不要做“隐士”——外语绝对适合结对学习或者小组学习!

　　Maybe you think of yourself as a bit of rock star at listening and comprehension, but when it comes to writing you’d like nothing more than to crawl under a rock and hide? If so, try setting up a weekly study session with a classmate who excels in your weakest area (and vice versa). Teaching someone else is also one of the best ways to learn, so studying in small groups is great when preparing for an exam.

　　也许你觉得你在听力和理解上是一个小能手，不过在面对写作时，你只想躲起来?如果是这样的话，尝试着设立为期一周的计划、找一个擅长你薄弱部分的同学一起学习吧(反之亦然)。教别人也是最好的学习方式之一，所以在你准备考试时，小组学习是一个好方法。

　　Keep the setting informal (pro tip: coffee shops are perfect study haunts), and prepare a small agenda in advance so that everyone knows what to expect. The informality of the setting will put everyone’s nerves at ease, and before you know it, your confidence will grow in leaps and bounds.

　　保持学习环境的非正式性(小贴士：咖啡店是学习的好去处)，提前准备一个小的议程，这样其他人都能心中有数。非正式的环境能让大家的神经放松，并且在你不知道的情况下、你的自信心将会突飞猛进。

　　5)Turn your hobbies into fun study aids

　　将你的兴趣转化为兴趣学习的帮手

　　It can’t be repeated enough — languages surround us every day, so make sure you get your nose out of the books to practice your learning in a variety of settings. Are you a sports fan with a penchant for Spanish football? Then check out the latest La Liga results on a Spanish website. Maybe music is more your thing? Subscribe to Spotify playlists of bands who sing in the language you’re learning. Once you’ve found a song you like, try translating their lyrics into English.

　　语言每天都伴随着我们，所以不要仅仅局限于书本、用各种有趣的方法去学习——这是重复多少遍都不为多的真理。你是一个对西班牙足球有着爱好的体育迷吗?如果是，那么在西班牙网站上看看最新西班牙甲级足球联赛的结果吧。也许音乐是你更感兴趣的东西?在Spotify(国外音乐播放器)上订阅你所学语言的乐队歌曲播放列表吧。一旦你找到了你喜欢的歌，尝试着把歌词翻译成英语(母语)。

　　Not only will this expand your vocabulary, you’ll also end up learning idioms and expressions along the way and improve on your pronunciation skills. Plus you’ll have a pretty crazy smorgasbord of international bands with which to impress your friends at your next house party…

　　这个方法不但会扩大你的词汇量，你最终也将通过这个方式学习到习语和表达方式，并且提高你的发音技巧。除此之外，你还会对各种各样的国际乐队相当狂热，并且能在下一次聚会唱歌时给你的朋友留下深刻印象......

　　Follow these tips and you'll be well on your way to acing those language exams! So good luck!

　　通过学习这些小技巧，你将会在语言考试中崭露头角!祝你好运!

（编辑：何莹莹）