“Hello everyone, my name is Zhang Jianna. I'm a city cleaner from Chaoyang Sanitation.”
近日，一位身穿橘黄色工作服，手拿扫帚，说着一口流利英文，为外国人指路的北京环卫大姐在社交平台上火了，质朴的外表与自信的“国际范”，给网友留下了深刻印象。
If you're a foreign traveler or expat finding yourself disoriented in the Sanlitun area where there is a concentration of embassy buildings in Beijing, Zhang Jianna, a sanitation worker in an orange uniform, might become your helpful guide.
Recently, video clips of Zhang directing foreigners have gone viral online. Her fluent English and confident demeanor showcased in the clips have deeply impressed the viewers, sparking curiosity about how an ordinary-looking sanitation worker acquired such impressive English skills.
demeanor /dɪˈmiːnə(r)/ n. 风度；举止；行为
然而，这段火出圈的视频背后，却是一段十年磨一剑的老故事。
今年49岁的张建娜，出生在河北农村，高中毕业后，只身一人来到北京，做过餐厅服务员、商场销售。2012年，她成为一名环卫工人，在北京朝阳区三里屯使馆区，负责街面清扫工作。
Behind the sensation lies a decade-long journey of persistence.
The 49-year-old Zhang is a migrant worker from a rural village in North China's Hebei province. With only a high school diploma, she had previously worked as a restaurant server and a store seller. In 2012, she took on the role of a sanitation worker in the embassy area of Sanlitun in Beijing's Chaoyang district.
刚工作不久，张建娜就被难住了，一天清晨，一位外国朋友走到她身边轻轻拍了拍她的肩膀，说了一长串外语，张建娜呆呆立在原地，脑子一片空白。
A special encounter while working has motivated Zhang to learn English by herself, a pursuit she continues with determination to this day.
外国朋友似乎看出了她的窘境，示意她朝前看，然后竖起大拇指，连着说了好几遍：“good, good!”，张建娜恍然大悟，原来他是在说这条街扫得干净，称赞咱们朝阳环卫工呢！
One morning, a foreigner approached her, gently tapped her shoulder, and spoke a long string of unfamiliar words to her. Standing there, her mind going bewildered and blank, Zhang didn't know how to react.
The foreigner seemed to recognize her awkwardness and gestured for her to look ahead, giving a thumbs-up while repeatedly saying, "Good, good!" Zhang suddenly realized that the foreigner was appreciating her work in keeping the streets clean.
这件事对张建娜触动很大，路扫得干净是城市的脸面，有效的沟通交流同样重要。那一天，她暗暗下定决心，一定要把英语学好。
就这样，在40岁那年，张建娜开始了一场与自己较劲的跋涉，没有老师辅导，她就跟着孩子一起学，从孩子的课本上，她首先学会了那些常用于指路的单词和词组，“先解决燃眉之急，其他的可以慢慢来”。
The encounter profoundly moved Zhang and made up her mind to learn English as she thought that while clean streets are an important part of the capital city's international image, effective communication with foreign friends was equally crucial.
"My goal is quite simple. I just want to help whenever someone is in need, whether it's asking for directions, inquiring about visa procedures, or telling hem about the embassy area I am responsible for," said Zhang.
Thus, at the age of 40, Zhang has embarked on a personal challenge. Without a tutor, she began learning English from her children's textbooks, starting with basic words and phrases commonly used for giving directions.
最让张建娜犯难的是记性不好，“年纪大了开始学英语，头天背的单词，转天就忘”，不服输的她坚持着上学时的技巧，晚上背的单词，早上再背一遍，不断强化记忆，直到记住为止。
Memory posed her biggest challenge. "Learning English at an older age, I would easily forget the words I learned the previous day," Zhang said.
However, she persisted, reviewing words at night and then repeating them one more time the next day morning. She also downloaded over a dozen English learning apps on her computer and phone, dedicating any possible moment to learning and practicing.
她还在电脑和手机上下载了十多个英语学习软件，有空就学，得空就背，“学习英语最重要的是坚持”。如今，张建娜已积累了约3000个英语单词，能和外国人流利交谈，谈到学英语最大的收获，张建娜认为是自信：“我从小在农村长大，没上过大学，有时怕别人瞧不起，可每次用英语帮助路人后，我都感觉自己可了不起了。”
"Persistence is key to learning English. Learn step by step, learn every day," Zhang said. To date, she has accumulated a vocabulary of around 3,000 English words, enabling her to converse fluently with foreigners.
When asked about the greatest reward of learning English, Zhang emphasizes self-confidence. "Growing up in a rural area without a college education, I sometimes feared being looked down upon. But every time I help a stranger in English, I feel incredibly accomplished."
“累啊，但是很美”，这是张建娜对自己工作的评价。
"Tiring, but satisfying," Zhang Jianna reflects on her work, summarizing her dedication and relentless pursuit of language learning.
"To serve others makes me happy and it's where I prove my self-worth," said Zhang. "After retirement, I also want to introduce my hometown in English and promote local tourism," her inspiring journey leads to a new goal.
热爱可抵岁月漫长，你的努力，美丽了一座城，也温暖了一座城。
资料来源：微信公众号“中国日报双语新闻”
