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AimeeMullins_2009P-_逆境带来机遇_
I'd like to share with you a discovery that I made a few months ago while writing an article for Italian Wired. 我想把我几个月之前的一个大发现与大家分享一下 我当时正在为一家意大利杂志 Wired 写一篇文章
I always keep my thesaurus handy whenever I'm writing anything, but I'd already finished editing the piece, and I realized that I had never once in my life looked up the word "disabled" to see what I'd find. 我在写作的时候总是把同义词词典放在手边 我当时已经把文章编辑完了 才意识到我一生中还从来没有 在字典中查找“残疾的”的具体意思
thesaurus:n.宝库;辞典;知识宝库;分类词汇汇编; handy:adj.便利的;手边的,就近的;容易取得的;敏捷的; editing:v.编辑,校订(文章、书籍等);编选;(edit的现在分词)
Let me read you the entry. 让我把这个词条念给大家听
'"Disabled," adjective : " crippled , helpless , useless, wrecked , stalled , maimed , wounded , mangled , lame , mutilated , rundown , worn-out , weakened , impotent , castrated , paralyzed , handicapped , “残疾的”,形容词,意为:“残废的,无助的,无用的,残破的 停滞的,被破坏的,受伤的,被损毁的,跛脚的,被肢解的 破损的,累坏了的,虚弱的,无力的,丧失力量的,瘫痪的,身体功能存在障碍的
adjective:adj.形容词的;从属的;n.形容词; crippled:v.使残废;使跛;使成瘸子;严重毁坏(或损害)(cripple的过去分词和过去式) helpless:adj.无助的;无能的;没用的; wrecked:adj.失事的; v.破坏; stalled:失速的; maimed:adj.残废的;受伤的;v.使残废(maim的过去分词); wounded:adj.受伤的; n.伤员; v.使受伤; (wound的过去分词和过去式) mangled:v.压碎;撕烂;严重损坏;糟蹋;(mangle的过去分词和过去式) lame:adj.瘸的; n.(金属)薄板; v.使残废; mutilated:adj.残缺的;破坏的;v.切断;使残废(mutilate的过去分词); rundown:n.裁减;纲要; worn-out:adj.磨破的;穿旧的;不能再用的; weakened:v.(使)虚弱,衰弱;减弱;削弱;动摇;(weaken的过去分词和过去式) impotent:adj.无力的;无效的;虚弱的;阳萎的; castrated:v.割除(男子或雄性动物的)睾丸;阉割;(castrate的过去分词和过去式) paralyzed:adj.瘫痪的;麻痹的;v.使麻痹;使无力;使失去勇气(paralyze的过去分词); handicapped:adj.残疾的; v.妨碍; n.残疾人; (handicap的过去分词和过去式)
senile , decrepit , laid-up, done-up, done-for, done-in cracked-up, counted-out; see also hurt, useless and weak. 衰老的,破旧的,被闲置的,精疲力尽的,没用的,疲劳的 破烂的,不被考虑的” 另见:“受伤的,无用的,虚弱的”
senile:adj.高龄的;老衰的;高龄所致的; decrepit:adj.衰老的;破旧的;
Antonyms , healthy, strong, capable ." 反义词:“健康的,强壮的,有能力的”
Antonyms:n.[语]反义词(antonym的复数形式);反义字; capable:adj.能干的,能胜任的;有才华的;
I was reading this list out loud to a friend and at first was laughing, it was so ludicrous , but I just I'd just gotten past mangled, and my voice broke, and I had to stop and collect myself from the emotional shock and impact that the assault from these words unleashed . 我当时把以上内容出声地读给我一个朋友听,一开始我笑了 这太荒唐了 当我念到“被损毁了”的时候,我哽咽了 我不得不停下来 让自己被这些词汇打击与侮辱后恢复情绪
ludicrous:adj.滑稽的;荒唐的; emotional:adj.情绪的;易激动的;感动人的; impact:n.影响;效果;碰撞;冲击力;v.挤入,压紧;撞击;对…产生影响; assault:v.袭击;殴打;威胁;非议;(assault的现在分词) unleashed:v.发泄;突然释放;使爆发(unleash的过去分词和过去式)
You know, of course this is my raggedy old thesaurus. 是的,我的这本老同义词词典也很破旧了
raggedy:adj.破烂的,褴褛的;
I'm thinking this must be an ancient print date, right. 我想,这本词典也一定是很老的版本了
But, in fact, the print date was the early 1980's, when I would have been starting primary school and forming an understanding of myself outside the family unit and as related to the other kids and the world around me. 但实际上,它的出版日期却是上世纪80年代 当时我应该刚上小学 在家庭之外的大环境下形成对自己的认知 并且与我身边的孩子们和世界建立联系
primary school:小学;
And, needless to say, thank God I wasn't using a thesaurus back then. 谢天谢地,我当年没用过同义词词典
needless:adj.不必要的,不需要的;多余的,无用的;
I mean, from this entry, it would seem that I was born into a world that perceived someone like me to have nothing positive whatsoever going for them, when, in fact, today I'm celebrated for the opportunities and adventures my life has procured . 我的意思是,通过同义词词典上对“残疾的”这一词的解释 就能看出,我所生活的世界并不认可像我这样的残疾人 这个世界认为我们残疾人身上毫无积极向上的因素 然而今天,我却在为我人生为我带来的一切历险与机会 庆幸不已
perceived:v.注意到;意识到;将…视为;认为;(perceive的过去式和过去分词) positive:adj.积极的;[数]正的,[医][化学]阳性的;确定的;n.正数;[摄]正片; whatsoever:pron.无论什么; procured:v.(设法)获得,取得,得到;诱使(妇女)卖淫;(procure的过去分词和过去式)
So, I immediately went to look up the 2009 online edition, expecting to find a revision worth noting. 所以,我立刻上网查“残疾的”这一词在2009年版本同义词词典中的解释 我当时期待着看到一些重要的修订
revision:n.[印刷]修正;复习;修订本;
Here's the updated version of this entry. 下面我给大家读“残疾的”这一词新版本的解释
updated:adj.更新的;现代化的;v.使现代化;更新;(update的过去分词和过去式)
Unfortunately , it's not much better. 很不幸,词条的解释没比当年强多少
Unfortunately:adv.不幸地;
I find the last two words under "Near Antonyms" particularly unsettling , "whole" and " wholesome ." 这个词条中 接近反义词 中的两个词尤其让我很不好受 它们是:“完整的,健全的”
particularly:adv.特别地,独特地;详细地,具体地;明确地,细致地; unsettling:adj.使人不安的;(消息)扰乱的;v.动乱不定;心绪不宁(unsettle的现在分词) wholesome:adj.健全的;有益健康的;合乎卫生的;审慎的;
So, it's not just about the words. 实际上,这不仅仅是几个单词的事
It's what we believe about people when we name them with these words. 当人们用那种消极的词汇形容残疾人的时候,实际上反映出来的是人们对残疾人的看法
It's about the values behind the words, and how we construct those values. 值得注意的是描述残疾人的那些词汇的背后所体现的人们内心的价值观,以及这种价值观形成的过程
construct:v.建造;创建;建筑;修建;n.概念;构筑物;结构体;建造物;
Our language affects our thinking and how we view the world and how we view other people. 我们的语言影响着我们的思维 以及我们看待这个世界的方式、看待他人的方式
In fact, many ancient societies, including the Greeks and the Romans, believed that to utter a curse verbally was so powerful, because to say the thing out loud brought it into existence. 实际上,包括古希腊、古罗马等许多古代社会 都相信言语诅咒的巨大威力 因为话一旦被说了出来,便是真实地存在了
utter:v.说;出声;讲;adj.完全的;十足的;彻底的; curse:n.诅咒;咒骂;v.诅咒;咒骂; verbally:adv.口头地,非书面地;用言辞地;
So, what reality do we want to call into existence, a person who is limited , or a person who's empowered ? 那么,我们究竟想让什么样的事物存在呢 是一个没有能力的人,还是一个有能力的人呢
limited:adj.有限的; n.高级快车; v.限制; (limit的过去分词和过去式) empowered:v.授权;给(某人)…的权力;(empower的过去分词和过去式)
By casually doing something as simple as naming a person, a child, we might be putting lids and casting shadows on their power. 有时候,我们只是随便地给一个成人或孩子命名 却有可能限制住了他们的发展,给他们蒙上阴影,让他们对自己的能力质疑
casually:adv.偶然;临时; lids:n.(容器的)盖,盖子;(lid的第三人称单数和复数)
Wouldn't we want to open doors for them instead? 难道我们不想为他们开启心灵之门么
One such person, who opened doors for me, was my childhood doctor at the A.I. Dupont Institute in Wilmington, Delaware . 我的生命中就有这样一个人,为我开启了心灵之门,他是在我小时候照顾我的一位医生 他在德拉华州威尔明顿的A.I. Dupont研究院工作
childhood:n.童年;幼年;孩童时期 Dupont:n.杜邦,杜邦公司; Institute:v.开始(调查);制定;创立;提起(诉讼);n.学会,协会;学院; Delaware:n.特拉华州(位于美国东部);
His name is Dr. Pizzutillo. 他的名字叫Pizzutillo
Italian American, whose name, apparently , was too difficult for most Americans to pronounce , so he went by Dr. P. 是一位意大利裔美国人 很显然,他的名字很多美国人念出来都很困难 下面不妨就叫他P医生好了
apparently:adv.显然地;似乎,表面上; pronounce:v.发音;读(音);正式宣布(或公布,授予等);
And Dr. P always wore really colorful bow ties and had the very perfect disposition to work with children. P医生总是打着色彩鲜艳的领结 他为人的修养、气质使得他和孩子们相处得很好
disposition:n.处置;[心理]性情;[军]部署;倾向;
I loved almost everything about my time spent at this hospital, with the exception of my physical therapy sessions . 除了身体训练课程之外 我在他的医院里面度过的时光都是很快乐的
with the exception of:除了…以外; physical therapy:n.理疗;物理疗法; sessions:n.会议;会期(session的复数);
I had to do what seemed like innumerable repetitions of exercises with these thick, elastic bands -- different colors -- you know, to help build up my leg muscles . 我要用那种很粗的、五颜六色的、富有弹性的带子 一遍又一遍地做着体能训练 锻炼腿部肌肉
innumerable:adj.无数的,数不清的; repetitions:n.重复;重做;重说;重做的事;重说的话(repetition的复数) elastic:n.橡皮圈;adj.有弹力(弹性)的;伸缩自如的;机变的; bands:n.乐队;法官; muscles:n.肌肉(muscle的复数);
And I hated these bands more than anything. 我简直恨透那些带子了
I hated them, had names for them. I hated them. 恨透了,我甚至还给它们都起了名字
And, you know, I was already bargaining , as a five year-old child, with Dr. P to try to get out of doing these exercises, unsuccessfully , of course. 当时我还是个五岁的孩子,便和P医生讨价还价 求他别再让我那些体能训练了 当然,我没有得逞
bargaining:n.讨价还价;商谈;商讨;v.讨价还价,商讨条件;(bargain的现在分词) unsuccessfully:adv.失败地;无用;
And, one day, he came in to my session -- exhaustive and unforgiving , these sessions -- and he said to me, "Wow. Aimee, you are such a strong, powerful little girl, 然而有一天,P医生在我做体能训练的时候来看我了 嗯,那些无情的、令人精疲力尽的体能训练 然后他对我说:“艾米,你真是个强壮的小姑娘啊
exhaustive:adj.详尽的;彻底的;消耗的; unforgiving:adj.不原谅人的;不宽恕人的;
I think you're going to break one of those bands. 我感觉有一天你能把这些带子弄断
When you do break it, I'm going to give you a hundred bucks ." 你弄断的时候,我就奖励你100美元“
bucks:n.元;雄鹿;(buck的复数)
Now, of course, this was a simple ploy on Dr. P's part to get me to do the exercises I didn't want to do before the prospect of being the richest five year-old in the second floor ward , 很显然,这是P医生的一个小把戏罢了 他只不过是想让我做这些我根本不爱做的体能训练 用“有一天变成所有二楼病房五岁病人中最富有的”来诱惑我
ploy:n.策略;活动;工作;vt.使部队由横队变为纵队;vi.由横队变为纵队; prospect:n.展望;前景;希望;前途;v.勘探;探矿; ward:n.病房; v.防止;
but what he effectively did for me was reshape an awful daily occurrence into a new and promising experience for me. 但是P医生确实成功做到了一件事情 那便是将一个我所痛恨的日程转化为一个全新的、充满了前景的经历
reshape:vt.改造;再成形; occurrence:n.发生;出现;存在;发生的事情;
And I have to wonder today, to what extent his vision, and his declaration of me as a strong and powerful little girl, shaped my own view of myself as an inherently strong, powerful and athletic person well into the future. 今天,我常常在思考,P医生当年的视野 以及他给我的“强壮的小姑娘”这一称谓 对我自我认知的影响有多么大 现如今,我已经能认识到我的内在是强壮有力的,我的未来一片光明
extent:n.程度;范围;长度; declaration:n.宣言;宣告;宣布;公告; inherently:adv.内在地;固有地;天性地; athletic:adj.健壮的;体育运动的;田径运动的
This is an example of how adults in positions of power can ignite the power of a child. P医生的这个例子就很好的说明了 一位拥有力量的成年人能够点燃一个孩子的潜能
ignite:vt.点燃;使燃烧;使激动;vi.点火;燃烧;
But, in the previous instances of those thesaurus entries, our language isn't allowing us to evolve into the reality that we would all want, the possibility of an individual to see themselves as capable. 但是,在更前面提到的那个同义词词典的例子中 我们的语言并没能让我们把我们所希望看到的事物变成现实 并没能让残疾人意识到他们自己实际上是有能力的
previous:adj.以前的;早先的;过早的;adv.在先;在…以前; instances:n.相依物体,例子; v.举例说明(instance的第三人称单数形式); evolve:v.(使)逐渐形成;进化;进化形成; individual:n.个人;有个性的人;adj.单独的;个别的;
Our language hasn't caught up with the changes in our society, many of which have been brought about by technology . 科技的发展带动社会的发展 而我们的语言并没有随着社会与时俱进
technology:n.技术;工艺;术语;
Certainly, from a medical standpoint , my legs, laser surgery for vision impairment , titanium knee and hip replacements for aging bodies that are allowing people to more fully engage with their abilities, 当然,从医学的角度来讲 我的假腿,修复我视力的激光手术 人工钛金膝盖,为老年人提供的股骨头替换手术 种种这些技术都能使得人们更充分地运用他们的能力
standpoint:n.立场;观点; surgery:n.外科;外科手术;手术室;诊疗室; impairment:n.损伤,损害; titanium:n.[化学]钛(金属元素); hip:n.臀部;蔷薇果;忧郁;adj.熟悉内情的;非常时尚的; replacements:n.替代,替换件;补充; engage:v.吸引,占用;使参加;雇佣;使订婚;预定;
and move beyond the limits that nature has imposed on them, not to mention social networking platforms , allow people to self-identify , to claim their own descriptions of themselves, so they can go align with global groups of their own choosing. 并且超越自然环境施加给他们的种种限制 并且为我们这些残疾人搭建社交平台 让我们这些人能自我认同 从而允许我们在全球范围内选择结交的对象
imposed:adj.强加的;施加的;应用的;v.欺骗(impose的过去分词);把…强加于; not to mention:更不必说;不必提及; platforms:n.平台; v.把…放在台上; self-identify:自我认同;自我认定; claim:v.要求;声称;需要;认领;n.要求;声称;索赔;断言;值得; descriptions:n.摘要;说明,说明书;描述(description的复数形式); align:vt.使结盟;使成一行;匹配;vi.排列;排成一行; global:adj.全球的;总体的;球形的;
So, perhaps technology is revealing more clearly to us now what has always been a truth, that everyone has something rare and powerful to offer our society, and that the human ability to adapt is our greatest asset . 所以说,科技正更清楚地向我们展示着 一个永恒的真理 那就是,我们每一个人都是非常强大的,都是能为社会做贡献的 以及适应环境的能力是人类最伟大的资本
revealing:adj.暴露的;发人深省的;v.揭示;露出;显示;展示;(reveal的现在分词) adapt:vt.使适应;改编;vi.适应; asset:n.资产;优点;有用的东西;有利条件;财产;有价值的人或物;
The human ability to adapt, it's an interesting thing, because people have continually wanted to talk to me about overcoming adversity , and I'm going to make an admission . 谈起人类适应环境这一本领,我感觉很有意思 因为人们经常想让我就“克服逆境”这一话题讲一讲 今天我想做一点声明
continually:adv.不断地;频繁地; overcoming:v.克服;解决;战胜;(overcome的现在分词) adversity:n.逆境;不幸;灾难;灾祸; admission:n.入场费;进入权;招供;门票费;
This phrase never sat right with me, and I always felt uneasy trying to answer people's questions about it, and I think I'm starting to figure out why. “克服逆境”这一说对我来说根本不成立 别人让我就这一话题说几句的时候,我很不自在 我开始思考为什么会这样
uneasy:adj.担心的;忧虑的;不安的;不稳定的;
Implicit in this phrase of overcoming adversity, is the idea that success, or happiness, is about emerging on the other side of a challenging experience unscathed or unmarked by the experience, “克服逆境”这个词有一个隐含的意思 那就是成功,或者快乐 都在一段艰难的经历的另一端 而这段经历本身却与成功和快乐无关
Implicit:adj.含蓄的;暗示的;盲从的; emerging:adj.新兴的;v.出现,浮现,露出;暴露;(emerge的现在分词) on the other side:另一面;在另一边; unscathed:adj.毫发无损的;未受伤害;未受伤 unmarked:adj.无记号的;未被注意的;
as if my successes in life have come about from an ability to sidestep or circumnavigate the presumed pitfalls of a life with prosthetics , or what other people perceive as my disability . 就好像是说,我这一生之所以能成功 是因为我绕过了作为一个截肢人所要面临的一系列挑战 绕过在别人看来制约我的一些因素
sidestep:v.回避,规避(问题等);侧移一步闪过;n.台阶;侧跨步;横跳躲闪; circumnavigate:vt.环航; presumed:adj.假定的;推测的;v.假定(presume的过去分词和过去式); pitfalls:n.危险;困难;(尤指)陷阱,隐患;(pitfall的复数) prosthetics:n.[外科]修复学,修补学;弥补术; disability:n.残疾;无能;无资格;不利条件;
But, in fact, we are changed. We are marked, of course, by a challenge, whether physically, emotionally or both. 但实际上,这些挑战实实在在地改变了我们,在我们的人生旅程中烙下了印记 这种改变可能是身体上的,可能是精神上的,也可能两者兼具
emotionally:adv.感情上;情绪上;令人激动地;情绪冲动地;
And I am going to suggest that this is a good thing. 我想说的是,面临挑战不失为一件好事
I am going to:我将要做什么事情
Adversity isn't an obstacle that we need to get around in order to resume living our life. 面对逆境,我们不应把它当成障碍绕过它 从而继续我们的生活
obstacle:n.障碍;障碍物;阻碍;绊脚石; get around:到处走走;逃避;说服;传开来(等于getround);有办法应付;有办法应付局面;
It's part of our life. 其实,逆境是我们生活的一部分
And I tend to think of it like my shadow. 我把逆境想象成我自己的影子
Sometimes I see a lot of it, sometimes there's very little, but it's always with me. 有的时候它看起来很大,有的时候很小 但是它始终在我身边
And, certainly, I'm not trying to diminish the impact, the weight, of a person's struggle. 当然,我不是试图贬低人们与逆境作斗争的价值和意义
diminish:vt.使减少;使变小;vi.减少,缩小;变小;
There is adversity and challenge in life, and it's all very real and relative to every single person, but the question isn't whether or not you're going to meet adversity, but how you're going to meet it. 我们在一生中注定要经历逆境与挑战 我们每个人都是 但是我们所关注的问题并不是你是否要去面对逆境 而是如何去面对它
relative:adj.相对的;有关系的;成比例的;n.亲戚;相关物;[语]关系词;亲缘植物; whether or not:是否…;
So, our responsibility is not simply shielding those we care for from adversity, but preparing them to meet it well. 所以,我们的责任不是简简单单地让我们关心的人生活在温床里 而是让他们能够形成从容应对逆境的能力
shielding:n.[电子]屏蔽;防护;adj.屏蔽的;防护的;v.保护(shield的ing形式);
And we do a disservice to our kids when we make them feel that they're not equipped to adapt. 当我们让孩子们觉得自己没有适应环境的能力时 我们实际上伤害了他们
disservice:n.伤害;帮倒忙的行为;不亲切的行为;虐待;
There's an important difference and distinction between the objective medical fact of my being an amputee and the subjective societal opinion of whether or not I'm disabled. 从医学的角度客观地判断我是否是一个残疾人 从社会的角度主观地去考虑我是否是一个“残疾人” 此两者间有很大的差别
distinction:n.区别;区分;差别;卓越; objective:n.目标; adj.客观的; amputee:n.被截肢者; subjective:adj.主观的;个人的;自觉的; societal:adj.社会的;
And, truthfully , the only real and consistent disability I've had to confront is the world ever thinking that I could be described by those definitions . 实际上,我自始至终所要面对的唯一的一个问题 是这个世界对我的种种不公的看法和描述
truthfully:adv.诚实地;深信不疑地; consistent:adj.始终如一的,一致的;坚持的; confront:v.直面;无法回避;降临于;处理;对抗; described:v.描述;形容;把…称为;做…运动;(describe的过去分词和过去式) definitions:n.[数]定义(definition的复数形式);
In our desire to protect those we care about by giving them the cold, hard truth about their medical prognosis , or, indeed, a prognosis on the expected quality of their life, 我们希望能够保护那些我们在意的人们 我们把冷冰冰的医师诊断报告告诉他们 或者有时候,为他们未来的生活状态做预测
prognosis:n.[医]预后;预知;
we have to make sure that we don't put the first brick in a wall that will actually disable someone. 但是我们一定要注意我们的所做所为 是否会摧毁这些人们
disable:vt.使失去能力;使残废;使无资格;
Perhaps the existing model of only looking at what is broken in you and how do we fix it, serves to be more disabling to the individual than the pathology itself. 也许,人们习惯了只专注于自己的种种缺陷 并想着如何修复这些缺陷 这种思维定式对残疾人的伤害比残疾人本身的生理缺陷更严重
disabling:v.使不能;使失去能力;致残疾(disable的ing形式); pathology:n.病理(学);(比喻)异常状态;
By not treating the wholeness of a person, by not acknowledging their potency , we are creating another ill on top of whatever natural struggle they might have. 我们不从一个整体的角度看待残疾人 不去承认他们的能力 这对他们本身就很艰难的处境无疑是雪上加霜
treating:v.以…态度对待;把…看作;处理;讨论;(treat的现在分词) wholeness:n.一切;全体;完全; potency:n.效能;力量;潜力;权势;
We are effectively grading someone's worth to our community . 我们能有效地对一个人对其所在社会的的价值进行评估
community:n.社区;[生态]群落;共同体;团体;
So we need to see through the pathology and into the range of human capability . 因此,我们的目光不应该局限在残疾人生理上的缺陷 而是应该注意到他们作为人的价值
see through:adj.透明的;穿透的; capability:n.才能,能力;性能,容量;
And, most importantly, there's a partnership between those perceived deficiencies and our greatest creative ability. 另外,最重要的一点 残疾人的一些缺陷和人类的创造力之间 是存在着联系的
partnership:n.合伙;[经管]合伙企业;合作关系;合伙契约; deficiencies:n.缺乏,不足;缺陷(deficiency的复数形式); creative:adj.创造性的;
So it's not about devaluing , or negating , these more trying times as something we want to avoid or sweep under the rug , but instead to find those opportunities wrapped in the adversity. 所以,艰辛的奋斗岁月是不该被贬低、否定的 这不是什么我们要避免或者掩盖的事 恰恰相反,我们应该在逆境中寻找机遇
devaluing:vt.使贬值;降低…的价值;vi.贬值; negating:vt.否定;取消;使无效;vi.否定;否认;无效;n.对立面;反面; rug:n.小地毯;垫子;(盖腿的)厚毯子;v.用厚毯包; wrapped:adj.极高兴的;十分满意的;v.用…包裹;用…缠绕;(wrap的过去分词和过去式)
So maybe the idea I want to put out there is, not so much overcoming adversity, as it is opening ourselves up to it, embracing it, grappling with it, to use a wrestling term, maybe even dancing with it. 其实,我想说明的道理就是 逆境,不是用来 克服 的 我们应该坦然面对它 拥抱它 与它摔打 我刚才用了一个摔角的术语（摔打） 甚至,与它舞蹈
embracing:n.拥抱;v.拥抱,包含;(embrace的现在分词) grappling:v.扭打;搏斗;努力设法解决;(grapple的现在分词) wrestling:n.摔跤运动;v.摔跤;奋力对付;全力解决;(wrestle的现在分词)
And, perhaps, if we see adversity as natural, consistent and useful, we're less burdened by the presence of it. 也许,如果我们能把逆境看成是自然的、不间断的、对人有用的东西 它的存在对我们来说也不再是负担了
burdened:adj.(受…)困扰的; v.(使)担负; (burden的过去分词和过去式) presence:n.存在;出席;参加;风度;仪态;
This year we celebrate 200th birthday of Charles Darwin, and it was 150 years ago, when writing about evolution , that Darwin illustrated , I think, a truth about the human character. 今年我们庆祝了达尔文的200周年诞辰 当达尔文在150年前写物种进化论的时候 他阐明了一个关于人类特征的真理
evolution:n.演变;进化;发展;渐进; illustrated:v.加插图于;给(书等)做图表;说明,解释;(illustrate的过去分词和过去式)
To paraphrase , it's not the strongest of the species that survives, nor is it the most intelligent that survives, it is the one that is most adaptable to change. 他说的那句话大概意思就是,能生存下来的物种 往往不是最强壮的,也不是最聪明的 而是最能适应外部环境变化的
paraphrase:n.释义;解释;意译;vt.释义; species:n.[生物]物种;种类; intelligent:adj.有才智的;悟性强的;聪明的;有智力的 adaptable:adj.适合的;能适应的;可修改的;
Conflict is the genesis of creation . 矛盾冲突是创造之母
Conflict:n.冲突;矛盾;争执;抵触;v.抵触; genesis:n.发生;起源; creation:n.创造,创作;创作物,产物;
From Darwin's work, amongst others, we can recognize that the human ability to survive and flourish is driven by the struggle of the human spirit through conflict into transformation . 达尔文等诸位大师的著作都揭示了这一点 人类生存繁衍的能力 源自人类灵魂经历激烈斗争后的转变 就是这样
amongst:prep.在…之中;在…当中(等于among); recognize:v.认识;认出;辨别出;承认;意识到; flourish:n.兴旺; vt.夸耀; vi.繁荣,兴旺; transformation:n.转变;(用于南非)民主改革;
So, again, transformation, adaptation , is our greatest human skill. 我再重申一遍,人类最伟大的能力,是转变和适应
adaptation:n.适应;改编;改编本,改写本;
And, perhaps, until we're tested, we don't know what we're made of. 也许,在我们接受考验之前,我们不知道自己会是什么样子
Maybe that's what adversity gives us, a sense of self, a sense of our own power. 可能这就是逆境所能起到的作用 一种对自我以及个人能力的认识
So, we can give ourselves a gift. 所以,我们可以给自己一份礼物
We can re-imagine adversity as something more than just tough times. 我们可以把逆境想成一次改变的机遇
Maybe we can see it as change. 而不是艰辛的岁月
Adversity is just change that we haven't adapted ourselves to yet. 逆境是一种改变,而我们只不过还没来得及对其适应
adapted:adj.适于…的; v.使适应,使适合; (adapt的过去分词和过去式)
I think the greatest adversity that we've created for ourselves is this idea of normalcy . 我认为,我们给自己创造的最大的困境 是 正统 这一概念
normalcy:n.常态;
Now, who's normal? 好吧,究竟什么又是“正统”呢
There's no normal. “正统”并不存在
There's common. There's typical . There's no normal. 我知道什么是“普通的”,什么是“典型的”,但我不知道什么是“正统的”
typical:adj.典型的;特有的;象征性的;
And would you want to meet that poor, beige person if they existed? 如果真的有那种贫困的、面黄肌瘦的所谓的“正统人”,你会对他们感兴趣么
beige:n.米黄色;adj.浅褐色的;米黄色的;
(Laughter) （笑）
I don't think so. 我想不会吧
If we can change this paradigm from one of achieving normalcy to one of possibility, or potency, to be even a little bit more dangerous, we can release the power of so many more children, and invite them to engage their rare and valuable abilities with the community. 如果我们不把精力投入到追求“正统”当中 而是投入到发现各种各样的可能性,发掘各种各样的能力,冒险一下 很多孩子的潜能都会被更好的激发 他们将会充分运用他们独一无二的宝贵的能力,为他们的社区做贡献
paradigm:n.范例;词形变化表; release:v.释放;发射;让与;允许发表;n.释放;发布;让与; valuable:adj.有价值的;贵重的;可估价的;n.贵重物品;
Anthropologists tell us that the one thing we as humans have always required of our community members is to be of use, to be able to contribute . 人类学家告诉我们 我们作为人类总是希望我们所在群体中的人们是有用的 是有能力做贡献的
Anthropologists:[人类]人类学家; contribute:v.贡献,出力;投稿;捐献;
There's evidence that Neanderthals , 60,000 years ago, carried their elderly and those with serious physical injury , and, perhaps, because the life experience of survival of these people proved of value to the community: 六万年前的尼安德特社会就是一个很好的证据 尼安德特人抚养他们社会中的老弱病残 因为他们坚信 老人们丰富的人生阅历是对他们整个社会是很有价值的
evidence:n.证据,证明;迹象;明显;v.证明; Neanderthals:n.穴居人(Neanderthal的复数);尼安德塔人; elderly:adj.上了年纪的;过了中年的;稍老的; injury:n.伤害,损害;受伤处; survival:n.幸存,残存;幸存者,残存物;
they didn't view these people as broken and useless; they were seen as rare and valuable. 老人们从来不会被视作无用的 相反,他们被视为非常珍贵的
A few years ago, I was in a food market in the town where I grew up in that red zone in northeastern Pennsylvania , and I was standing over a bushel of tomatoes. 几年前的一天,我正在故乡的菜市场 就是宾州东北部的那片红区 我当时正站在一筐西红柿旁边
northeastern:adj.在东北的;东北方的;来自东北的; Pennsylvania:n.宾夕法尼亚州(美国州名); bushel:n.蒲式耳;vt.修整(衣服等);
It was summer time . I had shorts on. 因为正值夏天,我穿的是短裤
summer time:na.夏令时(有些国家实行夏时制,将时钟拨快一小时,以节约照明能源);
I hear this guy, his voice behind me say, "Well, if it isn't Aimee Mullins." 在我的身后传来了一个男子的声音“唉？这不是艾米?慕林斯么”
And I turn around, and it's this older man. I have no idea who he is. 我转过身来,发现是一位我不认识的老者
I have no idea:我没有头绪…;
And I said, "I'm sorry, sir, have we met? I don't remember meeting you." 然后我说,“先生不好意思,我们见过面么？我记不得你了”
He said, "Well, you wouldn't remember meeting me. 他说,“嗯,你是不会记得咱们之间的那次见面的
I mean, when we met I was delivering you from your mother's womb ." 因为当时,我正把你从你母亲的子宫里接生出来“
womb:n.[解剖]子宫;发源地;vt.容纳;
(Laughter) （笑）
Oh, that guy. 呵呵,我遇到的就是这么一个人
And, but of course, actually, it did click. 当然,最后我想起来了
This man was Dr. Kean, a man I had only known about through my mother's stories of that day, because, of course, typical fashion, I arrived late for my birthday by two weeks. 这个人就是基恩大夫 我只是通过母亲当年给我讲的故事才知道这么一个人 我是一个晚产儿,晚产了两周
An so, my mother's prenatal physician had gone on vacation, so the man who delivered me was a complete stranger to my parents. 当时负责在我母亲临产期照顾她的医生度假去了 所以最后就由基恩大夫这个我父母之前都不认识的人给我接生了
prenatal:adj.产前的;胎儿期的;[医]出生以前的; physician:n.[医]医师;内科医师;
And, because I was born without the fibula bone, and had feet turned in, and a few toes in this foot, and a few toes in that, he had to be the bearer , this stranger had to be the bearer of bad news. 我出生的时候就没有腓骨 我的脚、脚趾都错位了 基恩大夫不得不传达两个坏消息
fibula:n.[解剖]腓骨;扣针,搭扣; toes:n.脚趾;足尖部;有…脚趾的;v.用脚尖走;(toe的第三人称单数和复数) bearer:n.持票人;[建]承木;[机]托架;送信人;搬运工人;
He said to me, "I had to give this prognosis to your parents that you would never walk, and you would never have the kind of mobility that other kids have or any kind of life of independence , and you've been making liar out of me ever since." 他对我说, 我当年把诊断报告告诉了你父母 我说,你将永远不会行走 你也永远不会像其他孩子那样跑跑跳跳 你将永远无法独立的生活 可从那以后,你却通过你的努力把我变成了一个大骗子”
mobility:n.移动性;机动性;[电子]迁移率; independence:n.独立;独立性;自恃心;独立不羁的精神; liar:n.说谎的人;
(Laughter) （笑）
(Applause) （鼓掌）
The extraordinary thing is that he said he had saved newspaper clipping throughout my whole childhood, whether it was winning a second grade spelling bee , 基恩先生做了一件伟大的事情 他从我童年开始就把报纸上所有关于我的报道都剪下来收集了 其中包括我二年级的时候在一次拼字比赛中获胜
extraordinary:adj.非凡的;特别的;离奇的;临时的;特派的; clipping:n.剪下物;v.夹住;别住;被夹住;修剪;碰撞;(clip的现在分词) throughout:adv.自始至终,到处;全部;prep.贯穿,遍及; spelling bee:n.拼字比赛;
marching with the Girl Scouts , you know, the Halloween parade , winning my college scholarship , or any of my sports victories, and he was using it, and integrating it into teaching resident students, med students from Hahnemann medical school and Hershey medical school. 和女童子军在万圣节的时候参加游行 大学的时候获得奖学金,以及我种种在体育比赛中的成绩 基恩大夫在用我的故事教育当地的学生们 他用我的故事教育哈奈曼医学院和赫尔希医学院的学生
Scouts:n.童子军,童军(scout的复数);侦察兵;v.侦察;搜索(scout的三单形式); Halloween:n.万圣节前夕 parade:n.阅兵;游行;炫耀;检阅;v.游行;展览;游行庆祝;游行示威; scholarship:n.奖学金;学问;学识;学术成就; integrating:v.(使)合并,成为一体;(使)加入,融入群体;(integrate的现在分词) resident:adj.居住的;住院医师;定居的;n.居民;
And he called this part of the course the X Factor , the potential of the human will. 他把我的这些故事叫做他课程中的X因素 叫做人类意志所激发的无穷潜力
X Factor:未知因素(尤指获得成功所必需又难以描述的素质); potential:n.潜能;可能性;[电]电势;adj.潜在的;可能的;势的;
No prognosis can account for how powerful this could be as a determinant in the quality of someone's life. 没有任何医疗诊断能够解释这种意志的威力有多么巨大 意志能影响一个人的生活质量
account for:对…负有责任;对…做出解释;说明…的原因;导致;(比例)占; determinant:adj.决定性的;n.决定因素;[数]行列式;
And Dr. Kean went on to tell me, he said, "In my experience, unless repeatedly told otherwise, and even if given a modicum of support, if left to their own devices , a child will achieve." 基恩大夫继续对我说 “尽管有很多次别人都反驳我的观点,根据我的经历 对于孩子们,即使给予他们的支持很少 他们自己也能有所成就”
repeatedly:adv.反复地;再三地;屡次地; modicum:n.少量,一点点; devices:n.[机][计]设备;[机]装置;[电子]器件(device的复数);
See, Dr. Kean made that shift in thinking. 看吧,基恩大夫的想法改变了
shift:n.移动;变化;手段;轮班;v.移动;转变;转换;
He understood that there's a difference between the medical condition and what someone might do with it. 他认识到了医疗诊断的结果以及一个人处理这种结果的方式之间 是存在差异的
And there's been a shift in my thinking over time, in that, if you had asked me at 15 years old, if I would have traded prosthetics for flesh and bone legs, 几年来,我的想法也有了一定的转变 比如,如果你在我15岁的时候问我 愿不愿意用我现在的假肢换一双真腿
flesh:n.肉;肉体;v.喂肉给…;发胖;
I wouldn't have hesitated for a second. 我会毫不犹豫地答应
hesitated:v.(对某事)犹豫,迟疑不决;顾虑;疑虑;(hesitate的过去分词和过去式)
I aspired to that kind of normalcy back then. 因为我渴望得到那种“正统”
aspired:v.向往;热望(aspire的过去分词);
If you ask me today, I'm not so sure. 但是如果你今天问我同样的问题,我就要三思了
And it's because of the experiences I've had with them, not in spite of the experiences I've had with them. 这是因为我使用假肢的这段经历 对我的影响很大
in spite of:尽管;不管,不顾;
And, perhaps, this shift in me has happened because I've been exposed to more people who have opened doors for me than those who have put lids and cast shadows on me. 也许,我已经由内而外地脱胎换骨了 因为,在我所遇到的人里面 为我开启通向新世界的门的人远远多于给我心灵蒙上阴影的人
exposed:adj.无遮蔽的; v.暴露; (expose的过去分词和过去式)
See, all you really need is one person to show you the epiphany of your own power, and you're off. 看吧,你们所需要的就是这样一个人 他能向你展示你自己的力量
epiphany:对事物真谛的顿悟;
If you can hand somebody the key to their own power, the human spirit is so receptive , if you can do that and open a door for someone at a crucial moment, you are educating them in the best sense. 人类的灵魂是包容的 如果你能够给他人一把钥匙,让他自己用这把钥匙开启自己的力量 并且在关键时刻,你能用这把钥匙为别人开启一扇门 你就是在用最好的方式对他们进行教育
receptive:adj.善于接受的;能容纳的; crucial:adj.重要的;决定性的;定局的;决断的;
You're teaching them to open doors for themselves. 因为你在教他们自己为自己开启通向新世界之门
In fact, the exact meaning of the word educate comes from the root word "educe." 实际上,“教育”这个词的意义 来源于“唤出”这个词
It means, to bring forth what is within, to bring out potential. “唤出”,即把深藏在里面的东西引出来 发掘潜能
bring forth:v.产生;发表; bring out:出版,生产;使显示;说出;
So again, which potential do we want to bring out? 那么,我们究竟希望发掘出什么样的潜能呢
There was a case study done in 1960's Britain, when they were moving from grammar schools to comprehensive schools. 这里有个上世纪60年代英国的案例 英国的孩子从小学升到初中这一过程
case study:n.个案研究;专题研究;案例研究; comprehensive:adj.综合的;广泛的;有理解力的;n.综合学校;专业综合测验;
It's called the streaming trials. We call it tracking here in the States. 在英国叫做“统考”,在美国我们管它叫“追踪考试”
tracking:n.追踪,跟踪;v.跟踪;(track的现在分词)
It's separating students from A, B, C, D and so on. 考试把学生们按照成绩从高到低分成A、B、C、D四等
And the A students get the tougher curriculum , the best teachers, etc. A等的学生学更难的课程,有更好的老师,等等
curriculum:n.课程;总课程;
Well, they took, over a three month period, 这个实验为期三个月
D level students, gave them A's, told them they were A's, told them they were bright. 按照成绩应该被归为D等学生被告知他们是A等的学生 他们被告知自己是非常聪明的
And at the end of this three month period, they were performing at A level. 三个月的实验结束的时候 这群学生的表现已经相当于A等生了
performing:adj.表演的;演奏的;v.做;执行;演出;运转(perform的现在分词)
And, of course, the heartbreaking , flip side of this study, is that they took the A students and told them they were D's. 当然,这个案例研究也有其令人心寒的另一面 那就是,那些本应该被归为A等的学生被告知他们是D等学生
heartbreaking:adj.令人心碎的;使人悲痛的; flip side:反面;
And that's what happened at the end of that three month period. 三个月的实验结束的时候
Those who were still around in school, besides the people who had dropped out. 他们中的很多人已经辍学了
besides:adv.此外;而且;prep.除…之外;
A crucial part of this case study was that the teachers were duped too. 这个实验的一个要点就是,参与实验的老师们也是不知情的
duped:v.诈骗;哄骗;欺骗;(dupe的过去分词和过去式)
The teachers didn't know a switch had been made. 老师们不知道学生被调包了
They were simply told these are the A students, these are the D students. 老师们只是被告知哪些是A等生,哪些是D等生
And that's how they went about teaching them and treating them. 老师也随即 因材施教 了
So, I think that the only true disability is a crushed spirit, a spirit that's been crushed doesn't have hope. 所以,我认为真正的“残疾”是一个被击败的灵魂 一个对未来没有希望的灵魂
crushed:v.压坏;压伤;挤压变形;(crush的过去分词和过去式)
It doesn't see beauty. 一个无法感知美好的灵魂
It no longer has our natural, childlike curiosity and our innate ability to imagine. 一个丧失了孩子般天真的好奇心的灵魂 一个丧失了人类与生俱来的想象力的灵魂
childlike:adj.天真烂漫的;孩子似的; curiosity:n.好奇,好奇心;珍品,古董,古玩; innate:adj.先天的;固有的;与生俱来的;
If instead, we can bolster a human spirit to keep hope, to see beauty in themselves and others, to be curious and imaginative , then we are truly using our power well. 假如,我们能够让人类的灵魂始终保持希望 让这灵魂能看到自己以及他人的美 赋予这灵魂好奇心以及想象力 那么我们就算是在很好地运用自己的力量了
bolster:v.改善;加强;n.靠垫;垫枕(长而厚); curious:adj.好奇的,有求知欲的;古怪的;爱挑剔的; imaginative:adj.虚构的;富于想象的;有创造力的;
When a spirit has those qualities, we are able to create new realities and new ways of being. 只要一个灵魂仍然具备上述的那些品质,那么它就能创造无限可能 以及新的生活方式
I'd like to leave you with a poem by a fourteenth-century Persian poet named Hafiz that my friend, Jacques Dembois told me about. 我想在最后送给大家一首诗 诗的作者是十四世纪的波斯诗人哈菲斯 这首诗是我的一个朋友,雅克?邓波讲给我的
Persian:n.波斯人;波斯语;adj.波斯的;波斯人的;波斯语的;
And the poem is called "The God Who Only Knows Four Words." 诗的名字叫《一个只知道四个字的神》
'"Every child has known God, not the God of names, not the God of don'ts, but the God who only knows four words and keeps repeating them, saying, come dance with me" 每个孩子都知道神的存在 不是有名字的神 不是给你施加种种金规玉律的神 而是一个只会说四个字,并且一遍又一遍重复着它们的神 祂在说,与我共舞
Come dance with me. 与我共舞！”
Thank you. 谢谢大家
(Applause) （鼓掌）