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CarmenAgraDeedy_2005-_卡门_阿格拉_迪地编故事_
When I knew I was going to come and speak to you, I thought, "I got to call my mother." 一得知要来这儿演讲,我就寻思, “要给我妈打个电话。”
I have a little Cuban mother -- she's about that big. 我那小巧玲珑的古巴母亲——她身量才那么大。
Cuban:n.古巴人;古巴产雪茄;adj.古巴的;
Four feet -- nothing larger than the sum of her figurative parts. 四英尺——她整体的形象真是无比高大。
figurative:adj.比喻的;修饰丰富的;形容多的;
You still with me? (Laughter) 你们懂我说的意思吧？（笑声）
I called her up, "Hello, how're you doing, baby?" 我拨通了她的电话, “喂,宝贝,你好吗？”
'"Hey, Ma, I got to talk to you." “嗳,妈,我得跟你说说话。”
'"You're talking to me already. What's the matter?" “你已经在跟我说了呀。啥事儿？”
I said, "I've got to talk to a bunch of nice people." 我说“我打算去对一群好人演讲。”
a bunch of:一群;一束;一堆;
'"You're always talking to nice people, except when you went to the White House --" “你从来都是给好人演讲的,除了那次你去 白宫——”
White House:n.白宫(美国总统官邸,位于首都华盛顿);
'"Ma, don't start!" “妈,打住！”
And I told her I was coming to TED, and she said, "What's the problem?" 然后我告诉她我要来TED,她就问, 有什么问题吗？
And I said, "Well, I'm not sure." 我就说,“嗯,我不太自信。”
I said, "I have to talk to them about stories. 我告诉她,“我要讲的内容是有关故事的。
It's Technology , Entertainment and Design." 而它(TED)的主题是技术,娱乐和设计。”
Technology:n.技术;工艺;术语;
And she said, "Well, you design a story when you make it up, it's entertainment when you tell it, and you're going to use a microphone ." 接着她说,“好办,你编故事本身就是设计嘛, 你边讲故事边娱乐, 另外你会用到麦克风。”
microphone:n.麦克风;传声器;话筒;
(Laughter) （笑声）
I said, "You're a peach, Ma. Pop there?" 我说,“服了你了,妈。爸在吗？”
'"What's the matter? The pearls of wisdom leaping from my lips like lemmings is no good for you?" “不必了吧？锦囊妙计由我信口拈来, 还帮不上你啊？”
pearls:n.珍珠;像珍珠之物;(pearl的复数) wisdom:n.智慧;明智;才智;学问; leaping:adj.跳跃的,跳跃而行的;n.跳跃;v.跳跃(leap的ing形式); lemmings:n.旅鼠;(lemming的复数)
(Laughter) （笑声）
Then my Pop got on there. 接着我爸登场。
My Pop -- he's one of the old souls, you know -- old Cuban man from Camaguey. 我老爸——饱经几世的沧桑, 卡马圭的古巴老人。
Camaguey is a province in Cuba. 卡马圭系古巴的一个省。
He's from Florida. 他是佛洛里达人。
He was born there in 1924. 1924年在那儿出生。
He grew up in a bohio of dirt floors, and the structure was the kind used by the Tainos, our old Arawak ancestors. 他自幼从茅草屋的泥巴地里滚爬着长大, 就是泰诺人住过的那种结构的简陋茅草房, 泰诺人是我们远古的阿拉瓦人祖先。
dirt:n.污垢;尘土;下流话; structure:n.结构;构造;建筑物;vt.组织;构成;建造;
My father is at once quick-witted , wickedly funny, and then poignancy turns on a dime and leaves you breathless . 我父亲的特点是既敏捷机智,搞怪滑稽, 又一针见血,他来个急转弯就能让人目瞪口呆。
quick-witted:adj.机智灵敏的; wickedly:adv.恶劣地;居心叵测地; poignancy:n.辛辣;强烈;尖锐;辛酸事; on a dime:adv.在极小的空间中;打小转弯; breathless:adj.喘不过气来的;停止呼吸的;
'"Papi, help." “爸爸,帮忙哦。”
'"I already heard your mother. I think she's right." “我已经听到你妈说的了。我觉着她说得对。”
(Laughter) （笑声）
'"After what I just told you?" “在我说了这事儿之后？”
My whole life, my father's been there. 从小到大,老爸对我有求必应。
So we talked for a few minutes, and he said, "Why don't you tell them what you believe?" 我们随即聊了几分钟,然后他说, “干嘛不在演讲中谈谈你的信仰？”
I love that, but we don't have the time. 我真想啊,可惜这场时间不够用的。
Good storytelling is crafting a story that someone wants to listen to. 善于讲故事是要把故事编得让人想听。
storytelling:n.讲故事;说谎话;adj.讲故事的;说谎的; crafting:n.工艺;手工艺;v.精巧地制作;加工制作(craft的ing形式);
Great story is the art of letting go. 讲究欲擒故纵。
So I'm going to tell you a little story. 我来讲个小故事。
Remember, this tradition comes to us not from the mists of Avalon back in time, but further still, before we were scratching out these stories on papyrus , or we were doing the pictographs on walls in moist , damp caves. 追根溯源,讲故事这个传统,并非来自 阿瓦隆西方乐土岛,时间上还要往前推, 早于人类在纸草上草编故事, 回溯到人类在潮湿洞穴里往岩壁上涂刻象形文字。
mists:n.迷雾(mist的复数形式);史前时代;v.使模糊(mist的单三形式);使蒙上薄雾; scratching:v.划伤;擦伤;刮痕;(scratch的现在分词) papyrus:n.纸莎草;纸莎草纸; pictographs:n.[语]象形文字(pictograph的复数形式);象形字; moist:adj.潮湿的;多雨的;含泪的;n.潮湿; damp:n.潮湿;湿气;湿块;adj.潮湿的;湿气重的;v.弄潮;使潮湿;抑制;
Back then, we had an urge, a need, to tell the story. 那个时期的人类就有讲故事的欲望和要求。
When Lexus wants to sell you a car, they're telling you a story. Lexus凌志通过讲故事向你推销它的车。
Lexus:n.雷克萨斯(凌志),日本丰田汽车公司旗下豪华车品牌。;
Have you been watching the commercials ? 你们留心看商业广告吗？
commercials:n.商业广告;宣传;商业股票;(commercial的复数)
Because every one of us has this desire, for once -- just once -- to tell our story and have it heard. 因为我们每个人都有这个欲望,只要一次－－就一次 把我们的故事讲出来,令人倾听。
There are stories you tell from stages. 有些故事我们上台宣讲。
There's stories that you may tell in a small group of people with some good wine. 有些故事是 跟一小撮人边喝酒边讲的。
And there's stories you tell late at night to a friend, maybe once in your life. 还有些故事由你在深夜对一个朋友倾吐, 可能一辈子就那么一回。
And then there are stories that we whisper into a stygian darkness. 也有的故事,我们向幽暗的黑夜低声诉说。
whisper:v.耳语;低语;私语;小声说;n.耳语(声);低语(声);私语(声);轻柔的声音; stygian:adj.阴暗的,幽暗的;地狱的;
I'm not telling you that story. 我可不要给你们讲那个。
I'm telling you this one. 我要讲的故事
It's called, "You're going to miss me." 叫“你会想我的。”
It's about human connection. 是讲人之间感情关系的。
My Cuban mother, which I just briefly introduced you to in that short character sketch , came to the United States 1,000 years ago. 我那古巴母亲,刚才我简短跟大家介绍过的, 她身材玲珑, 一千年前来到美国。
briefly:adv.简要地;简短地;暂时地; sketch:n.素描;草图;速写;概述;v.概述;简述;画素描;画速写; United:adj.联合的; v.联合,团结; (unite的过去分词和过去式)
I was born in 19 -- I forget, and I came to this country with them in the aftermath of the Cuban revolution . 我生于19—年,我忘了,在古巴革命之后 我跟他们也来到这个国家。
aftermath:n.后果;余波; revolution:n.革命;旋转;运行;循环;
We went from Havana , Cuba, to Decatur, Georgia. 我们从古巴哈瓦那辗转去了佐治亚州的迪凯特,
Havana:n.哈瓦那(古巴城市);哈瓦那雪茄烟;
And Decatur, Georgia's a small Southern town. 迪凯特是佐治亚州的一座南部小镇。
And in that little Southern town, I grew up, and grew up hearing these stories. 我在那个南方小镇上长大, 是在这些故事熏陶下长大的。
But this story only happened a few years ago. 但下面这个故事发生在几年前。
I called my mom. 我给妈打电话。
It was a Saturday morning. 一个星期六早上。
And I was calling about how to make Ajiaco. It's a Cuban meal. 我本想问怎么做Ajiaco,一道古巴国菜（肉和蔬菜玉米番薯炖在一起一大碗配一块yuca饼）。
It's delicious. It's savory . 相当美味可口。
savory:adj.可口的;风味极佳的;味美的;n.开胃菜;香薄荷;
It makes spit froth in the little corners of your mouth. 让你垂涎三尺。
froth:n.泡沫,泡;口沫;vi.吐白沫;起泡沫;vt.使生泡沫;
It makes your armpits juicy, you know? 吃起来酣畅淋漓。
armpits:n.腋窝(armpit的复数形式);
That kind of food, yeah. 对,就是那类美食。
This is the sensory part of the program, people. 讲故事得注意调动感官。
sensory:adj.感觉的;知觉的;传递感觉的;
I called my mother, and she said, "Carmen, I need you to come, please. 电话接通了,我妈说:“卡门,想你过来一下啊。
I need to go to the mall, and you know your father now, he takes a nap in the afternoon, and I got to go. 我得去超市,你也清楚你爸他现在, 午觉一睡一下午,我得去忙啊。
nap:n.打盹;短绒毛;赛马情报;v.打盹;(naps是nap的复数)
I got an errand to run." 我有活儿要干呐。”
errand:n.使命;差事;差使;
Let me parenthetically pause here and tell you -- 这儿得给大伙插一句,
parenthetically:adv.附带说明地;作为插入成分地;顺便说一句;
Esther, my mother, had stopped driving several years ago, to the collective relief of the entire city of Atlanta . 艾斯特,我的妈妈,为了亚特兰大整个城市的集体安危着想, 几年前就不再开车了。
collective:adj.集体的;共同的;集合的;集体主义的;n.集团;集合体;集合名词; relief:n.救济;减轻,解除;安慰;浮雕; Atlanta:n.亚特兰大(美国城市);
Any vehicular outing with that woman from the time I was a young child -- guys, naturally included flashing blue lights. 从我记事儿起,但凡跟那个女人驾车出行, 少不了（交警的）刺眼的蓝灯。
vehicular:adj.车辆的;作为媒介的;用车辆运载的; naturally:adv.自然地;自然而然地;轻而易举;天生地;大方地; flashing:n.防雨板,盖片; v.闪光; (flash的现在分词)
But she'd become adept at dodging the boys in blue, and when she did meet them, oh, she had wonderful -- well, rapport . 慢慢地,她晓得如何避开交警,还很拿手, 躲不开的时候也有,那时她表现出——慈眉善目。
adept:adj.熟练的;擅长…的;n.内行;能手; dodging:v.闪开;躲开;避开;(dodge的现在分词) rapport:n.密切关系,交往;和谐一致;
'"Ma'am, did you know that was a light you just ran?" “夫人,您刚才闯灯了您明白吗？”
(Spanish) 西班牙语
'"You don't speak English?" 您不讲英语？
'"No." “不。”（用英文说的）。
(Laughter) （笑声）
But eventually every dog has its day, and she ended up in traffic court, where she bargained with the judge for a discount . 但最终还是厄运难逃, 她被传唤到交通法庭上, 她却在哪儿跟法官商量指望从轻发落。
eventually:adv.最后,终于; bargained:v.讨价还价,商讨条件;(bargain的过去式和过去分词) discount:n.折扣;vt.低估;打折扣;打折出售
There's a historical marker . 真有开创精神。
historical:adj.历史的;史学的;基于史实的; marker:n.记分员;书签;标识物;作记号的人;
But now she was a septuagenarian, she'd stopped driving. 可如今她老人家已经到了古稀之年,不再开车啦。
And that meant that everyone in the family had to sign up to take her to have her hair dyed , you know, that peculiar color of blue that matches her polyester pants suit, you know, same color as the Buick . 对家里其他人来说,大家伙得轮班 开车带她去染发, 染成特定的蓝色,好配她那身化纤长裤套装, 你知道,就是跟别克车一样的颜色。
dyed:adj.被染色的;v.染色(dye的过去分词形式); peculiar:adj.特殊的;独特的;奇怪的;罕见的;n.特权;特有财产; polyester:n.聚酯; Buick:n.别克(汽车品牌);
Anybody? All right. 都明白？很好。
Little picks on the legs where she does her needlepoint and leaves little loops . 长裤绣上花,特意留出小线圈
needlepoint:n.针尖;针绣花边; loops:n.[计]循环(loop复数); v.使...成环,以圈结,以环连结(loop的第三人称单数形式);
Rockports -- they're for this. 再搭配一双乐布鞋。
That's why they call them that. 它也因此得名。
(Laughter) （笑声）
This is her ensemble . 她的总体形象介绍完了。
ensemble:n.全体;总效果;全套服装;全套家具;合奏组;adv.同时;
And this is the woman that wants me to come on a Saturday morning when I have a lot to do, but it doesn't take long because Cuban guilt is a weighty thing. 就是这样的女人想让我周六上午去一趟。 当时我也忙得走不开,但是再忙也得去啊,因为古巴式的负罪感很难摆脱的。
weighty:adj.重的;重大的;严肃的;
Not going to get political on you but -- and so I go to my mother's. 不想油嘴滑舌——反正我去找我妈了。
I show up. She's in the carport . 我到了。她在车棚里。
carport:n.车库;(美)车棚;
Of course they have a carport. 可不呗,他们有个车棚。
The kind with the corrugated roof, you know. 那种带瓦楞屋顶的。
corrugated:adj.波纹的;缩成皱纹的;有瓦楞的;v.(使)起皱纹(corrugate的过去式);
The Buick's parked outside, and she's jingling , jangling a pair of keys. 别克车就停在外面, 她手里摇晃得一串钥匙当啷啷响。
jingling:adj.发叮当声的;叮当响的;n.叮当声;v.发出叮当声;押韵(jingle的ing形式); jangling:n.争吵,吵嚷;刺耳声;vt.使发出刺耳声;使争论;vi.刺耳响;争论,吵架;
'"I got a surprise for you, baby!" “给你个惊喜,宝贝！”
'"Are we taking your car?" “我们开你的车啊？”
'"Not we, I." “不是我们,是我开。”
And she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a catastrophe . 随后她伸手从兜儿里掏出一个大灾难。
catastrophe:n.大灾难;大祸;惨败;
Somebody's storytelling. Interactive art. You can talk to me. 讲故事现场讲究互动。你们可以跟我互动。
Interactive:adj.合作的;相互影响的;互相配合的;交互式的;n.交互式视频设备;
Oh, a driver's license -- a perfectly valid driver's license. 哦,驾照——一本完好无损的驾照。
valid:adj.有效的;有根据的;合法的;正当的;
Issued , evidently , by the DMV in her own county of Gwinnett. 不用怀疑,是由她所在的Gwinnett镇上机动车管理部门核准发放的。
Issued:v.宣布;公布;发出;将…诉诸法律;(issue的过去分词和过去式) evidently:adv.显然,明显地;清楚地; county:n.郡,县;
Blithering fucking idiots . 那帮蠢蛋。
Blithering:adj.胡扯的;唠叨不已的; idiots:n.蠢人;笨蛋;白痴;(idiot的复数)
(Laughter) （笑声）
I said, "Is that thing real?" 我说,“那证是真的？”
'"I think so." “我想是的。”
'"Can you even see?" “您眼力劲还行？”
'"I guess I must." “我不行也得行啊。”
'"Oh, Jesus ." “哦天啊。”
Jesus:int.上帝啊:天哪:n.耶稣:耶稣基督:
She gets into the car, she's sitting on two phone books. 她上了车,屁股下垫着两本电话簿。
I can't even make this part up because she's that tiny. 可不是我编的,她个头就那么小。
She's engineered an umbrella so she can -- bam! -- slam the door. 她摆弄着一把伞——砰！可把车门给带上了。
slam:v.(使…)砰地关上; n.猛关(或推,摔,撞等);
Her daughter, me, -- the village idiot with the ice-cream cone in the middle of her forehead -- is still standing there slack-jawed . 她闺女,我——一乡下傻大姐, 举个冰激凌甜筒在脑门前,瞠目结舌地呆在原地。
village idiot:n.愚笨的村人;蠢人; cone:n.圆锥体,圆锥形;[植]球果;v.使成锥形; forehead:n.前额; slack-jawed:adj.目瞪口呆的;发呆的;
'"You coming? You no coming?" “你来是不来啊？”
'"Oh, my God." I said, "OK, fine. Does Pop know you're driving?" “哦,天哪。”我问,“行。阿爸知道你开车吗？”
'"Are you kidding me?" “别蒙我了。”
'"How are you doing it?" “你怎么搞定他的？”
'"He's got to sleep sometime." “有时老虎也打盹儿呀。”
And so we left my father fast asleep, because I knew he'd kill me if I let her go by herself, and we get in the car. 所以趁我父亲熟睡中我们出发了,要是他知道了我让她自己开车, 他非宰了我不可,我们上了车。
Puts it in reverse . 55 out of the driveway , in reverse . 挂倒档。以55迈的速度倒出了车道。
reverse:n.反面; v.颠倒; adj.相反的; driveway:n.(从建筑物,住房,车库等通往大路的)私人车道;
I am buckling in seatbelts from the front, 我从前面扣上安全带,
buckling:n.[力]屈曲; v.把…扣紧; seatbelts:n.座位安全带;
I'm yanking them in from the back, I'm doing double knots . 猛得从身后侧拉过安全带,锁了个双扣。
yanking:猛地一拉;猛拉(yank的现在分词); knots:n.发髻:节子:节疤:v.把…打成结(knot的第三人称单数和复数)
I mean, I've got a mouth as dry as the Kalahari desert. 我嘴巴发干,干得跟喀拉哈里沙漠似的。
I've got a white-knuckle grip on the door. You know what I'm talking about? 我的手死死攥牢车门的把手,想象得出吧。
white-knuckle:adj.神经紧张的; n.白标签(为推销目的等而标明唱片预先发行的一种标识); grip:n.紧握;柄;支配;握拍方式;拍柄绷带;vt.紧握;夹紧;vi.抓住;
And she's whistling , and finally I do the kind of birth breathing -- you know, that one? 而她吹着口哨,我则紧张地大口喘息, 那种分娩呼吸,你知道？
whistling:n.口哨声;笛音;v.吹口哨;打呼哨;吹哨子;(whistle的现在分词) finally:adv.终于;最终;(用于列举)最后;彻底地;
Only a couple of women are going uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh. Right. 只有少数几个妇女还在用的呼吸法。对。
And I said, "Ma, would you slow down?" 我说,“妈,慢点儿行不？”
Because now she's picked up the Highway 285, the perimeter around Atlanta, which encompasses now -- there's seven lanes -- she's on all of them, y'all. 因为现在她已经开上了285公路了, 环绕亚特兰大的道路 共有七条—她不知往哪儿开。
perimeter:n.周长;周界;[眼科]视野计; encompasses:vt.包含;包围,环绕;完成; lanes:n.线路,跑道(lane复数形式);
I said, "Ma, pick a lane!" 我说,“妈,快选一条道！”
'"They give you seven lanes, they expect you to use them." “七条大路任你选。”
And there she goes, right. 还好,总算开始上道儿了。
I don't believe for a minute she has been out and not been stopped. 我不信她自己在路上开过车却没被交警拦截过。
for a minute:一会儿;
So, I think, hey, we can talk. It'll be a diversion . 嗯,我们可以聊聊。解个闷。
diversion:n.转移;消遣;分散注意力;
It'll help my breathing. It'll do something for my pulse , maybe. 帮我喘口气儿。没准儿能让我的心跳慢下来。
pulse:n.脉冲;脉搏;脉率;强劲的音乐节拍;v.搏动;跳动;震动;洋溢着;
'"Mommy, I know you have been stopped." “妈咪,我觉你被交警拦截过。”
'"No, no, what you talking about?" “当然没啊,你说啥呢？”
'"You have a license. How long have you been driving?" “拿到驾照了。开车多久了？”
'"Four or five days." “四、五天吧。”
'"Yeah. And you haven't been stopped?" “噢。你没被交警拦截过？”
'"I did not get a ticket." “我没有接过罚单。”
I said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, but come on, come on, come on." 我不信,“是啊,是啊,快交代啦。”
'"OK, so I stopped at a light and there's a guy, you know, in the back." “好吧,有此我停在交通灯那儿 有个人在后面,你知道。”
'"Would this guy have, like, a blue uniform and a terrified look on his face?" “那人是不是穿蓝色制服, 他被吓着了？”
uniform:adj.统一的;一致的;相同的;始终如一的;n.制服;v.使穿制服;使成一样;
'"You weren't there, don't start." “你又不在现场,别打岔。”
'"Come on. You got a ticket?" “哦说吧,你吃罚单了？”
'"No." She explained -- "The man" -- I have to tell you as she did because it loses something if I don't, you know -- "He come to the window, and he does a thing like this -- which tells me he's pretty old, you know. “没有。”她解释说— “那人”——我得把她说的原话重复下 不然的话后面接不上茬—— “他走到车窗边,做了个这样的姿势—— 让我觉得他上了岁数。
So I look up and I'm thinking, maybe he's still going to think I'm, kind of cute." 所以我仰起脸来,寻思着, 说不好他会觉我还挺可爱呢。”
'"Ma, are you still doing that?" “妈,你还用那招哇？”
'"If it works, it works, baby." “孩儿,说不定能管用哪。”
So, I say, (Spanish) 接着,我说（西班牙语）
'"Well, wouldn't you know, he had been in Honduras for the Peace Corps ." “唉,谁料到呢,他曾参加和平队在洪都拉斯呆过。”
Peace Corps:n.和平队;
(Laughter) （笑声）
So he's talking to her, and at some point she says, "Then, you know, it was it. That was it. It was done." 然后他就跟她讲西班牙语,就在那时,她说, “然后,你知道,就那样,结了。”
'"Yeah? What? “嗯？啥？
He gave you a ticket? He didn't give you a ticket? What?" 他给你开罚单了？没开？咋回事？”
'"No, I look up, and the light, she change." “不是,我一抬头,交通灯变了。”
(Laughter) （笑声）
You should be terrified. 你该怕了。
Now, I don't know if she's toying with me, kind of like a cat batting back a mouse, batting back a mouse -- left paw , right paw , left paw , right paw. 我不晓得她是不是在耍我, 就跟小猫抓玩老鼠似的—— 左手扔,右手抓,右手扔,左手抓。
toying:v.玩弄;调情;随随便便地对待(toy的现在分词) paw:v.抓;猥亵地乱摸;动手动脚;动手挑逗;n.(动物的)爪;(人的)手;
But by now we've reached the mall. 可算到超市了。
Now, you all have all been at a mall during the holidays, yes? 你们都在节假日去过超市吧。
Talk to me. Yes. Yes. You can say yes. 来点互动。对,对,你可以说“对”。
Audience: Yes. 观众:对。
All right, then you know that you have now entered parking lot purgatory , praying to that saint of perpetual availability that as you join that serpentine line of cars crawling along, some guy's going to turn on the brake lights just as you pull up behind him. 那就好,接下来你们都经历过的,炼狱般的停车过程, 向永恒的圣灵祈祷（意思是骂人） 加入排成长龙的车队, 你的车紧跟上某人的车,就在那时, 某人却亮起刹车灯。
parking lot:n.停车场; purgatory:n.炼狱;涤罪;暂时的苦难;adj.涤罪的(等于purgative); saint:n.圣人;圣徒;道德崇高的人;adj.神圣的;v.成为圣徒; perpetual:adj.永久的;不断的;四季开花的;无期限的; availability:n.可用性;有效性;实用性; serpentine:adj.蜿蜒的; vt.使迂回曲折地行进; vi.像蛇般行进; n.[矿物]蛇纹石; crawling:v.爬行;匍匐行进;(crawl的现在分词)
But that doesn't happen most of the time, right? 但通常你跟的那车连刹车灯不带亮的就停急停,对吧？
So, first I say, "Ma, why are we here?" 我就问了,“妈,我们怎么在这儿？”
'"You mean, like, in the car?" “你是说为什么在车里？”
'"No, don't -- why are we here today? “不是啊,——今天来这儿干嘛？
It's Saturday. It's the holidays." 周六本该休息的么。”
'"Because I have to exchange your father's underwear." “我要来调换你爸的内裤。
exchange:n.交换;交流;交易所;兑换;v.交换;交易;兑换;
Now, see, this is, kind of Machiavellian thinking, that you really have to -- you know, in my mind it's a rabbit's warren , this woman's mind. 瞧瞧,这真是典型的马基雅弗利思路 你真拿她没法儿——跟兔子洞似的, 我妈太多心眼了。
Machiavellian:adj.不择手段的;狡猾的;马基雅弗利的;n.权谋政治家; warren:n.养兔场;大杂院;拥挤的地区;
Do I want to walk in because unless I have Ariadne's thread to anchor -- enough metaphors for you? -- somewhere, I may not get out. 除非我手里有阿里阿德涅的线团——否则钻进去出不来了。 够多比喻了？
thread:n.螺纹;线索;思路;脉络;v.穿过;穿(针);纫(针);(使)穿过; metaphors:n.隐喻(metaphor的复数形式);
But you know -- 但你知道的—
(Laughter) （笑声）
'"Why do we have to take Pop's underwear back now? “干嘛非要这个时候来换爸的内裤？
And why? What is wrong with his underwear?" 嗯？他的内裤哪儿不合适？”
'"It will upset you." “你不想听。”
upset:adj.沮丧; v.打乱; n.苦恼; (意外的)混乱;
'"It won't upset me. Why? What? Is something wrong with him?" “不会。咋整的？出啥毛病了？”
'"No, no, no. The only thing with him is, he's an idiot. “没有没有。他就是有点白痴。”
I sent him to the store -- which was my first mistake -- and he went to buy underwear, and he bought the grippers, and he's supposed to buy the boxers." 我叫他自己到超市——是我犯的第一个错, 他去买内裤,结果买了紧身平角裤, 本来该买四角裤的。
supposed:adj.误信的;所谓的;v.认为;假设;设想;(suppose的过去分词和过去式)
'"Why?" “啥区别？”
'"I read it on the Internet. You cannot have children." “我从网上看的。说是穿了紧身平角裤生不出孩子。”
'"Oh, my God!" “天啊！”
(Laughter) （笑声）
Olivia? Huh? Huh? 奥利维亚？哈？哈？
By now we have now crawled another four feet, and my mother finally says to me, "I knew it, I knew it. 这半天才往前挪了四英尺, 最后我妈又说了,“有了,有了。
crawled:v.爬;爬行;(昆虫)爬行;缓慢行进(crawl的过去分词和过去式)
I'm an immigrant . We make a space. What I tell you? Right there." 我是移民来的。咱整出个地方。我跟你说啥来着？看那儿。
immigrant:n.(外来)移民;外侨;adj.侨民的;
And she points out the passenger window, and I look out, and three -- three -- aisles down -- "Look, the Chevy ." 顺着她指向我这边车窗外的方向,我看过去, 隔了三条车辆通道那边—— “看那辆Chevy雪佛兰车。”
passenger:n.旅客;乘客;白吃饭的人;闲散人员; aisles:n.[建]通道;[建]走廊(aisle的复数); Chevy:雪佛兰(Chevrolet);
You want to laugh, but you don't know -- you're that politically correct there -- have you noticed? 你可能觉着好笑,但你不明白—— 你太英明了——注意到了吗？
politically correct:adj.政治上正确的(指言行上避免有歧视之嫌);
Correct the other direction now, it's OK. 大错特错了,没关系。
'"Look, the Chevy -- he's coming this way." ￡“看那辆Chevy雪佛兰车——他正往这边开。”
'"Mama, mama, mama, wait, wait, wait. The Chevy is three aisles away." “妈,妈妈,妈妈,等,等等,等等。雪佛兰还隔着三条车道呐。”
She looks at me like I'm her, you know, her moron child -- the cretin , the one she's got to speak to very slowly and distinctly . 她看着我就像我是她的白痴小女—— 她一字一顿地对我发话。
moron:n.傻瓜;痴愚者;笨人; cretin:n.白痴病患者; distinctly:adv.明显地;无疑地,确实地;
'"I know that, honey. Get out of the car and go stand in the parking space till I get there." “我知道,亲爱的。下车, 去给我占地儿,我随后到。”
OK, I want a vote. Come on, come on. No, no. 大伙儿,让我统计一下,快点儿。来,
How many of you once in your -- you were a kid, you were an adult -- you stood in a parking space to hold it for someone? 你们谁曾经——小时候,或长大了—— 在停车场给人占过停车位？
See, we're a secret club with a secret handshake . 看到了吧,我们都一伙儿的。
handshake:n.握手;
(Laughter) （笑声）
And years of therapy later, we're doing great. 多年的康复之后,我们恢复得不错。
therapy:n.治疗,疗法;
We're doing great. We're doing fine. 真的不错,还好。
Well, I stood up to her. 我朝她站起身。
This is -- you know, you'd think by now I'm -- and -- still holding? 不是吧,你们还觉得我仍在占位子？
I said, "No way, Ma, you have embarrassed me my entire life." 我说,“没门儿,妈,你太叫我难为情了啊。”
embarrassed:adj.尴尬的;窘迫的;v.使...局促不安;(embarrass的过去分词和过去式)
Of course, her comeback is, "When have I embarrassed you?" 她肯定不会承认,“我啥时候让你难为情了？”
comeback:n.恢复;复原;
(Spanish) （西班牙语）
And she's still talking while she puts the car in park, hits the emergency brake , opens the door, and with a spryness astounding in a woman her age, she jumps out of the car, knocks out the phone books, and then she walks around -- she's carrying her cheap Kmart purse with her -- around the front of the car. 停车到位时她还在喋喋不休呢, 拉上手闸,打开车门, 身手麻利属她那年龄少有, 她从车里跳出来,电话薄被撅到一边, 随后她绕到车前, 手里还拎着她那廉价的Kmart手袋。 都这把年纪了,
emergency brake:n.(火车的)紧急刹车; astounding:adj.令人震惊的;使大吃一惊的;v.使震惊;使大惊;(astound的现在分词) purse:n.钱包;资金;财源;备用款;v.噘嘴;
She has amazing land speed for a woman her age, too. 她的开车速度也算身手不凡。
Before I know it, she has skiddled across the parking lot and in between the cars, and people behind me with that kind of usual religious charity that the holidays bring us, wah-wah wah-wah. 我还没回过神儿,她已轻松穿行于停车场的汽车中, 身后的人们看我的眼神, 充满了惊羡。哇啊——哇啊——
religious:adj.宗教的;虔诚的;严谨的;修道的;n.修道士;尼姑; charity:n.慈善;施舍;慈善团体;宽容;施舍物; wah-wah:[音乐](主爵士乐语)声状如婴儿哭泣的;
'"I'm coming." Italian hand signals follow. “我来啦。”意大利式的手势一挥。
I scoot over. I close the door. I leave the phone books. 麻溜的,我关了车门,电话簿也不管了。
scoot:vi.疾行;匆匆离去
This is new and fast, just so you -- are you still with us? 快的赶不上,慢的要等。
We'll wait for the slow ones. OK. ——明白我说的吗？
I start -- and this is where a child says to me -- and the story doesn't work if I tell you about her before. 我刚要——一个孩子对我说—— 从一开始就讲还有个小孩儿的话,故事就不灵了
Because this is my laconic child. 这是我那寡少言语的孩子。
laconic:adj.简洁的,简明的;
A brevity , brevity of everything with this child. 她什么都慢条斯理。
brevity:n.简洁,简短;短暂,短促;
You know, she eats small portions . 饭一小口一小口地吃,
portions:n.部分; v.把…分成若干份(或部分); (portion的第三人称单数和复数)
Language is something to be meted out in small phonemes, you know -- just little hmm, hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm. 话一字一顿地说,你知道 一个字一个字在酝酿似地。
meted:vt.给予;分配;测量;n.边界;测量;
She carries a mean spiral notebook and a pen. 她带着漂亮的螺旋笔记本和笔。
spiral:n.螺旋;旋涡;螺旋形之物;adj.螺旋形的;v.使成螺旋形;vi.盘旋;螺旋形上升;
She wields great power. 她很有劲道。
wields:v.拥有,行使(权力等);使用(武器、工具等);(wield的第三人称单数)
She listens, because that's what people who tell stories do first. 她善听,会讲故事得先会听。
But she pauses occasionally and says, "How do you spell that? What year? OK." 她偶尔打断一下,问, “怎么拼的？哪一年？好的。”
occasionally:adv.偶尔;有时候;偶然;
When she writes the expose in about 20 years, don't believe a word of it. 过二十年她才会写出来, 一个字儿也别信她的。
expose:v.揭露,揭发;使曝光;显示;
But this is my daughter Lauren, my remarkable daughter, my borderline Asperger's kid. 这就是我的乖女罗伦, 是个有点边缘自闭症的小孩儿。
remarkable:adj.卓越的;非凡的;值得注意的; borderline:n.边界线,边界;界线;adj.边界的;暧昧的;
Bless you, Dr. Watson. 保佑你,沃森博士。
She says, "Ma, you got to look!" 她说,“妈,看哪！”
Now, when this kid says I got to look, you know. 一旦这孩子说让我看,你知道
But it isn't like I haven't seen this crime scene before. 这类事儿虽然我以前见多了。
I grew up with this woman. 就是这个女人把我带大的。
I said, "Lauren, you know what, give me a play-by-play . I can't -- " 我说“罗伦,告诉你看见什么了。我没法——”
play-by-play:adj.详细报道的;实况报道的;n.比赛详情;
'"No, Mama, you got to look." “不行,妈妈,你看哪。”
I got to look. You got to look. 我不得不看。你也得看。
Don't you want to look? 想看不？
There she is. 她就在那儿。
I look in bewildered awe -- she's standing, those Rockports slightly apart, but grounded. 我诚惶诚恐地看过去—— 她稳稳站在那儿,乐步鞋（两脚）微微分开。
bewildered:adj.困惑的;眩;v.使困惑(bewilder的过去分词); slightly:adv.些微地,轻微地;纤细地;
She's holding out that cheap Kmart purse, and she is wielding it. 手里挥着她的廉价Kmart钱包。
wielding:v.拥有,运用,行使,支配(权力等);(wield的现在分词)
She's holding back tons of steel with the sheer force of her little personality , in that crone-ish voice, saying things like, "Back it up, buddy ! No, it's reserved !" 这个个性十足的干瘪小老太婆,似乎力鼎千斤, 憋足了劲儿喊着, “赶紧过来！这位子我占了！”
sheer:adj.纯; v.十足地; n.透明薄纱; v.[航海](使)偏航; (使)转向; personality:n.性格;个性;人格;魅力;气质;名人;特色; buddy:n.伙伴,好朋友;密友;小男孩;v.做好朋友,交朋友; reserved:adj.内向的; v.预订,预约; (reserve的过去分词和过去式)
(Laughter) （笑声）
Ready? Brace yourselves. Here it comes. “精彩”的还在后头呢。
Brace:n.箍子;夹子;支架;牙箍;背带;大括弧;一对;v.使作准备;使防备;顶住,抵住
'"No, my daughter, she's coming in the Buick. “不行,开别克车的那是我闺女,她开过来了。
Honey, sit up so they can see you." 亲爱的,坐直了人家才能看到你。”
Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. 哦天哪,哦天哪。
I finally come, and now it's the South. 终于来啦,这儿是南方。
I don't know what part of the country you live in. 我觉无论住在哪儿,
I think we all secretly love stories. 我们内心都喜欢故事。
We all secretly want our blanky and our Boo Bear. 想蜷缩在被窝里抱着玩具熊。
blanky:adj.(英)可憎的(等于blankety); Boo:int.(对演员,讲话者等表示不满)嘘; n.粉蓝烟草; v.发嘘声;
We want to curl up and say, "Tell it to me, tell it to me. 想撒着娇说,“讲嘛,讲嘛。”
curl:v.卷;蜷缩;鬈曲;(使)成拳曲状;n.(一绺)鬈发;(头发)拳曲;卷状物;螺旋状物;
Come on, honey, tell it to me." 快嘛,亲爱的,讲啊。”
But in the South, we love a good story. 在南方,我们爱听精彩的故事。
People have pulled aside, 大家让开一边儿,
I mean, they've come out of that queue line, they have popped their trunks, pulled out lawn chairs and cool drinks. 他们从排队的车里钻出来, 砰砰地打开后备箱,拖出草地椅和饮料。
queue:n.行列;(存储的数据)队列;v.(人、车等)排队等候;(使)排队;列队等待; lawn:n.草地;草坪;
Bets are placed. 可有好戏看了。
Bets:v.下赌注(于);用…打赌;敢说;八成儿(bet的第三人称单数)
'"I'm with the little lady. Damn !" “我跟着这小老太婆。靠！”
Damn:v.谴责;该死;n.诅咒;adj.可恶的;
(Laughter) （笑声）
And she's bringing me in with a slight salsa movement. 以轻盈的舞步,她将我带上前台。
salsa:n.洋葱做的辣调味汁;萨尔萨舞曲;vi.跳萨尔萨舞;
She's -- after all -- Cuban. 怎么说她也是古巴人。
I'm thinking, " Accelerator break. Accelerator break." 我满脑子是“油门刹车。油门刹车。”
Accelerator:n.油门;催化剂;[机]加速装置;
Like you've never thought that in your life? Right? Yeah. 你从未那么想过的吧？
I pull in, I put the car in park. 我把车停在停车场。
Engine's still running -- mine, not the car. 发动机还在转——我的,不是说汽车。
I jump out next to her going "Don't you move!" 我下车就靠她边上一站,说“别动！”
'"I'm not going anywhere." “我哪儿也不去。”
She's got front seat in a Greek tragedy . 她占了前排位子,一场希腊式悲剧正上演。
tragedy:n.悲惨的事;不幸;灾难;悲剧作品;
I come out, and there's Esther. 我下车走到艾斯特身边。
She's hugging the purse. 她牢牢抱着钱包。
'"Que?" which means, "What?" -- and so much more. “咋了？（西班牙语）”—她又开始唠叨。
(Laughter) （笑声）
'"Ma, have you no shame? “妈,你不嫌丢人啊？
People are watching us all around, right." 你看人家都在周围看我们呢。”
Now, some of them -- you've got to make up, people. 其实没有啦,——为渲染气氛我才这么说的。
Secret of the trade. 要有技巧。
Guess what? Some of these stories I sculpt a little here and there . 没错,有时候我也看需要编筐编篓。
sculpt:vt.造型;雕刻;vi.造型;雕刻;n.雕刻品; here and there:各处,到处;
Some, they're just right there, right there. Put them right there. 就地取材嘛。
She says this to me. 她这样回应我。
After I say -- let me refresh you -- "Have you no shame?" 先前我说——我给大伙重复一下 “不嫌丢人啊？”
'"No. I gave it up with pantyhose -- they're both too binding ." “没事儿。连裤袜给脱了,紧绷绷的不舒服。
pantyhose:n.连裤袜; binding:v.结合; n.(书籍的)封皮; adj.必须遵守的; (bind的现在分词)
(Laughter) （笑声）
(Applause) （掌声）
Yeah, you can clap , but then you're about 30 seconds from the end. 鼓掌吧,你们还能再听半分钟。
clap:n.鼓掌;拍手;掌声;拍手声;v.拍手(表示赞许或欣赏);击掌;
I'm about to snap like a brittle twig , when suddenly someone taps me on the shoulder. 我几乎要崩溃,这时有人轻拍了我肩膀一下。
snap:v.断裂;移到某位置;厉声说;n.啪嗒声;(尤指抢拍的)照片;adj.仓促的; brittle:adj.易碎的,脆弱的;易生气的; twig:v.理解;n.小枝;嫩枝;末梢;
Intrepid soul. 无知者无畏。
Intrepid:adj.无畏的;勇敢的;勇猛的;
I'm thinking, "This is my kid. How dare she? 我想到,“这是我孩子。她这么胆大？
She jumped out of that car." 她从车里跳了出来。”
That's OK, because my mother yells at me, I yell at her. 我妈朝我叫,我朝我孩子嚷。€
It's a beautiful hierarchy , and it works. 等级分明,挺管用的。
hierarchy:n.层级;等级制度;
(Laughter) （笑声）
I turn around, but it's not a child. It's a young woman. 我转过脸,却不是孩子。是个年轻女人。
A little taller than I. Pale green amused eyes. 比我高点。浅绿色眼睛,快乐的眼神。
amused:adj.好笑的;逗乐的;v.逗乐;逗笑;(使)娱乐;(amuse的过去分词和过去式)
With her is a young man -- husband, brother, lover -- it's not my job. 跟她一起的是个年轻男子,——老公,兄弟,情人——爱谁谁。
lover:n.爱好者;情侣;热爱者;
And she says, "Pardon me, ma'am" -- that's how we talk down there -- "is that your mother?" 她说,“对不起,夫人”——下面都是当时的原话—— “那是您母亲？”
talk down:说服,驳倒;
I said, "No, I follow little old women around parking lots to see if they'll stop. Yes, it's my mother!" 我说,“不是,我在停车的地方跟着那个小老太 看他们停不停。是的,那是我母亲！”
The boy, now, he says. "Well, what my sister meant" -- they look at each other --it's a knowing glance -- "God, she's crazy!" 青年男子这时才说,“我姐想说”—— 他俩心照不宣地对视片刻——“天啊,她真疯狂！”
glance:v.浏览;扫视;瞥一眼;匆匆一看;n.一瞥;扫视;匆匆一看;
I said, (Spanish), and the young girl and the young boy say, "No, no, honey, we just want to know one more thing." 我说（西班牙语）,对面俩年轻人说, “不是不是,亲爱的,我们就想知道一件事。”
I said, "Look, please, let me take care of her, OK, because I know her, and believe me, she's like a small atomic weapon, you know, you just want to handle her really gingerly ." 我说,“听着,求你们了,她就交给我了,行吗, 我了解她,不骗你们,她就跟个小型原子弹一样, 你得小心翼翼地对她。
atomic:adj.原子的,原子能的;微粒子的; handle:n.[建]把手;柄;手感;口实;v.处理;操作;运用;买卖;触摸; gingerly:adv.小心翼翼地;慎重地;adj.谨慎的;轻手轻脚的;慎重的;
And the girl goes, "I know, but, I mean, I swear to God, she reminds us of our mother." 女孩又说,“我明白,但我想说的是,我发誓, 她让我们想起我们自己的母亲。”
reminds:v.提醒;使想起;(remind的第三人称单数)
I almost miss it. 我差点儿没听清下一句。
He turns to her on the heel of his shoe. 那男子侧过身对她轻轻叹道,
heel:n.脚后跟;足跟;卑鄙的家伙;v.给(鞋等)修理后跟;倾侧;倾斜
It's a half-whisper, "God, I miss her." “天,我真想她。”
They turn then, shoulder to shoulder , and walk away, lost in their own reverie . 然后他们转身肩并肩、自顾自地走了。 一定是沉浸在思念里,
shoulder to shoulder:adv.肩并肩地;齐心协力地; reverie:n.幻想;沉思;幻想曲;
Memories of some maddening woman who was the luck of their DNA draw. 思念那个让他们有幸生而为人的疯狂女人。
maddening:adj.令人发狂的;使人恼火的;v.发狂(madden的现在分词);
And I turn to Esther, who's rocking on those 'ports, and says, "You know what, honey?" 这时我转向艾斯特,她在哪儿掂着脚,说道, “你知道吗,孩子？”
'"What, Ma?" “什么,妈？”
'"I'm going to drive you crazy probably for about 14, 15 more years, if you're lucky, but after that, honey, you're going to miss me." 你有福气的话,我还能折磨你十四、五年, 等我不在了,你就知道没有妈啥滋味了。
drive you crazy:使你疯狂;把自己逼疯;
(Applause) （掌声）