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DongWooJang_2013-_造弓的艺术_
It is said that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, and I believe this is true, especially when I hear President Obama often talk about the Korean education system as a benchmark of success. 常言道,别人家的东西 总比自己的好。 我信这话, 尤其是当我听到奧巴馬总统 常常大谈韩国教育系统, 视其为成功典范。
grass is always greener on the other side:这山望着那山高; especially:adv.尤其;特别;格外;十分; Korean:n.朝鲜族;韩国人;朝鲜话;adj.朝鲜的;朝鲜族的;朝鲜话的; benchmark:n.基准;标准检查程序;vt.用基准问题测试(计算机系统等);
Well, I can tell you that, in the rigid structure and highly competitive nature of the Korean school system, also known as pressure cooker , not everyone can do well in that environment. 嗯,告诉你吧, 韩国学校系统,人称高压锅 机制僵化, 竞争激烈, 那种环境不会每个人都受得了的。
rigid:adj.严格的;僵硬的,死板的;坚硬的;精确的; structure:n.结构;构造;建筑物;vt.组织;构成;建造; highly:adv.高度地;非常;非常赞许地; competitive:adj.竞争的;比赛的;求胜心切的; pressure cooker:n.加压蒸煮器;压力锅;高压锅;
While many people responded in different ways about our education system, my response to the high-pressure environment was making bows with pieces of wood found near my apartment building. 虽然大家对 我们的教育系统反应不一, 我对这个高压环境的应对办法是 用我公寓楼旁边捡到的 木片做弓 。
responded:v.回答,回应;作出反应;响应;反应灵敏;(respond的过去式和过去分词) response:n.响应;反应;回答; high-pressure:adj.高压的;高气压的;强行的;v.对…施加压力;强制;
Why bows? 为什么做弓呢？
I'm not quite sure. 我不清楚。
Perhaps, in the face of constant pressure, my caveman instinct of survival has connected with the bows. 也许,面对持续的压力, 我这山顶洞人的生存本能 自然就联系到弓箭了。
in the face of:面对; caveman:n.(史前石器时代的)穴居人;野人; instinct:n.本能;天性;直觉;adj.充满的; survival:n.幸存,残存;幸存者,残存物;
If you think about it, the bow has really helped drive human survival since prehistoric times. 设想一下, 弓自史前时代起就真的帮助推进了 人类生存。
prehistoric:adj.史前的;陈旧的;
The area within three kilometers of my home used to be a mulberry forest during the Joseon dynasty , where silkworms were fed with mulberry leaves. 朝鲜王朝统治时期, 我家三公里范围内 都是桑树林, 桑叶用来养蚕。
mulberry:n.[植][蚕]桑树;[植][中医]桑椹;深紫红色;adj.桑科植物的; dynasty:n.代;王朝;朝代; silkworms:n.蚕,桑蚕;
In order to raise the historical awareness of this fact, the government has planted mulberry trees. 为了提高大家对这一历史事实的认识, 政府栽种了很多桑树。
historical:adj.历史的;史学的;基于史实的; awareness:n.意识,认识;明白,知道;
The seeds from these trees also have spread by birds here and there nearby the soundproof walls of the city expressway that has been built around the 1988 Olympics. 鸟把桑树籽 带到本市高速公路隔音墙附近 一带,到场都是, 高速公路隔音墙是1988 年奥运会时建的。
here and there:各处,到处; nearby:adj.附近的,邻近的;adv.在附近;prep.在…附近; soundproof:adj.隔音的;vt.使隔音;给装以隔音设备; expressway:n.(美)高速公路;
The area near these walls, which nobody bothers to pay attention to , had been left free from major intervention , and this is where I first found my treasures. 这些墙附近, 无人管理, 树木任意滋长。 我就是在那儿第一次找到了宝藏。
bothers:n.麻烦; v.给(某人)造成麻烦(或痛苦); (bother的第三人称单数和复数) pay attention to:注意 intervention:n.介入;调停;妨碍;
As I fell deeper into bow making, 当我对制弓越来越着迷时,
I began to search far and beyond my neighborhood . 我开始走出我的小区去找材料。
neighborhood:n.附近;地区;街坊;adj.附近的;
When I went on school field trips, family vacations, or simply on my way home from extracurricular classes, 当我去学校户外活动时, 同家人度假时,或仅仅是在我从课外班 回家的路上时,
extracurricular:adj.课外的;业余的;婚外的;
I wandered around wooded areas and gathered tree branches with the tools that I sneaked inside my school bag. 我在树丛附近徘徊, 用我偷偷地塞进书包的工具 收集树枝。
sneaked:v.溜进;潜行(sneak的过去式);
And they would be somethings like saws, knives, sickles and axes that I covered up with a piece of towel. 工具有锯、刀、 镰刀和斧头, 我在树枝上盖了一条毛巾。
somethings:pro n.某事; n.重要的人; v.非常; adj.大约; sickles:呈镰刀状;镰状的; axes:n.轴线;轴心;坐标轴;斧头(axe的复数);
I would bring the branches home, riding buses and subways, barely holding them in my hands. 我把树枝带回家, 又是公共汽车, 又是地铁的, 我勉强抱着走。
barely:adv.仅仅,勉强;几乎不;公开地;贫乏地;
And I did not bring the tools here to Long Beach. 我没有把工具带到长滩来。
Airport security. 机场安检。
Airport:n.机场;航空港;
(Laughter) （笑声）
In the privacy of my room, covered in sawdust , 我自己的房间里,满地木屑,
privacy:n.隐私;秘密;隐居;隐居处; sawdust:n.[木]锯屑;adj.撒木屑的;无实质的;vt.在…上撒木屑;用木屑填塞;
I would saw, trim and polish wood all night long until a bow took shape. 我独自在里面整夜地又锯,又刨光, 终于做出了弓的模样。
trim:v.修剪;整理;装点;削减;n.修剪;整齐;情形;adj.整齐的; polish:n.磨光,擦亮;擦亮剂;优雅,精良;v.磨光,使发亮;使完美;改进;adj.波兰的;
One day, I was changing the shape of a bamboo piece and ended up setting the place on fire. 一天,我正在改一片竹子的形状 结果把竹片给烧着了。
Where? The rooftop of my apartment building, a place where 96 families call home. 在哪儿烧的？在我公寓大厦屋顶, 里面住着96户 家庭。
rooftop:n.屋顶;adj.屋顶上的;
A customer from a department store across from my building called 911, and I ran downstairs to tell my mom with half of my hair burned. 大楼对面的一家百货公司的顾客 打了 911, 我跑下楼去告诉我妈妈, 当时我头发一半都烧焦了。
department store:n.百货公司;大百货商店; downstairs:adv.在楼下;往楼下;adj.楼下的;n.楼下(尤指地面的一层);
I want to take this opportunity to tell my mom, in the audience today: 我妈妈现在就坐在观众席上, 我想籍此机会,告诉妈妈:
Mom, I was really sorry, and I will be more careful with open fire from now on . 妈妈,当时我真的很抱歉, 并且,以后再着火我一定更小心。
from now on:从今以后;从现在起;
My mother had to do a lot of explaining, telling people that her son did not commit a premeditated arson . 当年,我母亲被迫一再解释, 一再跟人家讲,她儿子没犯 故意纵火罪。
commit:v.犯(罪等);干(坏事等);[法]提(审);判处; premeditated:adj.预谋的; v.预谋; (premeditate的过去式和过去分词) arson:n.纵火;纵火罪;
I also researched extensively on bows around the world. 我当时还广泛研究世界各地的弓,
extensively:adv.广阔地;广大地;
In that process , I tried to combine the different bows from across time and places to create the most effective bow. 其间,我尽力融汇贯通, 取古今韩外各弓之长, 致力于做出世界上最高效的弓。
process:v.处理;加工;列队行进;n.过程,进行;方法,adj.经过特殊加工(或处理)的; effective:adj.有效的,起作用的;实际的,实在的;给人深刻印象;
I also worked with many different types of wood, such as maple , yew and mulberry, and did many shooting experiments in the wooded area near the urban expressway that I mentioned before. 我试了各种木材, 如枫树、 红豆杉和桑树, 还到市内高速公路旁边的树丛里 做了很多次射箭实验, 就是我之前提到的树丛。
maple:n.枫树;淡棕色; urban:adj.城市的;都市的;城镇的;都市音乐的;
The most effective bow for me would be like this. 我认为:最有效的弓 应该是这样的。
One: Curved tips can maximize the springiness when you draw and shoot the arrow. 第一:弯度适宜的箭尖,这样,拉弓射箭时, 能最大限度地弹射出去。
Curved:adj.呈弯曲状的; v.(使)沿曲线运动; tips:n.尖端; v.(使)倾斜,翻覆; (tip的第三人称单数和复数) maximize:vt.取…最大值;对…极为重视;vi.尽可能广义地解释;达到最大值;
Two: Belly is drawn inward for higher draw weight, which means more power. 第二: 箭弦内拉,让射手能拉满弓, 这样射出的力量更大。
Belly:n.腹部;胃;食欲;v.涨满;鼓起; inward:adj.向内的; v.向内; n.内部;
Three: Sinew used in the outer layer of the limb for maximum tension storage. 第三:在弓的外层使用动物的腱, 以期存储更大拉力。
Sinew:n.筋;肌腱;体力;精力;vt.加强;使牢固; outer:adj.外面的,外部的;远离中心的;n.环外命中; layer:n.层,层次; vt.把…分层堆放; vi.形成或分成层次; limb:n.肢,臂;分支;枝干;v.切断…的手足;从…上截下树枝; maximum:n.最大限度;最大量;最高限度;adj.最高的;最多的;最大极限的; tension:n.张力;拉伸;矛盾;紧张局势(或关系,状况);v.绷紧;
And four: Horn used to store energy in compression . 第四: 用角来存储受压的能量。
Horn:n.喇叭,号角;角;v.装角于; compression:n.压缩,浓缩;压榨,压迫;
After fixing, breaking, redesigning , mending, bending and amending , my ideal bow began to take shape, and when it was finally done, it looked like this. 经过固定,拆卸,再设计, 修补、 弯曲和修改, 我理想的弓初具雏形, 终于做成时, 弓是这样的。
redesigning:v.重构;重设计(redesign的现在分词); amending:v.修改(amend的现在分词); finally:adv.终于;最终;(用于列举)最后;彻底地;
I was so proud of myself for inventing a perfect bow on my own. 独自发明了如此完美的一把弓, 我洋洋自得。
This is a picture of Korean traditional bows taken from a museum, and see how my bow resembles them. 这是韩国传统弓的图片, 是在博物馆照的, 请看一下我的弓有多像这些弓。
traditional:传统的,惯例的, resembles:v.看起来像:显得像:像(resemble的第三人称单数)
Thanks to my ancestors for robbing me of my invention. (Laughter) 感谢列祖列宗, 抢了我的发明。（笑声）
Through bowmaking, 通过做弓,
I came in contact with part of my heritage . 我有幸接触到我先祖的文化传统。
contact:n.接触,联系;v.使接触,联系; heritage:n.遗产;传统;继承物;继承权;
Learning the information that has accumulated over time and reading the message left by my ancestors were better than any consolation therapy or piece of advice any living adults could give me. 学习经年累月积累下来的知识 和读取祖先遗留下来的信息 胜过任何的心理疗法, 强过任何一位在世成年人所能给我的忠告。
accumulated:v.积累;积聚;(数量)逐渐增加;(accumulate的过去式和过去分词) consolation:n.安慰;慰问;起安慰作用的人或事物; therapy:n.治疗,疗法;
You see, I searched far and wide , but never bothered to look close and near. 你看,我当初上下求索, 偏偏没在身边找。
far and wide:adv.广泛地;到处; bothered:adj.烦(恼)的; v.使(某人)烦恼;
From this realization , 认识到这一点之后,
realization:n.实现;领悟;
I began to take interest in Korean history, which had never inspired me before. 我开始对韩国历史产生了兴趣, 之前我对韩史都毫无感觉的。
inspired:adj.受到启发的; v.鼓舞; (inspire的过去分词和过去式)
In the end, the grass is often greener on my side of the fence, although we don't realize it. 总之,原来自己家篱巴里的草 才更绿呢, 尽管我们不意识到这一点。
Now, I am going to show you how my bow works. 现在,请看我的弓怎么样。
I am going to:我将要做什么事情
And let's see how this one works. 各位请看:
This is a bamboo bow, with 45-pound draw weights. 这是竹弓, 拉力45 磅。
(Noise of shooting arrow) （箭破空的声音）
(Applause) （掌声）
A bow may function in a simple mechanism , but in order to make a good bow, a great amount of sensitivity is required. 也许,弓机制功能简单, 但为了做把好弓, 正所谓:差之毫厘,失之千里。
mechanism:n.机制;原理,途径;进程;机械装置;技巧; sensitivity:n.敏感;敏感性;过敏;
You need to console and communicate with the wood material. 您要安抚联络 这些木头材料。
console:v.安慰;抚慰;慰藉;n.控制台,操纵台,仪表板;
Each fiber in the wood has its own reason and function for being, and only through cooperation and harmony among them comes a great bow. 木头里的每一丝纤维 都有其存在原因和作用, 只有其通力合作 才能成就一把好弓。
fiber:n.纤维;光纤(等于fibre); cooperation:n.合作;配合; harmony:n.协调;和睦;融洽;调和;
I may be an [odd] student with unconventional interests, but I hope I am making a contribution by sharing my story with all of you. 我可能是个 [怪] 学生 爱好特异, 但我希望通过分享我的故事 为这世界尽我一份绵薄之力。
unconventional:adj.非常规的;非传统的;不依惯例的; contribution:n.捐款;捐资;定期缴款;贡献;促成作用;稿件;
My ideal world is a place where no one is left behind, where everyone is needed exactly where they are, like the fibers and the tendons in a bow, a place where the strong is flexible and the vulnerable is resilient . 我的理想世界里 没有落后生, 人人各司其职, 仿佛是弓的纤维和筋, 刚中有柔, 柔中带刚。
fibers:n.纤维(fiber的复数); tendons:n.肌腱,[解剖]腱;蹄筋(tendon的复数); flexible:adj.灵活的;柔韧的;易弯曲的; vulnerable:adj.易受攻击的,易受…的攻击;易受伤害的;有弱点的; resilient:adj.弹回的,有弹力的;
The bow resembles me, and I resemble the bow. 这弓就仿佛是我, 而我仿佛是这把弓。
Now, I am shooting a part of myself to you. 现在,我正把我的一部分向你射去。
No, better yet, a part of my mind has just been shot over to your mind. 不对,说的再美妙一些,我心灵的一部分 刚刚向你的心灵射去。
Did it strike you? 射中你了吗？
Thank you. 谢谢。
(Applause) （掌声）