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ElifShafak_2017G-_多样化思想的革命力量_
'"Can you taste words?" 「你能尝到文字吗？」
It was a question that caught me be surprise. 这个问题让我措手不及。
This summer, I was giving a talk at a literary festival, and afterwards, as I was signing books, a teenage girl came with her friend, and this is what she asked me. 今年夏天,我受邀去 一个文学节庆演说, 之后,我就开始签书, 一名青少女和她的朋友一起来, 这个问题就是她问我的。
literary:adj.文学的;书面的;精通文学的;
I told her that some people experience an overlap in their senses so that they could hear colors or see sounds, and many writers were fascinated by this subject, myself included. 我告诉她,有些人会 体验到感官重迭, 因此他们可以听见颜色, 或看见声音, 许多作家对这个题材 很着迷,包括我在内。
overlap:n.重叠;重复;v.部分重叠;与…同时发生;
But she cut me off, a bit impatiently , and said, "Yeah, I know all of that. 但她打断我,有点没耐心, 她说:「是啊,那些我都知道。
impatiently:adv.无耐性地;
It's called synesthesia . We learned it at school. 那叫伴生感觉,学校有教。 （译注:也有译连带感觉、共同感觉）
synesthesia:n.共感觉;[生理]共同感觉;副感觉(等于synaesthesia);
But my mom is reading your book, and she says there's lots of food and ingredients and a long dinner scene in it. 但我妈妈在读你的书, 而她说,书中有很多的食物和原料, 还有一段很长的晚餐场景。
ingredients:n.成分;(尤指烹饪)原料;(成功的)要素;(ingredient的复数)
She gets hungry at every page. 看每一页都让她觉得很饿。
So I was thinking, how come you don't get hungry when you write? 所以,我在想, 为什么你在写的时候不会饿？
And I thought maybe, maybe you could taste words. 我心想,也许你可以尝到文字。
Does it make sense ?" 这样合理吗？」
make sense:有意义;讲得通;言之有理;
And, actually, it did make sense, because ever since my childhood , each letter in the alphabet has a different color, and colors bring me flavors . 事实上,那的确合理, 因为自从我的童年开始, 在字母表上的每一个字 都有不同的颜色, 而颜色能带给我味道。
childhood:n.童年;幼年;孩童时期 flavors:n.风味调料(flavor复数);v.添加味道(flavor的三单形式);
So for instance , the color purple is quite pungent , almost perfumed , and any words that I associate with purple taste the same way, such as " sunset " -- a very spicy word. 比如,紫色十分有刺激性, 几乎是芳香的, 而所有被我和紫色联结在一起的字, 尝起来都是那个味道, 比如「日落」就是个非常辛辣的字。
instance:n.实例;情况;建议;v.举...为例; purple:n.紫色;紫袍;v.变紫;使成紫色;adj.紫色的;华丽的文辞; pungent:adj.辛辣的;刺激性的;苦痛的;尖刻的; perfumed:adj.芬芳的; v.使香气弥漫; (perfume的过去分词和过去式) associate with:v.联合;与…联系在一起;和…来往; sunset:adj.霞红色的; n.日落(时分); v.(使)定期届满废止; spicy:adj.辛辣的;加有香料的;刺激的;
But I was worried that if I tell all of this to the teenager, it might sound either too abstract or perhaps too weird , and there wasn't enough time anyhow, because people were waiting in the queue , 但我担心,如果我把 这些都告诉这位青少女, 可能听起来会太抽象, 或是太奇怪, 其实也没时间说这么多, 因为有很多人还在排队,
abstract:n.摘要; adj.抽象的; vt.摘要; vi.做摘要; weird:adj.奇怪的;奇异的;离奇的;n.命运;宿命;命运女神; 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;
so it suddenly felt like what I was trying to convey was more complicated and detailed than what the circumstances allowed me to say. 所以,突然间,感觉就像是 我在试着传达的讯息 比当时情况下我能够 说出的讯息还要更复杂、更详细。
convey:vt.传达;运输;让与; complicated:adj.复杂的;难懂的;v.使复杂化;(complicate的过去分词和过去式) circumstances:n.情况;环境;情形;(circumstance的复数)
And I did what I usually do in similar situations: 所以,我就做了我在 类似的情况下通常会做的:
I stammered , I shut down, and I stopped talking. 我结巴、我关上门、我不再说话了。
stammered:vi.口吃;结结巴巴地说;vt.口吃;结巴着说出;n.口吃;结巴;
I stopped talking because the truth was complicated, even though I knew, deep within, that one should never, ever remain silent for fear of complexity . 我不再说话是因为真相很复杂, 即使在内心深处我也知道 人永远都不应该因为 害怕复杂就保持沉默。
complexity:n.复杂性;难以理解的局势
So I want to start my talk today with the answer that I was not able to give on that day. 所以,我想要用那天我无法 给予那位青少女的答案, 来做为今天演说的开头。
Yes, I can taste words -- sometimes, that is, not always, and happy words have a different flavor than sad words. 是的,我能尝到文字, 有时候能,不是一直都能, 快乐的文字和悲伤的 文字有不同的味道。
I like to explore : What does the word "creativity" taste like, or "equality," 我想探究的是:「创意」 这个字尝起来像什么, 或「平等」、
explore:v.探索:探测:探险:
'"love," " revolution ?" 「爱」、「革命」这些字？
revolution:n.革命;旋转;运行;循环;
And what about "motherland?" 「祖国」又如何呢？
These days, it's particularly this last word that troubles me. 现今,最后这个字特别让我困扰。
particularly:adv.特别地,独特地;详细地,具体地;明确地,细致地;
It leaves a sweet taste on my tongue, like cinnamon , a bit of rose water and golden apples. 它在我的舌尖留下甜甜的余味, 就像肉桂皮,加上一点玫瑰香水, 以及金苹果。
cinnamon:n.樟属的树,肉桂;肉桂色;肉桂皮;adj.肉桂色的,浅黄褐色的; rose water:n.玫瑰香水(用作香水或烹调用);
But underneath , there's a sharp tongue, like nettles and dandelion . 但它底下还有强烈刺激的味道, 就像荨麻和蒲公英。
underneath:prep.在…的下面;在…的支配下;n.下面;底部;adj.下面的;底层的; sharp:锋利的,尖的 nettles:n.[植][皮肤]荨麻; vt.惹怒; dandelion:n.蒲公英;
The taste of my motherland, Turkey, is a mixture of sweet and bitter . 我的祖国土耳其的味道, 是甜味与苦味的混合,
mixture:n.混合;结合体;混合物;集合体; bitter:adj.苦的; n.苦味; v.激烈地; v.使变苦;
And the reason why I'm telling you this is because I think there's more and more people all around the world today who have similarly mixed emotions about the lands they come from. 我之所以告诉各位这些, 是因为我认为,现今全世界 有越来越多人, 对于他们来自的土地, 有着类似的混合情绪。
similarly:adv.同样地;类似于; emotions:n.强烈的感情;激情;情感;(emotion的复数)
We love our native countries, yeah? 我们爱我们的母国,对吗？
native:adj.本国的;土著的;天然的;与生俱来的;天赋的;n.本地人;土产;当地居民;
How can we not? 怎么可能不爱？
We feel attached to the people, the culture, the land, the food. 我们对于母国的人民、文化、 土地、食物都有着依附感。
attached:adj.依恋;v.重视;把…固定;(attach的过去分词和过去式)
And yet at the same time , we feel increasingly frustrated by its politics and politicians , sometimes to the point of despair or hurt or anger. 但,同时, 却因为母国的政治和政客, 我们越来越感到挫折, 有时甚至会到绝望、 受伤、愤怒的程度。
at the same time:同时;另一方面;与此同时; increasingly:adv.越来越多地;渐增地; frustrated:adj.失意的,挫败的;泄气的;v.挫败;阻挠;(frustrate的过去式和过去分词) politics:n.政治;钩心斗角;政治观点;v.(贬)从事政治活动;(politic的第三人称单数) politicians:n.政治家;(蔑)政客;(美)政治贩;(politician的复数) despair:v.绝望;失去希望;丧失信心;n.绝望;
I want to talk about emotions and the need to boost our emotional intelligence . 我想要谈谈情绪, 以及将我们情绪智商提升的必要性。
boost:n.提高;增长;帮助;激励;v.使增长;使兴旺;偷窃; emotional:adj.情绪的;易激动的;感动人的; intelligence:n.智力;智慧;才智;(尤指关于敌国的)情报;
I think it's a pity that mainstream political theory pays very little attention to emotions. 我觉得很可惜, 主流政治理论很少会注意到情绪。
mainstream:n.主流;
Oftentimes , analysts and experts are so busy with data and metrics that they seem to forget those things in life that are difficult to measure and perhaps impossible to cluster under statistical models. 通常,分析师和专家 忙着处理资料和度量, 他们似乎忘记了人生当中还有些东西 是很难去测量的, 这些东西甚至可能很难 用统计模型来分成集群。
Oftentimes:adv.时常地; analysts:n.分析师;分析家;[分化]分析员(analyst的复数); metrics:n.度量;作诗法;韵律学; cluster:n.群;簇;丛;串;vi.群聚;丛生;vt.使聚集;聚集在某人的周围; statistical:adj.统计的;统计学的;
But I think this is a mistake, for two main reasons. 但我认为这是个错误,原因有二。
Firstly , because we are emotional beings. 第一点,因为我们是情绪的生物。
Firstly:adv.首先(主要用于列举条目,论点时);第一;
As human beings, I think we all are like that. 身为人类,我知道我们都是那样的。
But secondly, and this is new, we have entered a new stage in world history in which collective sentiments guide and misguide politics more than ever before. 但,第二点,这点是新的, 我们进入了世界历史的新阶段, 在这个阶段,是有史以来 集体感情最会引导 和误导政治的时候。
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; sentiments:n.观点,看法;情绪;伤感,柔情,哀伤;(sentiment的复数) misguide:vt.误导;使误入歧途;
And through social media and social networking, these sentiments are further amplified , polarized , and they travel around the world quite fast. 透过社交媒体和社交网路, 这些感情会被进一步放大、 极端化,且能非常快速地传遍世界。
media:n.媒体;媒质(medium的复数);血管中层;浊塞音;中脉; amplified:v.放大;详述(amplify的过去分词);adj.放大的;扩充的; polarized:v.(使)两极化,截然对立; (polarize的过去分词和过去式)
Ours is the age of anxiety , anger, distrust , resentment and, I think, lots of fear. 我们的时代充满了焦虑、愤怒、 不信任、仇恨、以及…… 我认为还有许多恐惧。
anxiety:n.焦虑;渴望;挂念;令人焦虑的事; distrust:vt.不信任;n.不信任;怀疑; resentment:n.愤恨,怨恨;
But here's the thing: even though there's plenty of research about economic factors , there's relatively few studies about emotional factors. 但重点是: 虽然有很多关于经济因素的研究, 相对之下,很少有 关于情绪因素的研究。
economic:adj.经济的,经济上的;经济学的; factors:n.因素(factor的复数); v.做代理商; relatively:adv.相当程度上;相当地;相对地;
Why is it that we underestimate feelings and perceptions ? 为什么我们会低估了感觉和感知？
underestimate:v.低估;看轻;n.低估; perceptions:n.认知;观念(perception的复数);理解;
I think it's going to be one of our biggest intellectual challenges, because our political systems are replete with emotions. 我想,这将会是我们 最大的智力挑战之一, 因为我们的政治体制充满了情绪。
intellectual:n.知识分子;脑力劳动者;adj.智力的;脑力的;理智的;有才智的; replete:adj.充满的;装满的;n.[昆]贮蜜蚁;
In country after country, we have seen illiberal politicians exploiting these emotions. 在一个又一个国家中, 我们看见反自由的政客 在利用这些情绪。
illiberal:adj.偏执的;吝啬的;粗鄙的;狭碍的;缺乏文化素养的; exploiting:v.利用…为自己谋利;剥削;压榨;运用;发挥;(exploit的现在分词)
And yet within the academia and among the intelligentsia , we are yet to take emotions seriously. 但是在学术界和知识界, 我们尚未认真看待情绪。
academia:n.学术界;学术生涯; intelligentsia:n.知识分子;知识界;
I think we should. 而我认为我们应该要。
And just like we should focus on economic inequality worldwide , we need to pay more attention to emotional and cognitive gaps worldwide and how to bridge these gaps, because they do matter. 就像我们应该要聚焦在 全球的经济不平等一样, 我们也需要更注意全球的 情绪和认知落差、 以及如何弥救这些落差, 因为它们是有所谓的。
worldwide:adj.全世界的;adv.在世界各地; cognitive:adj.认知的,认识的; gaps:n.差异,缺口;缝隙(gap的复数形式);v.裂开;使豁裂(gap的第三人称单数形式);
Years ago, when I was still living in Istanbul, an American scholar working on women writers in the Middle East came to see me. 数年前,我还住在伊斯坦堡时, 一位在研究中东女性作家的美国学者 来找我。
scholar:n.学者;奖学金获得者;聪颖勤奋的学生; Middle East:n.中东(包括亚洲西南部和非洲东北部);
And at some point in our exchange , she said, "I understand why you're a feminist , because, you know, you live in Turkey." 当我们交流到某个时点时,她说: 「我了解为何你是女权主义者, 因为,你知道的,你住在土耳其。」
exchange:n.交换;交流;交易所;兑换;v.交换;交易;兑换; feminist:n.男女平等主义者;adj.主张男女平等的;
And I said to her, "I don't understand why you're not a feminist, because, you know, you live in America." 我对她说: 「我不了解为何你不是女权主义者, 因为,你知道的,你住在美国。」
(Laughter) （笑声）
(Applause) （掌声）
And she laughed. 她笑了。
She took it as a joke, and the moment passed. 她把这话当玩笑话, 那个时刻就过去了。
(Laughter) （笑声）
But the way she had divided the world into two imaginary camps, into two opposite camps -- it bothered me and it stayed with me. 但她的方式是把世界 分割成两个想像的阵营, 两个对立的阵营── 这点让我不舒服,且挥之不去。
imaginary:adj.虚构的,假想的;想像的;虚数的; bothered:adj.烦(恼)的; v.使(某人)烦恼;
According to this imaginary map, some parts of the world were liquid countries. 根据这张想像出来的地图, 世界有些部份是液态（不稳定）国家。
According to:根据,据说;
They were like choppy waters not yet settled . 它们就像是波浪起伏的水, 还没有平静下来。
choppy:adj.波涛汹涌的;波浪起伏的;不断改变方向的; settled:adj.稳定的; v.结束; (settle的过去分词和过去式)
Some other parts of the world, namely the West, were solid, safe and stable . 世界上的其他部份,也就是西方, 则是固态,是安全和稳定的。
namely:adv.也就是;即是;换句话说; stable:n.马厩;牛棚;adj.稳定的;牢固的;坚定的;vi.被关在马厩;赶入马房;
So it was the liquid lands that needed feminism and activism and human rights, and those of us who were unfortunate enough to come from such places had to keep struggling for these most essential values. 是液态土地才需要女权主义、 激进主义、人权。 而非常不幸来自 这类地方的人, 就必须为这些最重要的价值 而不断挣扎。
feminism:n.女权主义;女权运动;男女平等主义; activism:n.行动主义;激进主义; essential:n.要点;要素;实质;必需品;adj.完全必要的;必不可少的;极其重要的;本质的;
But there was hope. 但还是有希望。
Since history moved forward, even the most unsteady lands would someday catch up. 因为历史会向前行, 即使是最不安定的土地, 也有一天会赶上来。
unsteady:adj.不稳定的;不规则的;摇摆的;无常的;vt.使不稳定;动摇;
And meanwhile , the citizens of solid lands could take comfort in the progress of history and in the triumph of the liberal order. 而这期间,固态土地的公民 可以从历史的进展 和自由秩序的胜利中得着安慰。
meanwhile:adv.同时,其间;n.其间,其时; triumph:v.战胜;成功;打败;n.巨大成功;重大成就;伟大胜利;喜悦;
They could support the struggles of other people elsewhere , but they themselves did not have to struggle for the basics of democracy anymore, because they were beyond that stage. 他们可以支持其他地方 其他人的挣扎, 但他们自己本身不再需要 为了民主的基础而挣扎, 因为他们已经过了那个阶段。
elsewhere:adv.在别处;到别处; democracy:n.民主,民主主义;民主政治;
I think in the year 2016, this hierarchical geography was shattered to pieces. 我认为,在 2016 年, 这种阶层式的地理学被粉碎了。
hierarchical:adj.分层的;等级体系的; shattered:adj.受到严重打击的; v.(使)破碎,碎裂; (shatter的过去式和过去分词)
Our world no longer follows this dualistic pattern in the scholar's mind, if it ever did. 我们的世界不再遵循这种 学者脑中的二元的模式, 如果它真的曾经存在过的话。
dualistic:adj.二元的;二元论的;
Now we know that history does not necessarily move forward. 现在,我们知道, 历史不见得会向前走。
necessarily:adv.必要地;必定地,必然地;
Sometimes it draws circles, even slides backwards, and that generations can make the same mistakes that their great-grandfathers had made. 有时候它会原地打转, 甚至后退, 而且各世代都可能会再犯 曾祖父母就犯过的错误。
And now we know that there's no such thing as solid countries versus liquid countries. 现在,我们知道,没有所谓的 固态国家 vs. 液态国家。
versus:prep.对;与...相对;对抗;
In fact, we are all living in liquid times, just like the late Zygmunt Bauman told us. 事实上,我们都生在液态的时代, 就如同已逝的齐格蒙鲍曼告诉我们的。
And Bauman had another definition for our age. 对我们的时代,鲍曼还另有一个定义。
definition:n.定义;清晰度;(尤指词典里的词或短语的)释义;解释;
He used to say we are all going to be walking on moving sands. 他曾说我们都将走在流沙中。
And if that's the case, I think, it should concern us women more than men, because when societies slide backwards into authoritarianism , nationalism or religious fanaticism , women have much more to lose. 我认为,如果真的是这样, 那么女性受到的影响会比男性大, 因为当社会向后滑动 回到专制主义、 民族主义、宗教狂热, 女性失去的更多。
concern:v.涉及,关系到;使担心;n.关系;关心;关心的事; authoritarianism:n.独裁主义;权力主义; nationalism:n.民族主义;国家主义;民族特性; religious:adj.宗教的;虔诚的;严谨的;修道的;n.修道士;尼姑; fanaticism:n.狂热,著迷;盲信;
That is why this needs to be a vital moment, not only for global activism, but in my opinion , for global sisterhood as well. 那就是为什么现在是很关键的时刻, 不仅是对全球激进主义而言, 依我所见,对全球姊妹情谊 而言亦是如此。
vital:adj.至关重要的;生死攸关的;有活力的; global:adj.全球的;总体的;球形的; in my opinion:在我看来;我认为; sisterhood:n.姐妹关系;妇女团体;
(Applause) （掌声）
But I want to make a little confession before I go any further. 但在进一步谈下去之前, 我要先做个小小的告解。
confession:n.忏悔,告解;供认;
Until recently , whenever I took part in an international conference or festival, 直到最近,每当我参加 国际会议或是庆祝活动,
recently:adv.最近;新近; conference:n.会议;研讨会;商讨会;体育协会(或联合会)
I would be usually one of the more depressed speakers. 我通常是比较沮丧的讲者之一。
depressed:adj.沮丧的; v.使抑郁; (depress的过去式和过去分词)
(Laughter) （笑声）
Having seen how our dreams of democracy and how our dreams of coexistence were crushed in Turkey, both gradually but also with a bewildering speed, over the years I've felt quite demoralized . 我见到我们的民主梦想以及共存梦想 在土耳其被摧毁, 有时是渐渐地被摧毁,有时是 以让人混乱的速度被摧毁, 这些年来,我觉得相当泄气,
coexistence:n.共存;和平共处;并立; crushed:v.压坏;压伤;挤压变形;(crush的过去分词和过去式) gradually:adv.渐渐地;逐步地; bewildering:adj.使人困惑的;令人产生混乱的;v.使迷惑(bewilder的ing形式); demoralized:adj.士气低落的; v.使士气低落;
And at these festivals there would be some other gloomy writers, and they would come from places such as Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, 在这些庆祝活动上, 会有一些其他忧郁的作家, 他们来自埃及、 奈及利亚、巴基斯坦、
gloomy:adj.黑暗的;沮丧的;阴郁的;
Bangladesh, Philippines , China, Venezuela , Russia. 孟加拉共和国、菲律宾、 中国、委内瑞拉、俄国等地。
Philippines:n.菲律宾; Venezuela:n.委内瑞拉;
And we would smile at each other in sympathy , this camaraderie of the doomed . 我们会带着同情,对彼此微笑, 受厄运者的同志情谊。
sympathy:n.同情;慰问;赞同; camaraderie:n.友情;同志之爱; doomed:adj.注定的;命定的;v.使…注定失败(doom的过去分词和过去式)
(Laughter) （笑声）
And you could call us WADWIC: 你们可以称我们为 WADWIC:
Worried and Depressed Writers International Club. 忧心沮丧作家国际俱乐部。
(Laughter) （笑声）
But then things began to change, and suddenly our club became more popular, and we started to have new members. 但接着,事情开始改变了, 突然间,我们的俱乐部变热门了, 我们开始有新成员。
I remember -- 我记得……
(Laughter) （笑声）
I remember Greek writers and poets joined first, came on board. 我记得希腊作家和诗人最先加入。
And then writers from Hungary and Poland , and then, interestingly , writers from Austria , the Netherlands, France, and then writers from the UK, where I live and where I call my home, and then writers from the USA. 接着是来自匈牙利和波兰的作家, 很有趣的是,再接下来是来自 奥地利、荷兰、法国的作家, 再来是来自英国的作家,我自己 就住在英国且称英国为我的家, 再来是来自美国的作家。
Poland:n.波兰(欧洲国家); interestingly:adv.有趣地; Austria:n.奥地利;[国]奥地利;欧洲中南部内陆国家;
Suddenly, there were more of us feeling worried about the fate of our nations and the future of the world. 突然间,我们人数变多了, 我们都在担心我们国家的命运、 以及世界的未来。
And maybe there were more of us now feeling like strangers in our own motherlands. 也许,现在我们当中有越来越多人 在自己的祖国里 却觉得自己像是陌生人。
And then this bizarre thing happened. 接着发生了一件怪异的事。
bizarre:adj.奇异的(指态度,容貌,款式等);
Those of us who used to be very depressed for a long time, we started to feel less depressed, whereas the newcomers , they were so not used to feeling this way that they were now even more depressed. 我们当中那些本来沮丧了 很长一段时间的人, 反而开始感觉比较不那么沮丧了, 而新来的人,他们很 不习惯有这样的感觉, 以致于他们现在变得更沮丧。
whereas:conj.然而;鉴于;反之; newcomers:n.新来的人(newcomer的复数);
(Laughter) （笑声）
So you could see writers from Bangladesh or Turkey or Egypt trying to console their colleagues from Brexit Britain or from post-election USA. 所以你们可以发现,来自 孟加拉、土耳其、或埃及的作家 在试图安抚那些来自脱欧的英国 或来自选举后的美国的作家同行。
console:v.安慰;抚慰;慰藉;n.控制台,操纵台,仪表板; colleagues:n.同事;同行(colleague的复数); Brexit:英国退出欧盟; post-election:选举后;
(Laughter) （笑声）
But joking aside, 但把玩笑放到一旁,
I think our world is full of unprecedented challenges, and this comes with an emotional backlash , because in the face of high-speed change, many people wish to slow down, and when there's too much unfamiliarity , people long for the familiar. 我认为,我们的世界 充满了空前的挑战, 而这是会有情绪后座力的, 因为在面对高速改变时, 许多人会希望慢下来, 且,当有太多不熟悉时, 人们会渴望熟悉。
unprecedented:adj.空前的;无前例的; backlash:n.反冲;强烈抵制;vt.强烈反对;发生后冲; in the face of:面对; unfamiliarity:n.陌生;
And when things get too confusing , many people crave simplicity . 当事物变得太让人困惑时, 许多人会期盼简单。
confusing:adj.令人困惑; v.使糊涂; (confuse的现在分词) crave:v.渴望;恳求; simplicity:n.朴素;简易;天真;愚蠢;
This is a very dangerous crossroads , because it's exactly where the demagogue enters into the picture. 这是个非常危险的十字路口, 因为群众煽动者就是在这里出现的。
crossroads:n.十字路口;交叉路口;聚会的中心地点(crossroad的复数形式); demagogue:n.煽动者;煽动家;煽动政治家;
The demagogue understands how collective sentiments work and how he -- it's usually a he -- can benefit from them. 群众煽动者了解集体感情如何运作、 以及他──通常是男性的 「他」──能如何从中获利。
He tells us that we all belong in our tribes, and he tells us that we will be safer if we are surrounded by sameness . 他告诉我们,我们 都属于我们的部落, 他告诉我们,如果我们周围 都是相同性,我们会比较安全。
sameness:n.相同;千篇一律;单调;
Demagogues come in all sizes and in all shapes. 群众煽动者有各种形状跟大小。
Demagogues:n.煽动者;煽动家;煽动政治家;
This could be the eccentric leader of a marginal political party somewhere in Europe, or an Islamist extremist imam preaching dogma and hatred , or it could be a white supremacist Nazi-admiring orator somewhere else. 可能会是欧洲某地一个小政党的 古怪领导者, 或是伊斯兰极端主义伊玛目, 在鼓吹教义和仇恨, 也可能是其他地方的一名 崇拜纳粹的至上主义白人演说家。
eccentric:adj.古怪的,反常的;n.古怪的人; marginal:adj.边缘的;临界的;末端的; Islamist:n.伊斯兰教主义者;回教教徒; extremist:n.极端主义者,过激分子; imam:n.伊玛目;(伊斯兰的)阿訇; preaching:v.讲道(尤指教堂中礼拜时); n.讲道; (preach的现在分词) dogma:n.教条,教理;武断的意见; hatred:n.仇恨;憎恨;厌恶; supremacist:n.至上主义者;adj.至上主义者的; orator:n.演说者;演讲者;雄辩家;原告;
All these figures, at first glance -- they seem disconnected . 乍看之下,所有这些人物 似乎都没有关联。
at first glance:乍一看,初看;第一眼就…; disconnected:adj.分离的; v.切断(煤气、水或电的供应); (disconnect的过去式和过去分词)
But I think they feed each other, and they need each other. 但我认为他们以彼此为能源, 他们需要彼此。
And all around the world, when we look at how demagogues talk and how they inspire movements, 在全世界, 当我们去看群众煽动者如何说话、 以及他们如何激励运动,
inspire:v.激发;鼓舞;启示;产生;使生灵感;
I think they have one unmistakable quality in common: they strongly, strongly dislike plurality . 我想,他们有一项共通的明确特质: 他们非常非常不喜欢多重性。
unmistakable:adj.明显的;不会弄错的; plurality:n.多数;复数;兼职;胜出票数;
They cannot deal with multiplicity . 他们无法处理多样性。
multiplicity:n.多样性;[物]多重性;
Adorno used to say, " Intolerance of ambiguity is the sign of an authoritarian personality ." 阿多诺说过: 「无法忍受模糊, 是专制独裁人格的征兆。」
Intolerance:n.(尤指对别人的意见)不宽容;偏狭; ambiguity:n.含糊;不明确;暧昧;模棱两可的话; personality:n.性格;个性;人格;魅力;气质;名人;特色;
But I ask myself: 但我问我自己,
What if that same sign, that same intolerance of ambiguity -- what if it's the mark of our times, of the age we're living in? 如果同样这个征兆, 对模糊无法容忍── 如果它正是我们的时代、 我们所生活的年代的标记呢？
What if:如果…怎么办?
Because wherever I look, I see nuances withering away. 因为不论在哪,可以看到 细微差别减少而趋向两极化。
nuances:细微差别; withering:adj.尖刻的; v.(使)枯萎,凋谢;
On TV shows, we have one anti-something speaker situated against a pro-something speaker. 在电视节目上,我们有 反某样东西的发言者, 在对抗赞成某样东西的发言者。
situated:adj.位于…的;处于…境遇的;v.使位于;使处于;(situate的过去分词和过去式)
Yeah? It's good ratings . 对吧？收视率很好。
ratings:n.评级;等级(rating的复数形式);
It's even better if they shout at each other. 如果他们能对吼,收视率更高。
Even in academia, where our intellect is supposed to be nourished , you see one atheist scholar competing with a firmly theist scholar, but it's not a real intellectual exchange, because it's a clash between two certainties . 即使在学术界这个 应该是栽培知识份子的地方, 仍然会看到无神论学者和 坚定的有神论学者互争, 但那并不是智慧的交流, 而是两个无庸置疑性之间的冲突。
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) nourished:v.抚养;养育;培养,助长(情绪、观点等);(nourish的过去分词和过去式) atheist:n.无神论者; competing:adj.相互冲突的;相互矛盾的;v.竞争;对抗;参加比赛;(compete的现在分词) clash:v.冲突; n.冲突; certainties:n.必然;确实;确实的事情;
I think binary oppositions are everywhere. 我认为,二元对立无所不在。
binary:adj.[数]二进制的;二元的,二态的; oppositions:n.异议(opposition的复数);
So slowly and systematically , we are being denied the right to be complex. 所以,很缓慢地、系统化地, 我们的「复杂权」渐渐被否认了。
systematically:adv.有系统地;有组织地; denied:v.否认;拒绝;否定;不承认;(deny的过去分词和过去式)
Istanbul, Berlin, Nice, Paris, Brussels , 伊斯坦堡、柏林、尼斯、 巴黎、布鲁塞尔、
Brussels:n.布鲁塞尔(比利时首都);
Dhaka , Baghdad , Barcelona : we have seen one horrible terror attack after another. 达卡、巴格达、巴赛隆纳: 可怕恐怖攻击一波接一波。
Dhaka:n.达卡(孟加拉首都); Baghdad:n.巴格达(伊拉克首都); Barcelona:n.巴塞罗纳(西班牙); horrible:可怕的,极讨厌的,
And when you express your sorrow, and when you react against the cruelty , you get all kinds of reactions , messages on social media. 当你表示哀伤、当你对 残酷行为做出反对, 你就会在社交媒体上得到 各种反应、各种讯息。
express:v.表达; adj.特快的; n.特快列车; v.使用快速服务; cruelty:n.残酷;残忍;残酷的行为; reactions:n.反应;回应;抗拒;生理反应;副作用(reaction的复数)
But one of them is quite disturbing , only because it's so widespread . 但其中一项让人很不舒服, 只因为它传播得非常广。
disturbing:adj.引起烦恼的;令人不安的;v.打扰;干扰;搅乱;使不安;(disturb的现在分词) widespread:adj.普遍的,广泛的;分布广的;
They say, "Why do you feel sorry for them? 他们说:「为什么你要同情那些人？
feel sorry for:为感到难过;
Why do you feel sorry for them? 为什么你要同情那些人？
Why don't you feel sorry for civilians in Yemen or civilians in Syria ?" 为什么你不同情叶门的平民、 或叙利亚的平民？」
civilians:n.平民;市民;文官;无军职人员;(civilian的复数) Syria:n.叙利亚共和国;
And I think the people who write such messages do not understand that we can feel sorry for and stand in solidarity with victims of terrorism and violence in the Middle East, in Europe, in Asia, in America, wherever, everywhere, equally and simultaneously . 我认为,写这类讯息的人 并不了解 我们可以平等地、同时地去同情 并共同关心在中东、 欧洲、亚洲、美国、 任何地方的恐怖主义受害者 及暴力受害者。
solidarity:n.团结,团结一致; terrorism:n.恐怖主义; violence:n.暴力;侵犯;激烈;歪曲; simultaneously:adv.同时地;
They don't seem to understand that we don't have to pick one pain and one place over all others. 他们似乎不了解, 我们不是只能从各地 所有的痛苦当中择一来在乎。
But I think this is what tribalism does to us. 但我认为,这就是 部落意识对我们的影响。
tribalism:n.部落文化;部落制;部落制度;
It shrinks our minds, for sure, but it also shrinks our hearts, to such an extent that we become numb to the suffering of other people. 它肯定会让我们的思维缩小, 同时它也会让我们的心胸缩小, 缩小到让我们对于他人 受到的苦难都麻木无感。
shrinks:v.缩水,收缩,缩小;n.精神病学家;心理学家;(shrink的第三人称单数和复数) extent:n.程度;范围;长度;
And the sad truth is, we weren't always like this. 悲伤的真相是, 我们以前并不是这样的。
I had a children's book out in Turkey, and when the book was published, I did lots of events. 我有一本童书在土耳其出版了, 出版时,我做了很多活动。
I went to many primary schools, which gave me a chance to observe younger kids in Turkey. 我去了很多所小学, 让我有机会能观察土耳其的小朋友。
observe:v.观察;看到;庆祝;监视;
And it was always amazing to see how much empathy , imagination and chutzpah they have. 他们的大量同理心、 想像力、胆量,总是让我 感到很惊艷。
empathy:n.神入;移情作用;执着; imagination:n.想象;想象力;创造力;想象的事物; chutzpah:n.肆无忌惮;
These children are much more inclined to become global citizens than nationalists at that age. 这些孩子在那个年纪时, 变成全球公民的倾向绝对 远高过变成民族主义者的倾向。
inclined:adj.有…倾向; v.(使)倾向于,有…的趋势; (incline的过去分词和过去式) nationalists:n.民族主义者;国家主义者(nationalist人复数);
And it's wonderful to see, when you ask them, so many of them want to be poets and writers, and girls are just as confident as boys, if not even more. 很美好的是,当你问他们将来 想做什么,好多孩子 想要当诗人和作家, 且女孩们和男孩们一样有自信, 有时还更自信。
confident:adj.自信的;确信的;
But then I would go to high schools, and everything has changed. 但接着,我会去拜访高中, 一切就改变了。
Now nobody wants to be a writer anymore, now nobody wants to be a novelist anymore, and girls have become timid , they are cautious , guarded, reluctant to speak up in the public space, because we have taught them -- the family, the school, the society -- we have taught them to erase their individuality . 没有人想要当作家了, 没有人想要当小说家了, 女孩们变得很羞怯, 她们很小心,有防卫心, 不愿在公共场合发言, 因为我们教导他们── 家庭、学校、社会 都教导他们要抹除他们的个人特征。
novelist:n.小说家; timid:adj.胆小的;羞怯的; cautious:adj.谨慎的;十分小心的; reluctant:adj.不情愿的;勉强的;顽抗的; erase:vt.抹去;擦除;vi.被擦去,被抹掉; individuality:n.个性;个人;个人特征;个人的嗜好(通常复数);
I think East and West, we are losing multiplicity, both within our societies and within ourselves. 我认为,东方和西方, 我们在失去多样性, 包括社会中、以及 我们自己内在的多样性。
And coming from Turkey, I do know that the loss of diversity is a major, major loss. 我来自土耳其,我知道失去多样性 是非常非常重大的损失。
diversity:n.差异(性):多样性:多样化:
Today, my motherland became the world's biggest jailer for journalists , surpassing even China's sad record. 如今我的祖国变成了 世界上最大的记者监狱。 甚至超过了中国的可悲记录。
jailer:n.狱卒,看守监狱的人; journalists:n.新闻记者(journalist的复数); surpassing:adj.胜过的;卓越的;优秀的;adv.卓越地;非凡地;v.胜过(surpass的ing形式);
And I also believe that what happened over there in Turkey can happen anywhere. 我也相信,在土耳其发生的事, 也会发生在任何地方。
It can even happen here. 甚至可能发生在这里。
So just like solid countries was an illusion , singular identities is also an illusion , because we all have a multiplicity of voices inside. 就如同固态国家是种假象, 单一身份也是一种假象, 因为我们内在都有多样化的声音。
illusion:n.幻觉,错觉;错误的观念或信仰; singular:adj.单数的;单一的;非凡的;异常的;n.单数; identities:n.身份;本身;本体;特征;同一性;相同;(identity的复数)
The Iranian , the Persian poet, Hafiz, used to say, "You carry in your soul every ingredient necessary to turn your existence into joy. 伊朗的波斯诗人哈菲兹说过: 「要将你的存在转变成喜悦 所必要的所有原料, 其实都已经在你的灵魂中了,
Iranian:adj.伊朗的;伊朗人的;伊朗语的;n.伊朗人;伊朗语; Persian:n.波斯人;波斯语;adj.波斯的;波斯人的;波斯语的;
All you have to do is to mix those ingredients." 你只需要将那些原料混合在一起。」
And I think mix we can. 我认为我们可以做混合。
I am an Istanbulite, but I'm also attached to the Balkans, the Aegean , the Mediterranean , the Middle East, the Levant . 我是伊斯坦堡人, 但我也归属巴尔干半岛、 爱琴海、地中海、 中东、黎凡特。 （注:地中海东部诸岛及沿岸诸国）
Aegean:adj.爱琴海的;n.爱琴海(地中海的一部分); Mediterranean:n.地中海;adj.地中海的; Levant:vi.躲债;逃亡;躲避;
I am a European by birth, by choice, the values that I uphold . 根据我的出生地、我的选择、 我持有的价值观,我是欧洲人。
uphold:v.支撑;鼓励;赞成;举起;
I have become a Londoner over the years. 这些年来我变成了伦敦人。
I would like to think of myself as a global soul, as a world citizen, a nomad and an itinerant storyteller . 我认为我自己是全球人、 是世界公民、 是流浪者、也是巡回说故事者。
nomad:n.游牧民;流浪者;adj.游牧的;流浪的; itinerant:adj.巡回的;流动的;n.巡回者;行商; storyteller:n.说故事的人;故事作者;短篇小说作家;
I have multiple attachments, just like all of us do. 我和所有人都一样, 有多重的连结。
multiple:adj.数量多的;多种多样的;n.倍数;
And multiple attachments mean multiple stories. 多重的连结就意味着多重的故事。
As writers, we always chase stories, of course, but I think we are also interested in silences, the things we cannot talk about, political taboos , cultural taboos. 身为作家,当然, 我们总是在追逐故事, 但我认为我们也对沉默、 我们无法谈论的事物、 政治禁忌、文化禁忌都感兴趣。
taboos:n.禁忌(taboo的复数形式);v.禁忌(taboo的第三人称单数形式); cultural:adj.与文化有关的;文化的;与艺术、文学、音乐等有关的;
We're also interested in our own silences. 我们也对我们自己的沉默感兴趣。
I have always been very vocal about and written extensively about minority rights, women's rights, 对于弱势族群权力、女权、 同性双性跨性者权力, 我向来都很直言不讳,也写了
vocal:adj.嗓音的;发声的;大声表达的;直言不讳的;n.(乐曲中的)歌唱部分; extensively:adv.广阔地;广大地; minority:n.少数民族;少数派;未成年;adj.少数的;属于少数派的;
LGBT rights. 很多相关文章。
But as I was thinking about this TED Talk, 但当我在思考这场 TED 演说时,
I realized one thing: 我想通了一件事:
I have never had the courage to say in a public space that I was bisexual myself, because I so feared the slander and the stigma and the ridicule and the hatred that was sure to follow. 我从来没有勇气在公共场合上说出 我自己是双性恋者, 因为我很害怕诽谤、 汙名、嘲笑、 以及仇恨都会接踵而来。
bisexual:adj.两性的;雌雄同体的; slander:v.诽谤;诋毁;中伤;n.口头诽谤; stigma:n.[植]柱头;耻辱;污名;烙印;特征; ridicule:vt.嘲笑;嘲弄;愚弄;n.嘲笑;笑柄;愚弄;
But of course, one should never, ever, remain silent for fear of complexity. 但,当然我们都不应该因为害怕复杂 而保持沉默。
(Applause) （掌声）
And although I am no stranger to anxieties, and although I am talking here about the power of emotions -- 虽然对于焦虑,我并不陌生, 虽然我在这里谈论着情绪的力量──
I do know the power of emotions -- 我确实知道情绪的力量──
I have discovered over time that emotions are not limitless . 但随着时间,我发现到, 情绪并不是没有限制的。
limitless:adj.无限制的;无界限的;
You know? They have a limit. 情绪是有限制的。
There comes a moment -- it's like a tipping point or a threshold -- when you get tired of feeling afraid, when you get tired of feeling anxious. 会有一个时刻 像是临界点或是门槛, 你会厌倦了感到害怕, 你会厌倦了感到焦虑。
tipping point:n.(个案积累终成大趋势的)引爆点; threshold:n.入口;门槛;开始;极限;临界值;
And I think not only individuals , but perhaps nations, too, have their own tipping points. 我认为不只是个人会如此, 也许国家也会有它们自己的临界点。
individuals:n.[经]个人;[生物]个体(individual的复数);
So even stronger than my emotions is my awareness that not only gender , not only identity , but life itself is fluid . 所以,我的意识比我的情绪更强大, 不仅是性别、不仅是身份, 人生本身就是液态的。
awareness:n.意识,认识;明白,知道; gender:n.性别; identity:n.身份;同一性,一致;特性;恒等式; fluid:adj.流动的;流畅的;不固定的;n.流体;液体;
They want to divide us into tribes, but we are connected across borders. 他们想把我们分裂成部落, 但我们跨越国界连结在一起。
They preach certainty , but we know that life has plenty of magic and plenty of ambiguity. 他们鼓吹肯定性, 但我们知道,人生充满了魔法, 也充满了模糊。
certainty:n.必然;确实;确实的事情;
And they like to incite dualities , but we are far more nuanced than that. 且他们喜欢煽动二元性, 但我们远比二元性 有更多的细微差异。
incite:vt.煽动;激励;刺激; dualities:n.二元性;[物]二象性; nuanced:adj.微妙的; v.精确细腻地表演;
So what can we do? 所以,我们能怎么做？
I think we need to go back to the basics, back to the colors of the alphabet. 我想,我们得要回到基础, 回到字母的颜色。
The Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran used to say, "I learned silence from the talkative and tolerance from the intolerant and kindness from the unkind ." 黎巴嫩诗人哈利勒纪伯伦说过: 「我从爱说话的人身上学到沉默, 从不包容的人身上学到包容, 从不仁的人身上学到仁慈。」
Lebanese:adj.黎巴嫩的;n.黎巴嫩人; talkative:adj.饶舌的;多话的;多嘴的;爱说话的; intolerant:adj.无法忍受的;偏狭的; unkind:adj.无情的;不仁慈的,不厚道的;
I think it's a great motto for our times. 我认为这句格言很适合 用在我们的时代。
motto:n.座右铭,格言;箴言;
So from populist demagogues, we will learn the indispensability of democracy. 所以,从平民主义的群众煽动者身上,
populist:n.平民主义者; adj.民粹主义的(等于populistic); indispensability:n.不可缺少;必要;责无旁贷;
And from isolationists , we will learn the need for global solidarity. 从孤立主义者身上,
isolationists:n.孤立主义者;adj.孤立主义的;孤立主义者的;
And from tribalists , we will learn the beauty of cosmopolitanism and the beauty of diversity. 从部落意识者身上, 以及多元化的美丽。
tribalists:用法,发音,音标,搭配,同义词,反义词和例句等在线英语服务。; cosmopolitanism:n.世界主义;世界大同主义;四海一家;
As I finish, I want to leave you with one word, or one taste. 最后,我想留给大家一个字, 或是说,一个味道。
The word " yurt " in Turkish means "motherland." 「Yurt」这个土耳其字, 它的意思是「祖国」。
yurt:n.(游牧地区用兽皮或毛毯所盖的)圆顶帐篷; Turkish:adj.土耳其的;土耳其人的,土耳其语的;突厥诸语言的;n.土耳其语;
It means "homeland." 它的意思是「家园」。
But interestingly, the word also means "a tent used by nomadic tribes." 但有趣的是,这个字也意指: 「游牧部落用的帐篷」。
nomadic:adj.游牧的;流浪的;游动的;
And I like that combination , because it makes me think homelands do not need to be rooted in one place. 我喜欢这样的组合, 因为它会让我觉得 家园并不需要扎根在一个地方。
combination:n.结合;组合;联合;[化学]化合;
They can be portable . 家园是可携式的。
portable:adj.便携式的;手提的;轻便的;n.便携机;(尤指)手提电脑;
We can take them with us everywhere. 我们能把家园随身带到任何地方。
And I think for writers, for storytellers , at the end of the day, there is one main homeland, and it's called "Storyland." 我想,对作家而言, 对说故事者而言, 到头来, 只有一个主要的家园, 它叫做「故事之地」。
storytellers:n.说故事的人(storyteller的复数);
And the taste of that word is the taste of freedom. 而这个字的味道, 就是自由的味道。
Thank you. 谢谢。
(Applause) （掌声）