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ElizabethCamarilloGutierrez_2020S-_美国的移民叙述中缺失了什么？_-
Hi, everyone, my name is Elizabeth, and I work on the trading floor . 大家好,我叫伊丽莎白, 我是一名股票交易员。
But I'm still pretty new to it. 但对于这份工作,我还是新手。
I graduated from college about a year and a half ago, and to be quite honest, 大概一年半之前,我从大学毕业, 但坦白说,
I'm still recovering from the recruiting process 我到现在还没有 从当初的面试过程中
trading floor:n.(证券交易所或银行的)交易大厅; recruiting:v.吸收(新成员);征募(新兵);动员;(recruit的现在分词) 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;
I had to go through to get here. 回过神来。
(Laughter) （笑声）
Now, I don't know about you, but this is the most ridiculous thing that I still remember about the whole process, was asking insecure college students what their biggest passion was. 我不知道你们怎么想, 但是,我依然记得, 在整个过程中最荒唐的事, 就是问没什么安全感的大学生, 他们最大的热情是什么。
Like, do you expect me to have an answer for that? 真的吗？ 你确定我知道怎么回答吗？
(Laughter) （笑声）
Of course I did. 当然,我认真回答了。
And to be quite honest, 而且说实话,[00:50]
ridiculous:adj.可笑的;荒谬的; insecure:adj.不安全的;不稳定的;不牢靠的; passion:n.激情;热情;酷爱;盛怒; answer for:因…而受罚;对…负责;
I really showed those recruiters just how passionate I was by telling them all about my early interest in the global economy , which, conveniently , stemmed from the conversations that I would overhear my immigrant parents having about money and the fluctuating value of the Mexican peso . 我努力的向那些招募人员 展现了我对这份工作多么有热情, 我告诉他们 我对于全球经济的早期兴趣, 而且很自然的,这个兴趣是源于 我曾无意中听到我的移民父母聊到 有关钱和墨西哥比索的价值波动。
They love a good personal story. 招募人员喜欢动人的个人故事。
But you know what? 但是你们知道吗？
I lied. 我撒谎了。
(Laughter) （笑声）[01:15]
recruiters:n.招聘人员,征兵人员; passionate:adj.热情的;热烈的,激昂的;易怒的; global:adj.全球的;总体的;球形的; economy:n.经济;节约;理财; conveniently:adv.便利地;合宜地; stemmed:adj.去掉茎或梗的; v.起源于(stem的过去分词形式); overhear:vt.偶然听到;无意中听到 immigrant:n.(外来)移民;外侨;adj.侨民的; fluctuating:v.波动(fluctuate的ing形式);adj.波动的;变动的; peso:n.比索(拉丁美洲一些国家和菲律宾的货币单位);美元; personal:adj.个人的;身体的;亲自的;n.人事消息栏;人称代名词;
And not because the things I said weren't true -- 并不是因为我说的不是事实——
I mean, my parents were talking about this stuff . 我父母的确谈到过这个话题,
But that's not really why I decided to jump into finance . 但这并不是我决定 投身金融行业的真正原因。
I just really wanted to pay my rent. 我真的只是想有能力 支付我的房租。
(Laughter) （笑声）
And here's the thing. 原因就在于,[01:32]
stuff:n.东西:物品:基本特征:v.填满:装满:标本: finance:n.财政,财政学;金融;v.负担经费,供给…经费;
The reality of having to pay my rent and do real adult things is something that we're rarely willing to admit to employers , to others and even to ourselves. 很少有人原意向雇主、 他人,甚至向我们自己坦白 我们很需要钱 来交房租和承担成年人的责任。
I know I wasn't about to tell my recruiters that I was there for the money. 我知道我不会告诉招募我的人, 我是为钱而去的。
And that's because for the most part , we want to see ourselves as idealists and as people who do what they believe in and pursue the things that they find the most exciting. 这是因为大部分情况下, 我们想把自己当成理想主义者, 并且认为人们是在做 他们坚信的事, 去追求他们觉得最让人兴奋的事情。
rarely:adv.很少地;难得;罕有地; employers:n.雇主;雇用者;(employer的复数) for the most part:adv.在极大程度上,多半; idealists:n.唯心主义者;理想主义者;空想家;(idealist的复数) pursue:v.继续;从事;追赶;纠缠;
But the reality is very few of us actually have the privilege to do that. 但现实是, 很少有人有这样做的特权。
Now, I can't speak for everyone, but this is especially true for young immigrant professionals like me. 当然,我不能代表所有人, 但对我这样的年轻移民职场人士, 现实尤其是如此。
And the reason this is true has something to do with the narratives that society has kept hitting us with in the news, in the workplace and even by those annoyingly self-critical voices in our heads. 而这背后的原因与社会不断 向我们灌输的一些叙述有关—— 包括在新闻中、在职场中, 甚至我们脑海里恼人的自我批判声。
privilege:n.特权;优待;v.给与…特权;特免; speak for:要求得到;代表…讲话; especially:adv.尤其;特别;格外;十分; professionals:n.[管理]专业人员(professional的复数); narratives:n.叙述,故事;叙述的手法(narrative复数); workplace:n.工作场所;车间; annoyingly:adv.恼人地;烦人地;令人不快地(annoying的副词形式);
So what narratives am I referring to? 那么,我指的是什么样的叙述呢？
Well, there's two that come to mind when it comes to immigrants . 说到移民,我们脑海中 马上就会涌现出两种说法。
The first is the idea of the immigrant worker. 第一种是对移民劳工的看法。
You know, people that come to the US in search of jobs as laborers , or field workers, dish washers . 很多人来美国以劳工、 外勤人员或洗碗工的身份找工作。
referring:v.引用;提到;将…归因于…;把…提交;(refer的现在分词) immigrants:n.移民(immigrant的复数); laborers:n.劳动者(laborer的复数);工人; washers:n.[机]垫圈(washer的复数形式);洗净器;
You know, things that we might consider low-wage jobs but the immigrants? 通常是我们可能 认为是低薪的工作, 但移民者怎么想呢？
That's a good opportunity. 当然是很好的机会。
The news nowadays has convoluted that whole thing quite a bit. 现在的新闻报道会把整件事情曲解。
You could say that it's made America's relationship with immigrants complicated . 可以说它把美国 和移民的关系弄得很复杂,
And as immigrant expert George Borjas would have put it, it's kind of like America wanted workers, but then, they got confused when we got people instead. 移民专家乔治 · 波哈斯 （George Borjas）的说法很有意思, 大概说的是,美国想要 “劳工”, 但当他们得到的却是 “人” 时, 就会很困惑。
convoluted:adj.复杂的;费解的;旋绕的;v.盘绕;缠绕(convolute的过去分词); complicated:adj.复杂的;难懂的;v.使复杂化;(complicate的过去分词和过去式) confused:adj.困惑的; v.使糊涂; (confuse的过去分词和过去式)
(Laughter) （笑声）
I mean, it's natural that people want to strive to put a roof over their heads and live a normal life, right? 毕竟,人们都想要全力奋斗, 想要有个家,过正常的生活,对吧？
So for obvious reasons, this narrative has been driving me a little bit crazy. 所以,基于很明显的理由, 这样的叙述让我有点抓狂。
But it's not the only one. 但这并不是唯一一个。
The other narrative that I'm going to talk about is the idea of the superimmigrant. 还有另一种说法, 就是超级移民。
strive:v.力求;斗争;反抗;(strive的第三人称单数) obvious:adj.明显的;显著的;平淡无奇的;
In America, we love to idolize superimmigrants as the ideal symbols of American success. 在美国,我们喜欢把超级移民 当作美国人成功的理想标志。
I grew up admiring superimmigrants, because their existence fueled my dreams and it gave me hope. 我从小到大都很羡慕超级移民, 因为他们的存在激励了 我的梦想并且给了我希望。
The problem with this narrative is that it also seems to cast a shadow on those that don't succeed or that don't make it in that way, as less than. 然而这种叙述的问题在于, 它似乎让那些没有成功的人 心里蒙上了阴影, 或者让那些没有实现 这种成功的人感到自惭形秽。
idolize:vt.极端崇拜;把...当偶像崇拜;vi.崇拜偶像; symbols:n.符号;象征;标志;符号表(symbol的复数);
And for years, I got caught up in the ways in which it seemed to celebrate one type of immigrant while villainizing the other. 然而很多年来, 让我一直感到困惑的是, 这种说法看似在赞颂一种移民, 但同时却在轻视另一群移民。
I mean, were my parents' sacrifices not enough? 我是说,我父母 做的牺牲还不够多吗？
Was the fact that my dad came home from the metal factory covered in corrosive dust, was that not super? 是因为我爸爸从金属工厂回家, 全身落满腐蚀性粉尘的状态 并没有什么了不起吗？
Don't get me wrong, 别误会,
I've internalized both of these narratives to some degree, and in many ways, seeing my heroes succeed, it has pushed me to do the same. 我把这两种叙述 在某些程度上内在化了, 而且无论怎样, 看到我的英雄走向成功, 一直激励着我一往无前。
sacrifices:n.牺牲,损失; v.牺牲,损失(sacrifice的单三形式); corrosive:adj.腐蚀的;侵蚀性的;n.腐蚀物; internalized:v.内在化(internalize的过去分词);
But both of these narratives are flawed in the ways in which they dehumanize people if they don't fit within a certain mold or succeed in a certain way. 但这两种叙述, 在某些方面上均有不足, 如果人们不符合特定的形象, 或者以某种方式获得成功, 他们就会否定人们人性一面。
And this really affected my self-image , because I started to question these ideas for who my parents were and who I was, and I started to wonder, "Am I doing enough to protect my family and my community from the injustices that we felt every day?" 这也真正影响了我的自我认知, 因为我开始质疑关于我父母是谁, 以及我是谁的说法, 然后我开始纳闷, “从我们每天都能 感觉到的不公平中, 我有没有尽力去保护 我的家庭和社区?
flawed:adj.有缺陷的;有瑕疵的;有裂纹的; dehumanize:vt.使成兽性;使失掉人性; mold:n.模具;模型;霉菌;类型;v.用可塑材料塑成;浇铸;发霉; self-image:n.自我形象; community:n.社区;[生态]群落;共同体;团体; injustices:n.不公正;不讲道义;
So why did I choose to "sell out" 那么,当悲剧在我眼前发生时,
while watching tragedies unfold right in front of me? 我为什么会选择向现实屈服？
Now, it took me a long time to come to terms with my decisions. 我花了很长时间 来接受自己的决定。
And I really have to thank the people running the Hispanic Scholarship Fund , or HSF, for validating this process early on. 并且我真的需要感谢那些 为了在初期就证实此过程的价值 而运营西班牙裔奖学金基金会, 简称 HSF 的人。
tragedies:n.悲惨的事;不幸;灾难;悲剧作品;(tragedy的复数) unfold:v.(使)展开;打开;展示;透露; come to terms with:达成协议;让步; Hispanic:adj.西班牙的; Scholarship:n.奖学金;学问;学识;学术成就; Fund:n.基金;资金;存款;v.投资;资助; validating:n.确认;adj.确认的;有效的;v.验证(validate的ing形式);确认;
And the way that HSF -- an organization that strives to help students achieve higher education through mentorship and scholarships -- the way that they helped calm my anxiety , it was by telling me something super familiar . 并且在 HSF 基金会—— 一个致力于通过指导和奖学金 来帮助学生 接受高等教育的组织—— 他们帮助我平复焦虑的方式, 就是告诉我一些 我非常熟悉的东西。
Something that you all probably have heard before in the first few minutes after boarding a flight. 比如在登机之后的前几分钟, 你们都听过的信息:
In case of an emergency , put your oxygen mask on first before helping those around you. 如遇紧急情况, 在帮助别人之前, 请先给自己戴好氧气面罩。
organization:n.组织;机构;体制;团体; strives:奋斗; higher education:高等教育(指含大学以上的教育); mentorship:n.导师制,辅导教师;师徒制; scholarships:n.奖学金;学问;学术;学术研究;(scholarship的复数) anxiety:n.焦虑;渴望;挂念;令人焦虑的事; familiar:adj.熟悉的;常见的;亲近的;n.常客;密友; emergency:n.紧急情况;突发事件;非常时刻;adj.紧急的;备用的; oxygen mask:n.氧气面具;氧气面罩;
Now I understand that this means different things to different people. 现在我明白了,这条信息 对不同的人有着不同的意义。
But for me, it meant that immigrants couldn't and would never be able to fit into any one narrative, because most of us are actually just traveling along a spectrum , trying to survive. 但对于我来说,这意味着移民 不能且将永远不适合任何一种叙述, 因为我们大多数只是 沿着既定轨道前行, 努力生存。
And although there may be people that are further along in life with their oxygen mask on and secured in place, there are undoubtedly going to be others that are still struggling to put theirs on before they can even think about helping those around them. 而且尽管有些人 或许可以走得更远, 位置安全,带着氧气面罩, 但毫无疑问,总会有其他人 还在拼命想戴上氧气面罩, 顾不上考虑身边的人。
spectrum:n.光谱;频谱;范围;余象; undoubtedly:adv.确实地,毋庸置疑的;
Now, this lesson really hit home for me, because my parents, while they wanted us to be able to take advantage of opportunities in a way that we wouldn't have been able to do so anywhere else -- 这一点让我印象深刻, 因为我的父母, 虽然他们想让我们抓住机会, 并且是以在其它地方 都做不到的方式——
I mean, we were in America, and so as a child, this made me have these crazy, ambitious and elaborate dreams for what my future could look like. 我的意思是,我们在美国, 所以在我儿时就形成了 疯狂的、宏大的野心, 并为我的未来做出了详细规划。
But the ways in which the world sees immigrants, it affects more than just the narratives in which they live. 但这个世界看待移民的眼光, 影响的远不止是对他们的叙事,
take advantage of:利用; ambitious:adj.野心勃勃的;有雄心的;热望的;炫耀的; elaborate:adj.精心制作的;详尽的;煞费苦心的;v.精心制作;详细描述;变复杂;
It also impacts the ways laws and systems can affect communities , families and individuals . 同时也影响了法律以及社会体系 塑造社区、家庭和个人的方式。
I know this firsthand , because these laws and systems, well, they broke up my family, and they led my parents to return to Mexico. 我对此感同身受, 因为当前的法律和社会体系 破坏了我的家庭, 迫使我的父母返回了墨西哥。
And at 15, my eight-year-old brother and I, we found ourselves alone and without the guidance that our parents had always provided us with. 在我十五岁那年, 我和我八岁的弟弟 发现我们突然变得很孤独、无助, 我们失去了父母 一直给予我们的庇护。
impacts:n.影响; v.有影响,有作用; communities:n.社区;社会;团体;共有(community的复数) individuals:n.[经]个人;[生物]个体(individual的复数); firsthand:adj.直接的;直接采购的;直接得来的;adv.直接地; provided:conj.假如; v.提供; (provide的过去分词和过去式)
Despite being American citizens, we both felt defeated by what we had always known to be the land of opportunity. 虽然我们是美国公民, 但我们心中所谓的“机会之地”, 却让我们感到了深深的挫败。
Now, in the weeks that followed my parents' return to Mexico, when it became clear that they wouldn't be able to come back, 在我的父母 回到墨西哥几星期后—— 很明显他们不可能回来了——
I had to watch as my eight-year-old brother was pulled out of school to be with his family. 我不得不眼睁睁看着 我八岁的弟弟 被迫退学,跟父母回老家。
Despite:prep.尽管,不管;n.轻视;憎恨;侮辱;
And during this same time, 在那段时间,
I wondered if going back would be validating my parents' sacrifices. 我也在想,如果我回去, 会不会浪费了我父母的牺牲。
And so I somehow convinced my parents to let me stay, without being able to guarantee them that I'd find somewhere to live or that I'd be OK. 所以我说服了父母让我留下来, 尽管无法保证能找到新的住处, 或者能否独当一面。
But to this day , I will never forget how hard it was having to say goodbye. 直到如今,我还是无法忘却 当时与他们的告别 是多么艰难,
And I will never forget how hard it was watching my little brother crumble in their arms as I waved goodbye from the other side of steel grates . 并且我永远也不会忘记 看着我弟弟在他们怀里大哭, 而我在铁栅栏的另一旁 跟他们挥手说再见时, 心中那刻骨铭心的酸楚。
somehow:adv.以某种方法;莫名其妙地; convinced:adj.坚信; v.使确信; (convince的过去分词和过去式) guarantee:n.保证;担保;保证人;保证书;抵押品;v.保证;担保; to this day:至今; crumble:v.崩溃;破碎,粉碎;n.面包屑; grates:n.壁炉;v.磨碎(食物);使人烦恼;(grate的第三人称单数和复数)
Now, it would be naive to credit grit as the sole reason for why I've been able to take advantage of so many opportunities since that day. 把我从那天起到现在 所获得的这么多机会 都单纯归功为我的坚韧, 或许有些天真。
I mean, I was really lucky, and I want you to know that. 我想让你们知道,我非常幸运。
Because statistically speaking, students that are homeless or that have unstable living conditions, well, they rarely complete high school. 因为有数据显示, 无家可归或生活环境不稳定的学生, 极少人能完成高中学业。
naive:adj.天真的,幼稚的; grit:v.研磨;在…上铺砂砾;咬紧牙关;摩擦作声;n.粗砂,粗砂石;勇气;决心; sole:n.鞋底; adj.仅有的; v.给(鞋)换底; statistically:adv.统计地;统计学上; unstable:adj.不稳定的;变化莫测的;(行为、情绪)反复无常的
But I do think that it was because my parents had the trust in letting me go that I somehow found the courage and strength to take on opportunities even when I felt unsure or unqualified . 但是我觉得, 是我父母对我独自生活能力的信任, 让我找到了勇气和力量, 抓住了机会, 即使我心中惶恐,缺乏自信。
Now, there's no denying that there is a cost to living the American dream . 不可否认,在美国实现梦想 是要付出代价的。
You do not have to be an immigrant or the child of immigrants to know that. 你不需要成为一个 移民或移民子女就会知道。
But I do know that now, today, 但是我知道的是,在今天,
unsure:adj.不确定的;不肯定的;没有自信的; unqualified:adj.不合格的;无资格的;不胜任的;不受限制的;无条件的;绝对的; denying:v.否认;否定;拒绝承认;拒绝给予;(deny的现在分词) American dream:n.美国梦(美国人传统的价值观和社会标准,如民主、权利平等和财富);
I am living something close to what my parents saw as their American dream. 我生活在一个我父母眼中的 美国梦里。
Because as soon as I graduated from college, 因为在我大学毕业之后,
I flew my younger brother to the United States to live with me, so that he, too, could pursue his education. 我把立刻把弟弟接到美国来 跟我一起生活, 让他也可以接受教育。
Still, I knew that it would be hard flying my little brother back. 但是,我知道 把弟弟接过来绝非易事。
as soon as:一…就; United:adj.联合的; v.联合,团结; (unite的过去分词和过去式)
I knew that it would be hard having to balance the demands and professionalism required of an entry-level job while being responsible for a child with dreams and ambitions of his own. 我知道平衡生活需求 和需要一份基本技能的 专业工作会很难, 同时,我还要负担一个 有梦想和雄心的孩子的生活。
But you can imagine how fun it is to be 24 years old, at the peak of my youth, living in New York, with an angsty teenage roommate who hates doing the dishes. 但是你们也能想象, 在我最年轻的时候,住在纽约, 有一个讨厌洗碗、 焦虑的青少年室友为伴—— 这对一个 24 岁的人来说 会多么“好玩”。
professionalism:n.专业主义;专家的地位;特性或方法; entry-level:adj.入门的;初级的;最低阶层的;适合于初学者的; responsible:adj.负责的,可靠的;有责任的; ambitions:n.追求的目标;野心;志向;抱负;(ambition的复数)
(Laughter) （笑声）
The worst. 简直不能更糟了。
(Laughter) （笑声）
But when I see my brother learning how to advocate for himself, and when I see him get excited about his classes and school, 但是当我看到我弟弟 知道怎么为他自己发声, 并且看到上学的日子 让他感到欢欣鼓舞时,
I do not doubt anything. 我的所有疑虑都消失了。
Because I know that this bizarre , beautiful and privileged life that I now live is the true reason for why I decided to pursue a career that would help me and my family find financial stability . 因为我知道这有点奇怪, 我现在所拥有的美好 和享受优待的生活, 是我追求事业的真正原因—— 可以为我和我的家人 带来稳定的经济来源。
advocate:v.拥护;支持;提倡;n.支持者;提倡者;辩护律师;出庭辩护人; bizarre:adj.奇异的(指态度,容貌,款式等); privileged:adj.有特权的; v.给予特权; (privilege的过去式和过去分词) career:n.职业;事业;生涯;经历; financial:adj.金融的;财政的,财务的; stability:n.稳定性;坚定,恒心;
I did not know it back then, but during those eight years that I lived without my family, 我当时并不知道, 但是在我和家人分开的这八年里,
I had my oxygen mask on and I focused on survival . 我戴上了氧气面罩, 并用力生存下去。
And during those same eight years, 同样在这八年里,
I had to watch helplessly the pain and hurt that it caused my family to be apart. 我只能无助地看着 家人分离带来的 悲伤和痛苦。
What airlines don't tell you is that putting your oxygen mask on first while seeing those around you struggle -- it takes a lot of courage. 航空公司没告诉你的是, 当你先戴上氧气面罩时, 还要同时目睹你旁边的人 挣扎着想戴上氧气面罩—— 这需要太多的勇气。
survival:n.幸存,残存;幸存者,残存物; helplessly:adv.无助地;无能为力地; airlines:n.航空公司(airline的复数);航空业;
But being able to have that self-control is sometimes the only way that we are able to help those around us. 但是能够掌控自己的生活, 是我们能够帮助 身边的人的唯一办法。
Now I'm super lucky to be in a place where I can be there for my little brother so that he feels confident and prepared to take on whatever he chooses to do next. 现在,我非常幸运能够 陪伴在我弟弟身边, 以便他能够信心十足的准备好 迎接自己将来选择的任何道路。
self-control:n.克己,自我控制; confident:adj.自信的;确信的;
But I also know that because I am in this position of privilege, 但是,我也知道, 因为我身处有特权的位置,
I also have the responsibility to make sure that my community finds spaces where they can find guidance, access and support. 我也有责任来确保 我的社区能够 获得指引,找到出路, 并得到支持。
I can't claim to know where each and every one of you are on your journey through life, but I do know that our world is one that flourishes when different voices come together. 我并不知道在座的每一个人 正身处人生中的哪一个阶段, 但是我知道, 当不同的声音汇聚在一起时, 我们的世界就会蓬勃发展。
My hope is that you will find the courage to put your oxygen mask on when you need to, and that you will find the strength to help those around you when you can. 我希望你们能够找到 当你需要氧气面罩时 能够把它戴上的勇气, 并且有能力 帮助那些身边的人。
Thank you. 谢谢。
claim:v.要求;声称;需要;认领;n.要求;声称;索赔;断言;值得; journey:n.旅行;行程;vi.旅行; flourishes:v.繁荣;夸耀(flourish的单三形式);
(Applause) （掌声）