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JenniferSenior_2014-_对父母来说，快乐是一个非常高的门槛_
When I was born, there was really only one book about how to raise your children, and it was written by Dr. Spock. 当我出生时, 真的就只有一本书, 是有关如何扶养孩子, 那是史巴克博士写的。
(Laughter) （笑声）
Thank you for indulging me. 谢谢你们这么配合我！
indulging:n.沉迷其中;v.沉迷(indulge的现在分词);
I have always wanted to do that. 我一直以来都想这么做的。
No, it was Benjamin Spock, and his book was called The Common Sense Book of Baby And Child Care. 不是啦,是班杰明．史巴克！ 他的书叫做「婴幼儿保健常识书」,
Common Sense:adj.常识的;有生活经验得来的;
It sold almost 50 million copies by the time he died. 直到他死掉为止那卖了快 5,000 万本。
Today, I, as the mother of a six-year-old, walk into Barnes and Noble , and see this. 今天我身为一个 6 岁小孩的母亲, 走进「邦诺书店」, 看到了这些！
Noble:adj.高尚的;贵族的;惰性的;宏伟的;n.贵族;
And it is amazing the variety that one finds on those shelves. 让人惊叹的是 可从这些书架上找到种类这么丰富的书。
variety:n.多样;种类;杂耍;变化,多样化;
There are guides to raising an eco-friendly kid, a gluten-free kid, a disease-proof kid, which, if you ask me, is a little bit creepy . 有指导如何抚养不损害环境的小孩、 无麸质饮食养育法、 怎么养出不生病的小孩等等, 我个人是觉得不生病的小孩有点吓人。
eco-friendly:adj.对生态环境友好的,不妨害生态环境的;不损坏生态环境的; gluten-free:无谷胶;无谷蛋白; creepy:adj.令人毛骨悚然的;爬行的;
There are guides to raising a bilingual kid even if you only speak one language at home. 还有如何扶养会讲双语的小孩, 即使家里只有单语环境。
bilingual:adj.双语的;n.通两种语言的人;
There are guides to raising a financially savvy kid and a science-minded kid and a kid who is a whiz at yoga . 还有怎么教出财务小神童、 有科学头脑的小孩、 小孩是瑜珈高手的书。
financially:adv.财政上;金融上; savvy:n.悟性;理解能力;懂行(的人);v.理解;懂;vi.理解;知道; whiz:n.飕飕声;奇才;vi.飕飕作声;vt.使飕飕作声; yoga:n.瑜珈(意为"结合",指修行);瑜珈术;联想可360°翻转的平板电脑;
Short of teaching your toddler how to defuse a nuclear bomb, there is pretty much a guide to everything. 除了教小孩 拆解原子弹的指导书以外, 基本上每一件事都有指南可以参考。
toddler:n.学步的小孩;幼童装; defuse:v.平息;去掉…的雷管;使除去危险性; nuclear:adj.原子能的;[细胞]细胞核的;中心的;原子核的;
All of these books are well-intentioned . 所有这些书都是好意的,
well-intentioned:adj.好意的,好心的;出于善意的;
I am sure that many of them are great. 我相信大多数是很棒的,
But taken together, I am sorry, 但摆在一起时,我就很抱歉了,
I do not see help when I look at that shelf. 因为我找不到有用的, 就当我看着那个书架,
I see anxiety . 我看到了不安、
anxiety:n.焦虑;渴望;挂念;令人焦虑的事;
I see a giant candy-colored monument to our collective panic , and it makes me want to know, why is it that raising our children is associated with so much anguish and so much confusion ? 我看到了糖果颜色般缤纷的巨大名胜, 对应于我们集结出的恐慌。 这让我想要知道: 「为什么抚育孩子 是这么痛苦, 以及这么多困惑？」
giant:n.巨人;伟人;巨兽;adj.巨大的;特大的 monument:n.丰碑;纪念碑(或馆、堂、像等);历史遗迹;有历史价值的建筑; 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; panic:adj.恐慌的;n.惊恐;恐慌;惶恐不安;v.惊慌失措; associated:adj.有关联的; v.联想; (associate的过去分词和过去式) anguish:n.痛苦;苦恼;v.使极度痛苦;感到极度的痛苦; confusion:n.困惑;混淆;混同;困窘;
Why is it that we are at sixes and sevens about the one thing human beings have been doing successfully for millennia , long before parenting message boards and peer-reviewed studies came along? 为什么我们会是七上八下的？ 这件事我们人类 且早在「育儿讯息留言板」、 还有「同侪檢讨学习」的出现以前。
at sixes and sevens:乱七八糟;意见不一致;七上八下;乱七八糟的;混乱的; millennia:n.千年期(millennium的复数);一千年;千年庆典;太平盛世; peer-reviewed:n.同行评议;同行审阅;
Why is it that so many mothers and fathers experience parenthood as a kind of crisis ? 为什么这么多父母们 体认当父母就像一场灾难？
parenthood:n.亲子关系;父母身份; crisis:n.危机;危险期;决定性时刻;adj.危机的;用于处理危机的;
Crisis might seem like a strong word, but there is data suggesting it probably isn't. 「灾难」看起来像是一个激烈的字词, 但是有资料指出用「灾难」不会激烈。
There was, in fact, a paper of just this very name, 实际上曾经有论文就是用这来命名──
Parenthood as Crisis, published in 1957, and in the 50-plus years since, there has been plenty of scholarship documenting a pretty clear pattern of parental anguish. 1957 年发表的「当父母就像场灾难」。 而且从那之后的 50 多年里, 有很多的学术研究 记载父母苦闷 的一个非常清楚的图像。
scholarship:n.奖学金;学问;学识;学术成就; parental:adj.父母亲的,父母的;亲代的,亲本的;
Parents experience more stress than non-parents. 父母们比非父母者承受更多压力,
Their marital satisfaction is lower. 他们对婚姻的满足感较低。
marital:adj.婚姻的;夫妇间的; satisfaction:n.满意,满足;赔偿;乐事;赎罪;
There have been a number of studies looking at how parents feel when they are spending time with their kids, and the answer often is, not so great. 有很多的研究 探讨父母亲们 花时间陪小孩时的感受是怎样的。 答案经常不是太棒的。
Last year, I spoke with a researcher named Matthew Killingsworth who is doing a very, very imaginative project that tracks people's happiness, and here is what he told me he found: 去年我跟一位研究者马修．奇林史渥兹聊过, 他正在做一个非常独创的研究专案, 要追踪纪录人们的快乐。 他告诉我,他发现:
imaginative:adj.虚构的;富于想象的;有创造力的; tracks:n.小道;足迹;车辙;轨道;v.追踪;跟踪;(track的第三人称单数和复数)
Interacting with your friends is better than interac ting w ith your spouse, which is better than interac ting w ith other relatives, which is better than interac ting w ith acquaint ances , which is better than interac ting w ith parents, which is better than interac ting w ith children. 「与你的朋友们互动 比与你的配偶互动更快乐, 前者又比与亲戚们互动更快乐, 前者又比与点头之交们互动更快乐, 前者又比与父母亲互动更快乐, 前者又比与小孩们互动更快乐,
Interacting:v.交流;沟通;合作;相互影响;(interact的现在分词)
Who are on par with strangers. 小孩们就跟陌生人没两样。」
(Laughter) （笑声）
But here's the thing. 不过重点来了,
I have been looking at what underlies these data for three years, and children are not the problem. 三年来我一直在探讨 构成这些资料的东西, 小孩子并不是问题,
underlies:vt.成为…的基础;位于…之下;
Something about parenting right now at this moment is the problem. 当下有关当父母的一些事情 才是问题。
Specifically , I don't think we know what parenting is supposed to be. 特别是我不认为我们懂 当父母应该是怎样一回事,
Specifically:adv.特别地;明确地; 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)
Parent, as a verb, only entered common usage in 1970. 「当父母」做为一个动词, 到 1970 年之后才普遍使用,
usage:n.使用;利用;利用率;惯用法;
Our roles as mothers and fathers have changed. 我们身为父母亲的角色已经变了,
The roles of our children have changed. 我们小孩子的角色也已经改变了,
We are all now furiously improvising our way through a situation for which there is no script , and if you're an amazing jazz musician, then improv is great, but for the rest of us, it can kind of feel like a crisis. 现在我们大家拼命地即兴演出 度过一种状况, 那就是没有剧本的状况。 假如你是一个非常杰出的爵士乐手, 那么即兴演出是很棒的, 不过对我们其他人来说, 这有种像是一场灾难的感觉。
furiously:adv.猛烈地;狂暴地; improvising:vt.即兴创作;即兴表演;临时做;临时提供;vi.即兴创作;即兴表演;临时凑合; script:n.剧本;电影剧本;笔迹;广播(或讲话等)稿;v.为电影(或戏剧等)写剧本;
So how did we get here? 那么我们怎么会变成这样呢？
How is it that we are all now navigating a child-rearing universe without any norms to guide us? 我们大家现在是如何 在一个养育小孩的世界中,找出我们的方向？ 而没有任何准则可以指引我们。
navigating:v.航行,操纵(navigate的现在分词形式);adj.航行的,航行中; child-rearing:n.[法]抚养子女; norms:n.[标准]标准,规范;基准(norm复数形式);
Well, for starters , there has been a major historical change. 好！首先, 发生过一个重大的历史性改变,
starters:n.(主菜之前的)开胃小吃;参赛者;发令员;(starter的复数) historical:adj.历史的;史学的;基于史实的;
Until fairly recently , kids worked, on our farms primarily , but also in factories, mills , mines. 直到不久前, 孩子们以前是要工作的,主要是在我们的农场里, 但是也有小孩在工厂、磨坊、还有矿场等地工作,
fairly:adv.相当地;公平地;简直; recently:adv.最近;新近; primarily:adv.首先;主要地,根本上; mills:n.磨坊; v.碾碎,磨成粉(mill的第三人称单数和复数)
Kids were considered economic assets . 孩子们被认为是经济上的资产,
economic:adj.经济的,经济上的;经济学的; assets:n.资产;宝贵的人材;(一项)财物;资产;(asset的名词复数)
Sometime during the Progressive Era, we put an end to this arrangement . 在「进步时期」的某个时点,（美国 1890-1920 政治及社会改革阶段） 我们禁止了这样的做法,
Progressive:adj.进步的;先进的;开明的;稳步的;n.进步人士;开明人士;改革派; put an end to:结束;终止; arrangement:n.安排;筹备;布置;商定;约定;改编乐曲;
We recognized kids had rights, we banned child labor, we focused on education instead, and school became a child's new work. 我们承认孩子们有权力, 我们禁止使用童工、 我们用教育来取代工作, 学校成为孩子们的新工作,
recognized:v.认识;认出;辨别出;承认;意识到;(recognize的过去分词和过去式) banned:v.明令禁止;取缔;禁止(某人)做某事;(ban的过去分词和过去式)
And thank God it did. 感谢上帝这做到了！
But that only made a parent's role more confusing in a way. 不过那只有让父母亲的角色 更令人难懂。
confusing:adj.令人困惑; v.使糊涂; (confuse的现在分词)
The old arrangement might not have been particularly ethical , but it was reciprocal . 旧的做法可能不是高道德的,
particularly:adv.特别地,独特地;详细地,具体地;明确地,细致地; ethical:adj.伦理的;道德的;凭处方出售的;n.处方药; reciprocal:adj.互惠的;相互的;倒数的,彼此相反的;n.[数]倒数;互相起作用的事物;
We provided food, clothing, shelter, and moral instruction to our kids, and they in return provided income. 我们供应孩子食物、衣服、居所、 还有品性教导, 他们提供收入来偿还。
provided:conj.假如; v.提供; (provide的过去分词和过去式) moral:n.寓意;品行;教益;adj.道德的;道义上的;道德上的;品行端正的;
Once kids stopped working, the economics of parenting changed. 一旦孩童们停止工作, 养育小孩的经济性就改变了。
Kids became, in the words of one brilliant if totally ruthless sociologist , economically worthless but emotionally priceless . 孩童们变成了, 以一个聪明、或许可说是无情的社会学家的话来说: 「经济上毫无价值,但是情感上是无价的！」
ruthless:adj.无情的,残忍的; sociologist:n.社会学家; economically:adv.经济地;在经济上;节俭地; worthless:adj.无价值的;不值钱的;卑微的; emotionally:adv.感情上;情绪上;令人激动地;情绪冲动地; priceless:adj.无价的;极贵重的;非常有趣的;n.非卖品;
Rather than them working for us, we began to work for them, because within only a matter of decades it became clear: if we wanted our kids to succeed, school was not enough. 不再是他们为我们工作, 反而是我们开始为他们工作。 因为在几十年下来, 这变得很清楚－－ 「如果我们想要自己的孩子成功, 只有学校是不够的。」
Today, extracurricular activities are a kid's new work, but that's work for us too, because we are the ones driving them to soccer practice. 今天,课外活动是小孩们的新工作, 不过那也是我们的工作, 因为我们就是载他们去踢足球的人。
extracurricular:adj.课外的;业余的;婚外的;
Massive piles of homework are a kid's new work, but that's also work for us, because we have to check it. 成堆的家庭作業是孩子们的新工作, 不过那也是给我们的工作, 因为我们必须檢查它。
Massive:adj.大量的;巨大的,厚重的;魁伟的; piles:n.痔疮;痔;
About three years ago, a Texas woman told something to me that totally broke my heart. 大约在三年前,一位德州的女士 跟我说过一些话, 那彻底地让我心痛,
She said, almost casually , 她用一种稀鬆平常的语气说,
casually:adv.偶然;临时;
Homework is the new dinner. 「家庭作業是新的晚餐。」
The middle class now pours all of its time and energy and resources into its kids, even though the middle class has less and less of those things to give. 现在中产阶级们投注他们所有的时间、 精力以及资源给他们的小孩, 尽管中产阶级者们 已经越来越少有那些东西能给了。
middle class:adj.中产阶级的;中层社会的; pours:v.倾倒;倒出;倾泻;喷发;(pour的第三人称单数) resources:n.[计][环境]资源; v.向…提供资金(resource的第三人称单数);
Mothers now spend more time with their children than they did in 1965, when most women were not even in the workforce . 现在妈妈们花较多的时间陪小孩, 比起在 1965 年时所花的更多, 那时后大部分的妇女根本也不用工作。
workforce:n.劳动大军;全体员工;
It would probably be easier for parents to do their new roles if they knew what they were preparing their kids for. 让父母亲们去做好他们的新角色可能会比较简单, 要是他们知道为小孩们做的准备是为了什么。
This is yet another thing that makes modern parenting so very confounding . 这就是另外一件
confounding:v.使困惑惊讶;使惊疑;证明…有错;战胜;(confound的现在分词)
We have no clue what portion our wisdom , if any, is of use to our kids. 我们完全不晓得我们哪一部分的智慧 对小孩来说是有用的。
clue:n.提示;迹象;(纵横填字谜、游戏或问题的)提示词语;v.提示;为…提供线索; portion:n.部分;(食物的)一份;分担的责任;v.把…分成若干份(或部分); wisdom:n.智慧;明智;才智;学问;
The world is changing so rapidly, it's impossible to say. 这世界如此迅速地改变, 一切都很难说。
This was true even when I was young. 这是真的,即使当我还年轻的时候,
When I was a kid, high school specifically, 当我是小孩子时,明确地说是在高中时,
I was told that I would be at sea in the new global economy if I did not know Japanese. 我被告知 除非我懂日文。
global:adj.全球的;总体的;球形的; economy:n.经济;节约;理财;
And with all due respect to the Japanese, it didn't turn out that way. 无意冒犯日本人, 但结果并不是这样的。
Now there is a certain kind of middle-class parent that is obsessed with teaching their kids Mandarin , and maybe they're onto something, but we cannot know for sure. 现在有一类中产阶级的父母, 坚持要他们的小孩学中文, 也许他们是照着趋势, 但是我们没有人能百分百确定。
middle-class:adj.中产阶级的;中层社会的; obsessed:v.使痴迷;使迷恋;使着迷;(obsess的过去式和过去分词) Mandarin:n.(中国)普通话;国语;官话;满清官吏;柑橘;adj.紧身马褂的;
So, absent being able to anticipate the future, what we all do, as good parents, is try and prepare our kids for every possible kind of future, hoping that just one of our efforts will pay off. 因为没有能力能预测未来, 身为好爸妈的我们都在做的事, 是尽力为我们的小孩准备好 应付每一种可能的未来, 希望我们多项的付出中,只要一项能够成功就好。
absent:adj.缺席的;缺少的;心不在焉的;茫然的;v.使缺席; anticipate:v.预期,期望;占先,抢先;提前使用;
We teach our kids chess, thinking maybe they will need analytical skills. 我们教我们的小孩下棋, 想说他们有可能会用到分析的技能、
analytical:adj.分析的;解析的;善于分析的;
We sign them up for team sports, thinking maybe they will need collaborative skills, you know, for when they go to Harvard Business School . 我们幫他们报名了团队运动, 想说他们有可能会要用到与人合作的能力, 或许有天他们念哈佛商学院时会派上用场,
collaborative:adj.合作的,协作的; Harvard:n.哈佛大学;哈佛大学学生; Business School:n.(大学里针对毕业生的)工商学院;
We try and teach them to be financially savvy and science-minded and eco-friendly and gluten-free, though now is probably a good time to tell you that I was not eco-friendly and gluten-free as a child. 我们试图教导他们成为财务上很精明的、 有科学的头脑、不损害环境的、 不吃麦麸的。 现在很可能就是一个好的时间点来告诉你们, 我小时候既不是不损害环境的、也不是不吃麦麸的小孩,
I ate jars of pureed macaroni and beef. 我吃过好几罐的牛肉通心粉。
pureed:n.蓉;浓浆; macaroni:n.通心粉;通心面条;纨绔子弟;
And you know what? I'm doing okay. 而且你们知道吗？我这么做也没事。
I pay my taxes. 我缴税 、
I hold down a steady job. 我有一份稳定的工作 、
steady:adj.稳定的; v.使稳定; v.稳定地; n.关系固定的情侣;
I was even invited to speak at TED. 我甚至还被邀请来了 TED演说 !
But the presumption now is that what was good enough for me, or for my folks for that matter, isn't good enough anymore. 不过现在的假定是, 以前对我或周边朋友来说是足够的, 现在不再是够好的了。
presumption:n.放肆,傲慢;推测;
So we all make a mad dash to that bookshelf , because we feel like if we aren't trying everything, it's as if we're doing nothing and we're defaulting on our obligations to our kids. 所以我们全都疯狂飞奔到书架前, 因为我们觉得如果没有试遍每一件事, 那会像是我们什么事都没做, 好像我们没尽到教养小孩的责任。
bookshelf:n.书架; defaulting:v.违约;不履行义务;默认;预置;(default的现在分词) obligations:n.[法]义务;债务;承付款项(obligation的复数);
So it's hard enough to navigate our new roles as mothers and fathers. 所以真的很难去找出我们新角色的方向－ 身为母亲还有父亲。
navigate:vt.驾驶,操纵;使通过;航行于;vi.航行,航空;
Now add to this problem something else: we are also navigating new roles as husbands and wives because most women today are in the workforce. 现在还更增加了其他问题, 我们也正在找新角色的方向－ 身为丈夫还有妻子。 因为现今大部分的女人都在职场上,
This is another reason, I think, that parenthood feels like a crisis. 我认为这是另一个原因, 让当父母亲感觉像是一场灾难,
We have no rules, no scripts , no norms for what to do when a child comes along now that both mom and dad are breadwinners . 我们没有规章、没有剧本、没有准则, 适用于当小孩子出生后要做什么事。 现在爸爸跟妈妈都是赚钱养家的人。
scripts:n.原稿,手稿(script的复数形式); breadwinners:n.负担家计的人;养家糊口的人;
The writer Michael Lewis once put this very, very well. 作家麦可．路易斯曾经把这写得 非常非常棒,
He said that the surest way for a couple to start fighting is for them to go out to dinner with another couple whose division of labor is ever so slightly different from theirs, 他说让一对夫妻开始吵架,最简单的方法 就是让他们与另一对夫妻去外面吃晚餐。 而对方的劳动领域 与他们并没有太大差异。
division:n.师;分配;分开;分歧; slightly:adv.些微地,轻微地;纤细地;
because the conversation in the car on the way home goes something like this: 因为在回家路上,车子里的对话 大概就像这样:
So, did you catch that Dave is the one who walks them to school every morning? 「所以,
(Laughter) （笑声）
Without scripts telling us who does what in this brave new world, couples fight, and both mothers and fathers each have their legitimate gripes . 少了剧本告诉我们谁该做什么事, 在这个新世界里,夫妻们会吵架, 而且妈妈们跟爸爸们
legitimate:adj.合法的;正当的;合理的;正统的;v.使合法;认为正当(等于legitimize); gripes:n.抱怨(gripe的复数形式); v.控制;
Mothers are much more likely to be multi-tasking when they are at home, and fathers, when they are at home, are much more likely to be mono-tasking. 妈妈们非常可能 在家的时候要同时处理多项事情。 当爸爸们在家时, 非常可能只做单一事情。
multi-tasking:n.具有多任务同时处理功能;
Find a guy at home, and odds are he is doing just one thing at a time. 任你找一个在家的男人,
odds:n.几率;胜算;不平等;差别;
In fact, UCLA recently did a study looking at the most common configuration of family members in middle-class homes. 实际上洛杉矶加州大学最近刚做过一项调查, 观察最普遍的 在中产阶级家中的家庭成员分布位置,
at the most:至多,不超过; configuration:n.配置;结构;外形;
Guess what it was? 你猜怎么着,
Dad in a room by himself. 老爸自己一个人在车庫里 ！
According to the American Time Use Survey , mothers still do twice as much childcare as fathers, which is better than it was in Erma Bombeck's day, but I still think that something she wrote is highly relevant : 根据「美国人时间使用调查」, 母亲们仍然做着多父亲们两倍的孩童照护工作, 那比起在尔玛?邦贝克那年代好多了,（美国专栏幽默作家1960-90） 不过我仍然认为她曾写过的一些东西 是极其适宜的:
According to:根据,据说; Survey:n.调查;测量;审视;纵览;vt.调查;勘测;俯瞰;vi.测量土地; childcare:n.儿童保育;儿童照管;adj.儿童保育的;托管的; highly:adv.高度地;非常;非常赞许地; relevant:adj.相关的;切题的;中肯的;有重大关系的;有意义的,目的明确的;
I have not been alone in the bathroom since October. 「从十月以后我不再有自己单独在浴室的时间。」
(Laughter) （笑声）
But here is the thing: Men are doing plenty. 但其实男人们现在做很多事情了,
They spend more time with their kids than their fathers ever spent with them. 他们花了更多的时间陪小孩, 比起他们父亲当初陪伴他们的还多,
They work more paid hours, on average, than their wives, and they genuinely want to be good, involved dads. 他们的平均工时比另一半还要多, 而且他们真心地想要做个尽心的好父亲。
genuinely:adv.真诚地;诚实地; involved:adj.有关的; v.涉及; (involve的过去式和过去分词)
Today, it is fathers, not mothers, who report the most work-life conflict . 今天是父亲而不是母亲, 据说是最有工作与生活冲突的。
conflict:n.冲突;矛盾;争执;抵触;v.抵触;
Either way, by the way , if you think it's hard for traditional families to sort out these new roles, just imagine what it's like now for non-traditional families: families with two dads, families with two moms, single-parent households . 顺带一提另一个想法, 如果你认为让传统家庭 应付这些新角色是困难的, 就想像一下对非传统家庭来说 是什么样的情况－－ 有两个父亲的家庭、有两个母亲的家庭、 单亲家庭,
by the way:顺便说一下; traditional:传统的,惯例的, households:n.家庭;拆迁户;家户(household的复数);
They are truly improvising as they go. 当他们前进时真的是即兴演出。
Now, in a more progressive country, and forgive me here for capitulating to cliché and invoking , yes, Sweden, parents could rely on the state for support. 如今身在一个比较进步的国家, 原谅我老调重弹, 还得借助瑞典为例: 「没错,父母亲们可以依靠国家 给予协助。」
forgive:v.原谅;免除(债务,义务等); capitulating:v.屈服;屈从;投降;(capitulate的现在分词) invoking:v.援引,援用;提及,援引;提出;(invoke的现在分词) rely:vi.依靠;信赖;
There are countries that acknowledge the anxieties and the changing roles of mothers and fathers. 有好多国家都清楚明白 妈妈跟爸爸们的 焦虑感以及角色改变,
Unfortunately , the United States is not one of them, so in case you were wondering what the U.S. 不幸的是美国并不在其中。 因此要是你想知道美国
Unfortunately:adv.不幸地; United:adj.联合的; v.联合,团结; (unite的过去分词和过去式)
has in common with Papua New Guinea and Liberia , it's this: 跟巴布纽几内亚和赖比瑞亚的相同处, 那就是:
in common with:与…一样; Papua:n.巴布亚岛(新几内亚岛NewGuinea的旧名); Guinea:n.几内亚;基尼(英国旧时金币名); Liberia:n.利比里亚(西非国家);
We too have no paid maternity leave policy . 我们全都没有给薪的母亲育婴假政策,
maternity leave:产假; policy:n.政策,方针;保险单;
We are one of eight known countries that does not. 我们是已知的没有这项政策的八国之一。
In this age of intense confusion, there is just one goal upon which all parents can agree, and that is whether they are tiger moms or hippie moms, helicopters or drones , our kids' happiness is paramount . 在这个高度困扰的年代, 只有一个目标 全部的父母亲都会同意, 那就是,不论他们是 虎妈或是嬉皮妈、直升机父母或是无人侦测机父母, 我们小孩的快乐是至上的。
intense:adj.强烈的;紧张的;非常的;热情的; hippie:n.嬉皮士;嬉皮模样的年青人;adj.嬉皮的; drones:v.嗡嗡叫;嗡嗡响;(drone的第三人称单数) paramount:adj.最重要的,主要的;至高无上的;n.最高统治者;
That is what it means to raise kids in an age when they are economically worthless but emotionally priceless. 那就是 扶养小孩的意义, 当他们在经济上一点价值都没有, 但是情感上是无价的。
We are all the custodians of their self-esteem . 我们都是他们自尊的监护人,
custodians:[经管]保管人; self-esteem:n.自尊;自负;自大;
The one mantra no parent ever questions is, 不曾有父母怀疑过的这口号是:
mantra:n.咒语(尤指四吠陀经典内作为咒文或祷告唱念的);颂歌;
All I want is for my children to be happy. 「我最想看到的就是小孩们能快快乐乐！」
And don't get me wrong: 别搞错了,
I think happiness is a wonderful goal for a child. 我认为快乐对小孩子来说是一个很棒的目标,
But it is a very elusive one. 但它是很难达到的目标。
elusive:adj.难懂的;易忘的;逃避的;难捉摸的;
Happiness and self-confidence , teaching children that is not like teaching them how to plow a field. 「快乐」还有「自信」, 教小孩子快乐和自信
self-confidence:n.自信; plow:vi.[农机]犁; vt.[农机]犁; n.[农机]犁;
It's not like teaching them how to ride a bike. 不像教他们如何去骑单车,
There's no curriculum for it. 没有学校的课程来教这些。
curriculum:n.课程;总课程;
Happiness and self-confidence can be the byproducts of other things, but they cannot really be goals unto themselves. 「快乐」和「自信」可以是其他东西产生的副带品, 但是不能真的拿「快乐」和「自信」来当目标。
byproducts:n.副产品; unto:prep.到,直到;向(等于to);
A child's happiness is a very unfair burden to place on a parent. 一个小孩的快乐 是一个加诸于父母身上非常不公平的负担,
burden:n.负担;责任;船的载货量;v.使负担;烦扰;装货于;
And happiness is an even more unfair burden to place on a kid. 而且快乐是一个更不公平的负担 来加诸在小孩身上！
And I have to tell you, 而且我必须跟你们说,
I think it leads to some very strange excesses . 我认为那造成非常怪异的过分。
excesses:n.过份荒淫的行为; v.暂不聘任;
We are now so anxious to protect our kids from the world's ugliness that we now shield them from Sesame Street. 我们现在是这么不安的 想保护我们的小孩避开世界的丑陋, 我们现在不让他们看「芝麻街」。
ugliness:n.丑陋,丑陋之物; shield:n.盾;防护物;保护者;v.遮蔽;包庇;避开;保卫; Sesame:n.芝麻;
I wish I could say I was kidding about this, but if you go out and you buy the first few episodes of Sesame Street on DVD, as I did out of nostalgia , you will find a warning at the beginning saying that the content is not suitable for children. 我希望自己是在开玩笑, 不过假如你们出门购买 最初的一些「芝麻街」DVD 影集的话, 就跟我因为怀旧所做的事一样, 你会看见一段警告就在片头处, 「本片内容不适宜 给儿童们观赏。」
episodes:n.一段经历;片段,插曲;一集;(episode的复数) nostalgia:n.乡愁;怀旧之情;怀乡病; at the beginning:首先;从一开始;起初;从头开始; content:n.内容,目录;满足;容量;adj.满意的;vt.使满足; suitable:adj.合适的;适宜的;适当的;适用的;
(Laughter) （笑声）
Can I just repeat that? 可以让我再重复一遍吗？
The content of the original Sesame Street is not suitable for children. 原版「芝麻街」的内容 对孩童们来说是不适宜的！
original:n.原件;原作;原物;原型;adj.原始的;最初的;独创的;新颖的;
When asked about this by The New York Times, a producer for the show gave a variety of explanations. 当被纽约时报问到这问题时, 该节目的制作人给了多种的解释,
One was that Cookie Monster smoked a pipe in one skit and then swallowed it. 其中一个是在某短剧里,
Monster:n.怪物;恶魔;庞然大物;adj.巨大的; skit:n.讽刺文;滑稽短剧; swallowed:v.吞下;咽下;吞没;淹没;侵吞(swallow的过去分词和过去式)
Bad modeling. I don't know. 不好的榜样吧！我不知道啦。
But the thing that stuck with me is she said that she didn't know whether Oscar the Grouch could be invented today because he was too depressive . 但是让我挂心的事 是她说如果是今天创造芝麻街的话, 她说爱发牢骚的奥斯卡可能不会被创作出来, 因为牠太抑郁了。
Grouch:n.心怀不满;不高兴的人;抱怨;vi.发牢骚;闹脾气;抱怨; depressive:adj.抑郁的;压抑的;
I cannot tell you how much this distresses me. 我的难过无法言喻。
distresses:n.危难,不幸;贫困;悲痛;vt.使悲痛;使贫困;
(Laughter) （笑声）
You are looking at a woman who has a periodic table of the Muppets hanging from her cubicle wall. 你正在看着的 这就挂在我办公室。
periodic table:n.元素周期表; Muppets:n.提线木偶; cubicle:n.小卧室;小隔间;
The offending muppet, right there. 抑郁的布偶就在这。
offending:adj.烦人的;令人不安的;有罪的;v.得罪;犯罪;(offend的现在分词)
That's my son the day he was born. 那是我儿子出生的那天,
I was high as a kite on morphine . 我当时因为吗啡心情高亢得像风筝一样,
morphine:n.[毒物][药]吗啡;
I had had an unexpected C-section . 我做了没预料到的剖腹手术。
unexpected:adj.意外的,想不到的; C-section:n.剖腹产;
But even in my opiate haze , 不过即使在吸了麻醉雾气的状态下,
opiate:n.鸦片制剂;麻醉剂;镇静剂;adj.含鸦片的;安眠的;vt.用鸦片麻醉;使缓和; haze:n.薄雾;烟雾;迷蒙;迷糊;v.(使)笼罩在薄雾中;戏弄;
I managed to have one very clear thought the first time I held him. 在我第一次抱他时, 我成功抓住一个非常清楚的想法,
I whispered it into his ear. 我低声传进他的耳里,
I said, I will try so hard not to hurt you. 我说:「我会竭尽心力不让你受到伤害。」
It was the Hippocratic Oath , and I didn't even know I was saying it. 这是「希波克拉提克誓词」, 我甚至没意识到我念了它,
Hippocratic Oath:n.希波克拉底誓言(医生保证遵守医生职业道德的誓言);
But it occurs to me now that the Hippocratic Oath is a much more realistic aim than happiness. 但是我现在想到, 「希波克拉提克誓词」 是个比「快乐」更真实的目标。
occurs:v.重现(occur的第三人称单数); realistic:adj.现实的;现实主义的;逼真的;实在论的;
In fact, as any parent will tell you, it's awfully hard. 实际上就像每对父母亲说的, 这真的是困难到不行,
awfully:adv.非常;极其;
All of us have said or done hurtful things that we wish to God we could take back. 我们所有人都曾说过或做过伤害人的事情, 那些向上帝许愿,希望我们可以收回的事。
hurtful:adj.造成损害的;
I think in another era we did not expect quite so much from ourselves, and it is important that we all remember that the next time we are staring with our hearts racing at those bookshelves . 我想在另一个时代的话, 我们不会期望自己为小孩做到那么多事, 下次当我们站在书架前 看着那些书天人交战时, 这点是很重要的,我们全都要记住了。
staring:adj.凝视的,目不转睛的;显眼的;v.凝视;盯着看;显眼;(stare的现在分词) bookshelves:n.书架(bookshelf的复数);
I'm not really sure how to create new norms for this world, but I do think that in our desperate quest to create happy kids, we may be assuming the wrong moral burden. 我不是非常肯定如何建立新的准则 给这一个世界, 不过我认为 在我们极度渴望养出快乐的小孩时, 我们也许接受了不对的道德负担。
desperate:adj.不顾一切的;令人绝望的;极度渴望的; quest:n.追求;寻找;vi.追求;寻找;vt.探索; assuming:conj.假设…为真; adj.傲慢的; v.假定; (assume的现在分词)
It strikes me as a better goal, and, dare I say, a more virtuous one, to focus on making productive kids and moral kids, and to simply hope that happiness will come to them by virtue of the good that they do and their accomplishments and the love that they feel from us. 这让我想到一个更好的目标, 而且我大胆说是一个比较道德高尚的目标: 「要注重培养能做事的小孩、 还有行为良好的小孩」, 以及单单希望快乐会来到他们身边, 透过他们所做出的好事、 所达成的高尚品德; 还有他们从我们这里感受到的爱。
virtuous:adj.善良的;有道德的;贞洁的;正直的;有效力的; productive:adj.能生产的;生产的,生产性的;多产的;富有成效的; by virtue of:由于,凭借; accomplishments:n.成就;成绩;才艺;技艺;完成;(accomplishment的复数)
That, anyway, is one response to having no script. 这是面对没有剧本时的一种回应方式,
response:n.响应;反应;回答;
Absent having new scripts, we just follow the oldest ones in the book -- decency , a work ethic, love — and let happiness and self-esteem take care of themselves. 缺少了新的剧本, 我们只要遵从书上最旧的剧本: 「正直、工作道义还有爱」, 还有让「快乐」跟「自尊」自己管好自己,
decency:n.正派;体面;庄重;合乎礼仪;礼貌;
I think if we all did that, the kids would still be all right, and so would their parents, possibly in both cases even better. 我认为我们都这么做的话, 小孩子应该仍然没有问题的, 还有他们父母也一样没问题的, 非常有可能两者都会更好。
Thank you. 谢谢大家！
(Applause) （掌声）