整理了一些霉霉在纽约大学2022年毕业典礼上的演讲里的语言点,一起来看——
英文源自网络,译文为机器翻译基础上修缮,供理解参考。笔记由译群人团队制作。
some life hacks I wish I knew when I was starting out my dreams of a career, and navigating life, love, pressure, choices, shame, hope and friendship.
“我希望我在开始我的职业梦想,以及在面对生活、爱情、压力、选择、羞耻、希望和友谊时知道的一些生活窍门”。
Life hack: N any procedure or action that solves a problem, simplifies a task, reduces frustration, etc, in one's everyday life 生活黑客; 在日常生活中任何解决问题,简化任务,削弱沮丧感等的做法或行为
Navigate: [ VN ] to find the right way to deal with a difficult or complicated situation 找到正确方法(对付困难复杂的情况)
We next had to navigate a complex network of committees. 我们下一步必须设法使各级委员会予以通过。
设法走出某个困境,navigate oneself through the dilemma
learn to live alongside cringe
学会与尴尬共存
Cringe: a feeling of embarrassment and disgust 尴尬感,厌恶感
Being the youngest person in every room for over a decade meant that I was constantly being issued warnings from older members of the music industry, the media, interviewers, executives. This advice often presented itself as thinly veiled warnings. It felt like every interview I did included slight barbs by the interviewer about me one day ‘running off the rails.’ … So I became a young adult while being fed the message that if I didn’t make any mistakes, all the children of America would grow up to be perfect angels. However, if I did slip up, the entire Earth would fall off its axis and it would be entirely my fault and I would go to pop star jail forever and ever.
在十多年里,作为每个房间里最年轻的人,我被音乐界的前辈、媒体、采访者、高管频频警告。这些建议往往是几乎是赤裸裸的警告。我所做的每一次采访似乎都包括采访者对我终有一天会‘翻车’的微词。......所以我这样一个年轻人被灌输了这样的信息:如果我不犯任何错误,所有美国孩子都会成长为完美的天使。然而,如果我翻车了,整个地球就会从地轴上掉下来,而这完全是我的错,我就会被永远关进流行明星监狱。
Thinly/barely veiled/disguised可以放在一起记忆,表示几乎等同于……的,比如:
The novel is a thinly disguised autobiography. 这部小说让人一眼就可以看出是部自传。
a thinly veiled threat 几乎不加掩饰的威胁
veiled单独使用的时候类似于“含蓄的”意思,比如含蓄地提到make a veiled reference to sth.
Barb, 本意是倒钩,这里是引申义,a deliberately hurtful remark 讥讽的话,比如:
His barb hurt more than she cared to admit. 他的讥讽对她的伤害远比她承认的要大。
犯错误,或者用现在流行的网络语,翻车,在这段话中可以找到两个相关表达:
Run off the rails 字面意思是脱轨,引申为不在既定轨道上跑,也就是失去控制,不正常了。比如我们说一家公司经营不善陷入危机,The company has gone badly off the rails in recent years. 这家公司最近几年已经陷于严重瘫痪。
如果反过来,是正常的呢?On the rails,加个back, get back on the rails,恢复常态,东山再起。类似的表达还有stage a comeback
还有一个词组,slip up, 不过这个词的程度很轻,一般是一些无关紧要的小错误:
There were occasions when we slipped up. 我们有疏忽的一些时候。
顺嘴一提,犯错的人,可以用culprit:N-COUNT When you are talking about a crime or something wrong that has been done, you can refer to the person who did it as the culprit. 犯罪者; 犯错者
All the men were being deported even though the real culprits in the fight have not been identified. 尽管那次斗殴事件的真凶未被确认,但那些男人都在被驱逐出境。
We are each a patchwork quilt of those who have loved us, those who have believed in our futures, those who showed us empathy and kindness or told us the truth even when it wasn’t easy to hear.
我们每个人都是一床被子,由许多人拼接而成:那些爱我们的人、相信我们未来的人、向我们表示同情传达善意的人、尽管不易但也会告诉我们真相的人。
这句话中关注patchwork这个词, a type of needlework in which small pieces of cloth of different colours or designs are sewn together (不同图案杂色布块的)拼缝物;拼布工艺
a patchwork quilt 拼布绗缝盖被
这句话有一个metaphor,就是把人比作被子,然后这些人对我们的帮助,不管是love, belief, empathy, kindness, 还是Truth,都是我们这床被子上的patchwork,花花绿绿,拼凑在一起,构成了我们每一个个体。
A patchwork of sth.也引申为形形色色的……、各种各样的……,比如:
a patchwork of different styles and cultures 不同风格和文化的拼合
From the plane, the landscape was just a patchwork of fields. 从飞机上俯瞰,满目是田园交错的景色。
和patchwork有异曲同工之妙的名词包括mix, blend。比如刚才提到不同风格和文化的拼合,也可以写成a mix of styles and cultures
新旧结合 a mix of old and new
Blend 侧重的是(不同事物的)和谐结合,融合,比如说一个人年纪轻轻但是经验丰富,a blend of youth and experience。再来一个例句:
The public areas offer a subtle blend of traditional charm with modern amenities. 这些公共场所表现出对传统魅力与现代设施的巧妙结合。
You’ve worked and struggled and sacrificed and studied and dreamed your way here today and so, you know what you’re doing.
你们一路奋斗、拼搏、牺牲、学习、憧憬,才来到了这里。所以,你们很清楚自己在做什么。
这句话很简单,我们重点关注v.+one’s way+prep./adv.的用法。
way强调的是一路上,也就是一直持续的状态,后面跟的介词或副词表达的是这个动作状态最终达成的结果。比如,我们一直很努力的工作,最后升职了,work one’s way up: He worked his way up from messenger boy to account executive. 他从送信员一步一步晋升为客户经理。
想要出人头地,make one’s way in the world
一起努力共度经济难关fight our way out of the recession
One toxic relationship can outweigh so many wonderful, simple joys.
一段有害的关系可以盖过那么多美好、简单的快乐。
我们之前在讲李靓蕾长文中的gas light:如何避免被人PUA?时,提到了煤气灯效应,gaslight,然后提到了一本教你识别PUA的书Psychopath Free。在书中,作者将PUA者称作toxic people“毒型人”。toxic一词修饰人或关系,表示让人极为不爽的,a toxic relationship,说是“一段孽缘”也不为过了。
Out-这个词缀就不讲啦,之前出现过好几次啦,可以看这个>>>外刊精读笔记 | 经济学人:疫情下,职场女性何去何从?