查看原文
其他

3个TED演讲告诉你:读书与不读书的人,差别到底在哪儿?(附视频&演讲稿)



锻炼与不锻炼的人,隔一天看,没有任何区别;隔一个月看,差异甚微;但是隔五年十年看,身体和精神状态上就有了巨大差别。读书也是一样的道理,读书与不读书的人,日积月累,终成天渊之别。


今天是世界读书日,英语演讲君特别整理了3个和读书有关的TED演讲,一个是针对小孩子读书的,另外两个是关于成人的。改变命运,从读书开始!




如何设计图书馆,让孩子们爱上读书


受邀设计公立学校图书馆的标志时,全球顶尖设计大师迈克尔·布鲁特(Michael Bierut)完全没有料到他会在这上面投入多年的时间和精力。在幽默的演讲中,他回忆了这个令人着迷的项目给图书馆带去的能量、学习氛围和艺术感,让图书馆管理员激发孩子们阅读和思考的兴趣。



上下滑动,查看双语演讲稿


So there s this thing called the law of unintended consequences. I thought it was just like a saying, but it actually exists, I guess. There s, like, academic papers about it. And I m a designer. I don t like unintended consequences. People hire me because they have consequences that they really intend, and what they intend is for me to help them achieve those consequences. So I live in fear of unintended consequences. And so this is a story about consequences intended and unintended. 


I got called by an organization called Robin Hood to do a favor for them. Robin Hood is based in New York, a wonderful philanthropic organization that does what it says in the name. They take from rich people, give it to poor people. In this case, what they wanted to benefit was the New York City school system, a huge enterprise that educates more than a million students at a time, and in buildings that are like this one, old buildings, big buildings, drafty buildings, sometimes buildings that are in disrepair, certainly buildings that could use a renovation. Robin Hood had this ambition to improve these buildings in some way, but what they realized was to fix the buildings would be too expensive and impractical. So instead they tried to figure out what one room they could go into in each of these buildings, in as many buildings that they could, and fix that one room so that they could improve the lives of the children inside as they were studying. And what they came up with was the school library, and they came up with this idea called the Library Initiative. All the students have to pass through the library. That s where the books are. That s where the heart and soul of the school is. So let s fix these libraries. 


So they did this wonderful thing where they brought in first 10, then 20, then more architects, each one of whom was assigned a library to rethink what a library was. They trained special librarians. So they started this mighty enterprise to reform public schools by improving these libraries. Then they called me up and they said, "Could you make a little contribution?" I said, "Sure, what do you want me to do?" And they said, "Well, we want you to be the graphic designer in charge of the whole thing." And so I thought, I know what that means. That means I get to design a logo. I know how to design that. I design logos. That s what people come to me for. So OK, let s design a logo for this thing. Easy to do, actually, compared with architecture and being a librarian. Just do a logo, make a contribution, and then you re out, and you feel really good about yourself. And I m a great guy and I like to feel good about myself when I do these favors. 


So I thought, let s overdeliver. I m going to give you three logos, all based on this one idea. So you have three options, pick any of the three. They re all great, I said. So the basic idea was these would be new school libraries for New York schools, and so the idea is that it s a new thing, a new idea that needs a new name. What I wanted to do was dispel the idea that these were musty old libraries, the kind of places that everyone is bored with, you know, not your grandparents  library. Don t worry about that at all. This is going to this new, exciting thing, not a boring library. 


So option number one: so instead of thinking of it as a library, think of it as a place where it is like: do talk, do make loud noises. Right? So no shushing, it s like a shush-free zone. We re going to call it the Reading Room. 


That was option number one. OK, option number two. Option number two was, wait for it, OWL. I ll meet you at OWL. I m getting my book from the OWL. Meet you after school down at OWL. I like that, right? Now, what does OWL stand for? Well, it could be One World Library, or it could be Open. Wonder. Learn. Or it could be -- and I figure librarians could figure out other things it could be because they know about words. So other things, right? And then look at this. It s like the eye of the owl. This is irresistible in my opinion. 


But there s even another idea. Option number three. Option number three was based actually on language. It s the idea that "read" is the past tense of "read," and they re both spelled the same way. So why don t we call this place The Red Zone? I ll meet you at the Red Zone. Are you Red? Get Red. I m well Red. 


I really loved this idea, and I somehow was not focused on the idea that librarians as a class are sort of interested in spelling and I don t know. 


But sometimes cleverness is more important than spelling, and I thought this would be one of those instances. So usually when I make these presentations I say there s just one question and the question should be, "How can I thank you, Mike?" But in this case, the question was more like, "Um, are you kidding?" Because, they said, the premise of all this work was that kids were bored with old libraries, musty old libraries. They were tired of them. And instead, they said, these kids have never really seen a library. The school libraries in these schools are really so dilapidated, if they re there at all, that they haven t bored anyone. They haven t even been there to bore anyone at all. So the idea was, just forget about giving it a new name. Just call it, one last try, a library. Right? OK. So I thought, OK, give it a little oomph? Exclamation point? Then -- this is because I m clever -- move that into the "i," make it red, and there you have it, the Library Initiative. So I thought, mission accomplished, there s your logo. So what s interesting about this logo, an unintended consequence, was that it turned out that they didn t really even need my design because you could type it any font, you could write it by hand, and when they started sending emails around, they just would use Shift and 1, they d get their own logo just right out of the thing. And I thought, well, that s fine. Feel free to use that logo. And then I embarked on the real rollout of this thing -- working with every one of the architects to put this logo on the front door of their own library. Right? 


So here s the big rollout. Basically I d work with different architects. First Robin Hood was my client. Now these architects were my client. I d say, "Here s your logo. Put it on the door." "Here s your logo. Put it on both doors." "Here s your logo. Put it off to the side." "Here s your logo repeated all over to the top." So everything was going swimmingly. I just was saying, "Here s your logo. Here s your logo." 


Then I got a call from one of the architects, a guy named Richard Lewis, and he says, "I ve got a problem. You re the graphics guy. Can you solve it?" And I said, OK, sure." And he said, "The problem is that there s a space between the shelf and the ceiling." So that sounds like an architectural issue to me, not a graphic design issue, so I m, "Go on." And Richard says, "Well, the top shelf has to be low enough for the kid to reach it, but I m in a big old building, and the ceilings are really high, so actually I ve got all this space up there and I need something like a mural." And I m like, "Whoa, you know, I m a logo designer. I m not Diego Rivera or something. I m not a muralist." And so he said, "But can t you think of anything?" So I said, "OK, what if we just took pictures of the kids in the school and just put them around the top of the thing, and maybe that could work." And my wife is a photographer, and I said, "Dorothy, there s no budget, can you come to this school in east New York, take these pictures?" And she did, and if you go in Richard s library, which is one of the first that opened, it has this glorious frieze of, like, the heroes of the school, oversized, looking down into the little dollhouse of the real library, right? And the kids were great, hand-selected by the principals and the librarian. It just kind of created this heroic atmosphere in this library, this very dignified setting below and the joy of the children above. 


So naturally all the other librarians in the other schools see this and they said, well, we want murals too. And I m like, OK. So then I think, well, it can t be the same mural every time, so Dorothy did another one, and then she did another one, but then we needed more help, so I called an illustrator I knew named Lynn Pauley, and Lynn did these beautiful paintings of the kids. Then I called a guy named Charles Wilkin at a place called Automatic Design. He did these amazing collages. We had Rafael Esquer do these great silhouettes. He would work with the kids, asking for words, and then based on those prompts, come up with this little, delirious kind of constellation of silhouettes of things that are in books. Peter Arkle interviewed the kids and had them talk about their favorite books and he put their testimony as a frieze up there. Stefan Sagmeister worked with Yuko Shimizu and they did this amazing manga-style statement, "Everyone who is honest is interesting," that goes all the way around. Christoph Niemann, brilliant illustrator, did a whole series of things where he embedded books into the faces and characters and images and places that you find in the books. And then even Maira Kalman did this amazing cryptic installation of objects and words that kind of go all around and will fascinate students for as long as it s up there. 


So this was really satisfying, and basically my role here was reading a series of dimensions to these artists, and I would say, "Three feet by 15 feet, whatever you want. Let me know if you have any problem with that." And they would go and install these. It just was the greatest thing. 


But the greatest thing, actually, was -- Every once in a while, I d get, like, an invitation in the mail made of construction paper, and it would say, "You are invited to the opening of our new library." So you d go to the library, say, you d go to PS10, and you d go inside. There d be balloons, there d be a student ambassador, there d be speeches that were read, poetry that was written specifically for the opening, dignitaries would present people with certificates, and the whole thing was just a delirious, fun party. So I loved going to these things. I would stand there dressed like this, obviously not belonging, and someone would say, "What are you doing here, mister?" And I d say, "Well, I m part of the team that designed this place." And they d said, "You do these shelves?" And I said, "No." "You took the pictures up above." "No." "Well, what did you do?" "You know when you came in? The sign over the door?" "The sign that says library?" 


"Yeah, I did that!" And then they d sort of go, "OK. Nice work if you can get it." So it was so satisfying going to these little openings despite the fact that I was kind of largely ignored or humiliated, but it was actually fun going to the openings, so I decided that I wanted to get the people in my office who had worked on these projects, get the illustrators and photographers, and I said, why don t we rent a van and drive around the five boroughs of New York and see how many we could hit at one time. And eventually there were going to be 60 of these libraries, so we probably got to see maybe half a dozen in one long day. And the best thing of all was meeting these librarians who kind of were running these, took possession of these places like their private stage upon which they were invited to mesmerize their students and bring the books to life, and it was just this really exciting experience for all of us to actually see these things in action. So we spent a long day doing this and we were in the very last library. It was still winter, because it got dark early, and the librarian says, "I m about to close down. So really nice having you here. Hey, wait a second, do you want to see how I turn off the lights?" I m like, "OK." And she said, "I have this special way that I do it." And then she showed me. What she did was she turned out every light one by one by one by one, and the last light she left on was the light that illuminated the kids  faces, and she said, "That s the last light I turn off every night, because I like to remind myself why I come to work." 


So when I started this whole thing, remember, it was just about designing that logo and being clever, come up with a new name? The unintended consequence here, which I would like to take credit for and like to think I can think through the experience to that extent, but I can t. I was just focused on a foot ahead of me, as far as I could reach with my own hands. Instead, way off in the distance was a librarian who was going to find the chain of consequences that we had set in motion, a source of inspiration so that she in this case could do her work really well. 40,000 kids a year are affected by these libraries. They ve been happening for more than 10 years now, so those librarians have kind of turned on a generation of children to books and so it s been a thrill to find out that sometimes unintended consequences are the best consequences. 


Thank you very much. 


有一种东西叫意外结果定律。我还以为这只是说说而已, 但是这一定律真实存在。这方面有一些学术文章。我是个设计师, 我不喜欢意外结果。人们雇佣我,就是因为他们 想要达到某个结果, 而他们希望我 帮他们达到这个目标。所以我活在对意外结果的恐惧中。这个故事是关于计划中 和意料外的结果的。


一个叫罗宾汉的组织打电话给我, 希望我帮个忙。罗宾汉是一个总部在纽约的很棒的慈善组织, 他们的任务就如同其名字一样, 损有余而补不足 这次,他们想为纽约的学校做贡献, 这些学校接收了超过一百万学生, 在像这栋楼一样的楼里提供教育。都是些很老的大楼, 十分破旧,有的年久失修, 因此其中一些需要整修。罗宾汉的本意是想 改善这些楼的设施, 但他们意识到 整修这些楼不仅昂贵,而且不现实。所以, 他们想是不是能 在尽量多的楼里, 每栋楼选择一个房间, 翻修那一个房间, 这样,他们能在 孩子们学习的同时, 提高他们的生活品质。他们决定修建学校图书馆, 称之为“图书馆计划”。所有学生都会经过图书馆。图书馆有书, 是学校的心脏和灵魂所在。所以我们得弄好这些图书馆。


他们开始做这件美好的 事情,请来了 开始是10位,然后是20位, 接着是更多的建筑师, 每个人都被分配了一个图书馆, 来重新思考图书馆的定义。他们培养了一些 特别的图书馆管理员。他们通过改善图书馆, 开始了改革公立学校 这项伟大的事业.。然后他们打电话给我说, “你能帮一点忙吗?“ 我说,“当然可以, 你们想让我做什么?“ 接着他们说, “我们想让你作为图形设计师 来负责整个事情。” 我想了想,我明白了, 这意味着我得设计出一个标识。我知道怎么做, 我是商标设计师。人们找我都是为此而来。那好吧,那就给 这项活动做个标识。相比设计建筑和当管理员, 这其实是个简单的活。只需要做个标志,做点贡献, 就可以走人, 而且你会觉得自己很棒。我很棒,我喜欢因为帮忙而 自我感觉良好。


所以我想,要不多干一点活吧。我会给你们三个 基于一个想法设计的标识。你们可以从这三个中 任选其一。它们都很棒,我介绍道。基本想法是, 这是新的学校图书馆, 为“新约克”(纽约)的 学校而设计, 所以,这是一个新生事物, 一个需要一个新名称的新点子。我不想让人们认为 这些图书馆都十分老旧, 那种每个人都 厌烦的图书馆, 你懂的,就是老一辈人 那种图书馆, 完全不是这样。这会是一个 令人振奋的新事物, 而不是无聊的图书馆。


所以,方案一:不把这个地方当成图书馆, 而是把它当成可以自由谈话、 发出响声的地方。没人能阻止别人说话, 不会有人说“嘘”。我们会把这个地方叫做阅读室。


这是第一个方案。好了,接下来是第二个。方案二是,瞧好了, OWL。我们OWL见。我要去OWL取书。放学后我在OWL等你。我喜欢这个。OWL是什么意思呢?事实上,它既可以是“One World Library”(一个世界图书馆), 也可以是开放(Open)、好奇 (Wonder)、学习(Learn)。还可以是——我想图书管理员 肯定有别的解释, 因为他们懂很多词。那还有什么呢?看,它像猫头鹰 (owl)的眼睛。我对此难以抗拒。


但是,还有另一个点子。方案三。方案三,其实是个文字游戏。灵感来源是,“阅读”的 过去时与“红色”同音, 过去时和现在时的拼写相同。所以,我们为何不把这个 地方叫做“红区”呢?在“红区”见面吧。你“红”(读书)了吗?变“红”(阅读)吧。我“很红”(读了很多书)。


我很喜欢这个想法,  而不知怎的 我没考虑到 图书管理员们,一般都…… 对拼写很在意。


(笑声) 但有时创意比拼写正确更重要。


我认为眼下就是如此。当我展示自己的设计时, 客户一般只会有一个问题, 那就是—— “Mike,我要怎样感谢你?” 但这一次,客户的问题却是, “呃,你在开玩笑吗?” 他们说,因为 这些设计的前提 是孩子们厌倦了 老旧的图书馆, 受够了这些。然而这些孩子从未 见过真正的图书馆。这些学校里的图书馆, 都非常破旧, 有的学校甚至没有。他们连厌倦 的机会都没有。这些图书馆甚至 没有存在过。所以,我不需要给它 取什么新名字。只要叫它“图书馆”就行了, 就这样。所以我想,行吧, 弄点花样?加个感叹号?然后—— 我运用聪明才智—— 我把感叹号移动到了I处, 把它变成红色。这样就完成了:“图书馆计划”。于是任务完成了, 这就是你们要的标志。有趣的是,这个标识 有一个意外结果。事实证明,客户其实 并不需要我设计什么, 因为这个标识可以 用任何字体打印,可以手写, 而当他们开始发邮件的时候, 只要在键盘上打个感叹号, 就能直接打出自己的标志。我想,嗯,行吧。这个标志你们随便用。然后,我开始真正展示我的设计。和每一个建筑师合作, 把这个标识放在图书馆门上。


事情是这样的。我需要和不同建筑师合作。原本罗宾汉是我的客户, 现在建筑师们是我的客户。我会说:“这是你的标志。把它放在门上。” “这是你的标志。把它放在两扇门上。” “这是你的标志。把它放在边上。” “这是你的标志。在顶上把它重复放。” 所以每件事都做的挺快。我只是说,“这是你的标志。这是你的标志。”


然后,我接到了一个建筑师的电话, 他叫理查德·路易斯, 他说:“我遇到了个麻烦。你是负责图像设计的。能帮个忙吗?我说,“当然可以。” 他说:“书架和天花板之间 有一个空档。” 对我来说这听起来像 建筑问题, 而不是图像设计问题。我说:“继续。” 他说:“最高的书架必须低到 孩子们能够得到, 但在老楼房里天花板很高, 所以有一块很大的空白, 我需要弄些壁画。” 我说:“啊?我是商标设计师, 不是画家。我不会壁画。” 他说:“但你不能想点什么吗?” 我说:“行,如果给孩子拍点照片, 然后放在书架上方, 或许就搞定了。” 我夫人是摄影师, 我告诉她:“多罗西,这没有预算, 你能到纽约东边的这个学校拍点照吗?” 她去了, 而如果你到了那个图书馆, 这批图书馆第一个开放的, 你会看到,像英雄一般 很大的人像,俯视着 下面的小小图书馆。这些孩子都很好, 由校长和图书管理员 亲自挑选。这就使得图书馆有种英雄气氛, 下面是庄严的气氛, 上面是欢快的孩子们。


后来其他学校的图书馆员看到了, 他们说,“我们也想要壁画。” 我想,好吧。但这不能每次都一样, 所以多罗西拍了照片 给另外两个图书馆, 然后我们需要别的支援了。我认识一个叫林·泡利的插画师, 他画了这些美丽的孩子们。然后我找来Automatic Design 的查尔斯·维京, 他做了拼贴画。我们有拉斐尔·伊斯科, 他做了剪影。他会和孩子们合作, 想寻找词语, 基于孩子们的回答, 做出这些剪影组合, 反映了书中的内容。比特·阿科尔采访了孩子们, 让他们说说他们最喜欢的书, 然后把他们的话放在上面。斯特凡·萨格和清水裕子合作, 用漫画配上格言, “诚实的人都很有趣,” 放在周围。克里斯托弗·聂曼,优秀插画家, 创作了一系列作品, 画面中书本与书中的 人物形象、场景等融为一体。还有玛利亚·卡曼, 她的物品和词语的剪纸, 贴满图书馆,一直深深地 吸引着孩子们。


大家都很满意。我基本只要把尺寸告诉艺术家就行。我会说, “3X5英尺,随便你弄。有问题找我。” 然后他们就会把这些弄好。这是最棒的事。


但更棒的事,其实是, 我时不时会 收到彩色卡纸做的请柬, 邀请我去参加图书馆的开馆大会。所以,我去了那个图书馆, 比如这个PS 10, 走进去。会有气球,会有学生接待, 有事先拟好的演讲, 有为了开馆写的诗歌, 还有大人物颁发证书, 整个活动就是一个 激动人心的派对。我爱参加这些活动。我会站在那,穿着正装, 显得格格不入, 然后有人问我, “你为什么来这里?” 我说:“我参与设计了这个地方。” 他们问:“你设计了书架吗?” 我说,“不是。” “那就是拍了上面的照片?” “不是。” “那你设计了什么?” “你进门时看到 那个符号了吗?” “那个写了图书馆的指示牌吗?”


”是啊,那是我设计的。“ 他们就走了,“设计得不错,挺好的。” 总之我很高兴去参加这些开幕式, 尽管我基本上被忽视或者嘲笑。但这真的很有趣, 所以我决定叫来我工作室的人, 是他们找来了插画师和摄影师, 所以我说,为什么不租一辆车, 然后在纽约开来开去, 看看我们一次性能看到多少图书馆。最后一共有60个图书馆。所以或许我们能在一天看完6个。最棒的是见到 图书管理员, 他们管理这些地方, 主宰这里, 就像他们自己的舞台, 他们被请来 迷住孩子们,让书本活起来。亲眼见到他们的”表演“ 让我们都十分兴奋。我们花了一整天, 来到最后一个图书馆。这是冬天,天黑的很早, 图书管理员说, “我要关门了。很高兴你们能来。等等,你要看看我怎么关灯的吗?” 我说,“好啊。” 她说,“我有特别的做法。” 她展示给我看。她一个个把灯关上, 最后一盏灯, 是那盏照亮着孩子们脸的灯。她说,“那是我每天最后关的灯。因为我想提醒自己 我工作是为了什么。


看,当我开始做这一切时, 我只是设计一个标识, 然后想个巧妙的名字。最终的意外结果, 我很想归功于自己, 很想认为一切都在 我最初的设想中。但我不能。我只是关注下一步,只考虑 自己触手可及的事情, 而在远方, 是一个图书管理员, 把这个因果链,把我们不断发展的 一系列活动 当做一种激励。这样,她就能很好地 完成自己的工作。每年有四万个孩子 受益于这些图书馆。现在已经过去了10年。某种意义上这些图书馆员 让一代孩子接触到了图书, 而意识到这一点让人兴奋:有时候,意外的结果 是最好的结果。


谢谢大家。



从湖南到美国:书籍如何成为心灵解药


你可能不会相信,但是这个世界上的确存在着一些地区,那里的妇女不会读书写字,过着奴役般的生活,她们因为各种原因还不允许接受教育,而能改变她们命运的唯一出路只有教育。欣慰的是,在这些地方,我们逐渐看到一些勇敢的妇女们开始走出来, 敢于对抗封建教条,不畏艰难困阻,选择通过读书改变自己命运。摄影师Laura Boushnak女士记录下了这些片断。

我第一次看卜秋静的TED Talks演讲,就被她优美娴熟的英语,温柔亲近却充满自信的不同气场深深吸引住了。看着这位在舞台上面带微笑侃侃而谈的中国女性,很难不会想继续了解她在北美一路追梦的故事。在今天的女仕界访谈专栏里,我很高兴有机会向大家分享这位旅居纽约,在TED Talks打出一番天地的中国媒体人卜秋静的故事。“当你用全心去追逐梦想,宇宙里的神秘力量也会联合起来帮助你。”这句话,我牢牢记住了。



https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?width=500&height=375&auto=0&vid=e0521813292


上下滑动,查看双语演讲稿


So I was trained to become a gymnast for two years in Hunan, China in the 1970s. When I was in the first grade, the government wanted to transfer me to a school for athletes, all expenses paid. But my tiger mother said, "No." My parents wanted me to become an engineer like them. After surviving the Cultural Revolution,they firmly believed there s only one sure way to happiness: a safe and well-paid job. It is not important if I like the job or not.

七十年代时我在中国湖南练过两年体操。当我上小学一年级时,政府想让我转学去体校,一切免费。我那位虎妈说“不行”。我父母希望我长大象他们一样当工程师。作为文革的幸存者,他们坚定认为获得幸福的唯一可靠途径是一个安定高薪的工作,至于我喜不喜欢那个工作并不重要。


But my dream was to become a Chinese opera singer. That is me playing my imaginary piano. An opera singer must start training young to learn acrobatics, so I tried everything I could to go to opera school. I even wrote to the school principal and the host of a radio show. But no adults liked the idea. 

但我的梦想是成为黄梅戏演员。那是我在弹假想的钢琴。戏曲演员必须从小开始学身段功夫,我想尽了一切办法想去黄梅戏学校,甚至写信给戏校校长和一个电台节目主持人。


No adults believed I was serious. Only my friends supported me, but they were kids, just as powerless as I was. So at age 15, I knew I was too old to be trained. My dream would never come true. I was afraid that for the rest of my lifesome second-class happiness would be the best I could hope for.

但没有一个大人喜欢那个主意,没有一个大人相信我是认真的。只有我的小伙伴们支持我,但他们也是小孩,和我一样无能为力。十五岁时,我知道自己要学戏已经年纪太大,我的梦想已不再可能实现。我担心在余下的一生里,自己的命就是得到些二流幸福而已。


But that s so unfair. So I was determined to find another calling. Nobody around to teach me? Fine. I turned to books.

老天不公啊!暗下决心要为自己寻找另一个使命 。周围无人赐教?没什么大不了, 我从书中学习。


I satisfied my hunger for parental advice from this book by a family of writers and musicians.["Correspondence in the Family of Fou Lei"]

《傅雷家书》满足了我对长辈教诲的期盼, 写书的傅家是一个作家、音乐家荟萃的家庭。


I found my role model of an independent woman when Confucian tradition requires obedience.["Jane Eyre"]

我从《简爱》这本书中找到了独立女性的榜样, 尽管儒家传统教人听话顺从。


And I learned to be efficient from this book.["Cheaper by the Dozen"]

我从《效率专家爸爸》这本书中学会高效率。


And I was inspired to study abroad after reading these.["Complete Works of Sanmao" (aka Echo Chan)] ["Lessons From History" by Nan Huaijin]

这几本书燃起了我对出国深造的渴望。(《三毛全集》、南怀瑾的《历史的经验》)


I came to the U.S. in 1995, so which books did I read here first? Books banned in China, of course. "The Good Earth" is about Chinese peasant life. That s just not convenient for propaganda. Got it. The Bible is interesting, but strange. 

我1995年来美国,在美国我首先读什么书呢?当然是中国的禁书。《大地》讲的是中国农民的故事,真实得不方便宣传。懂了。《圣经》很有趣但也很奇怪。


That s a topic for a different day. But the fifth commandment gave me an epiphany: "You shall honor your father and mother." "Honor," I said. "That s so different, and better, than obey." So it becomes my tool to climb out of this Confucian guilt trap and to restart my relationship with my parents.

那个话题他日再聊。但十诫中的第五诫给了我灵感:“你应荣耀你的父母”。我心里一动,“荣耀”不等于而且远胜于“服从”!它成为我爬出儒家负罪感的工具,它成为我爬出儒家负罪感的工具,让我重建与父母的关系。


Encountering a new culture also started my habit of comparative reading. It offers many insights. For example, I found this map out of place at first because this is what Chinese students grew up with. It had never occurred to me, China doesn t have to be at the center of the world. 

来到一个新文化环境也促成我比较阅读的习惯,来到一个新文化环境也促成我比较阅读的习惯,它让人读得更深刻。举个例子,第一次看到这幅地图时我觉得它有些怪, 因为这才是中国大陆学生从小到大使用的世界地图。我之前从未意识到原来中国不一定非要位于世界地图中央。


A map actually carries somebody s view. Comparative reading actually is nothing new. It s a standard practice in the academic world. There are even research fields such as comparative religion and comparative literature.

原来地图带着某种视角。比较阅读并不新鲜,它是学术界里的标准做法,比较文学、比较宗教甚至成为专门研究领域。比较文学、比较宗教甚至成为专门研究领域。


Compare and contrast gives scholars a more complete understanding of a topic. So I thought, well, if comparative reading works for research, why not do it in daily life too? So I started reading books in pairs. So they can be about people -- ["Benjamin Franklin" by Walter Isaacson]["John Adams" by David McCullough] -- who are involved in the same event, or friends with shared experiences. ["Personal History" by Katharine Graham]["The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life," by Alice Schroeder] 

对比对照让学者们对一个课题有更全面的了解。对比对照让学者们对一个课题有更全面的了解。我琢磨着,既然比较阅读对研究有用,为什么不把它用在日常生活中呢?因此我开始把书成对来读。它们可以是关于同一事件的不同当事人,它们可以是关于同一事件的不同当事人,(《本杰明·富兰克林》、《约翰·亚当斯》)或两个有共同经历的朋友。(凯瑟琳·格雷厄姆的《个人历史》、巴菲特传记《雪球》)


I also compare the same stories in different genres -- (Laughter) [Holy Bible: King James Version]["Lamb" by Chrisopher Moore] -- or similar stories from different cultures, as Joseph Campbell did in his wonderful book.["The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell] For example, both the Christ and the Buddha went through three temptations.For the Christ, the temptations are economic, political and spiritual. For the Buddha, they are all psychological: lust, fear and social duty -- interesting.

我还把故事相同但文体不同的书做对比, (《圣经》、小说《羔羊》)或对比那些来自不同文化的相似故事,象约瑟夫·坎贝尔在其杰作《神话的力量》中所做的那样。举个例子,耶稣和佛祖都经历了三大诱惑,耶稣经历的是经济、政治和精神诱惑, 佛祖经历的则都是心理诱惑:欲望、恐惧和社会责任——有意思。


So if you know a foreign language, it s also fun to read your favorite books in two languages. ["The Way of Chuang Tzu" Thomas Merton]["Tao: The Watercourse Way" Alan Watts] Instead of lost in translation, I found there is much to gain. For example, it s through translation that I realized "happiness" in Chinese literally means "fast joy." Huh! "Bride" in Chinese literally means "new mother." Uh-oh. (Laughter)

如果你懂外语,把你喜欢的书的两个语言版本对比读也很有意思。(托马斯·默顿翻译的《庄子》、阿伦·瓦特翻译的《道德经》) 们常说翻译总有缺失,我却发现翻译也可以带来收获。举个例子,是翻译使我意识到原来中文“快乐”一词的字面意思可解为“快速欢乐”,呃... 中文“新娘”一词的字面意思可解为“新妈妈”,天啊!


Books have given me a magic portal to connect with people of the past and the present. I know I shall never feel lonely or powerless again. Having a dream shattered really is nothing compared to what many others have suffered. I have come to believe that coming true is not the only purpose of a dream. Its most important purpose is to get us in touch with where dreams come from, where passion comes from, where happiness comes from. Even a shattered dream can do that for you.

书已成为我与古人今人沟通的一个神奇门户, 书已成为我与古人今人沟通的一个神奇门户, 让我再不会觉得孤单无助。与其他人的苦难相比,梦想破灭算不了什么。与其他人的苦难相比,梦想破灭算不了什么。我渐渐意识到成真并非梦想的唯一目的, 我渐渐意识到成真并非梦想的唯一目的, 它的最重要目的是让我们触摸到 梦想来源的地方、 热情来源的地方、快乐来源的地方, 哪怕一个破灭的梦想也可以让你经历那种触摸。


So because of books, I m here today, happy, living again with a purpose and a clarity, most of the time. So may books be always with you.

因为书,我今天得以在此, 快乐地活着,生活的目标和意义重新变得明确, 在大部分时候。希望书也永远与你相伴!



读书改变命运,她们是最好的证明

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?width=500&height=375&auto=0&vid=v0632zupona


上下滑动,查看双语演讲稿


As an Arab female photographer, I have always found ample inspiration for my projects in personal experiences. The passion I developed for knowledge, which allowed me to break barriers towards a better life was the motivation for my project I Read I Write. Pushed by my own experience, as I was not allowed initially to pursue my higher education, I decided to explore and document stories of other women who changed their lives through education, while exposing and questioning the barriers they face. I covered a range of topics that concern women s education, keeping in mind the differences among Arab countries due to economic and social factors. These issues include female illiteracy,  which is quite high in the region;  educational reforms;  programs for dropout students;  and political activism among university students.  As I started this work, it was not always easy to convince the women to participate. Only after explaining to them how their stories might influence other women s lives, how they would become role models for their own community, did some agree. Seeking a collaborative and reflexive approach, I asked them to write their own words and ideas on prints of their own images. Those images were then shared in some of the classrooms, and worked to inspire and motivate other women going through similar educations and situations. Aisha, a teacher from Yemen, wrote, "I sought education in order to be independent and to not count on men with everything."

作为一个阿拉伯女摄影师, 在个人经历中,我总是找到 充分的灵感,做我的项目。我培养追求知识的激情, 这种激情让我打破障碍, 迈向更美好的生活, 也是我读和写,做项目的动机。被自身起初 我不被允许追求高等教育的经历所激励, 我决定去探索和记录其他妇女 通过接受教育, 改变生活的故事, 同时揭露和探究她们面对的障碍。我覆盖了一系列 关注女性教育的主题 并考虑到阿拉伯国家之间 由于经济和社会因素造成的差异。这些问题包括女性文盲, 这个数量在该地区相当高;教育的改革;对辍学学生培训项目;和在大学生中政治活动。当我开始这项工作说服妇女参与总是不容易。只有向她们解释 她们的故事可能影响其他妇女的生活,他们可能成为社区楷模之后,一些人才认同。寻求一个合作和反思的方法, 我要求她们把自己的话和想法 写在印有自己的图象上面。这些图像在一些教室被分享,对激发和激励其他 接受相似的教育和情形的妇女起了作用。Aisha,来自也门 的一名教师,写到 “我为了成为独立的人去追求教育 并且不把一切都依靠男人“。

(该图片非原演讲稿件内容,仅用于本公众号配图使用,与演讲稿件涉及内容无关)

One of my first subjects was Umm El-Saad from Egypt. When we first met, she was barely able to write her name. She was attending a nine-month literacy program run by a local NGO in the Cairo suburbs. Months later, she was joking that her husband had threatened to pull her out of the classes, as he found out that his now literate wife was going through his phone text messages. (Laughter)Naughty Umm El-Saad. Of course, that s not why Umm El-Saad joined the program. I saw how she was longing to gain control over her simple daily routines, small details that we take for granted, from counting money at the market to helping her kids in homework. Despite her poverty and her community s mindset,which belittles women s education, Umm El-Saad, along with her Egyptian classmates, was eager to learn how to read and write.

最先,我的对象之一是 来自埃及的Umm El-Saad 当我们第一次见面,她 仅仅能写出她的名字。她参加了九个月 读写能力课程。该课程由当地非政府组织在开罗郊区举办。几个月后,她开玩笑说,她丈夫 曾威胁要把她 从学习班中辍学, 因为他发现, 现在他识字的妻子 翻遍他的手机短信 (笑声) 淘气的Umm El-Saad。当然,这不是UmmEl-Saad参加这个课程的原因 我看到,她是如何渴望掌控简单日常事务以及我们认为的理所当然的一些小细节, 从在市场上数钱,到帮助她的孩子做作业。尽管她贫穷,并且 她社区的观念模式 是贬低妇女的教育, Umm El-Saad, 和 她的埃及同学 是渴望学习阅读和书写的。

(该图片非原演讲稿件内容,仅用于本公众号配图使用,与演讲稿件涉及内容无关)

In Tunisia, I met Asma, one of the four activist women I interviewed. The secular bioengineering student is quite active on social media. Regarding her country, which treasured what has been called the Arab Spring, she said, "I ve always dreamt of discovering a new bacteria. Now, after the revolution, we have a new one every single day." Asma was referring to the rise of religious fundamentalism in the region, which is another obstacle to women in particular.

在突尼斯,我遇到Asma, 我采访的四位积极女性之一, 这位世俗的生物工程学生在社交媒体上相当活跃。关于她的国家,她对 阿拉伯之春的抗议活动高度评价, 她说,“我一直梦想 发现一个新的细菌。革命后,现在我们 每一天有一个新细菌“ Asma提及,宗教原教旨 主义在该地区复活, 这尤其对妇女是另一个障碍。

(该图片非原演讲稿件内容,仅用于本公众号配图使用,与演讲稿件涉及内容无关)

Out of all the women I met, Fayza from Yemen affected me the most. Fayza was forced to drop out of school at the age of eight when she was married. That marriage lasted for a year. At 14, she became the third wife of a 60-year-old man,and by the time she was 18, she was a divorced mother of three. Despite her poverty, despite her social status as a divorcée in an ultra-conservative society, and despite the opposition of her parents to her going back to school, Fayza knew that her only way to control her life was through education. She is now 26. She received a grant from a local NGO to fund her business studies at the university. Her goal is to find a job, rent a place to live in, and bring her kids back with her.

在我遇到的所有女性中, 来自也门的Fayza影响我最多 Fayza在8岁结婚被迫辍学, 这段婚姻持续了一年。在14岁时,她成为了 一个60岁男人第三任妻子, 到她18岁时,她是有 三个孩子的离婚母亲。不顾她的贫穷, 不顾她的社会地位,作为 在极端保守社会的离婚母亲 不顾她的父母 反对她回学校, Fayza知道,她唯一可以 掌控人生的途径是通过教育。现在她26岁。她收到当地非政府组织 提供的补助金 资助她在大学学习商业。她的目标是要找一份工作, 找地方租房子住, 并把她的孩子带回来 和她一起住。

(该图片非原演讲稿件内容,仅用于本公众号配图使用,与演讲稿件涉及内容无关)

The Arab states are going through tremendous change, and the struggles women face are overwhelming. Just like the women I photographed, I had to overcome many barriers to becoming the photographer I am today, many people along the way telling me what I can and cannot do. Umm El-Saad, Asma and Fayza, and many women across the Arab world, show that it is possible to overcome barriers to education, which they know is the best means to a better future. And here I would like to end with a quote by Yasmine, one of the four activist women I interviewed in Tunisia. Yasmine wrote, "Question your convictions. Be who you to want to be, not who they want you to be. Don t accept their enslavement, for your mother birthed you free."

阿拉伯国家正在经历 翻天覆地的变化, 而女性面临的斗争 是势不可挡的。就像我拍摄的女性, 我必须克服许多障碍 成为今天的我,一名摄影师, 一路走来很多人告诉我, 能做什么,不能做什么。在整个阿拉伯世界,Umm El-Saad, Asma, Fayza和许多妇女, 表明克服障碍, 接受教育是可能的, 他们知道这是拥有美好未来的方法。在这里,我想引用 Yasmine的话来结束 她是我在突尼斯采访的四个积极女性之一, Yasmine写道 “问一问你的信仰。成为你想成为的人, 而不是成为他们要你成为人。不要接受他们的奴役, 因为你母亲让你来世上,给了你自由。


Thank you.

谢谢 


本视频,文字仅供免费学习使用。版权归相关权利人所有。 若因客观原因无意中侵犯了您的版权,请留言告知。平台将立即删除。

您可能也对以下帖子感兴趣

文章有问题?点此查看未经处理的缓存