课文翻译 课后翻译在最后
为什么有这么多的人这么害怕失败呢? 完全是因为没有人告诉我们如何失败从而使失败成
为一种成长的经验。我们忘记了失败是人生的一部分忘记了“每个人都有失败的权利。” Most parents work hard at either preventing failure or shielding their children from the knowledge that they have failed. One way is to lower standards. A mother describes her child's hastily made table as "perfect!" even though it's clumsy and unsteady. Another way is to shift blame. If John fails math, his teacher is unfair or stupid.
大多数家长不是竭力防止失败就是竭力不让孩子们知道他们已经失败。 一种办法是降低标准。孩子匆匆打成的桌子即使是制作粗糙而且摇摇晃晃做母亲的也称之为“棒极了!”另一种办法就是把过错推给别人。如果约翰数学不及格那准是老师不公平或者太蠢。 The trouble with failure - prevention devices is that they leave a child unequipped for life in the real world. The young need to learn that no one can be best at everything, no one can win all the time — and that it's possible to enjoy a game even when you don't win. A child who's not invited to a birthday party, who doesn't make the honor roll or the baseball team feels terrible, of course. But parents should not offer a quick consolation prize or say, "It doesn't matter," because it does. The youngster should be allowed to experience disappointment — and then be helped to master it. 防止失败的种种策略有问题 问题就在于它们使孩子对现实世界的生活毫无准备。年轻人需要认识到没有人能样样都是最好没有人能一直获胜---即使你没有获胜你也可能享受到比赛的乐趣。一个孩子没有受到参加生日庆祝会的邀请没有上光荣榜或进棒球队心里当然不好受。但是家长却不应该马上送上一份安慰奖或者说“没关系” 因为这实在是有关系的。应该让年轻人去经历失望---然后再帮助他们去战胜它。
Failure is never pleasant. It hurts adults and children alike. But it can make a positive contribution to your life once you learn to use it. Step one is to ask, "Why did I fail?" Resist the natural impulse to blame someone else. Ask yourself what you did wrong, how you can improve. If someone else can help, don't be shy about inquiring.
失败从来就不是什么令人愉快的事情。它让成年人和孩子同样伤心。然而一旦你学会了去利用失败它就能对你的生活起到积极的作用。第一步是要问“我为什么失败了?”要抵制责怪别人的本能冲动问问自己做错了什么如何才能改正。如果别人能够给予帮助那就不要羞于询问。
When I was a teenager and failed to get a job I'd counted on, I telephoned the interviewer to ask why. "Because you came ten minutes late," I was told. "We can't afford employees who waste other people's time." The explanation was reassuring (I hadn't been rejected as a person) and helpful, too. I don't think I've been late for anything since.
在我十几岁的时候我没能得到我指望得到的那份工作于是我便打电话给对我进行面试的人询问原因。他告诉我说“因为你迟到了10分钟。浪费别人时间的雇员我们可要不起。” 这番解释让我消除了疑虑(我并非作为一个人而遭到拒绝)并且使我获益匪浅。从那以后我再也没有为任何事迟到过。
Success, which encourages repetition of old behavior, is not nearly as good a teacher as failure. You can learn from a disastrous party how to give a good one, from an ill-chosen first house what to look for in a second. Even a failure that seems total can prompt fresh thinking, a change of direction.
成功鼓励人们重复过去的行为因而远不及失败这个老师来得好。你可以从一次极糟的晚会中学会如何举办一次成功的晚会 从第一次不当的选房中学到下次选房时要注意些什么。即使一次看似彻底的失败也能激发新的思路引起方向的改变。
A friend of mine, after 12 years of studying ballet, did not succeed in becoming a dancer. She was turned down by the ballet master, who said, "You will never be a dancer. You haven't the body for it." In such cases, the way to use failure is to take stock courageously, asking, "What have I left?
