偶像勵志英語演講25:失敗的好處和想象的重要性(7)

One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write storeies during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working in the research department at Amnesty International's headquarters in London.

想象力使我隨后寫書有了很多的想法，但對我影響最深遠的經歷發(fā)生在寫《哈利·波特》之前。這種影響源于我早期的工作經歷。在剛二十幾歲的時候，為了付房租，我在倫敦大赦國際總部的調查部門工作，但我可以在午餐時間偷偷溜出去寫小說。

There in my little office I read bastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent to Amnesty by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries. I opened handwritten, eye-witness accounts of summary trials and executions, of kidnappings and rapes.

在那狹小的辦公室里，我看著從集權主義政體偷運出來的信件。寫這些信件的人，為了讓外界知道他們那里所發(fā)生的事情冒著被監(jiān)禁的危險，用潦草的字跡匆匆寫下他們的遭遇，然后再將信件寄給我們。我看過那些由絕望的家人和朋友寄來的無跡可尋的人的照片。我讀過被嚴刑拷打的受害者的證詞并看了他們遍體鱗傷的圖片。我打開過目擊者的手記，描述了對于綁架和強奸案的審判和處決。

Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their government. Visitors to our office included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those who they had left behind.

我的很多同事以前都是政治犯，因為他們敢于批判政府，所以被趕出家門，或被放逐海外。來我們辦公室的訪客，包括那些前來提供信息的，或想方設法知道那些留下的同志發(fā)生了什么事的人。

I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the underground station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.

我永遠不會忘記那個非籍酷刑受害者，一個當時還沒我大的年輕男子，他因在故鄉(xiāng)的經歷而精神錯亂。在攝像機前講述被殘暴地摧殘的經歷時，他的身體止不住地顫抖。他比我高一英尺，但看上去卻像個孩子一樣脆弱。隨后我遵照組織的安排護送他到地鐵站時，這名人生已遭到殘酷摧毀的男子彬彬有禮地握著我的手，祝我未來幸福。

重點講解：

1. inform sb. of sth.

通知;告知某人某事;

eg. They would inform him of any progress they had made.

他們會把他們取得的任何進步都告訴他。

eg. Please inform us of any changes of address.

地址若有變動請隨時通知我們。

2. have the temerity to do sth.

膽敢做某事;有勇氣做某事;

eg. He has even had the temerity to invoke the names of Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X in defence of his actions.

他竟然敢搬出馬丁·路德·金和馬爾科姆·艾克斯的名字來為自己的行為辯解。

3. speak against

說…的壞話，作不利于…的陳述，發(fā)言反對;

eg. I will speak against anything I know to be wrong.

我會對所有我認為不對的事情直言不諱。

eg. He spoke against me behind my back.

他背地里說我壞話。

eg. A guest can't speak against his host.

吃人嘴軟。

eg. He had the temerity to call me a liar!

他竟敢說我撒謊!

4. leave behind

留下;余留;

eg. I don't want to leave anything behind.

我不想留下任何東西。

eg. He left behind an immortal example to all posterity.

他給后世留下了不朽的典范。

5. inflict on/upon

予以(打擊);使遭受(損傷、苦痛等);

eg. Don't inflict damage on any person.

不要傷害任何人。

eg. The punishments inflicted on the children were too severe.

對這些孩子的處罰過於嚴厲。

eg. Otherwise we shall certainly inflict upon you very severe punishment.

否則我們一定會已很嚴厲的刑罰加予你。

名人簡介：

成就榮譽

相繼推出的以男孩哈利·波特為主人公的系列兒童小說，屢屢進入世界各地暢銷書排行榜，獲英國國家圖書獎兒童小說獎、斯馬蒂圖書金獎章獎，并成為目前世界上最負盛名的兒童文學家。

1998年，羅琳被《書商》雜志評選為年度最佳作家。

1999年，又被評為英國年度圖書獎得主。

2001年，憑哈利波特的第四部《哈利波特與火焰杯》獲得雨果獎。

2010年10月19日，羅琳在丹麥歐登塞市舉行的儀式上獲頒首屆安徒生文學獎;10月20日，英國國家雜志公司發(fā)布由英國最具權威雜志編輯評選出的全國100名最具影響力的女性排行榜，羅琳力壓貝克漢姆妻子維多利亞和英國女王，摘得桂冠。在頒獎詞中，評委會稱，羅琳憑借其高超的寫作技巧、堅持不懈追求成功的毅力以及熱衷慈善的品德獲此榮譽。[6]此外，羅琳還被評為英國十大女富豪之一。11月15日，“2010第五屆中國作家富豪榜”子榜單在中國最賺錢的外國作家富豪榜首次發(fā)布，羅琳以9550萬元人民幣版稅收入問鼎外國作家富豪榜首富寶座。