TED演讲:简单词的力量

 　　We all know the scene: Dorothy closes her eyes, and repeats the Good Witch's mantra, 我们都熟悉这样一个场景，桃乐丝闭上眼睛然后念着女巫的箴言，

　　"No coordinates¹ exist like one's domicile, no coordinates exist like one's domicile, no coordinates exist like one's domicile." “这地球上没有任何一个坐标是像居住地一样存在的，这地球上没有任何一个坐标是像居住地一样存在的，这地球上没有任何一个坐标是像居住地一样存在的。”

　　Only Dorothy doesn't say that. She says five one-syllable words, "There's no place like home." 可是桃乐丝并没有那样讲，她只说了六个简单的词，“哪都比不上家。”

　　Each a word you probably learned in your first year of speaking, each perfectly² concise³. 这些词应该是我们在一年级就学到的，尽管如此，这些字一语中的，言简意足。

　　It's not that L.Frank Baum didn't have a thesaurus, it's that in most cases $10 words fail. 并不是说L. Frank Baum 没有字典，而是大多数情况下晦涩的语言并不会有很好的效果。

　　Would Aerosmith have had a hit with "Ambulate This Direction?" Probably not. 如果当初史密斯飞船乐队把那首歌起名叫‘踯躅于此方向’，它还会火起来吗？大概不会吧。

　　Would Patrick Henry have ignited a revolution by saying, "Provide me with liberty or bestow⁴ upon me fatality⁵?" Unlikely. 如果当初帕特里克·亨利当初振臂高呼的不是“不自由，毋宁死”，而是"予吾等以自由，或赐吾等以死亡"，那么革命之火还会被点燃吗？不太可能。

　　When it comes to words, bigger isn't always better. 当遣词造句的时候，冗长晦涩并非一定就好。

　　Ten-dollar words are rendered worthless if they're not understood. 所谓的高级词汇，如果大家都不理解的话就没有任何意义。

　　That's not to say every piece of literature should be written at a fourth-grade reading level, but it is important to know your audience. 这并不意味着所有的文学作品都应该简单的像给低年级学生的指定阅读篇章一样，但这也说明我们应当了解受众群体的需要。

　　If you're a novelist, your audience is probably expecting 300 pages of vivid descriptors. 如果你是一个小说家，那你的读者会期待看到三百多页的生动详细的描述。

　　At the very least, they're expecting you won't use the same 50 words to fill those pages. 他们不太可能在期待连篇累牍，空洞无物的相似文字。

　　But most of us don't have the luxury of a captive audience. 可惜的是绝大多数人都不会奢侈的拥有忠实的受众观众。

　　We're competing against a whole world of distractions⁶ and we're fighting for space in an attention span that continues to shrink across generations. 我们在和整个世界骚动的眼花缭乱竞争，尝试争取到一点点注意力，而这可怜的注意力还在世代缩减。

　　So get to the point already. 那么直切主题。

　　Variety may be the spice of life, but brevity is its bread and butter. 多样性也许是生活的调味剂，但是简洁性才是生活的必需品。

　　So when it comes to $10 words, save your money and buy a Scrabble board. 所以要是那么想用复杂的高级词汇，攒钱去买拼词游戏好了。

1 coordinates   

n.相配之衣物；坐标( coordinate的名词复数 )；（颜色协调的）配套服装；[复数]女套服；同等重要的人（或物）v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的第三人称单数 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• The town coordinates on this map are 695037. 该镇在这幅地图上的坐标是695037。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

3 concise   

adj.简洁的，简明的

参考例句：

• The explanation in this dictionary is concise and to the point.这部词典里的释义简明扼要。
• I gave a concise answer about this.我对于此事给了一个简要的答复。

4 bestow   

v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费

参考例句：

• He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.他希望将那些伟大的荣誉授予这位英雄。
• What great inspiration wiII you bestow on me?你有什么伟大的灵感能馈赠给我？

5 fatality   

n.不幸，灾祸，天命

参考例句：

• She struggle against fatality in vain.她徒然奋斗反抗宿命。
• He began to have a growing sense of fatality.他开始有一种越来越强烈的宿命感。

6 distractions   

n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱

参考例句：

• I find it hard to work at home because there are too many distractions. 我发觉在家里工作很难，因为使人分心的事太多。
• There are too many distractions here to work properly. 这里叫人分心的事太多，使人无法好好工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》