TED演讲:奥威尔现象(2)

 　　A hypnotic state of cognitive¹ dissonance in which one is compelled to disregard their own perception 它是一种催眠状态下的认知失调，在此状态下，人们被强迫放弃自己的认知，

　　in place of the officially dictated² version of events, 取而代之的是解读的官方版本，

　　leaving the individual completely dependent on the State's definition of reality itself. 使个人完全依附于政府定义下的“现实”。

　　The result is a world in which even the privacy of one's own thought process is violated, 这样的结果就是个人独立的思维过程被侵犯，

　　where one may be found guilty of thoughtcrime by talking in their sleep, 梦呓可能被认定是思想犯罪，

　　and keeping a diary or having a love affair equals a subversive³ act of rebellion. 写日记或者发生外遇被认为是反叛的颠覆性行为。

　　This might sound like something that can only happen in totalitarian regimes. 这听起来是极权政体下才可能发生的现象。

　　But Orwell was warning us about the potential for this occurring even in democratic societies. 但是奥威尔警示我们，这种现象在民主社会仍有可能发生。

　　And this is why "authoritarian⁴" alone does not "Orwellian" make. 这就是为什么单单“专制主义”并不等同于“奥威尔现象”。

　　In his essay, "Politics and the English Language," he described techniques like using pretentious⁵ words to project authority, 在他的《政治与英语语言》一文中，他描述了各种手段，诸如矫饰词汇来形容权威，

　　or making atrocities⁶ sound acceptable by burying them in euphemisms⁷ and convoluted⁸ sentence structures. 或者用委婉说法掩盖残暴行径，使其得到接受或者迂回扭曲句子结构。

　　But even more mundane⁹ abuses of language can affect the way we think about things. 更平常的语言滥用也可以影响我们的思维方式。

　　The words you see and hear in everyday advertising¹⁰ have been crafted to appeal to you and affect your behavior. 我们每天在广告中看到、听到的言论都是为了吸引观众和改变其行为而塑造的。

　　As have the soundbites and talking points of political campaigns which rarely present the most nuanced perspective on the issues. 政治竞选中的评述和论点亦是如此，这些都很少表达出细致的观点。

　　And the way that we use ready-made phrases and responses gleaned¹¹ from media reports or copied from the Internet 在我们使用这些媒体报道中现成的短语、评论，或者从网络上复制内容的时候，

　　makes it easy to get away with not thinking too deeply or questioning your assumptions. 很少再去深刻思考或者质疑前提假设。

　　So the next time you hear someone use the word Orwellian, pay close attention. 下一次你听到某人使用“奥威尔现象”这次词的时候可要注意了。

　　If they're talking about the deceptive¹² and manipulative use of language, they're on the right track. 如果他们说的是对语言的欺诈性和操控性的使用，那就是正确的使用方式。

　　If they're talking about mass surveillance and intrusive¹³ government, 如果他们说的是大规模监视和干预型政府，

　　they're describing something authoritarian but not necessarily Orwellian. 那他们更像是在说“专制主义”，而不一定是“奥威尔现象”。

　　And if they use it as an all-purpose word for any ideas they dislike, 如果他们试图用万能词汇描述他们反对的观点，

　　it's possible their statements are more Orwellian than whatever it is they're criticizing. 那么有可能他们的说法更倾向于“奥威尔现象”而非他们所批评的内容。

　　Words have the power to shape thought. 词汇有塑造思维的力量。

　　Language is the currency of politics, forming the basis of society from the most common, 语言是政治的流通货币，

　　everyday interactions to the highest ideals. 从日常互动到高级理想建立社会的基础。

　　Orwell urged us to protect our language 奥威尔劝告我们去保护我们的语言，

　　because ultimately our ability to think and communicate clearly is what stands between us and a world 因为思考和交流的能力正是我们与一个颠倒的世界之间的屏障，

　　where war is peace and freedom is slavery. 在那里，战争即和平，奴役即自由。

1 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

2 dictated   

v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• He dictated a letter to his secretary. 他向秘书口授信稿。
• No person of a strong character likes to be dictated to. 没有一个个性强的人愿受人使唤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 subversive   

adj.颠覆性的，破坏性的；n.破坏份子，危险份子

参考例句：

• She was seen as a potentially subversive within the party.她被看成党内潜在的颠覆分子。
• The police is investigating subversive group in the student organization.警方正调查学生组织中的搞颠覆阴谋的集团。

4 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

5 pretentious   

adj.自命不凡的，自负的，炫耀的

参考例句：

• He is a talented but pretentious writer.他是一个有才华但自命不凡的作家。
• Speaking well of yourself would only make you appear conceited and pretentious.自夸只会使你显得自负和虚伪。

6 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 euphemisms   

n.委婉语，委婉说法( euphemism的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• No point is in mincing words or hiding behind euphemisms. 没有必要闪烁其词或者羞羞答答。 来自辞典例句
• No point in mincing words or hiding behind euphemisms. 没必要闪烁其词或者羞羞答答。 来自辞典例句

8 convoluted   

adj.旋绕的；复杂的

参考例句：

• The snake slithered through a convoluted path.蛇在羊肠小道上爬行。
• The policy is so convoluted even college presidents are confused.这项政策太令人费解，甚至连大学校长们也是一头雾水。

9 mundane   

adj.平凡的；尘世的；宇宙的

参考例句：

• I hope I can get an interesting job and not something mundane.我希望我可以得到的是一份有趣的工作，而不是一份平凡无奇的。
• I find it humorous sometimes that even the most mundane occurrences can have an impact on our awareness.我发现生活有时挺诙谐的，即使是最平凡的事情也能影响我们的感知。

10 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

11 gleaned   

v.一点点地收集（资料、事实）( glean的过去式和过去分词 )；（收割后）拾穗

参考例句：

• These figures have been gleaned from a number of studies. 这些数据是通过多次研究收集得来的。
• A valuable lesson may be gleaned from it by those who have eyes to see. 明眼人可从中记取宝贵的教训。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 deceptive   

adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• His appearance was deceptive.他的外表带有欺骗性。
• The storyline is deceptively simple.故事情节看似简单，其实不然。

13 intrusive   

adj.打搅的；侵扰的

参考例句：

• The cameras were not an intrusive presence.那些摄像机的存在并不令人反感。
• Staffs are courteous but never intrusive.员工谦恭有礼却从不让人感到唐突。