双语:你对失败有多热衷?

 　　双语：你对失败有多热衷？

　　How Enthusiastic Are You About Failing?

　　你对失败有多热衷？

　　I can’t think of anyone who looks forward to failing. Some people are absolutely terrified of it, while others are more resilient and tend to bounce back relatively¹ quickly.

　　我想不出有谁会期待失败。有些人完全惧怕失败，而另一些人则适应力较强，反弹得相对较快。

　　Approaches to dealing² with failure vary hugely among different cultures, societies and educational systems. Not surprisingly, parents also take widely differing approaches to teaching their children about failure.

　　不同文化、不同社会和不同的教育体制，会造成应对失败的方法千差万别。不出意料，父母对于子女的失败教育也大相径庭。

　　This quote from a super successful American entrepreneur illustrates³ one parenting strategy, which I think most readers will find radically⁴ different from their own experience:

　　下面是一位超级成功的美国创业者对父母之道的表述，我想许多读者都会从中发现与自身经历的不同：

　　“When I was growing up, my dad would encourage my brother and I to fail. We would be sitting at the dinner table and he would ask, ‘So what did you guys fail at this week?’ If we didn’t have something to contribute, he would be disappointed. When I did fail at something, he’d high-five me. What I didn’t realize at the time was that he was completely reframing my definition of failure at a young age. To me, failure means not trying; failure isn’t the outcome. If I have to look at myself in the mirror and say, ‘I didn’t try that because I was scared ,’ that is failure.”

　　“小时候，爸爸会鼓励我和哥哥失败。坐在餐桌旁，爸爸会问：‘这星期你俩又有哪些失败？’如果我说不出什么，他就会感到失望。如果有的话，他就会和我击掌相庆。当时我没有意识到，爸爸彻底重塑了我对年轻时失败的定义。对于我来说，失败就意味着没有尝试，而不是结果。如果我不得不揽镜自语：‘我因为害怕而没有尝试’，那才是失败。”

　　– Sara Blakely, Spanx founder⁵, who was named in 2012 as the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world, as well as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential⁶ people

　　——Spanx品牌创始人萨拉?布雷克里。她曾当选为2012年度最年轻白手起家女富豪、《时代》杂志100名最具影响力人物。

　　The idea that failure has payoffs, especially for entrepreneurs, has been around for a long time. The traditional view has been that the main dividends⁷ from a start-up going belly⁸ up are the acquired wisdom and experience, which can help sharpen the thinking of the entrepreneur.

　　“失败了也能有收获”的概念已经存在了一段时间，尤其是对创业者而言。依照传统的看法，从创业到破产，最大的红利就是收获了智慧和经验，让创业者更加才思敏捷。

　　According to new research, as reported in Fortune, there may be other less widely recognized payoffs.

　　据《财富》杂志报道，最新研究显示，失败也许还有一些其他鲜为人知的收效。

　　An influential research paper by Gustavo Manso, Professor of Finance at the University of California at Berkeley, demonstrates that if previously⁹ self-employed folks later seek employment in the corporate¹⁰ world, they are likely to command higher pay packages.

　　加州大学伯克利分校金融学教授Gustavo Manso在一篇颇具影响力的论文中阐明，自谋职业者若进入企业就职，往往会要求较高的薪酬。

　　Sources in the field of executive search told Fortune that big companies are increasingly looking to recruit people with entrepreneurial backgrounds, who tend to think differently and have a broader array of skill-sets.

　　猎头专家向《财富》杂志表示，大公司越来越倾向于招聘有创业背景、想法不同、掌握多种技能的员工。

　　Start-ups tend to offer their founders¹¹ a diversified¹² business education at warp¹³ speed, often helping¹⁴ them determine personal career likes and dislikes at a much faster rate than would be possible by job-hopping in bigger companies.

　　新创企业往往迫使创始人速成各种商业知识，帮他们确定职业发展的好恶，其过程比在大公司间跳槽要快得多。

　　According to Manso’s research, people who tried entrepreneurship and gave it up after less than two years were not penalized¹⁵ in terms of pay when they moved to another employer. Those who lasted more than 2 years as entrepreneurs ended up earning an average of 10 to 20% more than their peers.

　　根据Manso的调查，自谋职业不满两年便放弃、且被其他企业录用者，一般在薪酬上不会处于劣势；而坚持2年以上的创业者待遇会比同僚平均高出10%-20%。

　　Another piece of research, by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, found that – whether successful or otherwise – entrepreneurs tended to have higher levels of work-life satisfaction than salaried folks. My own observation about failure is that it is also an excellent breeding ground for humility¹⁶. Some people start out humble¹⁷. Many more need to learn it the hard way.

　　来自宾州大学沃顿商学院的另一份调查发现，无论成功与否，创业者的工作满意度往往高于工薪族。 而就我个人观察，失败也是谦逊的绝佳养成地。有些人生来谦逊，而有些人则需要吃点苦头才能学会。

　　In the leadership context, if humility is at one end of the spectrum¹⁸, then the opposite end is hubris¹⁹.

　　在领导力中，如果一端是谦逊，相对的另一端就是自大。

　　As Jim Collins wrote in his short but powerful book “How the Mighty²⁰ Fall” :

　　正如吉姆?柯林斯在他的著名短作《巨人如何倒下》中所述：

　　‘Dating back to ancient Greece, the concept of hubris is defined as excessive pride that brings down a hero, or alternatively …outrageous arrogance²¹ that inflicts²² suffering on the innocent…

　　“在古希腊，自大被定义为可将英雄拉下马的过分骄傲，或是……让无辜者痛苦不堪的极度傲慢……”

　　‘We will see hubris in undisciplined leaps into areas where a company cannot become the best. We will see hubris in a company’s pursuit of growth beyond what it can deliver with excellence²³. We will see hubris in bold, risky²⁴ decisions that fly in the face of conflicting or negative evidence. We will see hubris in denying even the possibility that the enterprise could be at risk, imperiled by external threats or internal erosion. And we will encounter one of the most insidious²⁵ forms of hubris: arrogant²⁶ neglect.’

　　“自大是一家公司任性地闯入自己无法领先的领域，是企业追求缺乏卓越品质的过渡增长，是面对矛盾或不利证据做出的莽撞冒险决定，是否认企业受外部威胁或内部侵蚀会面临风险的可能。还有一种可能遇到的隐性自大形式就是傲慢地忽视。”

　　So, all things considered, we should be more open-minded about the positive side-effects and learning opportunities associated with failure.

　　因此，从各方面考虑，我们都应该用更开放的心态，来看待失败的积极作用和带来的学习机会。

1 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

2 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

3 illustrates   

给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明

参考例句：

• This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
• Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生，他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分

4 radically   

ad.根本地，本质地

参考例句：

• I think we may have to rethink our policies fairly radically. 我认为我们可能要对我们的政策进行根本的反思。
• The health service must be radically reformed. 公共医疗卫生服务必须进行彻底改革。

5 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

6 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

7 dividends   

红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金

参考例句：

• Nothing pays richer dividends than magnanimity. 没有什么比宽宏大量更能得到厚报。
• Their decision five years ago to computerise the company is now paying dividends. 五年前他们作出的使公司电脑化的决定现在正产生出效益。

8 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

9 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

10 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

11 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

12 diversified   

adj.多样化的，多种经营的v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 )；进入新的商业领域

参考例句：

• The college biology department has diversified by adding new courses in biotechnology. 该学院生物系通过增加生物技术方面的新课程而变得多样化。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Take grain as the key link, develop a diversified economy and ensure an all-round development. 以粮为纲，多种经营，全面发展。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 warp   

vt.弄歪，使翘曲，使不正常，歪曲，使有偏见

参考例句：

• The damp wood began to warp.这块潮湿的木材有些翘曲了。
• A steel girder may warp in a fire.钢梁遇火会变弯。

14 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

15 penalized   

对…予以惩罚( penalize的过去式和过去分词 )； 使处于不利地位

参考例句：

• You will be penalized for poor spelling. 你拼写不好将会受到处罚。
• Team members will be penalized for lateness. 队员迟到要受处罚。

16 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

17 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

18 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

19 hubris   

n.傲慢，骄傲

参考例句：

• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。
• The very hubris of French claims alarmed the other powers.法国贪婪的胃口使其他大国惊恐不安。

20 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

21 arrogance   

n.傲慢，自大

参考例句：

• His arrogance comes out in every speech he makes.他每次讲话都表现得骄傲自大。
• Arrogance arrested his progress.骄傲阻碍了他的进步。

22 inflicts   

把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Bullfrog 50 Inflicts poison when your enemy damages you at short range. 牛娃50对近距离攻击你的敌人造成毒伤。
• The U.S. always inflicts its concept of human nature on other nations. 美国总是把自己的人权观念强加于别国。

23 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

24 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

25 insidious   

adj.阴险的，隐匿的，暗中为害的，（疾病）不知不觉之间加剧

参考例句：

• That insidious man bad-mouthed me to almost everyone else.那个阴险的家伙几乎见人便说我的坏话。
• Organized crime has an insidious influence on all who come into contact with it.所有和集团犯罪有关的人都会不知不觉地受坏影响。

26 arrogant   

adj.傲慢的，自大的

参考例句：

• You've got to get rid of your arrogant ways.你这骄傲劲儿得好好改改。
• People are waking up that he is arrogant.人们开始认识到他很傲慢。