TED演讲:性格的迷思--你究竟是谁(7)（打印版）

I had a consulting contract I shared with a colleague who's as different from me as two people can possibly be. 我跟一名同事共同，负责一项咨询业务，我跟他是截然不同的两个人。

First, his name is Tom. Mine isn't. 首先，他叫汤姆。我不叫汤姆。

Secondly, he's six foot five. I have a tendency not to be. 其次，他身高1米96。我这辈子是不指望了。

And thirdly, he's as extroverted a person as you could find. I am seriously introverted. 第三点，他是个及其外向的人。而我十分内向。

I overload so much, I can't even have a cup of coffee after three in the afternoon and expect to sleep in the evening. 我心思很重，我要是下午三点之后喝了杯咖啡，那晚上就别想睡了。

We had seconded to this project a fellow called Michael. 我们还有一个助手，叫麦克。

And Michael almost brought the project to a crashing halt. 麦克几乎把整个项目给搞砸了。

So the person who seconded him asked Tom and me, 麦克的继任者问我和汤姆，

"What do you make of Michael?" “你们怎么评价麦克？”

Well, I'll tell you what Tom said in a minute. He spoke in classic "extrovert-ese." 我稍后再告诉你汤姆是怎么说的。他的回答是非常典型的外向型。

And here is how extroverted ears heard what I said, which is actually pretty accurate. 而我的回答嘛，其实在外向者听来应该是非常精确的。

I said, "Well Michael does have a tendency at times of behaving in a way that some of us might see 我说，“其实，麦克有时候的一些做法，在我们某些人看来

as perhaps more assertive than is normally called for." 也许过于自信了，可能有时候有点过分。”

Tom rolled his eyes and he said, 汤姆翻了个白眼说，

"Brian, that's what I said: he's an asshole!" “布莱恩，这不就是我刚刚说的：他就是个混蛋！”