偶像励志英语演讲25:失败的好处和想象的重要性(6)

 　　One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry 1 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.

　　想象力使我随后写书有了很多的想法，但对我影响最深远的经历发生在写《哈利·波特》之前。这种影响源于我早期的工作经历。在刚二十几岁的时候，为了付房租，我在伦敦大赦国际总部的调查部门工作，但我可以在午餐时间偷偷溜出去写小说。
　　There in my little office I read bastily scribbled 2 letters smuggled 3 out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment 4 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 5 of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries. I opened handwritten, eye-witness accounts of summary trials and executions, of kidnappings and rapes 6.
　　在那狭小的办公室里，我看着从集权主义政体偷运出来的信件。写这些信件的人，为了让外界知道他们那里所发生的事情冒着被监禁的危险，用潦草的字迹匆匆写下他们的遭遇，然后再将信件寄给我们。我看过那些由绝望的家人和朋友寄来的无迹可寻的人的照片。我读过被严刑拷打的受害者的证词并看了他们遍体鳞伤的图片。我打开过目击者的手记，描述了对于绑架和强奸案的审判和处决。
　　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 7 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，因为他们敢于批判政府，所以被赶出家门，或被放逐海外。来我们办公室的访客，包括那些前来提供信息的，或想方设法知道那些留下的同志发生了什么事的人。
　　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 8 into a video camera about the brutality 9 inflicted 11 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 12 courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
　　我永远不会忘记那个非籍酷刑受害者，一个当时还没我大的年轻男子，他因在故乡的经历而精神错乱。在摄像机前讲述被残暴地摧残的经历时，他的身体止不住地颤抖。他比我高一英尺，但看上去却像个孩子一样脆弱。随后我遵照组织的安排护送他到地铁站时，这名人生已遭到残酷摧毁的男子彬彬有礼地握着我的手，祝我未来幸福。
　　重点讲解：
　　1. inform sb. of sth.
　　通知；告知某人某事；
　　eg. They would inform him of any progress they had made.
　　他们会把他们取得的任何进步都告诉他。
　　eg. Please inform us of any changes of address.
　　地址若有变动请随时通知我们。
　　2. have the temerity to do sth.
　　胆敢做某事；有勇气做某事；
　　eg. He has even had the temerity to invoke 13 the names of Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X in defence of his actions.
　　他竟然敢搬出马丁·路德·金和马尔科姆·艾克斯的名字来为自己的行为辩解。
　　3. speak against
　　说…的坏话，作不利于…的陈述，发言反对；
　　eg. I will speak against anything I know to be wrong.
　　我会对所有我认为不对的事情直言不讳。
　　eg. He spoke against me behind my back.
　　他背地里说我坏话。
　　eg. A guest can't speak against his host.
　　吃人嘴软。
　　eg. He had the temerity to call me a liar 14!
　　他竟敢说我撒谎！
　　4. leave behind
　　留下；余留；
　　eg. I don't want to leave anything behind.
　　我不想留下任何东西。
　　eg. He left behind an immortal 15 example to all posterity 16.
　　他给后世留下了不朽的典范。
　　5. inflict 10 on/upon
　　予以（打击）；使遭受（损伤、苦痛等）；
　　eg. Don't inflict damage on any person.
　　不要伤害任何人。
　　eg. The punishments inflicted on the children were too severe.
　　对这些孩子的处罚过於严厉。
　　eg. Otherwise we shall certainly inflict upon you very severe punishment.
　　否则我们一定会已很严厉的刑罚加予你。
　　名人简介：
　　成就荣誉
　　相继推出的以男孩哈利·波特为主人公的系列儿童小说，屡屡进入世界各地畅销书排行榜，获英国国家图书奖儿童小说奖、斯马蒂图书金奖章奖，并成为目前世界上最负盛名的儿童文学家。
　　1998年，罗琳被《书商》杂志评选为年度最佳作家。
　　1999年，又被评为英国年度图书奖得主。
　　2001年，凭哈利波特的第四部《哈利波特与火焰杯》获得雨果奖。
　　2010年10月19日，罗琳在丹麦欧登塞市举行的仪式上获颁首届安徒生文学奖；10月20日，英国国家杂志公司发布由英国最具权威杂志编辑评选出的全国100名最具影响力的女性排行榜，罗琳力压贝克汉姆妻子维多利亚和英国女王，摘得桂冠。在颁奖词中，评委会称，罗琳凭借其高超的写作技巧、坚持不懈追求成功的毅力以及热衷慈善的品德获此荣誉。[6]此外，罗琳还被评为英国十大女富豪之一。11月15日，“2010第五届中国作家富豪榜”子榜单在中国最赚钱的外国作家富豪榜首次发布，罗琳以9550万元人民币版税收入问鼎外国作家富豪榜首富宝座。