The case against "good" and "bad" - Marlee Neel

審判「好」「壞」—瑪麗·尼爾

(Music)

譯者: Regina Chu 審譯者: Marssi Draw

（音樂）

Esteemed members of the jury,

諸位敬愛的陪審員

I submit the following words for immediate and violent execution

本人在此提出以下兩字 希望您能將之速審重判

and extraction from our vocabularies,

同時從我們的辭彙裡去除

to be locked away forever, if you would prefer.

判其終身監禁，如果閣下允諾的話

These words I present to you are "good" and "bad."

我想呈給諸位的字是 「好」與「壞」

These words have served as treacherous liars

這兩個字終其一生都是

for eternity.

狡猾的騙子

These two words have worked in tandem

這兩個字狼狽為奸

to produce vague and bland sentences that have crippled the creativity of humanity.

創造出模糊枯燥的句子 癱瘓人類的創造力

These two deceptively tiny words

這兩個虛偽的小子

stifle real description and honest communication.

扼殺了真實的敘述 還有誠實的溝通

Look at them, just sitting there on this page,

看看它們，就坐在這頁面上

all smug and satisfied with their work.

為自己的傑作感到志得意滿

How dare they?

多麼膽大妄為！

You serve no purpose in our world,

你們在這世上沒有存在的價值

and we must rid ourselves of your influence.

我們不該再受你們影響

We must replace these two words with the truth,

我們必須用實話來取代這兩個字

with phrases that include adequate and sincere adjectives.

用適切又真誠的形容詞句取代

I'll offer you "radiant," "stupefying," "awful," "gut-wrenching."

我在此提出「容光煥發」「呆若木雞」 「糟糕透頂」還有「痛苦至極」

These choices create clarity and depth.

這些選擇建立了明確與深度

"Good" and "bad" only provide gray vagueness.

「好」和「壞」只提供了 灰色模糊的敘述

We must demand color!

我們需要鮮明的色彩！

We should even use winding similes and metaphors, where appropriate.

我們甚至應該配合時宜 採用迂迴婉轉的明喻與暗喻

We have to do whatever we can and should to make our real sentiments known.

我們應該盡可能 將最真實的情感傳達出來

"Good" and "bad" will no longer be our go-to words

「好」和「壞」不應再是

我們在太害怕或太疲倦而不知道 如何表達真實想法時就用的字

that we rely on when we are too afraid or too languid to express our real thoughts.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I implore you to deliver a verdict of guilty

陪審先生女士 我懇請諸位判其有罪

and send these words to their rightful fate.

並將這二字送入他們應得的命定

Now imagine a world without these two words.

試想沒有這兩個字的世界

Imagine a world where real description is required,

試想要求正確敘述的世界

digging further into our vocabulary

在其中我們深入瞭解辭彙的用法

than just a monosyllabic effort to get away with not being honest,

而不是用一個短音字來逃避實話

impactful, creative.

逃避後果及想像力

How does my hair look?

我的髮型看起來如何？

好。這什麼意思？

Good. What is that?

A dull attempt not to be honest?

不說實話的笨方法？

Perhaps my hair looks like a hideous mess of tangles and bald spots.

也許我披頭散髮、滿頭斑禿

Yet someone does not want to be honest, and offers the quick fix "good,"

但是因為某人不想說實話 不經思索就說了個「好」

to try and mask the truth

試著隱瞞事實

and send me hurling into the evening with a plop of disorganized tresses.

讓我整晚頂著一頭亂髮

This will not do.

這可幫不上忙

Perhaps my hair looks like an amazing glossy sculpture

也許我的頭髮真是像雕塑般光滑

that frames my face perfectly,

完美搭配臉型

and lends an air of magic to the night.

讓我整晚神采奕奕

Well, "good" just doesn't cut it.

那麼，說「好」也行不通啊！

I won't take any more of this formless, lifeless description.

我不要再聽到這樣 不清不楚、毫無生氣的敘述

I will not take these lies, and neither should you.

我不接受謊言，你也不該接受

A doctor asks you how you feel.

醫師問你身體感覺如何

"I feel bad."

我覺得很壞

Heresy!

異端邪說！

The doctor, based on this paltry report,

醫生聽到你這不足取的自述

could conclude that you have brain cancer or the flu or rabies.

可以斷定你有腦癌或流感或狂犬病

You owe it to yourself and the possible misdiagnosis of your life

被誤診是你活該

to be honest about exactly how you feel.

你應該老實說你到底覺得怎樣

"I feel like a herd of wombats has taken up in my chest."

「我覺得胸口塞滿了一窩的袋熊」

A-ha! There we have it. An accurate description.

啊哈！就是這樣，精確的敘述

Now the doctor has some real evidence to work with in order to assist you.

現在醫師能依據真的證據來幫助你

We have become addicted to the numbness that "good" and "bad" have created.

我們已對「好」「壞」 所造成的麻木感上癮

We have become linguistic slobs,

我們已拙口笨舌

churning out "good" and "bad"

隨口吐出「好」「壞」

wherever we are too lazy to allow our minds to communicate

每當我們太懶不想動腦 說出有創意及詳細的描述時

with creativity and specification.

就這樣隨口說

You look good, you sound bad, this tastes good,

你氣色很好、聽起來你的情況很壞 這個很好吃

the weather looks bad.

天氣看起來很壞

Lie after lie,

一句又一句的謊言

repeating this verbal gray, this sloshy mush,

不斷重複著含糊其詞的話語

this fuzzy picture that reflects no real truth.

這種霧裡看花的模糊感 可讓人一點也看不清事實

Replace them with grittier, exact terms

用更有膽、精確的措辭代替吧！

that have been buried in our Lexis, waiting to see daylight.

那埋藏在我們辭彙中的詞句 正等著重見天日

No longer does the weather look good or bad,

天氣不再看起來好或壞

the weather looks ominous or exhilarating.

應該是天色陰霾或天高氣爽

Nothing tastes good or bad.

東西不是好不好吃

It tastes like pillows of sparkles

應該是嚐起來其味無窮

or old shoe and dung.

味同嚼蠟或難以下嚥

No more of sounding good or bad.

聲音不要再聽起來好或壞了

You sound like lilting baby laughter

你的聲音應該聽起來 像嬰兒咯咯笑般輕快

or ogres marching to war.

或像魔王出征般沉重

Dear God, you do not look good or bad.

天啊！你的長相不是好或壞

You look like a feathery angel or a morose faun.

你應是美如天仙或青面獠牙

Today, you look at these two words,

今天，你看著這兩個字

"good" and "bad,"

「好」及「壞」

examine them closely.

仔細查驗一下

Because behind their seemingly unassuming visages

因為在它們謙遜低調的面目下

reside two deceitful offerings that smother the truth.

藏著兩個掩蓋事實的大騙子

These words are liars.

這兩個字是謊言

These words must be stopped.

一定要阻止這兩個字

Remove them from our language so that honesty can return to our communication.

把它們從我們的語言中去除 大家才能口吐真言

Ladies and gentlemen,

各位先生女士

if I say to you that you have been a good jury,

如果我說你們是好的陪審團

you will take the compliment, make your decision and go on about your day.

你會接受恭維 做出決定並繼續過日子

But if I say to you that you are an honorable jury,

但是如果我對你們說 你們是正直的陪審團

and that I hope your unshakeable determination

而且我希望 你們以那不可動搖的決心

to better the vocabulary of humanity

改善人類的字彙

will result in finding "good" and "bad" guilty,

最終判定「好」「壞」有罪

you will recognize the ingenuity of this argument

你們會同意這是明智的論據

and find "good" and "bad" guilty.

並判決「好」「壞」有罪

(Music)

（音樂）