3 Ideas for Communicating Across the Political Divide | Isaac Saul | TED

翻译人员: Sue Lu 校对人员: Yip Yan Yeung

So I asked for a podium today,

我今天要了一个讲台支架，

and I'm going to read from some notes when I give this talk,

因为会在演讲时念一些笔记。

because I care a great deal about language choices,

我非常注重用语的选择，

and I want to be absolutely precise

所以希望表达绝对准确，

in some of the words that I'm going to use today.

尤其是今天要用的一些词语。

I'm going to start by telling you the same piece of information twice,

首先，我将说两遍同一条信息，

but I'm going to say it in two different ways.

但我会用两种不同方式来说。

Here's the first way: "1,000 illegal aliens were arrested by US Border Patrol

第一种方式：“周一有 1,000 名 ‘非法入境者’被美国边境巡逻队‘逮捕’，

after crossing the southern border on Monday."

当时他们刚刚越过南部边境。”

Here's the second way.

第二种方式如下。

"1,000 undocumented immigrants turned themselves in to US Border Patrol

“周一有 1,000 名‘无证移民’ 向美国边境巡逻队‘自首’，

after crossing the southern border on Monday."

当时他们刚刚越过南部边境。”

You may be able to see the difference between these statements.

你可以看到这些陈述之间的区别。

The first one is written to cater to a conservative audience

第一种是为迎合美国保守派读者

in the United States,

而写的，

and the second is meant to cater to a liberal audience.

第二种是为了迎合自由派读者。

The difference in how straightforward news stories like this are conveyed

像这种直截了当的新闻故事的表述差异，

underscores just how polarized our politics have become.

凸显了我们的政治已两极分化。

Everyone knows that polarization is a big issue

众所周知，两极分化是个严重问题，

in the United States and across the globe.

无论是在美国还是全世界。

But what fewer people talk about is the language choices

但是， 鲜有人谈论的是，

that the media and political partisans make

媒体和政党选择的用词，

that push people away

往往将人们拒之门外，

who might have a different perspective than them,

因为他们对同一观点有不同看法。

despite the fact there are often less alienating ways

事实上，我们可以用更友善的方式

to communicate the same ideas.

来表达同一观点。

For media companies that thrive on engagement,

对于靠互动度生存的媒体公司而言，

those choices might be intentional.

这些用语选择可能是有意为之。

It doesn't matter if a news outlet loses half the country

新闻媒体不在乎是否得罪一半国民，

calling migrants illegal aliens,

他们有意称移民为“非法入境者”，

so long as it retains the other half.

只要还有另一半国民支持就行。

As individuals, however, we sometimes make those choices

但是，作为个人， 我们有时也会做出那种用语选择，

without even realizing it.

而不自知。

I'd like to share some examples of language choices

我想分享一些用语选择的例子，

that I think signal what I call a political tribe.

它们标志着我所说的“政治部落”。

I'm going to start with some on the left.

我将从左边这行的一些词语开始。

"Equity." "Lived experience."

“公正”、“亲身经历”、

"Oppression."

“压迫”。

Someone may be sharing their pronouns or talking about gender affirming care

有的人会分享自己的代名词， 或谈论性别平等关怀，

or using the term "Latinx."

或使用 “Latinx“ 来称呼拉丁裔。

On the right, you might see words like "snowflake" or "deep state,"

右边这行有 “雪花” 、“深层政府”、

"mainstream media," "alpha,"

“主流媒体”、“阿尔法”、

"illegal alien," "woke," "social justice warrior."

“非法移民”、“觉醒者”、 “社会正义战士”等词语。

For over a decade, I've been obsessing over language choices like this.

十多年来，我一直沉迷于这些用语选择。

I'm a politics reporter from Bucks County, Pennsylvania,

我是来自宾夕法尼亚州 雄鹿县的政治记者，

a bellwether county in a bellwether state.

该县是领头羊州的领头羊县。

And in 2019, I started an independent, nonpartisan news outlet called Tangle

2019 年，我创办了独立、 无党派的新闻媒体 Tangle，

in response to the bias and partisanship

以回应偏见和党派倾向

that I saw flourishing in major newsrooms all across America.

在全美各大新闻编辑室的迅速发展。

In fact, I started Tangle to solve the problem

我创立 Tangle 是为了解决

of what I like to call "news polarization."

我称之为“新闻两极分化”的问题。

I wanted to create a place where all Americans

我想创造一个空间，让所有美国人，

from the most hardcore MAGA Republican

从最铁杆的 MAGA 共和党人，

to the most progressive, blue-blooded liberal

到最进步、最纯正的自由派，

could trust as a source of wide-ranging perspectives

都可以信赖这里提供的视野宽泛的信息

and balanced reporting.

和均衡的报道。

And a place where an international audience

在这里，国际读者

could read about US news without the typical partisan slant.

可以读到没有党派倾向的美国新闻。

Our approach is simple.

我们的方法很简单，

It's just to share perspectives from across the political spectrum

就是分享各个政治派别的观点，

in language that reaches as many people as possible.

使用尽可能多的人能接受的语言。

But, as you might imagine, we ran into some problems.

但是，我们遇到了一些麻烦。

We found that while attempting to bring conservatives and liberals under one roof,

在试图将保守派和自由派拉到一起时，

we were often losing people

我们常常失去读者，

before they even read the different ideas we were presenting.

他们甚至连报道的不同观点都还没看！

Early on, I would get emails from liberal readers

早些时候，我会收到自由派读者的电邮，

saying they were unsubscribing

说他们要取消订阅，

over things like my use of the term "pro-life"

因为我使用“支持生命”一词，

instead of "anti-abortion" or "anti-choice."

而不是“反堕胎”或“反选择”。

At the same time, I would get emails from conservative readers

同时，我会收到保守派读者的电邮，

saying they were unsubscribing

说他们也要取消订阅，

because I described abortion as women's health care,

因为我将堕胎描述为女性的医疗保健，

which made them feel like I was in the tank for the pro-choice side.

让他们觉得我站在赞成选择一方。

We realized that if we wanted people

我们意识到，如果想让人们

to actually hear arguments from the other side,

真正听到另一方的论点，

we had to make some changes to our language choices.

就必须改变我们的用语选择。

So I'd like to talk about how I navigate this problem of polarizing language

因此，我想谈谈我如何 解决语言两极分化问题的——

as a reporter seeking to communicate

作为一名记者如何寻求

with an audience from across the political spectrum,

与来自不同政治派别的读者沟通，

but also how I do it in my personal life.

我也会谈谈在个人生活中如何做到这点。

First, we really want to avoid making language choices

首先，我们希望避免选错用词，

that signal to people, "you are not on my team."

让人误以为“你和我不是一边的”。

That's incredibly difficult.

但是这极其困难。

Immigration is one subject where news organizations

移民，是新闻机构

most commonly signal tribe,

最常发出派别信号的话题，

like in our first example,

就如我们第一例中，

"undocumented immigrant" versus "illegal immigrant."

“无证移民”与“非法移民”。

We know that a conservative might see "undocumented immigrant"

我们知道，保守派看到“无证移民”

and unsubscribe, suspecting that we're soft on immigration,

就会取消订阅， 怀疑我们对移民持温和态度；

while a liberal might see "illegal immigrant"

而自由派看到“非法移民”，

and write in to tell us that no person is illegal

就会写信告诉我们没人是非法的，

before canceling their account.

然后取消订阅。

That leads us to our first solution.

这导致了我们的第一个解决方法，

When possible, find a compromise.

尽可能找到折衷方案。

We settled on the term "unauthorized migrant,"

我们最终决定使用“未经许可的移民”。

a legal expression that seems not to offend

这种法律表述似乎不会冒犯

the sensibilities of either side,

任何一方的感受，

instead allowing readers to take in the arguments we're presenting

反而让读者能够 接受我们报道的论点，

while also accurately portraying what we're trying to communicate.

同时让我们也能准确传达信息。

Unfortunately, not every problem has a simple compromise.

不幸的是，并非每个问题 都有简单的折衷方案。

So let's go to a classic example.

让我们来看个经典例子。

Abortion is a big indicator of political tribe.

堕胎是政治部落的一个重要标志。

Is a person pro-life for wanting to make the killing of a fetus illegal,

一个人是为了支持生命而 将杀死胎儿定为非法行为，

or are they anti-choice?

还是为了反对选择？

Is another person pro-choice

另一个人赞成选择

for wanting a woman to be able to choose what happens to her body,

是为了支持女性主宰自己身体的权利，

or are they anti-life?

还是为了反对生命？

Ardent supporters of one side of this debate or the other

这场辩论一方或另一方的热心支持者

will insist on using their preferred terms.

会坚持使用他们喜欢的术语。

So what do you do?

那你怎么办？

Solution number two.

第二种解决方法,

We tend to use a group's preferred term.

我们倾向于使用他们喜欢的术语。

That allows us to maintain a neutral tone in the discussion

这使我们能够在讨论中保持中立基调，

and treat everyone's position with tolerance.

宽容地对待每个人的立场。

Pro-life people say they're pro-life, so we call them that.

反对堕胎的人称自己为“支持生命”， 那我们就这样称呼他们。

Pro-choice people say they're pro-choice, so we say that, too.

支持堕胎的人称自己为“赞成选择”， 所以我们也这么称呼他们。

We may use a term like "anti-abortion" to describe a pro-life group,

我们可能用像“反堕胎”这类术语 来描述一个“支持生命”的群体，

but only if we've seen them use that language themselves,

但前提是我们看到 他们自己在使用这种语言。

which, by the way, many of them do.

顺便，他们许多人确实是这么用的。

We ran into a similar issue with the term "Latinx,"

我们在 “Latinx” 这个词上 遇到了类似问题。

a gender-neutral word invented to describe people of Hispanic descent.

这是一个性别中立的词， 为描述西班牙裔人而发明。

In theory, it's a decent idea,

从理论上讲，这个主意不错，

but it has a major problem.

但它有个大问题。

The people whom that word refers to, people of Hispanic or Latin descent,

这个词所指的人群， 西班牙裔或拉丁裔人，

they don't like it.

并不喜欢它。

I got emails and emails from Latino and Latina people

我不断收到来自拉丁裔人的电邮，

telling me that when referring to the group,

告诉我在提及他们的群体时，

最好用 “Hispanic（西班牙裔）” 或 “Latino（拉丁裔）”。

they preferred "Hispanic" or "Latino."

And that's not just anecdotal.

这不是凭空捏造的，

Polling shows this too.

民意调查也显示了这点。

68 percent of people of Hispanic descent favor the term "Hispanic,"

68% 的西班牙裔人 赞成 “Hispanic” 一词，

21 percent favor "Latina" or "Latino,"

21% 赞成 “Latina” 或 “Latino”,

and only 2 percent use the term "Latinx."

只有 2% 使用 “Latinx”，

On top of that, a whopping 40 percent find the term "Latinx" offensive.

但 40% 反感 “Latinx” 一词。

So we stopped using it.

所以我们就停止使用它了。

I have another example of a way you can work

我还有个例子展示

to communicate more neutrally.

如何更中立地沟通。

This one's a little bit of a doozy.

这个例子有点棘手，

This is one of the more controversial things that we do.

是我们所做的最具争议的一件事。

The AP Stylebook, which most media outlets use,

大多数媒体使用的美联社写作手册，

began calling for the capitalizing of the B in "Black" in 2020

从 2020 年开始呼吁 将 “黑人（Black）” 中的 B 大写，

when referring to a race, culture or ethnicity.

当提及种族、文化或族裔时。

They also offered the guidance not to capitalize "white,"

他们还建议了 “白人（white）” 不需大写 ，

saying that "Black" communicated a wider, shared cultural experience

称 “Black” 传达了一种 更广泛、共同的文化体验,

that "white" did not.

而 “white” 却没有。

For a long time we followed this guidance, but we don't anymore.

很长时间我们都在 遵循这个建议，但现在不了。

Believe it or not, there's not actually good polling on this that I could find,

信不信由你，我找不到这方面 令人信服的民意调查，

but there are a lot of arguments for and against.

但是有很多支持和反对的论点。

And I found the arguments of Black writers

我发现黑人作家的论点

who preferred the term to be lowercase to be more persuasive.

更有说服力， 他们偏爱小写的 black。

Writers like Glenn Loury, John McWhorter and Minna Salami.

这些作家包括格伦·洛里、 约翰·麦克沃特和明娜·萨拉米。

Loury put it like this:

洛里是这样说的：

"But if all the disparate groups that constitute 'whites'

“但是，如果构成‘白人’的 所有不同群体

don't comprise a single people,

都不是由一人组成，

why should all the disparate groups that constitute 'blacks' do so?

为什么构成‘黑人’的 所有不同群体都是呢？

To be honest, I don't think they do.

说实话，我认为他们也不是。

I would probably have a hard time seeing the sociological similarities,

我会很难找到他们的社会相似性，

say, between a wealthy member of Lagos's business class

比如，在拉各斯商务阶层的一位富豪

and a man on Chicago's South Side

和芝加哥南边一个

working three part-time jobs just to pay his rent.

为付房租打三份兼职工的人之间。

Learning that both are black would tell me precisely nothing."

知道两人都是黑人 恰恰说明不了什么。”

End quote.

他的话引用完毕。

I agree, and I find this reasoning much more compelling

我赞同，这个理由更令人信服，

than the argument behind the AP stylebook's decision.

比美联社写作手册 支持的论点更有说服力。

And that is solution number three.

这是第三个解决方法。

Sometimes you have to follow your own thoughts,

有时，你得遵从自己的想法，

state them honestly, listen to the arguments,

诚实地陈述它们，并倾听各种论点，

make a call as best you can, and communicate your choice when asked.

尽你所能做出判断， 在被问及时说出自己的选择。

Language choices designed to connect people

用语选择旨在连接不同

on all sides of the political spectrum

政治派别的各方人士。

will never be perfect,

虽然它不尽完美，

but we can try our very best.

但我们可以尽力而为。

I believe it is our responsibility to connect with people

我认为这是我们的责任，

outside of our political tribes.

与不同政治部落的人建立联系。

But that responsibility doesn't only belong to the people

但这种责任不仅仅属于

communicating the news;

传播新闻的人；

it also lies with you and with me,

它也属于你和我，

the consumers.

即消费新闻的大众。

And it requires that we all listen more neutrally, too.

这也要求我们都更中立地倾听。

If you disagree with my decision on that, capitalizing the B in "Black,"

比如，如果你不同意我的决定—— 将 “Black” 中的 B 大写，

as I'm sure many people in this room do, that's fine.

我敢肯定，在座许多人都不同意，没关系。

I would hope that we can have an honest disagreement about it

我希望我们能就此达成诚实的分歧，

and be able to see each other as people who disagree

能将彼此视为意见不一的人，

instead of political enemies.

而不是政治敌人。

But that takes work.

但这需要付出努力。

And a lot of the time, a person you're speaking with

很多时候，与你交谈的人

will use a phrase intended to signal their membership to a political tribe,

会使用一个特定短语 表明自己所属政治部落，

but that doesn't always mean the other person intended to pick a fight.

但这并不总意味着对方有意找茬。

You can make the decision not to take offense

你可以决定不生气，

by someone's tribal language choices,

不在意他人的政治部落用语选择，

and rather hear their intended meaning.

而是倾听他们的所思所想。

Progressives or more liberal media outlets, for example,

例如，进步派或更自由的媒体，

may center lived experiences or share the pronouns of authors,

可能会以亲身经历为中心， 或分享作者的代名词，

while conservatives and conservative pundits

而保守派和保守派专家

might riff about the deep state or the mainstream media.

可能会对深层政府或主流媒体大肆抨击。

What's fascinating to me about these signals

这些派别信号令我着迷的是

is that they often give extra meaning to mostly apolitical ideas.

它们常为基本是非政治性的观点 赋予额外含义。

Deep state is really just code

深层政府实际上只是个代号，

for a kind of sinister federal bureaucracy run amok,

代表某种邪恶的 联邦官僚机构肆意妄为。

something plenty of progressives would be open to acknowledging

很多进步派都会愿意承认这点，

if the wording were just a little bit different.

只要措辞能够稍有不同。

Meanwhile, discussing lived experiences isn't about being extra sensitive

同时，讨论亲身经历不需格外敏感

to every transgression you've ever experienced.

对待你的每一次违法行为。

It's just another way of saying,

这只是用另一种方式陈述

these are the things that have happened to me,

这些发生在我身上的事，

something that conservatives center in their politics all the time.

而保守派在政治上一直对此大肆渲染。

And lastly, I think it's worth noting

最后，我认为值得注意的是，

that sometimes a single word can mean totally different things

有时一个词会表达多种不同意思，

to different groups.

由于不同群体各执一词。

In recent months, one of the most controversial issues in the world

最近几个月， 全球最具争议的一个问题

has been Israel's incursion in Gaza.

是以色列入侵加沙。

That has set off a debate about Zionism,

这引发了关于犹太复国运动的辩论。

a word that I've heard used as both a political term and a slur,

我听到这个词被用作 政治术语，或是诽谤中伤，

depending on the speaker.

视发言者而定。

I'd like to share three different definitions

让我来分享它的三个不同定义，

for the word Zionism that I could find.

即“犹太复国运动”的定义。

The first is a definition from Britannica,

第一个定义来自 《大英百科全书》（Britannica），

which broadly defines it as a Jewish nationalist movement.

将其宽泛地定义为犹太民族主义运动。

The second is from the ADL,

第二个来自反诽谤联盟（ADL），

which calls it a movement for self-determination and statehood.

将其称为争取自决权和建国的运动。

And the third is a definition from Al Jazeera's website,

第三个定义来自 半岛电视台（Al Jazeera）网站，

which describes it as a colonial movement by any means necessary.

描述其为不择手段的殖民运动。

Same word, three different definitions.

同一个词，三个不同定义。

Zionism is one of many terms

犹太复国运动只是 众多这类术语中的一个，

that people have completely different definitions for.

人们争相赋予它们迥异的定义。

And if you're talking with someone

在与人交谈时，

who's using a term in a way that you wouldn't,

如果不接受他们使用某个词的方式，

a really simple and effective tactic

一个非常简单有效的策略

is to ask them how they would define that term.

就是问他们，你如何定义这个词？

That can be a good pathway to gaining mutual understanding,

这是获得相互理解的有效途径，

whereas not doing so is often a serious impediment.

不这样做往往造成严重妨碍。

And if you're in the media,

如果你在媒体工作，

defining these terms in your writing is almost always helpful.

定义这些术语多会有助于你的写作。

Disagreement between two people over an idea can never be productive

两个人对一个想法的分歧 永远不会有结果，

if both people are imagining

尤其是，如果双方都想象

the other is saying something that they aren't.

对方在说一些他们其实并没说的话。

So how can you connect with people who think differently than you?

那么，如何与那些 想法和你不同的人建立联系？

For both media organizations and individuals in their everyday life,

在日常生活中，媒体组织和个人，

you have to be sincere.

都必须保持真诚。

People know when they're being pandered to.

人们会察觉到 别人是否在假意迎合他们。

You don't have to make everybody happy,

你不必让所有人开心，

and you don't even have to like the people that you disagree with.

甚至不必喜欢与你有分歧的人。

But you ought to try communicating in ways

但是你应尝试不同的沟通方式，

that more than one political tribe can hear you.

让不同政治部落听到你的见解。

And when the other political tribe is communicating,

而且，当其他政治部落进行交流时，

you should try your best to be tolerant of their language choices.

你应尽量容忍他们的语言选择，

That sometimes means calling a group something they prefer to be called,

即按照该群体的意愿称呼他们，

even if you disagree.

即使你并不赞同那个称谓。

And it often means really hearing the intentions of another person,

这通常意味着用心倾听他人的愿望，

even if they are using language that puts you off.

哪怕他们的用词让你反感。

The good news is that using more neutral language

好消息是，使用更中立的用语

isn't always difficult,

并不总是很难，

and tolerance is a pretty easy bar to clear if you try.

只要努力尝试，你就容易变得宽容。

So please, if you have some better suggestions

在此恳请大家，如果有什么好建议，

for how to communicate and connect across the political spectrum,

针对如何与不同政治派别沟通联系，

I'm all ears.

我一定洗耳恭听。

I'm always open to ideas and changing my mind,

我一贯乐于接受不同想法， 并不断改变自己的想法，

and I hope you are too.

希望你也一样。

Thank you.

谢谢大家。

(Applause)

（掌声）