Chris Bliss: Comedy is translation

翻译人员: Karen SONG 校对人员: Zhangyi Liu

Gabriel García Márquez is one of my favorite writers,

加布里尔•加西亚•马尔克斯（Gabriel García Márquez）是我最喜欢的作家之一

for his storytelling,

我喜欢他的叙事

but even more, I think,

更喜欢他的

for the beauty and precision of his prose.

描写的优美和精确

And whether it's the opening line from "One Hundred Years of Solitude"

不管是《百年孤独》的开篇

or the fantastical stream of consciousness

还是《族长没落》中的

in "Autumn of the Patriarch,"

魔幻意识流

where the words rush by,

文字汹涌而过

page after page of unpunctuated imagery

一页又一页不间断的意象

sweeping the reader along

在读者的脑海中流过

like some wild river

就像是

twisting through a primal South American jungle,

在南美洲的原始森林中蜿蜒流过的一条野性的河流

reading Márquez is a visceral experience.

阅读马尔克斯的小说是一种特别震撼的

Which struck me as particularly remarkable

感人肺腑的体验

during one session with the novel

在阅读小说的体验中

when I realized that I was being swept along

让我认识到自己正藉由翻译

on this remarkable, vivid journey

来经历一次十分特殊又生动的

in translation.

旅程

Now I was a comparative literature major in college,

在大学时我的专业是比较文学

which is like an English major,

这个专业与英文专业比较像

only instead of being stuck studying Chaucer for three months,

只不过我们不用花上三个月的时间研究乔叟

we got to read great literature in translation

而是可以阅读全世界优秀文学作品的

from around the world.

翻译版本

And as great as these books were,

这些书固然出色

you could always tell

但你也总是可以感觉到

that you were getting close to the full effect.

翻译能够接近于原版完全的效果

But not so with Márquez

不过马尔克斯的书可不一样

who once praised his translator's versions

马尔克斯本人曾称赞英译本

as being better than his own,

超越了他的原作

which is an astonishing compliment.

这可是惊人的褒扬

So when I heard that the translator, Gregory Rabassa,

所以，在知道这位译者Gregory Rabassa

had written his own book on the subject,

自己写了一本关于翻译的书时

I couldn't wait to read it.

我迫不及待地去读了

It's called apropos of the Italian adage

这本书的书名来源于意大利的一句谚语

that I lifted from his forward,

他在前言里提到

"If This Be Treason."

意思是“如果这是背叛”

And it's a charming read.

真是一次令人愉悦的阅读体验

It's highly recommended for anyone who's interested

我要极力推荐给

in the translator's art.

任何对翻译艺术感兴趣的人

But the reason that I mention it

不过我提及这本书的原因是

is that early on, Rabassa offers

Rabassa早前曾提出过

this elegantly simple insight:

这样优雅简洁的见解

"Every act of communication

“每一次沟通的行为

is an act of translation."

都是一次翻译的行为”

Now maybe that's been obvious to all of you for a long time,

也许你们一直以来认为这是显而易见的

but for me,

但是对于我来说

as often as I'd encountered

尽管每天都会遭遇

that exact difficulty on a daily basis,

沟通上的困难

I had never seen the inherent challenge of communication

我也从没有看清沟通的这种内在挑战

in so crystalline a light.

（这句话）真是醍醐灌顶

Ever since I can remember

从我记忆中

thinking consciously about such things,

能够有意识地思考开始

communication has been my central passion.

我就对沟通这一课题倾注了主要的激情

Even as a child,

记得在孩提时代

I remember thinking that what I really wanted most in life

我就知道自己人生中真正想做的事

was to be able to understand everything

就是去理解所有的事物

and then to communicate it to everyone else.

然后去告诉所有的人

So no ego problems.

这可不是狂妄自大

It's funny, my wife, Daisy,

有趣的是，我妻子Daisy

whose family is littered with schizophrenics --

她的娘家到处都是精神分裂症患者

and I mean littered with them --

我是说到处都是

once said to me, "Chris, I already have a brother who thinks he's God.

曾经跟我说过：“Chris，我已经有了一个自认为是上帝的兄弟”

I don't need a husband who wants to be."

我不需要一个想成为上帝的丈夫

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Anyway, as I plunged through my 20s

后来，在我二十多岁的时候

ever more aware of how unobtainable

我渐渐明白了

the first part of my childhood ambition was,

我那童年理想的前半部分是无法实现的

it was that second part,

但是对于后半部分：

being able to successfully communicate to others

能偶成功地向他人传达

whatever knowledge I was gaining,

我自己获得的任何一种知识

where the futility of my quest really set in.

无力感油然而生

Time after time,

一次又一次

whenever I set out to share some great truth

每当我开始跟别人分享一些伟大的真理

with a soon-to-be grateful recipient,

对方本该感到感激的

it had the opposite effect.

但结果往往适得其反

Interestingly, when your opening line of communication is,

有趣的是，只要你的开场白是

"Hey, listen up,

嘿，听好了

because I'm about to drop some serious knowledge on you,"

我要传授给你一些严肃的知识

it's amazing how quickly you'll discover

之后，快的超乎想象，你就能（在对方眼里）

both ice and the firing squad.

发现一种混合了冰冷和杀意的眼神

Finally, after about 10 years

后来，在连续十年

of alienating friends and strangers alike,

无差别疏远朋友和陌生人之后

I finally got it,

我终于悟到了

a new personal truth all my own,

这是很个人化的一个真理

that if I was going to ever communicate well with other people

如果要跟别人很好地传达

the ideas that I was gaining,

自己的想法

I'd better find a different way of going about it.

我最好另辟蹊径

And that's when I discovered comedy.

就在这时候，我发现了喜剧

Now comedy travels along a distinct wavelength

喜剧的波段和其他种类的语言

from other forms of language.

截然不同

If I had to place it on an arbitrary spectrum,

如果我把喜剧放在任意的一个光谱上

I'd say it falls somewhere

我想它的位置

between poetry and lies.

介于诗歌和谎言之间

And I'm not talking about all comedy here,

在这里我说的不是所有的喜剧

because, clearly, there's plenty of humor

因为，明显的，有许多的幽默

that colors safely within the lines of what we already think and feel.

安全地待在我们日常的所知所感范围内

What I want to talk about

我说的是

is the unique ability that the best comedy and satire has

那些最棒的喜剧和讽刺

at circumventing our ingrained perspectives --

它们独具一种绕开人们正常视角的能力

comedy as the philosopher's stone.

就像点金石一样

It takes the base metal of our conventional wisdom

它们运用我们传统智慧的普通金属

and transforms it through ridicule

通过滑稽的手段

into a different way of seeing

转换成一种不一样的看法

and ultimately being in the world.

甚至是一种不一样的存在

Because that's what I take

因为这就是我

from the theme of this conference: Gained in Translation.

从这次大会的主题中得到的：翻译中的收获

That it's about communication

沟通

that doesn't just produce greater understanding

不仅能使个人自身产生

within the individual,

更好的理解

but leads to real change.

还能带来真正的改变

Which in my experience means communication

根据我的经验

that manages to speak to and expand

沟通能够对话和拓展

our concept of self-interest.

我们对于利己主义的概念

Now I'm big on speaking to people's self-interest

这会儿我自视甚高地谈论利己主义

because we're all wired for that.

因为我们天生利己

It's part of our survival package,

这是我们求生本能中的一项

and that's why it's become so important for us,

这是它之所以对我们如此重要的原因

and that's why we're always listening at that level.

也解释了为什么我们只有在事关自身利益的时候才会去聆听

And also because that's where,

同时

in terms of our own self-interest,

只有当符合自身利益时

we finally begin to grasp

我们才会开始

our ability to respond, our responsibility

努力去回应

to the rest of the world.

我们对于他人的责任

Now as to what I mean by the best comedy and satire,

我认为最好的喜剧和讽刺究竟是什么样的呢

I mean work that comes first and foremost

首先，最重要的是

from a place of honesty and integrity.

它们来源于真诚和正直

Now if you think back

回想一下

on Tina Fey's impersonations on Saturday Night Live

Tina Fey在“周末夜现场”（ Saturday Night Live）节目中

of the newly nominated vice presidential candidate

对新获提名的副总统候选人

Sarah Palin,

Sarah Palin

they were devastating.

那真是杀伤力十足

Fey demonstrated far more effectively than any political pundit

Fey比任何一个政治权威人士都有效地表现了

the candidate's fundamental lack of seriousness,

这个候选人在严肃性上的缺失

cementing an impression

大大加深了

that the majority of the American public still holds today.

大部分美国民众今天对于此事的印象

And the key detail of this

这个关键的细节就是

is that Fey's scripts weren't written by her

Fey的剧本不是由她所作

and they weren't written by the SNL writers.

也并非出自栏目组的写手

They were lifted verbatim

而是原封不动地

from Palin's own remarks.

来源于Palin自己的说辞

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Here was a Palin impersonator

这是一个Palin的模仿者

quoting Palin word for word.

逐字逐句地引用Palin自己说过的话

Now that's honesty and integrity,

这就是真诚和正直

and it's also why Fey's performances

这也是Fey的表演

left such a lasting impression.

之所以能历久弥新的原因

On the other side of the political spectrum,

还有一个政治领域的例子

the first time that I heard Rush Limbaugh

当我第一次听到Rush Limbaugh

refer to presidential hopeful John Edwards as the Breck girl

把总统候选人John Edwards比作布雷克广告女郎（Breck Girl）的时候

I knew that he'd made a direct hit.

我就知道这段子会火

Now it's not often that I'm going to associate

我不常把Limbaugh

the words honesty and integrity with Limbaugh,

和真诚正直联系在一起

but it's really hard to argue with that punchline.

不过这句如珠妙语可真是无可争议

The description perfectly captured

这个描述完美地刻画了

Edwards' personal vanity.

Edwards的虚荣心

And guess what?

你猜怎么？

That ended up being the exact personality trait

事实证明，就是他的这种性格特征

that was at the core of the scandal that ended his political career.

成为了终结他政治生涯的那件丑闻的核心原因

Now The Daily Show with John Stewart

“约翰 –斯图尔特每日秀”（The Daily Show with John Steward）

is by far the most --

是迄今为止最……

(Applause)

（掌声）

(Laughter)

（笑声）

it's by far the most well-documented example

是迄今为止关于

of the effectiveness of this kind of comedy.

此类喜剧的效力存档最为完整的例子

Survey after survey,

一个又一个的民意调查

from Pew Research to the Annenberg Center for Public Policy,

从皮尤研究中心（ Pew Research）到安纳博格公共政策中心（Anneberg Center for Public Policy）

has found that Daily Show viewers are better informed about current events

都发现“每日秀”的观众对于时事更了解

than the viewers of all major network and cable news shows.

相比于网络和电视新闻的观众

(Applause)

（鼓掌声）

Now whether this says more

无论这个发现是说明了

about the conflict between integrity and profitability

公司新闻的真实性

of corporate journalism

和盈利性之间的冲突

than it does about the attentiveness of Stewart's viewers,

还是说明了斯图尔特的观众的关注度

the larger point remains

最重要的观点是

that Stewart's material

斯图尔特的创作素材

is always grounded in a commitment to the facts --

总是植根于真实事件

not because his intent is to inform. It's not.

但他的目的不是告知，不是的。

His intent is to be funny.

他的目的是搞笑。

It just so happens that Stewart's brand of funny

斯图尔特的搞笑招牌

doesn't work unless the facts are true.

只在素材是真实的条件下才发挥作用

And the result is great comedy

结论是，优秀的喜剧

that's also an information delivery system

也是一种信息传播系统

that scores markedly higher in both credibility and retention

它在可靠性和记忆方面的得分

than the professional news media.

远远超过专业新闻媒体

Now this is doubly ironic

这真是双重讽刺

when you consider that what gives comedy its edge

想想喜剧之所以

at reaching around people's walls

能够触及人心

is the way that it uses deliberate misdirection.

靠的是有意误导

A great piece of comedy is a verbal magic trick,

优秀的喜剧是语言的魔术

where you think it's going over here

你以为它是往这儿走

and then all of a sudden you're transported over here.

但刹那间就出现在那儿

And there's this mental delight

精神上的欢乐

that's followed by the physical response of laughter,

引发了笑这种生理反应

which, not coincidentally,

并非巧合地

releases endorphins in the brain.

释放了脑内的内啡肽

And just like that, you've been seduced

这样，你就会被诱导着

into a different way of looking at something

从另一个角度看待问题

because the endorphins have brought down your defenses.

因为内啡肽能让人放下自我防卫

This is the exact opposite

这种作用机制

of the way that anger and fear and panic,

与愤怒、恐惧和惊慌

all of the flight-or-fight responses, operate.

这类“逃跑或战斗”反应的作用机制正好相反

Flight-or-fight releases adrenalin,

“逃跑或战斗”释放肾上腺素

which throws our walls up sky-high.

将自我防卫的高墙推到天那么高

And the comedy comes along,

而喜剧

dealing with a lot of the same areas

涉及了许多

where our defenses are the strongest --

我们拥有最强自我防卫的领域

race, religion, politics, sexuality --

比如种族、宗教、政治、性

only by approaching them through humor instead of adrenalin,

只有用幽默，而不是用肾上腺素

we get endorphins

来接近这些领域，内啡肽

and the alchemy of laughter turns our walls into windows,

和笑的魔力才会把自我防卫的高墙变成窗口

revealing a fresh and unexpected point of view.

展现出一个意料之外的全新视角

Now let me give you an example from my act.

让我给你们一个我自己的例子

I have some material

我手头上有一些

about the so-called radical gay agenda,

关于所谓“激进同性恋议程”的资料

which starts off by asking,

开篇是问

how radical is the gay agenda?

“同性恋议程”到底有多激进？

Because from what I can tell, the three things gay Americans seem to want most

因为从我所了解到的，美国同性恋者最想做的三件事

are to join the military, get married and start a family.

就是入伍、结婚、和建立家庭

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Three things I've tried to avoid my entire life.

这三件事我这辈子都不想做

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Have at it you radical bastards. The field is yours.

放手去做吧，你们这些激进的混蛋。场地归你了

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And that's followed by these lines

那份资料后面

about gay adoption:

提到了同性恋收养

What is the problem with gay adoption?

同性恋收养有什么问题？

Why is this remotely controversial?

为什么会有轻微争议？

If you have a baby and you think that baby's gay,

如果你认为你的宝宝是个同性恋者

you should be allowed to put it up for adoption.

你应该被允许去让别人收养他/她

(Laughter)

（笑声）

You have given birth to an abomination.

你生了个让人憎恶的东西

Remove it from your household.

它从你的家里赶出去

Now by taking the biblical epithet "abomination"

把圣经用词“可憎之物”

and attaching it to the ultimate image of innocence, a baby,

用到婴儿这种纯洁的终极化身上

this joke short circuits the emotional wiring

这个笑话

behind the debate

让争论背后的情绪电线短路

and it leaves the audience with the opportunity, through their laughter,

留给听众一个机会，能够通过他们的笑声

to question its validity.

去质疑这场争论的正确性

Misdirection isn't the only trick

误导可不是喜剧的

that comedy has up its sleeve.

袖中所藏的唯一伎俩

Economy of language

语言的节极致简约

is another real strong suit of great comedy.

是喜剧的另一件强有力的外衣

There are few phrases

没有什么

that pack a more concentrated dose of subject and symbol

比一个完美的笑点能集中

than the perfect punchline.

包含更多的题材和象征

Bill Hicks -- and if you don't know his work,

Bill Hicks，如果你不知道这个人的作品

you should really Google him --

你真的应该去google他

Hicks had a routine

Hicks表演中的一个惯例

about getting into one of those childhood bragging contests on the playground,

是要提到他童年时代在操场上的吹牛比赛

where finally the other kid says to him,

有一个孩子冲他吼到

"Huh? Well my dad can beat up your dad,"

“我爸爸能揍扁你爸爸！”

to which Hicks replies,

Hicks回答说

"Really? How soon?"

“真的？多快？”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

That's an entire childhood

整个童年

in three words.

都浓缩在这几个字当中了

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Not to mention what it reveals

更别提这句话透露出多少

about the adult who's speaking them.

关于那个对此侃侃而谈的成年人了

And one last powerful attribute

最后，喜剧作为一种沟通方式

that comedy has as communication

还有一个强大的属性

is that it's inherently viral.

那就是它内在的扩散性

People can't wait

人们迫不及待地

to pass along that new great joke.

传播新的好笑话

And this isn't some new phenomenon of our wired world.

这在现代社会可不是什么新生现象

Comedy has been crossing country

喜剧早就能以惊人的速度

with remarkable speed

跨越国境了

way before the Internet, social media,

早在我们有互联网、社交媒体

even cable TV.

甚至是有线电视之前

Back in 1980

在1980年

when comedian Richard Pryor accidentally set himself on fire

喜剧演员Richard Pryor不小心烧到了自己

during a freebasing accident,

在一次活动中

I was in Los Angeles the day after it happened

我在事件发生的第二天在洛杉矶

and then I was in Washington D.C. two days after that.

两天后到达华盛顿特区

And I heard the exact same punchline on both coasts --

我在东西海岸听到的笑点一模一样

something about the Ignited Negro College Fund.

着火的黑人大学基金

Clearly, it didn't come out of a Tonight Show monologue.

明显的，它不是出自“今夜秀”（Tonight Show）的独白

And my guess here -- and I have no research on this --

我猜想——没有验证过——

is that if you really were to look back at it and if you could research it,

如果你真的回过头去做些研究

you'd find out that comedy

你会发现喜剧

is the second oldest viral profession.

是第二古老的传播性质的职业

First there were drums

最早是鼓乐

and then knock-knock jokes.

然后就是敲门笑话（谐音笑话）了

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But it's when you put all of these elements together --

当你把具备了所有的要素

when you get the viral appeal of a great joke

你有了一个适合传播的好笑话

with a powerful punchline

一个来自真诚和正直、

that's crafted from honesty and integrity,

精心安排的有力笑点

it can have a real world impact

就能够拥有

at changing a conversation.

改变对谈的真正效用

Now I have a close friend, Joel Pett,

我有一个好朋友，名叫Joel Pett

who's the editorial cartoonist

他是一名社论漫画家

for the Lexington Herald-Leader.

为《列克星顿先驱领袖报》工作

And he used to be the USA Today Monday morning guy.

他曾经为《今日美国》（USA TODAY）早报周一版工作

I was visiting with Joel

我和Joel一起去了哥本哈根

the weekend before the Copenhagen conference on climate change opened

就在气候大会召开的一个星期前

in December of 2009.

2009年12月

And Joel was explaining to me

Joel跟我解释说

that, because USA Today

因为《今日美国》

was one of America's four papers of record,

是全美发行量最高的四份报纸之一

it would be scanned by virtually everyone in attendance at the conference,

基本上大会的每一个参加者都会读到

which meant that, if he hit it out of the park with his cartoon

这就意味着，如果他能画出轰动的作品

on Monday, the opening day of the conference,

在周一，也就是大会的第一天出版

it could get passed around

就可能让大会最高层人士

at the highest level among actual decision-makers.

也就是真正的决策者看到

So we started talking about climate change.

于是我们开始讨论气候变化

And it turned out that Joel and I

结果Joel和我两人

were both bothered by the same thing,

都为同一件事烦恼

which was how so much of the debate

太多的争论

was still focused on the science

都集中在科学方面

and how complete it was or wasn't,

技术够不够完善

which, to both of us,

我俩觉得

seems somewhat intentionally off point.

这是离题的

Because first of all, there's this false premise

因为，首先，这里有一个错误的前提

that such a thing as complete science exists.

是完美的科学是存在的

Now Governor Perry of my newly-adopted state of Texas

德克萨斯州长佩里（Perry）

was pushing this same line this past summer

在去年夏天说过一模一样的话

at the beginning of his oops-fated campaign

在他那注定失败的

for the Republican presidential nomination,

共和党总统提名选举伊始

proclaiming over and over that the science wasn't complete

他就一遍遍地重申科学还不够完善

at the same time that 250

同时德州有250个县

out of 254 counties in the state of Texas

——德州统共有254个县——

were on fire.

发生了火灾

And Perry's policy solution

佩里的对应政策是

was to ask the people of Texas

让德州民众

to pray for rain.

祈求降雨

Personally, I was praying for four more fires

就我自己而言，我祈祷的内容是让剩下的那4个县也着火吧

so we could finally complete the damn science.

这样那该死的科学就完善了

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But back in 2009,

回到2009年

the question Joel and I kept turning over and over

Joel和我反复思考的问题是

was why this late in the game

为什么事到如今

so much energy was being spent talking about the science

还要花那么多精力来讨论科学

when the policies necessary to address climate change

而气候政策要解决的问题

were unequivocally beneficial for humanity in the long run

无疑是人类长期的利益

regardless of the science.

其中无所谓科学

So we tossed it back and forth until Joel came up with this.

我们反复讨论，最终Joel画出了这幅作品

Cartoon: "What if it's a big hoax and we create a better world for nothing?"

漫画：“假使这是一场大骗局，我们就会徒然创造一个更好的世界？”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

You've got to love that idea.

你会爱上这个创意

(Applause)

（鼓掌声）

How about that? How about we create a better world for nothing?

我们何不努力让世界变好，而不为了什么？

Not for God, not for country, not for profit --

不为上帝，不为国家，不为利益

just as a basic metric for global decision-making.

只是作为一种全球性决策的基本标准

And this cartoon hit the bull's eye.

这幅漫画直击要害

Shortly after the conference was over,

在大会结束不久后

Joel got a request for a signed copy

Joel收到一个索取签名副本的请求

from the head of the EPA in Washington

来自于华盛顿州环境保护局局长

whose wall it now hangs on.

而这幅画现在还挂墙上

And not long after that, he got another request for a copy

又过了没多久，加州环保局也来

from the head of the EPA in California

索取了一份拷贝

who used it as part of her presentation

用于局长的演讲

at an international conference on climate change

在一次国际气候会议上

in Sacramento last year.

去年在萨克拉门托

And it didn't stop there.

还不止这些

To date, Joel's gotten requests from over 40 environmental groups,

至今为止，Joel收到了来自40多个环境组织的请求

in the United States, Canada and Europe.

来自美国、加拿大和欧洲

And earlier this year,

今年早些时候

he got a request from the Green Party in Australia

澳大利亚绿党向他索要拷贝

who used it in their campaign

用于他们的宣传活动

where it became part of the debate

引发热烈的讨论

that resulted in the Australian parliament

最终让澳大利亚国会

adopting the most rigorous carbon tax regime

采取了新的碳排放税收制度

of any country in the world.

是全世界最苛刻的

(Applause)

（鼓掌声）

That is a lot of punch

这14个单词

for 14 words.

可真够强劲的

So my suggestion to those of you out here

我对于你们这些

who are seriously focused on creating a better world

认真考虑地球未来的人有一个建议

is to take a little bit of time each day

那就是每天花上一点时间

and practice thinking funny,

练习一下用喜剧思维来思考

because you might just find the question that you've been looking for.

因为你很可能就此找到一直在追寻的问题所在

Thank you.

感谢各位

(Applause)

（鼓掌声）