Jay Walker on the world's English mania

譯者: Haishuo Lee 審譯者: Bill Hsiung

Let's talk about manias.

讓我們談談狂熱。

讓我們從披頭四 (Beatles) 狂熱開始。

Let's start with Beatlemania.

(Recording of crowd roaring)

歇斯底里的青少年，

Hysterical teenagers,

crying, screaming, pandemonium.

哭喊、尖叫、猶如煉獄。

(Recording of crowd roaring)

運動狂熱，

Sports mania:

deafening crowds,

震耳欲聾的群眾，

all for one idea -- get the ball in the net.

全為了同一件事：把球弄進網裡。

(Recording) Goal!

Okay, religious mania:

Okay，宗教狂熱，

there's rapture, there's weeping,

有狂喜、有哭號，

there's visions.

有預見。

Manias can be good.

狂熱可以是好的。

Manias can be alarming.

狂熱可以是驚人的，

狂熱也可以是致命的。

Or manias can be deadly.

(Recording of crowd cheering)

The world has a new mania.

這個世界，有種新的狂熱。

A mania for learning English.

那是學習英文的狂熱。

Listen as Chinese students practice their English,

讓我們聽聽中國學生以吶喊的方式

by screaming it:

練習英文 ...

Teacher: ... change my life!

教師：... 改變我的生命！

Students: I want to change my life!

學生：我會改變我的生命。

T: I don't want to let my parents down!

教師：我不想讓我的父母失望。

S: I don't want to let my parents down!

學生：我不想讓我的父母失望。

T: I don't ever want to let my country down!

教師：我從不曾想讓我的國家失望。

S: I don't ever want to let my country down!

學生：我從不曾想讓我的國家失望。

T: Most importantly... S: Most importantly...

教師：最重要的是 ... 學生：最重要的是 ...

T: I don't want to let myself down!

教師：我不想讓我自己失望。

S: I don't want to let myself down!

學生：我不想讓我自己失望。

How many people are trying to learn English worldwide?

杰•渥克：全世界有多少人正試著學英文？

Two billion of them.

二十億人！

學生：一件 T 恤、一件洋裝。

Students: A t-shirt. A dress.

杰•渥克：在拉丁美洲、

Jay Walker: In Latin America,

in India,

在印度、在東南亞

in Southeast Asia,

尤為甚者，在中國。

and most of all, in China.

If you're a Chinese student,

若你是個中國學生，

you start learning English in the third grade, by law.

根據法律，你從國小三年級開始學英文。

That's why this year,

那也就是為什麼今年

China will become the world's largest English-speaking country.

中國會成為世界最大講英語國家的原因。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Why English?

為什麼是英文？一言以蔽之：機會。

In a single word: opportunity.

獲取更好生活、工作的機會，

Opportunity for a better life, a job,

to be able to pay for school, or put better food on the table.

能支付學費、享用較好的飲食。

Imagine a student taking a giant test for three full days.

想像一個學生，連續三天參加一個巨型考試。

Her score on this one test literally determines her future.

她在這個考試中的表現

就會決定她的未來。

She studies 12 hours a day

她每天研讀十二個小時，

for three years to prepare.

花了三年的時間準備。

Twenty-five percent of her grade is based on English.

她百分之二十五的成績

是根據英文來評斷的。

It's called the gaokao, and 80 million high school Chinese students

這叫做高考。（譯按：同台灣之大學入學考試）八千萬個中國高等學校學生

已經考過了這個可怕的考試。

have already taken this grueling test.

The intensity to learn English

學習英文的激烈程度

is almost unimaginable, unless you witness it.

已經到了幾乎無法想像的地步，除非你親眼目睹。

Teacher: Perfect! Students: Perfect!

教師：完美！ 學生：完美！

T: Perfect! S: Perfect!

教師：完美！ 學生：完美！

T: I want to speak perfect English!

教師：我想說完美的英文。

S: I want to speak perfect English!

學生：我想說完美的英文。

T: I want to speak ... S: I want to speak ...

教師：我想說 — 學生：我想說 —

T: ... perfect English! S: ... perfect English!

教師：完美的英文 學生：完美的英文

教師：我想改變我的人生！

T (yelling more loudly): I want to change my life!

S (yelling more loudly): I want to change my life!

學生：我想改變我的人生！

杰•渥克：所以到底英文的狂熱是好是壞？

JW: So is English mania good or bad?

Is English a tsunami, washing away other languages?

英文會像海嘯一般，

襲捲其他的語言嗎？不太可能。

Not likely.

English is the world's second language.

英文是世界的第二語言。

Your native language is your life.

你的母語是你的人生。

But with English you can become part of a wider conversation --

但是有了英文，你就能成為更寬廣對話中的一部分。

a global conversation about global problems,

探討全球問題的全球對話：

like climate change or poverty,

例如氣候變遷或是貧窮、

or hunger or disease.

飢饉或是疾病。

The world has other universal languages.

世界有其他的共通語言。

Mathematics is the language of science.

數學是科學的語言。

Music is the language of emotions.

音樂是情緒的語言。

And now English is becoming the language of problem-solving.

而現在，英文正逐漸成為問題解決的語言。

Not because America is pushing it,

不是因為美國在推動它。

but because the world is pulling it.

而是因為世界在召喚它。

所以，英語狂熱是個轉捩點。

So English mania is a turning point.

Like the harnessing of electricity in our cities,

像是在我們的城市中運用電力，

或是柏林圍牆的倒塌，

or the fall of the Berlin Wall,

English represents hope

英文代表希望

for a better future --

能有一個更好未來的機會。

a future where the world has a common language

一個世界用共通語言

to solve its common problems.

來解決共通問題的未來。

非常謝謝您。

Thank you very much.

(Applause)

（掌聲）