Chris Bliss: Comedy is translation

譯者: Joan Liu 審譯者: Jessica Lin

Gabriel García Márquez is one of my favorite writers,

Gabriel Garcia Marquez是我最喜歡的作者之一，

for his storytelling,

這是因為他的說書方式，

but even more, I think,

但更大的原因是

for the beauty and precision of his prose.

他散文的漂亮和精確度。

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

不論是《百年獨處》的開頭

or the fantastical stream of consciousness

或是《獨裁者的黃昏》中

in "Autumn of the Patriarch,"

文字奔馳的

where the words rush by,

幻想流意識寫法，

page after page of unpunctuated imagery

一頁頁不斷的意像

sweeping the reader along

將讀者如瘋狂河流般

like some wild river

席捲過

twisting through a primal South American jungle,

南美國原始叢林，

reading Márquez is a visceral experience.

讀Marquez是很發自內心的體驗。

Which struck me as particularly remarkable

讓我特別訝異的是

during one session with the novel

在書中的某一段，

when I realized that I was being swept along

我發現我被帶上一趟

on this remarkable, vivid journey

生動非凡的

in translation.

翻譯之旅。

Now I was a comparative literature major in college,

我大學是主修比較文學的，

which is like an English major,

有點像是英文主修，

only instead of being stuck studying Chaucer for three months,

只是我們不會花三個月的時間都在讀Chaucer，

we got to read great literature in translation

而是讀很多全球偉大的

from around the world.

翻譯文學。

And as great as these books were,

但就算這些書很棒，

you could always tell

你仍舊總是

that you were getting close to the full effect.

感覺到沒有完全達到效果。

But not so with Márquez

但在Marquez的作品中不會如此，

who once praised his translator's versions

他甚至曾經讚美

as being better than his own,

翻譯的版本比他自己的還要好，

which is an astonishing compliment.

這真是個非常驚人的讚美。

So when I heard that the translator, Gregory Rabassa,

所以當我知道那名譯者Gregory Rabassa

had written his own book on the subject,

要寫一本關於這個主題的書時，

I couldn't wait to read it.

我等不及要看。

It's called apropos of the Italian adage

我從序中瞭解到這在

that I lifted from his forward,

義大利格言中叫作apropos

"If This Be Treason."

「若這是背叛」

And it's a charming read.

這是本很迷人的書。

It's highly recommended for anyone who's interested

非常推薦給任何對

in the translator's art.

翻譯藝術有興趣的人。

But the reason that I mention it

但我提這個的原因是

is that early on, Rabassa offers

在書很前面的地方，

this elegantly simple insight:

Rabassa提出一個很優雅的見解：

"Every act of communication

「每一個溝通的舉動

is an act of translation."

都是一個翻譯的舉動。」

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

這對於在座很多人或許是顯而易見的，

but for me,

但對我來說

as often as I'd encountered

就算我每天

that exact difficulty on a daily basis,

都會有一模一樣的問題，

I had never seen the inherent challenge of communication

我從來沒有這麼清楚地

in so crystalline a light.

看待溝通背後的挑戰性。

Ever since I can remember

從我有認知以來

thinking consciously about such things,

有意識的思考這樣的事情，

communication has been my central passion.

溝通一直都是我很有熱情的東西。

Even as a child,

就算還是個小孩子，

I remember thinking that what I really wanted most in life

我記得當時的我覺得這一生中最想要的是

was to be able to understand everything

能瞭解所有事情

and then to communicate it to everyone else.

然後告訴所有人這些事情。

So no ego problems.

所以沒有自尊的問題。

It's funny, my wife, Daisy,

很有趣的是，我老婆黛西，

whose family is littered with schizophrenics --

她們家充斥著精神分裂症患者，

and I mean littered with them --

我真的是要說充斥著，

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

她曾跟我說：「Chris，我已經有一個認為自己是神的哥哥了，

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

我不需要一個想要成為神的老公。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Anyway, as I plunged through my 20s

所以呢，在我到達二十幾歲時，

ever more aware of how unobtainable

我更瞭解到我小時候的志向

the first part of my childhood ambition was,

有多麼難達成，

it was that second part,

我的志向的第二部份，

being able to successfully communicate to others

就是能夠將我所知道的

whatever knowledge I was gaining,

傳達給別人，

where the futility of my quest really set in.

幾乎是徒勞無功的。

Time after time,

一次又一次的，

whenever I set out to share some great truth

每當我試著將我得到的真理

with a soon-to-be grateful recipient,

傳達給馬上會很感激我的對象時，

it had the opposite effect.

總是產生相反的效果。

Interestingly, when your opening line of communication is,

很有趣的，當你一開始時這麼說：

"Hey, listen up,

「仔細聽，

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

因為我要告訴你們一些很重要的知識。」

it's amazing how quickly you'll discover

很奇妙的是，你會很快發現

both ice and the firing squad.

那些很想聽和很不想聽的觀眾。

Finally, after about 10 years

最後，在經過十年

of alienating friends and strangers alike,

與朋友及陌生人疏離的日子後，

I finally got it,

我終於懂了，

a new personal truth all my own,

一個我自己找到的真理，

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

就是如果我希望能夠跟別人談論

the ideas that I was gaining,

我所擁有的想法，

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

我最好找一個新的方式。

And that's when I discovered comedy.

那正是我發現喜劇的時候。

Now comedy travels along a distinct wavelength

喜劇跟其他種語言形式

from other forms of language.

是在一個很不一樣的波段上。

If I had to place it on an arbitrary spectrum,

如果我可以在一個隨意的波譜上

I'd say it falls somewhere

給他一個位置，那麼他應該會在

between poetry and lies.

詩和謊言中間。

And I'm not talking about all comedy here,

而我不是在說全部的喜劇，

because, clearly, there's plenty of humor

因為，很顯然的，有很多幽默

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

是在我們已經感受到的範圍內。

What I want to talk about

我想要談的是

is the unique ability that the best comedy and satire has

最好的喜劇和諷刺劇能夠改變

at circumventing our ingrained perspectives --

我們已經習慣的想法，

comedy as the philosopher's stone.

喜劇被當成一個哲學里程碑。

It takes the base metal of our conventional wisdom

它把我們傳統智慧最根本的東西拿來

and transforms it through ridicule

用可笑的方式將之轉型

into a different way of seeing

從一個不一樣的角度看

and ultimately being in the world.

以至於最終誕生於這個世界。

Because that's what I take

因為這是我如何看

from the theme of this conference: Gained in Translation.

這個會議的主題：在翻譯中成長。

That it's about communication

就是這是在談溝通，

that doesn't just produce greater understanding

就是不是只是在個人腦內

within the individual,

產生新的見解，

but leads to real change.

而是真的有所改變。

Which in my experience means communication

在我的經驗中就是溝通

that manages to speak to and expand

可以增長及

our concept of self-interest.

為自我意識發聲。

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

我很愛談人們的自我利益，

because we're all wired for that.

因為我們都以此為出發點。

It's part of our survival package,

這是我們求生的本能，

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

也是為什麼這對我們這麼重要，

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

也是為什麼我們總是以此來觀察世界。

And also because that's where,

也因為那是我們

in terms of our own self-interest,

以自我利益為出發點，

we finally begin to grasp

我們才能在最後開始瞭解

our ability to respond, our responsibility

我們如何對世界做出回應、

to the rest of the world.

如何對世界負責。

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

我說的最好的喜劇和諷刺劇的是

I mean work that comes first and foremost

可以以誠實和誠信為

from a place of honesty and integrity.

最一開始的出發點的那些作品。

Now if you think back

現在如果你想想

on Tina Fey's impersonations on Saturday Night Live

Tina Fey在「星期六即時論壇」中

of the newly nominated vice presidential candidate

模仿剛被提名為副總統候選人

Sarah Palin,

Sarah Palin的樣子，

they were devastating.

那是非常具破壞性的。

Fey demonstrated far more effectively than any political pundit

Fey比任何一個政治權威人物更有效的

the candidate's fundamental lack of seriousness,

表示出候選人普遍缺乏嚴肅性，

cementing an impression

這更加鞏固現今美國政治

that the majority of the American public still holds today.

大部份的現象。

And the key detail of this

而很重要的是

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

Fey的劇本不是她寫的，

and they weren't written by the SNL writers.

也不是SNL作者群寫的。

They were lifted verbatim

她的劇本是從Palin自己

from Palin's own remarks.

曾說過的話來的。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Here was a Palin impersonator

這就是個利用Palin

quoting Palin word for word.

說過的話的模仿者。

Now that's honesty and integrity,

這是非常誠實且誠信的，

and it's also why Fey's performances

也是為什麼Fey的表演

left such a lasting impression.

那麼發人省思。

On the other side of the political spectrum,

在政治的另一方面，

the first time that I heard Rush Limbaugh

當我第一次聽到Rush Limbaugh

refer to presidential hopeful John Edwards as the Breck girl

將總統候選人John Edwards比做布雷克女孩時，

I knew that he'd made a direct hit.

我知道他完全打到要點了。

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

我不常將Limbaugh跟

the words honesty and integrity with Limbaugh,

誠實、誠信這樣的字眼放在一起，

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

但很難跟這樣的妙語作對。

The description perfectly captured

這個描述完美和Edward的

Edwards' personal vanity.

虛榮吻合。

And guess what?

而且你知道嗎？

That ended up being the exact personality trait

那正是讓他最後結束他的政治生涯

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

的醜聞的個性。

Now The Daily Show with John Stewart

John Steward的《Daily Show》

is by far the most --

是有史以來最--

(Applause)

（掌聲）

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

it's by far the most well-documented example

它是這類喜劇的效果

of the effectiveness of this kind of comedy.

的最佳代表。

Survey after survey,

一個個的問卷，

from Pew Research to the Annenberg Center for Public Policy,

從Pew Research到Anneberg公共政策中心的問卷

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

都顯示看《Daily Show》的人比看其它任何節目的人

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

更瞭解時事。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Now whether this says more

不管這節目

about the conflict between integrity and profitability

在談公司新聞中的

of corporate journalism

誠信和獲利衝突比較多，

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

還是談Stewart的觀眾的專心度比較多，

the larger point remains

重點是

that Stewart's material

Stewart的內容

is always grounded in a commitment to the facts --

都跟有事實根據的。

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

這不是因為他企圖要告知大眾這些事情。

His intent is to be funny.

他的企圖是想要搞笑。

It just so happens that Stewart's brand of funny

只是Stewart搞笑的方式

doesn't work unless the facts are true.

如果不是有這些事實存在就不好笑了。

And the result is great comedy

結果就是個很棒的喜劇，

that's also an information delivery system

也同時扮演了訊息告知的角色，

that scores markedly higher in both credibility and retention

且在信譽和事實保留度都

than the professional news media.

比專業媒體還好。

Now this is doubly ironic

這是很諷刺的，

when you consider that what gives comedy its edge

因為喜劇能夠進入人們心裡，

at reaching around people's walls

就是刻意

is the way that it uses deliberate misdirection.

往不對的方向去鑽。

A great piece of comedy is a verbal magic trick,

一段很棒的喜劇會有口頭上的魔術，

where you think it's going over here

就是你以為你在這裡，

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

但很突然的你已經被輾轉到那裡去了。

And there's this mental delight

然後在笑聲過後，

that's followed by the physical response of laughter,

會有一個精神愉悅感，

which, not coincidentally,

跟腦內分泌腦內啡的狀況是一樣的，

releases endorphins in the brain.

而這不是巧合。

And just like that, you've been seduced

就這樣，你被帶進一個

into a different way of looking at something

不一樣的思維，

because the endorphins have brought down your defenses.

因為腦內啡已經瓦解了你的防衛。

This is the exact opposite

這跟憤怒、害怕、恐慌，

of the way that anger and fear and panic,

所有戰鬥或逃跑反應的作法

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

是剛好相反的。

Flight-or-fight releases adrenalin,

戰鬥或逃跑反應會釋放腎上腺素，

which throws our walls up sky-high.

大大增強我們的防衛性。

And the comedy comes along,

而喜劇

dealing with a lot of the same areas

正討論這些

where our defenses are the strongest --

我們防衛性最強的議題：

race, religion, politics, sexuality --

種族、宗教、政治、兩性，

only by approaching them through humor instead of adrenalin,

但不是用腎上腺素而是用幽默感。

we get endorphins

從中我們分泌腦內啡，

and the alchemy of laughter turns our walls into windows,

且笑聲巧妙地將我們的防衛牆轉成窗口，

revealing a fresh and unexpected point of view.

而展現出新的、未預期的觀點。

Now let me give you an example from my act.

現在讓我給你我的喜劇的例子。

I have some material

我有一些關於

about the so-called radical gay agenda,

同性戀議題的資料。

which starts off by asking,

一開始要問，

how radical is the gay agenda?

同性戀議題有多激進？

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

因為我認為，美國同性戀們最想要做的三件事情是

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

加入國軍、結婚、和組家庭。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

這是我這一生一直試著避免的三件事情。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

拿去吧，你們這些激進的混帳，這些領域現在是你們的了。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And that's followed by these lines

這接下來是這些關於

about gay adoption:

同性戀收養的句子：

What is the problem with gay adoption?

同性戀收養有什麼問題？

Why is this remotely controversial?

為什麼這問題這麼有爭議？

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

如果你有個嬰兒且你認為這個嬰兒是同性戀，

you should be allowed to put it up for adoption.

你應該要被允許將他放入可被收養的名單。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

You have given birth to an abomination.

你生了一個被厭惡的東西。

Remove it from your household.

把它從家裡移除。

Now by taking the biblical epithet "abomination"

現在，把這個聖經上喻為「厭惡」的東西，

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

將它跟一個無辜的形象「嬰兒」放在一起，

this joke short circuits the emotional wiring

這個笑話就在情感上短路了，

behind the debate

所以給了觀眾

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

一個在笑聲中，可以去懷疑

to question its validity.

這整件事的合法性的機會。

Misdirection isn't the only trick

誤導並不是喜劇所使用的

that comedy has up its sleeve.

唯一手段。

Economy of language

語言的精簡度

is another real strong suit of great comedy.

也是喜劇的一個手段。

There are few phrases

很難找到

that pack a more concentrated dose of subject and symbol

能比一個完美的妙語

than the perfect punchline.

所包含的領域、意像還多的句子。

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

Bill Hicks，如果你不知道他的作品，

you should really Google him --

你真的很需要Google一下他，

Hicks had a routine

Hicks有個習慣

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

就是喜歡用童年時在玩耍時的炫耀。

where finally the other kid says to him,

最後另外一個小孩跟他說：

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

「誒，我爸可以打贏你爸。」

to which Hicks replies,

然後Hicks回道：

"Really? How soon?"

「真的嗎？那多快可以？」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

That's an entire childhood

那是把整個童年

in three words.

用三個字說完。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Not to mention what it reveals

更不用提這對說這話的大人

about the adult who's speaking them.

還顯現了什麼。

And one last powerful attribute

最後一個喜劇很強的特性是

that comedy has as communication

喜劇有一種像病毒侵掠般的

is that it's inherently viral.

溝通方式。

People can't wait

人們總是等不及

to pass along that new great joke.

要告訴別人一個好笑話。

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

而這並不是新的現象。

Comedy has been crossing country

喜劇在國際間

with remarkable speed

透過網路、社群、

way before the Internet, social media,

甚至有線電視，

even cable TV.

以非常快的速度傳開。

Back in 1980

在1980年的時候

when comedian Richard Pryor accidentally set himself on fire

當喜劇演員Richard Pryor

during a freebasing accident,

在一次演出時不小心著火了，

I was in Los Angeles the day after it happened

我隔天在洛杉磯

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

和兩天後在華盛頓DC

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

都聽到一模一樣

something about the Ignited Negro College Fund.

跟點燃黑人學會基金有關的妙語。

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

很顯然的，這不是出於《Tonight Show》的獨白。

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

而且我猜，我先說我沒有特別研究這個，

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

我猜如果你真的仔細看、真的去研究的話，

you'd find out that comedy

你會發現喜劇

is the second oldest viral profession.

是第二古老的傳播專業。

First there were drums

首先有擊鼓，

and then knock-knock jokes.

然後有敲敲門笑話 (以雙關語作為笑點的英語笑話)。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

但是在你把這些元素放在一起--

when you get the viral appeal of a great joke

就是當你把好笑話的感染性

with a powerful punchline

加上從誠實、誠信的角度上發展出來的

that's crafted from honesty and integrity,

有力妙語，

it can have a real world impact

就可以在真實世界上

at changing a conversation.

達到話題性。

Now I have a close friend, Joel Pett,

我有個好朋友叫作Joel Pett，

who's the editorial cartoonist

他是Lexington Herald-Leader

for the Lexington Herald-Leader.

的卡通編輯。

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

他以前是「今日美國」的編輯。

I was visiting with Joel

在2009年12月

the weekend before the Copenhagen conference on climate change opened

在Copenhagen氣候會議前，

in December of 2009.

我去拜訪Joel。

And Joel was explaining to me

Joel跟我解釋

that, because USA Today

「今日美國」

was one of America's four papers of record,

是美國四大報之一，

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

會議中幾乎每個人都會瞄過這份報紙，

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

也就是說，如果他在禮拜一的報紙放卡通，

on Monday, the opening day of the conference,

也就是會議的第一天，

it could get passed around

這會在真正的決策者之間

at the highest level among actual decision-makers.

以最高的效率傳播。

So we started talking about climate change.

所以我們開始談論氣候變遷。

And it turned out that Joel and I

後來Joel跟我發現

were both bothered by the same thing,

我們倆都為同樣的事情感到困擾，

which was how so much of the debate

就是很多辯論都是在

was still focused on the science

談論科學，

and how complete it was or wasn't,

談論科學有多完整或不完整。

which, to both of us,

這對我們來說，

seems somewhat intentionally off point.

不完全是重點所在。

Because first of all, there's this false premise

因為首先，有一個錯誤的假設

that such a thing as complete science exists.

就是說完全科學的東西是存在的。

Now Governor Perry of my newly-adopted state of Texas

現在德州新通過的州長Perry

was pushing this same line this past summer

在去年夏天正在他剛開始為他後來失敗的

at the beginning of his oops-fated campaign

共和黨總統候選人提名時

for the Republican presidential nomination,

一開始也是在用這句話。

proclaiming over and over that the science wasn't complete

其中他一再說明科學是不足夠的，

at the same time that 250

同時德州254個縣當中

out of 254 counties in the state of Texas

有250個縣

were on fire.

正在起火。

And Perry's policy solution

而Perry的策略是

was to ask the people of Texas

要德州人民

to pray for rain.

祈雨。

Personally, I was praying for four more fires

私底下，我祈求再來四場大火，

so we could finally complete the damn science.

讓我們可以完成這整個科學。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But back in 2009,

但在2009年時，

the question Joel and I kept turning over and over

我和Joel一直在思考的問題是

was why this late in the game

為什麼在這樣的時期，

so much energy was being spent talking about the science

有這麼多精力是花在討論科學

when the policies necessary to address climate change

而不是在制定針對氣候變遷所必須的條款，

were unequivocally beneficial for humanity in the long run

不論科學如何發展，

regardless of the science.

這對人類長久以來才是有幫助的。

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

所以我們一直討論直到Joel想出這個。

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

卡通：「如果這一切只是個大騙局，而我們就只是沒原因的去創造一個更好的世界呢？」

(Laughter)

(笑聲）

You've got to love that idea.

你一定會愛上這個想法。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

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

怎麼樣？我們不是特別為了什麼而製造一個更好的世界？

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

不是為了上帝、不是為了國家、不是為了利潤，

just as a basic metric for global decision-making.

只是一個很簡單的全球的決定。

And this cartoon hit the bull's eye.

這卡通完全打中要點了。

Shortly after the conference was over,

在會議結束沒多久，

Joel got a request for a signed copy

Joel接到華盛頓環保局局長的要求，

from the head of the EPA in Washington

希望能夠有一份附上簽名的這幅卡通

whose wall it now hangs on.

掛在牆上。

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

不久後，他又收到另一份請求，

from the head of the EPA in California

來自加州環保局局長，

who used it as part of her presentation

要用在她去年在Sacramento

at an international conference on climate change

的國際環境變遷會議中

in Sacramento last year.

的那幅卡通。

And it didn't stop there.

而且不是在這裡就停住了。

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

目前為止，Joel已經受邀至美國、加拿大、

in the United States, Canada and Europe.

歐洲超過40個環保團體了。

And earlier this year,

今年稍早，

he got a request from the Green Party in Australia

他收到在澳洲的綠色團體的請求，

who used it in their campaign

希望這個卡通能在他們的宣傳活動中使用。

where it became part of the debate

這個活動後來成為

that resulted in the Australian parliament

推始澳洲議會成立一套

adopting the most rigorous carbon tax regime

在世界上所有國家中

of any country in the world.

最嚴格的碳稅制度。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

That is a lot of punch

對14個字來說，

for 14 words.

這是有很多笑點的。

So my suggestion to those of you out here

所以我對在座

who are seriously focused on creating a better world

認真地想要創造一個更美好的世界的人的建議是

is to take a little bit of time each day

每天花一些時間

and practice thinking funny,

來想一些好笑的，

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

因為你很有可能因此找到你的答案。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）