历史已充分证明有些人在生命中某些时刻遭遇的失败确实促使他们更努力奋斗，继续深信自己，以求得成功。美国小说家托马斯·沃尔夫的第一部小说《天使，望故乡》出版之前，被退稿39次，终于开始了他的写作事业并赢得了声誉。贝多芬不屈服于他的专横的父亲，还忍气当过乐师，但终于克服一切，成为全世界最伟大最著名的音乐家。19世纪意大利著名教育家贝斯达洛齐从事各业一无成就，但最后专心于儿童教育，研讨了新教育法的基本原理，形成一种新的教育理论。托马斯·爱迪生十岁左右，从四年级里被赶出校外，因为教师觉得他又笨又倔强。这种以失败为动力，奋发有为，成名成家的人还有多例可举。但不幸的是，对多数人来说，失败是奋斗的结束，而不是开始。成名的失败事例即使有，也是少数。
Well then, why does anyone want fame? Do you? Do you want to be known to many people and admired by them? Do you want the money that usually comes with fame? Do you want the media to notice everything you do or say both in public and in private? Do you want them hounding you, questioning you and trying to undo you? In American politics it is very obvious that to be famous is to be the target of everyone who disagrees with you as well as of the media. Fame turns all the lights on and while it gives power and prestige, it takes the you out of you: you must be what the public thinks you are, not what you really are or could be. The politician, like the performer, must please his or her audiences and that often means saying things he does not mean or does not believe in fully. No wonder so few people trust politicians. But we have not answered the question at the beginning of this paragraph: why does anyone want fame? Several reasons come to mind: to demonstrate excellence in some field; to gain the admiration and love of many others; to be the one everyone talks about; to show family and friends you are more than they thought you were. Probably you can list some other reasons, but I think are reasonably common.
那么，一个人为什么要追求声誉呢？你追求声誉吗？你希望许多人都知道你赞赏你吗？你要那个往往随声誉而来的金钱吗？你要传播媒介注意你在公开或私下的一言一行吗？你要他们像猎狗似的追逐着你，向你提问，想办法拆你的台脚吗？在美国政界中非常明显，你要出名就得成为反对你的每个人的目标，也是传播媒介的目标。声誉把一切灯光打亮，一边给你权力和威望，另一边也把“你”赶出你的自身之外：你必须成为大众意想之中的你，而不是那个真实的你或者可能实现的你。像表演家一样，政治家必须讨好他的听众，这就往往意味着要讲一点自己并不完全相信或同意的话。所以相信政治家的人是如此之少，这就不足为奇了。但是我们还没有回答本节开始所提的问题：为什么人人都追求声誉呢？我们想到的是下列几点理由：为了显示出在某方面的超越成就；赢得许多人的景仰爱慕；做一个人人都在提到的人；在亲朋前显示你超乎于他们对你的想象之上。也许你还可加些其他理由，但我觉得上述各点当然是普遍的。
Is it possible to be famous and to remain true to yourself, the real you? Perhaps, but one is hard pressed to come up with the names of those who have done their thing their way and secceeded in the fame game. Many political dissidents around the world, in particular, Dawn Aung Suu Kyi of Burma, is a rare exception to the rule that says maintaining unpopular views or unpopular attitudes or approaches in any field will destroy you. The famous Irish writer Oscar Wilde, a very successful writer of stories, poems and plays, was known for his most unusual clothing and eccentric behavior, social and sexual. This behavior brought him to the attention of the mother of a young man Oscar was intimate with and she accused him. He was furious about this and sued the young man's mother which led to a trial and imprisonment for two years. He remained true to himself and paid a heavy price for it by being ostracized and defamed.
是否有可能既出名又保持着真实的你呢？也许可能。但我苦恩冥索实在想不出那些既能以己意行事而又能在声誉角逐中获胜的人的姓名来。世界上有许多持不同政见的人们，特别像缅甸的昂山苏姬，是稀有的超越常规的例外情况。因为一般常规是在任何场合里，如果你采取反群众的观点、态度及方法，必将使你自己毁灭。著名的爱尔兰作家奥斯卡。王尔德以小说、诗歌及剧本极为著称，同时，也因他的奇装异服和怪异的社交和性行为出了名。这种行为受到他的一位青年密友的母亲的注意。她指责了王尔德。王尔德为此大发雷霆，向这位青年的母亲提出控诉。之后，法庭判他两年徒刑。王尔德为了忠实于自己，付出了受社会排斥及丧失名誉的沉重代价。
Time magazine of June 17, 1996 devoted a good deal of its issue to discussing people (25 in America) who are the most influential in the country in their opinion. They added a short essay on who are the most powerful people in America and no one on the first list appeared on the second list, and strangely enough, none of the poeple on either list was described as famous, although I think several surely are. Can we really distinguish influential people and powerful people from those who are famous? Maybe, but their list of influential prople includes Jerry Seinfeld the comedian and TV star, Courtney Love the singer and drug addict whose fame has come largely through her husband Kurt Cobain, the guitarist who committed suicide, and the list inbludes Oparh Winfrey the talk show host and Calvin Klein the clothing designer. All of these people are famous , but I believe, not very influential in the sense that they change the way most of us think or act. In Time magazine's list we find a Supreme Court justice, Sandra Day O'Connorm, who is no more influential or powerful than any of other justices. President Clinton is not considered influential (?) but is considred powerful! You decide if you think famous and influential and powerful are closely related, or different.
1996年6月17日那期的《时代》周刊以很多篇幅讨论他们心目中各国最有影响的人物（美国有25人）。他们又为美国最有权势的人加一篇短文。在第一个名单中（指最有影响的--译者注）没有一个人在第二个名单中（指最有权势的--译者注）出现。奇怪的是，在两个名单中，没有一个是被称为有声誉的，尽管我觉得其中有些人确有声誉。我们真的能把有影响的人、有权力的人同有声誉的人加以区分吗？也许可以。但他们的有影响人物名单中包括喜剧演员和电视明星杰里。圣菲尔德；歌手和吸毒者哥特尼·洛夫，此人的名望主要来自她的丈夫，那个自杀的吉他手库尔特·柯本。这名单里还包括脱口秀主持人奥柏拉。温弗里和服装设计师卡尔文·克莱恩。这些都是名人，但我想不是很有影响的，因为他们不是能够改变我们大多数人的思想或行为的人。在《时代》杂志表里我们也发现最高法院法官桑德拉·岱·奥康纳，她也并不比其他八位法官中的任何一位更有影响或更有权力。克林顿总统不算有影响(?)，只被认为是有权力而已！如你以为有声誉、有影响和有权力三者是紧密相联或可以划分的话，那么，随你决定吧。 I believe that fame and celebrity, influence and power, success and failure, reality and illusion are all somehow neatly woven into a seamless fabric we laughingly call reality. I say to those who desperately seek fame and fortune, celebrity: good luck. But what will you do when you have caught your tail, your success, your fame? Keep chasing it ? If you do catch it, hang on for dear life because falling is not as painful as landing. See you soon famous and almost famous, wayfarers on this unbright, nonlinear planet!
我相信声誉和赞扬、影响和权力、成功和失败、现实和幻想都好像是精密编织在一匹光洁无缝的织品之中，即我们笑称之现实的东西。对那些拼命追求声誉、财富和赞赏的人们，我说：祝您好运。但当你已抓住了尾巴、成功、声誉之后，你将做什么呢？一直追逐下去吗？如你确实抓住了它的话，那就舍命也不要松手，因为下坠总比坠地要少痛苦一点。走在这苍茫而不可理喻的星球上的芸芸过客们，我盼你们不久就功成名就，或近乎功成名就吧！
【fame新世纪课文翻译】相关文章：
1.fame课文翻译
本文来源：http://www.010zaixian.com/wenxue/qita/1852098.htm