TED演讲 第6期:从20马赫的滑翔机到蜂鸟无人机的感想(1)

 You should be nice to nerds. 你们要对书呆子好点。

In fact, I'd go so far as to say, if you don't already have a nerd in your life, you should get one. 实际上，我想说如果你生活里还没有个书呆子赶紧找一个。

I'm just saying.  我也就是说说而已。

Scientists and engineers change the world.  科学家和工程师们改变这个世界。

I'd like to tell you about a magical place called DARPA where scientists and engineers defy¹ the impossible and refuse to fear failure.  我想谈谈个神奇的地方，叫DARPA美国国防部高级研究计划局。在那儿科学家和工程师们都喜欢挑战不可能的事情，不惧怕失败。

Now these two ideas are connected more than you may realize, because when you remove the fear of failure,impossible things suddenly become possible.  现在，这两个观点联系紧密超乎你的想象，因为当你摆脱了对失败的恐惧，不可能的事情，就突然变成可能。

If you want to know how, ask yourself this question:  如果你想知道如何做到，那么，先问自己这样一个问题：

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?  如果你知道自己不会失败你会打算做什么？

If you really ask yourself this question,you can't help but feel uncomfortable.  如果你真的问自己这个问题，你会禁不住感到不舒服。

I feel a little uncomfortable.  我觉得有点不舒服。

Because when you ask it,you begin to understand how the fear of failure constrains² you,how it keeps us from attempting great things, and life gets dull,amazing things stop happening. 因为当你这样问的时候，你就开始明白失败的恐惧怎样束缚了你，怎样阻碍了我们追求伟大的事情，生活变得无趣，奇妙的事情不再发生。

Sure, good things happen, but amazing things stop happening.  当然，好事情还是有，但是神奇的事情不再发生了。

Now I should be clear, I'm not encouraging failure, I'm discouraging fear of failure. 现在，我要说明一点，我不是在鼓励失败。我在反对。惧怕失败。

Because it's not failure itself that constrains us.  因为不是失败本身束缚了我们。

The path to truly new, never-been-done-before things always has failure along the way.  在通往真正新鲜没有人做过的事情的路上总会有失败。

We're tested.  我们受到了考验。

And in part, that testing feels an appropriate part of achieving something great. 而考验是我们获得巨大成功的应有条件。

Clemenceau said, Life gets interesting when we fail, because it's a sign that we've surpassed³ ourselves. 克里蒙梭说过：在我们失败时，生活变有趣了，因为它表明了我们超越了自己。

In 1895, Lord⁴ Kelvin declared that heavier-than-air flying machines were impossible.  1895年，开尔文爵士宣称，重过空气的飞行器都是不可能飞起来的。

In October of the prevailing⁵ opinion of expert aerodynamicists was that maybe in 10 million years we could build an aircraft that would fly.  1903, 1903年10月，动力学专家。普遍认为千万年以后人类才能造出能飞的飞机。

And two months later on December 17th, Orville Wright powered the first airplane across a beach in North Carolina.  但是两个月后，12月17日，奥维尔赖特驾驶第一架飞机飞过了北卡罗来纳州的一个沙滩。

The flight lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet.  这次飞行持续了12秒钟行程为120英尺。

That was 1903.  那是1903年。

One year later, the next declarations⁶ of impossibilities began.  一年后又一个不可能宣言开始了。

Ferdinand Foch, a French army general credited⁷ with having one of the most original and subtle⁸ minds in the French army, said, Airplanes are interesting toys,but of no military value.  斐迪南福煦，法国军队中一位将军，他被人们赞誉具有最原始的和微妙的思想之一，他说：飞机是个好玩的玩具，但是毫无军用价值。

1 defy   

vt.（公然）藐视，使成为不可能，挑，激

参考例句：

• If you defy the law,you may find yourself in prison.如果你不服从法律，你就可能会坐牢。
• Criminals defy the law.罪犯无视法律。

2 constrains   

强迫( constrain的第三人称单数 )； 强使； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• We'll ignore the continuity constrains. 我们往往忽略连续约束条件。
• It imposes constrains, restricting nature's freedom. 它具有限制自然界自由度的强制性。

3 surpassed   

v.超过( surpass的过去式和过去分词 )；优于；多于；非…所能办到

参考例句：

• This realization of our dreams surpassed even our wildest expectations. 我们梦想的实现甚至超越了我们最大胆的估计。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mao's fame surpassed well beyond the limits of China. 毛泽东的名声远远超越了中国国界。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 lord   

n.上帝，主；主人，长官；君主，贵族

参考例句：

• I know the Lord will look after him.我知道上帝会眷顾他的。
• How good of the Lord not to level it beyond repair!上帝多么仁慈啊，竟没有让这所房子损毁得不可收拾！

5 prevailing   

adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的

参考例句：

• She wears a fashionable hair style prevailing in the city.她的发型是这个城市流行的款式。
• This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.这反映了社会上盛行的态度和价值观。

6 declarations   

n.宣布( declaration的名词复数 )；宣言；申报（单）；申诉

参考例句：

• Consular invoices are declarations made at the consulate of the importing country. 领事发票是进口国领事馆签发的一种申报书。 来自辞典例句
• Nothing could have been more open than her declarations about herself. 没有什么会比她讲到她自己时更坦率的了。 来自辞典例句

7 credited   

v.记入贷方；信用

参考例句：

• Cook is credited with discovering Hawaii. 人们把发现夏威夷的功劳归于库克。
• The cheetah is generally credited as the world's fastest animal. 猎豹被公认是世界上跑得最快的动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 subtle   

adj.难于觉察或描述的，精巧的

参考例句：

• Her whole attitude had undergone a subtle change.她的整个态度发生了微妙的变化。
• There's a subtle hint of garlic in the sauce.调味汁里稍微有一点蒜味。