I told this story to illustrate how women hold themselves back, literally choosing to watch from the sidelines. 我用这个故事来举例说明女性是怎样让自己退缩的，准确地说，她们自己选择了成为旁观者。

And yet as disappointed as I was that these women made that choice, 尽管如此，我仍为女性会做出这样的选择而感到泄气，

I also deeply understood the insecurities that drew them to the side of the room and kept them glued to those chairs. 但我也深深理解她们做出这种选择的深刻原因。

My senior year of college, I was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. 在大学高年级时，我被选拔进入美国大学优秀生荣誉学会。

At that time, Harvard and Radcliffe had separate chapters, so my ceremony was for women only. 那个时候，哈佛大学和拉德克里夫学院拥有各自的分会，所以我的入会仪式是“女性专属”的。

The keynote speaker, Dr. Peggy McIntosh from the Wellesley Centers for Women, gave a talk called "Feeling Like a Fraud." 其主要发言人、来自威尔斯利女性中心的帕吉·麦金托什博士的演讲题目是“招摇撞骗的感觉”。

She explained that many people, but especially women, feel fraudulent when they are praised for their accomplishments. 她解释道，很多人尤其是女人，当她们所取得的成绩被人称赞时，会感觉那些称赞是骗取来的。

Instead of feeling worthy of recognition, they feel undeserving and guilty, as if a mistake has been made. 她们常常感到自己不值得被认可，不配受到称赞，并心存负疚，就好像犯了什么错。

Despite being high achievers, even experts in their fields, 即便那些在自己的领域成就斐然，甚至已是专家级别的女性，

women can't seem to shake the sense that it is only a matter of time until they are found out for who they really are—impostors with limited skills or abilities. 她们仍然摆脱不了这样一种感觉：我其实只是个技术水平或能力都很有限的冒牌货，现在的荣誉不过是因为碰巧被大家发现了而已。

I thought it was the best speech I had ever heard. 我想这是我听过的最好的演讲。

I was leaning forward in my chair, nodding vigorously. 我坐在椅子上，身体前倾，使劲地点着头。

Carrie Weber, my brilliant and totally-not-a-fraud roommate, was doing the same. 我发现，我那才气逼人、绝对不是“骗子”的室友卡丽·韦伯竟然也有这种心理。

At last, someone was articulating exactly how I felt. 终于有人明确有力地表达出我的感受了！