原文链接：
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/-1Ubk58vI-UCEvTbLfkjOg 本文选自 The Economist 1月刊文章 Glass Half-Empty
As they examine how Mr Baumgartner and others reverse morbid patterns of thought, the authors set out a rule of thumb: “It takes four good things to overcome one bad thing.”
自译：作者们在研究鲍姆加特纳和其他人是如何逆转病态思维模式的过程中，提出了一个拇指法则：“克服一件坏事的影响需要四件好事。”
参考：两位作者开始研究鲍姆加特纳和其他人是如何逆转病态的思维模式的，过程中他们提出了一条经验法则：“克服一件坏事的影响需要四件好事。”
Morbid 这个单词，中文解释是“病态的”，看英文更好理解一点：used to describe anyone who spends too much time thinking about death or disease. 那么文中提到的 others 就表示一些花费过多时间思考死亡或疾病的群体。
Morbid 这个单词来源于词根 morbidus，意思是“diseased”或者“sick”，除了形容人外，还可用于形容物，比如，“如果你把墓碑挂在墙上，你的艺术品位也可能被描述为病态”，If you hang tombstones on your walls, your taste in art could also be described asmorbid.
在本段中，运用了一个俚语，Rule of thumb，表示“经验之谈；经验法则”的意思，英文解释：a pratical and approximate way of doing or measuring something，“有个方便实用的估算方法，即两把生米够一人吃的量”，A good rule of thumb is that a portion of rice is two handfuls.
再比如，“如果有人伤心，有个实用方法，给她看电视剧《大主宰》就好了。”If someone is sad, there is a wonderful rule of thumb to show her or him the TV series "The Great Master" starring RoyWang.（亲测有用）
Set out 主要有两个意思：【文中采取第一个意思】
To start an activity with a particular aim （怀着特定目的）开始，着手
She set out with the aim of Amwaying TV series "The Great Master" to the people around her.她努力的目标就是向周围人安利超级好看的电视剧《大主宰》。
[ + to do sth. ] Many Doctors set out to discover a cure for the new coronavirus.许多医生开始寻找一种治愈新型冠状病毒的方法。
2. To start a jouney 出发，启程
Accordingly, they are less keen onaccentuatinglife’s positives than on trying tomuffle its negatives.In part that meansreframing adversity, like wounded soldiers who view injury “not as something that shattered their plans but as something that started them on a new path”.
自译：于是，相比较强调生活的积极态度，他们更热衷于尝试消除负面影响。这意味着克服逆境，就像受伤的士兵，将受伤看作是重新开始一段新的路程而不是打乱了他们的计划。
参考：相应地，他们不太热衷于强调生活的积极面，而更注重积极去降低消极面的影响。在某种程度上，这意味着要重新审视逆境，就像受伤的士兵认为负伤“不是打碎了他们的计划，而是推动他们走上了一条新的道路”。
错误点：accordingly 翻译不准确；最后一句引号中内容翻译时没有强调。
Than 为连词，引导比较状语从句，句子有省略；第一个 that 为指示代词，who 为关系代词，引导定语从句，句中含有 not…but… 并列结构，意为“不是……而是……”；第二个 that 为关系代词，引导定语从句。
Accentuate life's positives 与 muffle its negatives 是一对相反的意思，其中 accentuate 意思是“着重，强调；使明显”，英文释义为：to emphasize particular feature of something or to make something more noticeable. 例如，“她的裙子衣袋系得很紧，凸显出苗条的腰身”可以这样说：Her dress was tightly belted, accentuating the slimness of her waist.
后一个动词 muffle 有两层意思，表意是“使（声音）变轻微（或低沉）[to make a sound quieter and less clear]”，例如，“这所房子装有双层玻璃以减弱飞机噪声的干扰”，The house has double-glazed windows to muffle the noise of aircraft. 文中使用的是它的引申义“削弱，使模糊[to make something less strong or clear]”。
因此，语段they are less keen on accentuating life's positives|| than on trying to muffle its negatives. 可以用英文解释为：They are less keen on emphasize life's positives than on trying to make its negatives less strong.
文中用 reframe adversity 表示“重新审视逆境”，用英文解释为：to change the way to consider unlucky situations or events. 积累到一个表示“逆境”的新词：adversity [in the sense of hardship]，其同义词还有：hardship, trouble, distress, suffering, trial, disaster, reverse, hard times, sorrow, catastrophe, woe, misfortune, bad luck, deep water, calamity, mishap, affliction, ill-fortune, ill-luck
对于 deep water，我们通常说的“水深火热”可以用到这个词：deep water and scorching fire。
Shatter their plans，参考翻译为“打碎他们的计划”，其中 shatter 的意思为：to end or severely damage something，严重破坏某事。“这本书击碎了她对罗马人的一切幻想”The book shattered all her illusions about the Romans. 有时也可用于打破宁静，例如“吵闹的摩托声打破了宁静/平静/静谧”, Noisy motorbikes shattered the peace/calm/stillness.
有时候，我们或许经历着谷底，但换个角度看，生活也就不那么难熬，「人如果一直敷衍地生活，很容易觉得时间飞逝而自己一事无成；如果偶尔经历一些难熬的瞬间，就能稍微抓住些时光的痕迹」（引自《环球人物》专栏《王源说》）
Sometimes, we may in the deep water, but from another perspective, life is not so hard. "If people live perfunctorily all the time, it's easy to feel that time flies and they can't achieve anything; if they occasionally experience some adversities and try to muffle its negatives, maybe they can grasp some traces of time".(quoted from the global people column "RoyWang Said")
On a more parochial note, they advise that people who have to deal with rude customers finish every encounter, no matter how bruising, with a positive gesture— and that if you are likely to be on the receiving end of reviews, you should get a friend to summarise them, to avoid direct exposure to indelibly hurtful phrases.
自译：在更具体的警示上，他们建议人们在与粗鲁的顾客打交道时都以积极的姿势结束商谈，不管事情有多糟糕——如果你可能是接受评价的一方，你需要找一个朋友去做总结，去避免直接接触不能消灭的会让你受伤的话语。
参考：在一个更具体的情境中，他们建议那些不得不与粗鲁的顾客打交道的人以积极的姿态结束每一次接触，不管刚刚的经历有多么让人受伤——另外，如果你很有可能是要接受评价的一方，那你应该找一个朋友替你来总结评语，从而避免直接接触到那些可能会造成不可磨灭的伤害的恶言恶语。
第一个 that 为连词，引导宾语从句；who 为关系代词，引导定语从句；no matter 引导让步状语从句；to summarize 为不定式，作宾语补足语（或称复合宾语）。
On a more parochial note，“在一个更具体的情境中”，parochial 有两层意思，第一层是“教区的”，parochial boundaries 就是“堂区分界线”的意思；文中采取的是它第二层意思，“showing interest only in a narrow range of matters, especially those that directly affect yourself, your town, or your country，偏狭的，尤其是自己或者地方观念的”，这里翻译成“在一个更狭隘的情境中”就有点别扭，结合上下文，所以翻译成“在一个更具体的情境中”。
通常我们说“打交道”用的都是：to come into contact with 或者 to have dealings，文中用的是：to deal with sb. 这个短语特用于在工作上与某人打交道，后面也可以接 sth，意思是“处理，动手解决 [to take action in order to achieve something or in order to solve a problem]”，例如：General enquiries are dealt with by our head office. （普通的咨询由我们总部来解决。）
Indelibly hurtful phrases，不可磨灭的恶言恶语。Indelible 本义是指“洗不掉的[an indelible mark or substance is impossible to remove by washing or in any other way]”，例如，洗不掉的墨水渍，indelible ink. 这里使用的是引申义“（记忆或行为）不可磨灭的[indelible memories or actions are impossible to forget, or have a permanent influence or effect]”，“这一次的疫情给全国人民留下了不可磨灭的印象”， This outbreak of coronavirus makes an indelible impression for our country.
A few of the authors’ tips are bland:keep to a minimum your dealings with any colleague who is clearly a bad apple, “make time for nostalgia” and in dark moments try repeating the analgesic phrase, “This too shall pass.”
自译：作者的某些建议很温和：减少与任何事害群之马的同事打交道，“找点时间怀旧”和在黑暗的时刻，尝试反复念叨安慰的话语，“这些都会过去的。”
参考：作者的某些建议平淡无奇：尽量少和任何明显是害群之马的同事打交道；“腾出时间怀旧”；在黑暗时刻试着反复默念能够抚慰伤痛的话语——“都会过去的。”
本段采用一般现在时；Keep 开头为祈使句，to a minimum 为介词短语作状语，被移位到宾语之前；who 为关系代词，引导定语从句。
bland：not having a strong taste or character or not showing any interest or energy 无滋味的；枯燥乏味的，没精打采的，“在枯燥乏味的日子，看看王源主演的电视剧《大主宰》成了我为数不多的乐趣”，On the bland days, watching the TV series "The Great Master" starred by RoyWang become one of my few pleasures.
A bad apple，害群之马；a bad apple spoils the barrel 一粒老鼠屎坏了一锅汤（one grain of rat feces ruins the whole pot of porridge.）
More often, though, their tone is challenging. They believe that higher education, after decades of enfeeblement by exaggerated anxieties about student well-being, should embrace a policy of “less carrot and more stick”.
自译：但更多时候，他们的论调具有挑战性。他们认为几十年来，高等教育对学生的未来太过焦虑，应采取措施“少给胡萝卜，多些棍棒。”
参考：不过更多时候，他们的论调很挑战人们的认知。他们认为，几十年来，高等教育对学生的福祉焦虑过度，以致自身衰弱无力，如今应采取“少给些胡萝卜，多来些大棒”的政策。
enfeeble：to make someone or something very weak 使衰弱；使无力
Embrace a policy，采取措施。Embrace 在这里是“采纳[to accept something enthusiastically]”的意思，“这样的机会他是求之不得的”，This was an opportunity that he would embrace.
Public debate, they argue, tends to be shaped by people whose livelihood depends on amplifying the chances of catastrophe. Thus the commentariat offers rivetingly grim pieces about the risks of opioid pain-relievers, but fails to acknowledge their benefits.
参考：他们指出，有些人的生计就是靠夸大灾难事件发生的概率，而能够影响公共辩论的往往正是这种人。因此，时事评论员的报道都在说阿片类镇痛药物的风险如何之大——而不愿承认这类药物的益处。
To be shaped 为不定式，作宾语，采用被动语态；whose 引导定语从句；offers 为双宾动词作谓语，采用一般现在时，rivetingly 为间接宾语，pieces 为直接宾语；to acknowledge 为不定式作宾语。
Public debate，公开争论。“这个问题早就为大众所争论不休了”，This issue is long overdue for a public debate.
Amplify 本意是“to make something louder，扩大（声音）”，例如：amplified music/guitar，经过扩音的音乐/带有扩音设备的电吉他。另一层意思是“to increase the size or effect of something，增强”，“葬礼可以渲染生者痛失亲人的哀悼之情”，A funeral can amplify the feelings of regret and loss for the relatives.
At times, such judgments on supposedly overblown negativity may strike readers as a touch blasé (the authors reckon a patient’s risk of addiction to opioids is “probably less than one or two percent”).
自译：有时，过于消极的判断会让读者感到厌倦（作者们认为患者对阿片类药物上瘾的风险“或许少于1%或2%”）。
参考：有时，这种对于“过度消极”的判断可能会让读者感到一丝冷漠（作者认为患者对阿片类药物上瘾的风险“可能不到1%或2%”）。
The pair are at their most bracing when, instead of lambasting the doomsayers,they extol “the upside of bad” and the power of negative experiences “to sharpen the mind and energise the will”.
自译：替代抨击末日预言家，他们赞扬“坏事的积极面”和消极经历“磨砺头脑和激发意志力”的力量。
参考：但当他们选择不去痛斥末日预言家，而是赞美“坏事的积极面”和消极经历“磨砺头脑和激发意志力”的力量时，还是相当让人精神一振。
At their most bracing，相当让人精神一振。其中 bracing 表示“（空气或活动）清新的”，英文释义是：(of weather) cold and perhaps windy; (of an activity) making you feel full of energy because it is done outside when the weather is cold and perhaps windy.例如，“我们在沙滩上散步，感到心旷神怡”，We enjoyed a bracing walk on the beach.
It has to be said, though, that some of those upsides come with titanic quantities of downside. At one point, they approvingly cite Samuel Johnson’s macabre observation that “when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.”
自译：然而，不得不说的是，他们所说的积极面是从巨大的消极面中获得。在某一点，他们引用了塞缪尔·约翰逊惊人的观察：“当一个人知道他两周内会被绞死，他的思想就集中了。”
参考：然而不得不提的是，他们所说的积极面有些要从极其巨大的消极面中才能获得。在书中某一处，他们赞许地引用了塞缪尔·约翰逊令人恐怖的心得：“当一个人知道他两周内就会被绞死时，他的思想就变得高度集中了。”
错误点：单词太多不认识；语句翻译不通顺。
进入公/众/号：分享给你我生活，查看更多