Good morning! Are you awake? They took my name tag, but I wanted to ask you, did anyone here write their name on the tag in Arabic? Anyone! No one? All right, no problem.
早上好! 你们醒了么? 他们刚拿走了我的胸卡,不过我想问问你们 胸卡上的名字, 有没有人是用阿拉伯语写的? 有么?没有?恩,很好,没问题。
Once upon a time, not long ago, I was sitting in a restaurant with my friend, ordering food. So I looked at the waiter and said, "Do you have a menu (Arabic)?" He looked at me strangely, thinking that he misheard. He said, "Sorry? (English)." I said, "The menu (Arabic), please." He replied, "Don't you know what they call it?" "I do." He said, "No! It's called "menu" (English), or "menu" (French)." Is the French pronunciation correct? "Come, come, take care of this one!" said the waiter. He was disgusted when talking to me, as if he was saying to himself, "If this was the last girl on Earth, I wouldn't look at her!" What's the meaning of saying "menu" in Arabic? Two words made a Lebanese young man judge a girl as being backward and ignorant. How could she speak that way?
就在不久之前, 我和朋友坐在餐厅里,正要点餐。 我看着服务员,对他说, “有菜单么?” (用阿拉伯语) 他奇怪地盯着我看,以为他听错了。 他(用英文)说:“Sorry?” 我又说:“请给我菜单好么?” (用阿拉伯语) 他回答:“你难道不知道(菜单的)叫法么?” “我知道。” 他说,“应该叫Menu,或者Menu” (前者英文发音,后者是法文发音) 我的法语发音对么? “过来,过来,这桌交给你了” 那个服务员说。 他明显不屑于和我说话, 然后他自言自语道, “就算世界上只有这一个女人, 我都不会正眼看她一眼。” 用阿拉伯语说“菜单”意味着什么? 这两个字让黎巴嫩的青年男子认为,说这话的女人,又封建 又无知。 她怎么说得出这种话?
At that moment, I started thinking. It made me mad. It definitely hurts! I'm denied the right to speak my own language in my own country? Where could this happen? How did we get here?
从那一刻起,我开始思考这件事。 这件事让我很生气, 而且非常伤人。 我在自己国家,说自己语言的权利被否定了? (世界上)还有什么地方会发生这种事? 我们怎么会走到这一步的?
Well, while we are here, there are many people like me, who would reach a stage in their lives, where they involuntarily give up everything that has happened to them in the past, just so they can say that they're modern and civilized. Should I forget all my culture, thoughts, intellect and all my memories? Childhood stories might be the best memories we have of the war! Should I forget everything I learned in Arabic, just to conform? To be one of them? Where's the logic in that? Despite all that, I tried to understand him. I didn't want to judge him with the same cruelty that he judged me.
不过,今天这个场合, 很多人和我一样, 到达了人生中的那个阶段: 心不甘情不愿的,放弃过去的一切, 到达了人生中的那个阶段: 心不甘情不愿的,放弃过去的一切, 只有这样他们才觉得自己是现代人、文化人。 只有这样他们才觉得自己是现代人、文化人。 那我是不是也该把我自己的文化、思想、 智慧和记忆全部都忘掉? 童年可能是战争中我们最美好的回忆了! 我是不是该忘掉阿拉伯语,仅仅是随大流而已? 变成他们中的一员? 逻辑何在? 撇开这些不谈, 我依然试图去理解那个人。 我不想用他那种残忍的标准, 反过来去评判他。
The Arabic language doesn't satisfy today's needs. It's not a language for science, research, a language we're used to in universities, a language we use in the workplace, a language we rely on if we were to perform an advanced research project, and it definitely isn't a language we use at the airport. If we did so, they'd strip us of our clothes. Where can I use it, then? We could all ask this question! So, you want us to use Arabic. Where are we to do so? This is one reality.
阿拉伯语确实满足不了今天的需要。 不是科学用的语言, 不是研究用语, 不是大学里用的语言, 不是工作场合的语言, 不是我们进行尖端研究时的用语, 而且绝对不是机场用语。 如果我们在机场这么说, 他们肯定当场要搜身了。 那我什么时候才能用到它呢? 这个问题很值得深思! 你告诉我,说阿拉伯语的场合, 哪里去找? 这只是其中之一。
But we have another more important reality that we ought to think about. Arabic is the mother tongue. Research says that mastery of other languages demands mastery of the mother tongue. Mastery of the mother tongue is a prerequisite for creative expression in other languages.
还有一个更重要的现实需要我们考虑。 阿拉伯语是我们的母语。 研究表明,要想掌握其他语言, 需要先掌握自己的母语。 掌握母语,是掌握其他语言的前提。
How? Gibran Khalil Gibran, when he first started writing, he used Arabic. All his ideas, imagination and philosophy were inspired by this little boy in the village where he grew up, smelling a specific smell, hearing a specific voice, and thinking a specific thought. So, when he started writing in English, he had enough baggage. Even when he wrote in English, when you read his writings in English, you smell the same smell, sense the same feeling. You can imagine that that's him writing in English, the same boy who came from the mountain. From a village on Mount Lebanon. So, this is an example no one can argue with.
此话怎讲? 纪伯伦·哈利勒·纪伯伦, (黎巴嫩诗人,旧译 哈里利·吉布兰) 他最初写作时用的是阿拉伯语。 他所有的灵感,想象力和哲学观 都来源于他小时候的乡村成长经历, 来源于故乡的气味, 那特别的声音, 还有独特的想法。 所以当他开始用英文写作时, 肚子里已经有足够的墨水了。 即便之后他用英文写作, 当你读他的英文作品时, 你能闻到一样的气味, 体味到同样的感觉。 你可以想象出用英文写作的他, 依然是那个从黎巴嫩山村里出来的小男孩。 这是个无可争辩的例子。
Second, it's often said that if you want to kill a nation, the only way to kill a nation, is to kill its language. This is a reality that developed societies are aware of. The Germans, French, Japanese and Chinese, all these nations are aware of this. That's why they legislate to protect their language. They make it sacred. That's why they use it in production, they pay a lot of money to develop it. Do we know better than them?
其次,人们经常说,如果要消灭一个民族, 唯一的办法 是消灭它的语言, 这是发达国家都认识到的事实。 德国、法国、日本、中国, 这些国家都意识到了这一点。 这也是为什么他们要立法保护本国语言 把语言当做神圣的东西看待。 这也是为什么他们在生产中使用母语, 并投入大量资金发展自己的母语。 相比之下,我们的做法更明智吗?
All right, we aren't from the developed world, this advanced thinking hasn't reached us yet, and we would like to catch up with the civilized world. Countries that were once like us, but decided to strive for development, do research, and catch up with those countries, such as Turkey, Malaysia and others, they carried their language with them as they were climbing the ladder, protected it like a diamond. They kept it close to them. Because if you get any product from Turkey or elsewhere and it's not labeled in Turkish, then it isn't a local product. You wouldn't believe it's a local product. They'd go back to being consumers, clueless consumers, like we are most of the time. So, in order for them to innovate and produce, they had to protect their language. If I say, "Freedom, sovereignty, independence (Arabic)," what does this remind you of? It doesn't ring a bell, does it? Regardless of the who, how and why.
好吧, 我们不属于发达国家 这种前卫的想法还没有传播到这里, 我们希望追赶上文明社会。 那些曾经和我们一样, 但谋求发展的国家, 它们进行研究, 并追上发达水平的, 比如土耳其、马来西亚等等, 它们不管走到哪里,都会带上自己的语言, 像保护钻石一样。 他们把母语紧紧带在身边。 因为如果你从土耳其买来的东西 标签上没有使用土耳其语 那就不是当地产品。 你不会相信这是当地产品的。 他们会变成这样的消费者, 和你我一样,一无所知的消费者。 所以,为了创新和生产, 他们必须保护自己的语言。 如果我说,“自由,主权,独立” (阿拉伯语) 这些词让你联想到什么? 没有任何感觉,是么? 不管让谁说都是一样的。
Language isn't just for conversing, just words coming out of our mouths. Language represents specific stages in our lives, and terminology that is linked to our emotions. So when we say, "Freedom, sovereignty, independence," each one of you draws a specific image in their own mind, there are specific feelings of a specific day in a specific historical period.
语言不只是对话时,从嘴里发出来的音而已。 语言代表了我们生活中不同的阶段, 也是连接我们感情的术语。 所以当我说, “自由,主权,独立” 每一个词都唤起了你脑海中的一副图片, 在某个时代背景下 存在某种特定的情感。
Language isn't one, two or three words or letters put together. It's an idea inside that relates to how we think, and how we see each other and how others see us. What is our intellect? How do you say whether this guy understands or not? So, if I say, "Freedom, sovereignty, independence (English)," or if your son came up to you and said, "Dad, have you lived through the period of the freedom (English) slogan?" How would you feel? If you don't see a problem, then I'd better leave, and stop talking in vain.
语言并不是单纯的把一个两个三个字放在一起。 语言直接关系到我们内心的想法, 我们对彼此的看法, 以及别人如何看待我们。 智慧是什么? 你怎么判断,对方理解了没有? 所以,如果我说,“自由,主权,独立” (英文) 或者如果你儿子走过来,对你说: “爸爸,你有没有经历过“宣扬自由”(英文)的那个时代” 你会怎么想? 如果你不觉得这问题很严重, 那我今天全部都是白讲。 不如早点回去比较好。
The idea is that these expressions remind us of a specific thing. I have a francophone friend who's married to a French man. I asked her once how things were going. She said, "Everything is fine, but once, I spent a whole night asking and trying to translate the meaning of the word 'toqborni' for him." (Laughter) (Applause) The poor woman had mistakenly told him "toqborni," and then spent the whole night trying to explain it to him. He was puzzled by the thought: "How could anyone be this cruel? Does she want to commit suicide? 'Bury me?' (English)" This is one of the few examples.
我的观点是,“表述”能让人联想到特定的某件事。 我有一个说法语的朋友,嫁给了一个法国人。 我有次问她最近如何。 她说 “都还可以, 但有一次我花了一整晚的时间 试图向他解释“toqborni”这个词的意思” (字面意思:愿你把我埋葬) (其实是对钟爱之人的爱语。愿我走的比你早,因为我不能没有你。) (笑声) (鼓掌) 那可怜的女人不经意地对他说“toqborni”, 然后不得不花整晚的时间去解释。 而他完全无法理解: “这话也太残忍了” 她是想自杀吗? “埋了我?” (英文) 这仅仅是一个例子而已。
It made us feel that she's unable to tell that word to her husband, since he won't understand, and he's right not to; his way of thinking is different. She said to me, "He listens to Fairuz with me, and one night, I tried to translate for him so he can feel what I feel when I listen to Fairuz." The poor woman tried to translate this for him: "From them I extended my hands and stole you --" (Laughter) And here's the pickle: "And because you belong to them, I returned my hands and left you." (Laughter) Translate that for me. (Applause)
这让我觉得她无法跟自己的老公解释这个词, 因为他无法理解, 这也是无可厚非的; 毕竟他的思路不同。 她告诉我, “他和我一起听Fairuz” (黎巴嫩歌手) 一天晚上, 我试着给他翻译歌词 让他也能理解我听Fairuz 时的心情。“ 那个可怜的女人试着翻译这句话: ”我伸长双手,把你从他们那里,偷过来“ (笑声) 还有更刺激的: ”因为你属于他们,我放开双手让你回去“ (笑声) 你倒是翻译一个给我看看。 (鼓掌)
So, what have we done to protect the Arabic language? We turned this into a concern of the civil society, and we launched a campaign to preserve the Arabic language. Even though many people told me, "Why do you bother? Forget about this headache and go have fun." No problem! The campaign to preserve Arabic launched a slogan that says, "I talk to you from the East, but you reply from the West." We didn't say, "No! We do not accept this or that." We didn't adopt this style because that way, we wouldn't be understood. And when someone talks to me that way, I hate the Arabic language. We say-- (Applause)
所以,我们是怎么保护阿拉伯语的? 我们把这个问题变成一个社会议题, 然后开展了一项保护阿拉伯语的运动。 即使很多人问我 “不觉得麻烦么? 忘掉这个烂摊子,去享受生活吧” 没关系的! 保护阿拉伯语的运动有一句口号, “我们从东面和你交谈,而你们从西面回应” 我们可没说,“不行!非要怎么怎么样不可!” 我们不这样做, 因为这么一来就没人会理解我们了。 当有人非要这样说时, 我自己都很讨厌这样的阿拉伯语。 我们说—— (鼓掌)
We want to change our reality, and be convinced in a way that reflects our dreams, aspirations and day-to-day life. In a way that dresses like us and thinks like we do. So, "I talk to you from the East, but you reply from the West" has hit the spot. Something very easy, yet creative and persuasive. After that, we launched another campaign with scenes of letters on the ground. You've seen an example of it outside, a scene of a letter surrounded by black and yellow tape with "Don't kill your language!" written on it. Why? Seriously, don't kill your language. We really shouldn't kill our language. If we were to kill the language, we'd have to find an identity.
我们想要改变现状, 并确信存在一种方式, (用语言)反映我们梦想、灵感和日常生活。 就像我们的衣服,和我们的想法一样。 所以“我们从东面和你交谈,而你们从西面回应” 非常到位。 简简单单,有创造性,又有说服力。 之后我们开展了另一项运动, 在地面上放置大幅文字。 你在外面就能看到一个, 用黑色、黄色的胶带围起来, 写着“不要消灭你的母语!”。 为什么? 我是认真的,不要消灭自己的母语。 我们真的不应该消灭自己的语言。 如果我们消灭了语言, 我们就必须去寻找另一种身份。
We'd have to find an existence. We'd go back to the beginning. This is beyond just missing our chance of being modern and civilized.
我们必须去寻找另一种存在形式。 我们必须重新开始。 这么一来, 失去的可不光是现代化机会而已了。
After that we released photos of guys and girls wearing the Arabic letter. Photos of "cool" guys and girls. We are very cool! And to whoever might say, "Ha! You used an English word!" I say, "No! I adopt the word 'cool.'" Let them object however they want, but give me a word that's nicer and matches the reality better. I will keep on saying "Internet" I wouldn't say: "I'm going to the world wide web" (Laughs) Because it doesn't fit! We shouldn't kid ourselves. But to reach this point, we all have to be convinced that we shouldn't allow anyone who is bigger or thinks they have any authority over us when it comes to language, to control us or make us think and feel what they want.
然后我们放出了男孩女孩穿着纹有阿拉伯文字的衣服。 很"酷"的男孩女孩的照片。 我们真的"酷"毙了。 至于那些说, “哈,你这不是用英文了么!” 我会说, “错!是我们搬用了cool这个词” 随他们怎么否认, 但这个词真的又好用 又贴切,找不到更好的了。 我还会继续说“互联网(internet)” 我不会说: “我要去上万维网(www)了” (笑声) 因为和时代不符了! 我们还是不要自己开自己的玩笑了 但要做到这件事, 我们必须确信 不能让任何比我们强大的, 或是自认为有权利去控制我们说什么语言的人 来控制我们,把他们的感受和看法强加在我们身上。
Creativity is the idea. So, if we can't reach space or build a rocket and so on, we can be creative. At this moment, every one of you is a creative project. Creativity in your mother tongue is the path. Let's start from this moment. Let's write a novel or produce a short film. A single novel could make us global again. It could bring the Arabic language back to being number one. So, it's not true that there's no solution; there is a solution! But we have to know that, and be convinced that a solution exists, that we have a duty to be part of that solution.
创造性是关键。 即使我们没办法上太空, 或是造出火箭之类的, 我们还是有创造力的。 此时此刻,在座的每一个人都是有创意的。 母语中的创造性,才是出路。 就让我们从这一刻起开始吧 我们可以写一本小说 或是拍部微电影。 一本小说就能让我们重登世界舞台了。 足够让阿拉伯语回到世界的顶端。 所以说“没有办法”是不对的。 当然有办法! 但我们要记得,既然解决的方法是有的, 我们就有责任成为其中的一份子。
In conclusion, what can you do today? Now, tweets, who's tweeting? Please, I beg of you, even though my time has finished, either Arabic, English, French or Chinese. But don't write Arabic with Latin characters mixed with numbers! (Applause) It's a disaster! That's not a language. You'd be entering a virtual world with a virtual language. It's not easy to come back from such a place and rise. That's the first thing we can do.
所以说,你今天能做什么呢? 现在,发微博,有人发微博了么? 拜托,真的拜托你了, 因为我的时间快到了, 阿拉伯语,英文,法文,或者中文。 但请不要把阿拉伯和拉丁字母和数字混在一起写! (鼓掌) 这么写也太糟蹋了 根本不是语言了。 你这是在用虚拟世界里的虚拟语言。 从这种(支离破碎的)状态再拼起来就很困难了。 这是我们能做的第一件事。
Second, there are many other things that we can do. We're not here today to convince each other. We're here to bring attention to the necessity of preserving this language. Now I will tell you a secret. A baby first identifies its father through language. When my daughter is born, I'll tell her, "This is your father, honey (Arabic)." I wouldn't say, "This is your dad, honey (English)." And in the supermarket, I promise my daughter Noor, that if she says to me, "Thanks (Arabic)," I won't say, "Dis, 'Merci, Maman,'" and hope no one has heard her. (Applause)
其次,还有很多事是我们能做到的。 今天我们在这里不是为了说服谁, 我们在这里是为了让大众理解,保护语言的重要性。 让我来告诉你们一个小秘密。 婴儿第一次认识父亲, 是通过语言来认识的。 当我的女儿出生时,我会告诉她, “宝贝,这是你爸爸”(阿拉伯语) 我不会说, “宝贝,这是你爸爸”(英语) 在超市里的时候,我跟我的女儿诺儿保证, 如果她用阿拉伯语对我说“谢谢” 我就绝对不会怕别人听到(我女儿这么说), 然后用法文矫正:“要说谢谢,女儿”(法文) (鼓掌)
Let's get rid of this cultural cringe.
让我们一起摆脱文化上的崇洋媚外吧。
(Applause)
(鼓掌)