冒名頂替症候群：英語精讀講義

In many challenges, personal and professional,

在許多個人和職業的挑戰中，

we are held back by the crippling thought 片語動詞

我們常常被一種令人崩潰的想法所牽絆：

that people like us couldn't possibly triumph, 文法

像我們這樣的人是不可能取得成功的，

given what we know of ourselves, 文法

畢竟我們太了解自己了——

how reliably stupid, anxious, gauche, crude, vulgar, and dull we really are.

我們究竟有多愚蠢、焦慮、笨拙、粗魯、庸俗和無趣。

We leave the possibility of success to others 片語搭配

我們把成功的可能留給了別人，

because we don't seem to ourselves to be anything like the sort of people 文法

因為在我們看來，自己跟那些

we see lauded around us.

在我們周圍備受讚譽的人毫無共同之處。

Faced with responsibility or prestige, 文法

面對責任或聲望時，

we quickly become convinced that we are simply impostors, 片語搭配

我們很快就確信自己根本是個冒牌貨，

like an actor in the role of a pilot

就像一個扮演飛行員的演員，

wearing the uniform and making sunny cabin announcements

穿著制服，歡快地進行著機艙廣播，

while utterly incapable of even starting the engines. 文法

而實際上連啟動引擎都不會。

It can feel easier simply not to try.

乾脆不去嘗試，感覺還輕鬆點。

The root cause of the imposter syndrome 片語搭配

冒名頂替症候群的根本原因

is a hugely unhelpful picture of what other people are really 文法

是我們對他人真實的模樣抱有嚴重不切實際的想像。

like. We feel like impostors not because we're uniquely flawed, 文法

我們之所以覺得自己像個冒牌貨，不是因為我們有著獨一無二的缺陷，

but because we fail to imagine how deeply flawed everyone else

而是因為我們想像不到，其他人

must necessarily also be beneath the more or less polished surface. 慣用語

在看似光鮮的表象之下，必然也隱藏著同樣深重的缺陷。

The imposter syndrome has its roots far back in childhood, 慣用語

冒名頂替症候群的根源要追溯到很久以前的童年時代，

specifically in the powerful sense children have

尤其是孩子們會產生一種強烈的直覺：

that their parents are really very different from them.

他們的父母和他們其實是完全不同的人。

To a 4-year-old,

對一個4歲的孩子來說，

it's incomprehensible that their mother was once their age and unable to drive a car,

媽媽曾經也像他們一樣大、不會開車，這簡直無法理解；

tell the plumber what to do,

還會指揮水管工做事，

decide other people's bedtimes,

決定別人的睡覺時間，

and go on planes with colleagues.

跟同事一起坐飛機。

The gulf in status appears absolute and unbridgeable. 慣用語

地位上的鴻溝看似絕對且無法跨越。

The child's passionate loves,

孩子熱愛的東西——

pouncing on the sofa, Pingu, Toblerone,

在沙發上蹦跳、《企鵝家族》、瑞士三角巧克力，

have nothing to do with those of adults 片語搭配

跟大人們的愛好毫不相干，

who like to sit at a table talking for hours

大人就喜歡坐在桌邊聊上幾個小時，

when they could be running about outside,

明明可以去外面跑來跑去，

and drink beer which tastes of rusty metal.

還要喝那種嚐起來像生鏽金屬的啤酒。

We start out in life with a very strong impression that other people, 片語動詞

我們一出生就帶有一種極其強烈的印象：即其他人，

especially competent and admirable other people,

尤其是那些有能力、令人欽佩的人，

are really not like us at all.

和我們完全不一樣。

This childhood experience dovetails with a basic feature of the human condition. 慣用語

這種童年經歷與人類處境的一個基本特徵不謀而合。

We know ourselves from the inside, 表達脈絡

我們從內部了解自己，

but we know others only from the outside.

但我們只能從外部了解他人。

So we're constantly aware of all our anxieties,

所以我們始終清楚自己的所有焦慮、

doubts, and idiocies,

自我懷疑和愚蠢行為，

yet all we know of others

然而我們對別人的了解

is what they happen to do and tell us, 文法

只限於他們恰好做了什麼、告訴了我們什麼，

which is a far narrower and more edited source of information. 文法

這個資訊來源遠比了解自己時來得狹窄，且經過了更多修飾。

We're often left to conclude that we are isolated 片語搭配

我們常常得出這樣的結論：我們是孤立的，

at the more freakish and revolting end of human nature.

處於人性的那一端，古怪且令人厭惡。

Far from it. 慣用語

事實遠非如此。

We're just failing to imagine that others are, of course,

我們只是沒能想像到，別人理所當然地，

every bit as disturbed as we are. 文法

和我們一樣心亂如麻。

Without knowing exactly what it is that troubles or racks 文法

在並不確切知道是什麼困擾或折磨著

another outwardly very impressive person,

另一個外表光鮮亮麗的人時，

we can be sure that it will be something.

我們可以肯定，總有些什麼事在折磨著他們。

We might not know exactly what they regret,

我們可能不知道他們到底後悔什麼，

but there will be agonizing feelings of some kind.

但必定有某種痛苦的情感存在。

We won't be able to say exactly

我們無法準確說出

what kind of unusual sexual kink obsesses them,

什麼樣的怪異性癖困擾著他們，

but there will be one.

但絕對存在那麼一個。

And we can know this because vulnerabilities and compulsions

我們能夠確信這一點，是因為脆弱與強迫

cannot be curses

不可能是一種詛咒，

that have just descended upon us uniquely.

僅僅獨特地降臨在我們頭上。

They are universal features of human mental equipment.

它們是人類心理機制的普遍特徵。

The solution to the imposter syndrome lies in making a crucial leap of faith, 講解

打破冒名頂替症候群的關鍵在於進行一次至關重要的信仰之躍：

the leap that others' minds must work in basically

也就是相信別人的大腦運作方式，基本上

much the same way as ours do. 文法

和我們的一模一樣。

Everyone must be as anxious, uncertain, and wayward as we are.

每個人必定都和我們一樣焦慮、迷茫、任性。

It's a leap of faith because we just have to accept

之所以是信仰之躍，是因為我們必須接受，

that the majority of what we feel and are,

我們所感受到和擁有的特質，

especially the more shameful unmentionable sides,

尤其是那些更加可恥且不可言說的陰暗面，

will have a corollary in each and every one of us. 片語搭配

在每個人身上都能找到對應。

One of the tasks that works of art should ideally accomplish 文法

理想狀態下，藝術作品應該完成的任務之一，

is to take us more reliably

是更可靠地帶領我們

into the minds of people we're intimidated by

走進那些令我們心生畏懼的人的大腦之中，

in order to show us the more average,

向我們展示他們也會有更普通的、

muddled, and fretful experiences that they have.

混亂的以及煩躁的經歷。

That way,

這樣一來，

we would be helped to understand

就有助於我們明白，

that we're not barred by our vulnerabilities 片語搭配

我們的脆弱不會阻礙我們

from doing what they do.

去做他們做的事。

That's what the philosopher Montaigne,

這就是哲學家蒙田——

writing in the 16th century, 文法

在16世紀寫作時——

was attempting to do when he playfully informed his readers,

試圖做的，當時他俏皮地告訴讀者——

in plain French,

用通俗易懂的法語——

that kings and philosophers shit,

國王和哲學家也要拉屎，

and so do ladies. 文法

淑女們也不例外。

Montaigne's point is that

蒙田想表達的是，

for all the evidence that exists about this shitting, 文法

儘管存在大量關於拉屎的證據，

we might not guess that these people ever had to squat on a toilet.

我們大概也想不到，這些人也曾不得不蹲在馬桶上。

We never see distinguished types doing this,

我們絕不會看到卓越不凡的人做這種事，

while, of course,

而與此同時，當然，

we are immensely well informed about our own digestive activities.

我們對自己消化系統的運作可謂了若指掌。

And therefore,

因此，

we build up a sense 片語動詞

我們會形成一種錯覺：

that because we have crude and sometimes rather desperate bowels,

因為我們的腸胃粗糙，有時還急得不行，

we can't be philosophers, kings, or ladies,

所以我們當不了哲學家、國王或淑女，

and that if we set ourselves up in these roles,

如果我們把自己放在這些位置上，

we would just be imposters.

我們只會是個冒名頂替者。

Montaigne's example is a neat one

蒙田舉的例子非常絕妙，

because despite the lack of evidence, 文法

因為儘管缺乏證據，

we know that these exalted people must, of course,

我們很清楚，這些高高在上的人，理所當然地，

excrete in exactly the same way we do.

也必然要和我們排泄的方式一模一樣。

So, with Montaigne's guidance,

因此，在蒙田的指引下，

we're invited to take on a saner sense

我們被邀請以一種更理智的眼光，

of what grand, powerful, and beautiful people are really like.

去審視那些宏偉、強大、美麗的人真實的模樣。

But the real target isn't just an under-confidence about bodily functions. 表達脈絡

但真正的目標不僅限於解決對生理功能的不自信。

This point extends into the psychological arena too. 慣用語

這個觀點也同樣延伸到了心理領域。

Montaigne might also have said 文法

蒙田也許還會說，

that kings, philosophers, and ladies

國王、哲學家和淑女，

are racked by self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy, 片語搭配

也飽受自我懷疑和無能感的折磨，

sometimes bump into doors,

有時也會撞到門上，

and have weird lustful thoughts about members of their own families.

甚至對自己的家族成員產生怪異的非分之想。

Furthermore, 表達脈絡

此外，

instead of considering only the big figures of 16th century France, 文法

除了僅僅想到16世紀法國的偉大人物，

we could update this example and refer to CEOs, corporate lawyers,

我們可以更新一下這個例子，看看執行長、企業律師、

news presenters,

新聞主播，

and successful start-up entrepreneurs.

以及成功的初創企業家。

They too can't cope, feel they might buckle under pressure, 慣用語

他們也同樣有難以應付、感覺會被壓力壓垮的時候，

and look back on certain decisions with shame and regret. 片語動詞

也會在回首某些決定時充滿羞愧與悔恨。

No less than shitting, 文法

就像拉屎一樣，

such feelings are not what separates us from them.

這些情緒並不會把我們和他們割裂開來。

Our inner frailties don't cut us off from doing what they do. 片語動詞

我們內心的脆弱，並不會讓我們無法完成他們能做的事。

If we were in their roles, 文法

如果我們處在他們的位置，

we'd not be imposters,

我們不會是冒牌貨，

we'd simply be normal.

我們只是普通的常人而已。

Making a leap of faith around what other people are really like 文法

在「他人真實的模樣」這個問題上進行信仰之躍，

helps us to humanize the world.

有助於我們將這個世界人性化。

It means that whenever we encounter a stranger,

這就意味著，每當我們遇到一個陌生人，

we're not really encountering a stranger.

我們並非真的是在面對一個完全陌生的人。

We're, in fact,

事實上，

encountering someone who is,

我們遇到的是這樣一個同類——

in spite of the surface evidence to the contrary, 片語搭配

儘管表面上看似截然不同，

in basic ways very much like us.

在本質上卻與我們極為相似。

And, therefore,

因而，

nothing fundamental stands between us and the possibility of responsibility, 片語搭配

在面對擔負責任、

success, and fulfillment.

獲得成功與實現抱負的可能之間，並不存在任何根本的阻礙。