朱棣文:给大学毕业生的几个忠告2

Another difficulty with giving a Harvard commencement address is that some students may disapprove of the fact that I will borrow material from previous speeches, as well from others. I ask that you forgive me for two reasons.
在哈佛大学毕业典礼上发表演说，还有一个难处，那就是有些毕业生可能有意见，不喜欢我重复前人演讲中说过的话。我请你们谅解我，有两个理由。

First, in order to be heard, it is important to deliver the same message more than once.
首先，为了能让你们听进去，很重要的方法就是重复传递同样的信息。

Second, authors who borrow from others are following in the footsteps of the best. Ralph Waldo Emerson, who graduated from Harvard at the age of 18, noted “All my best thoughts were stolen by the ancients.” Picasso declared “Good artists borrow. Great artists steal.” Why should commencement speakers be held to a higher standard?
其次，借鉴他人的作者，正走在一条前人开辟的最佳道路上。拉尔夫·瓦尔多·爱默生18岁从哈佛大学毕业时曾写过这样的话：“我最好的一些思想曾被古人偷用过。” 画家毕加索宣称：“优秀的艺术家借鉴，伟大的艺术家偷窃。”那么，毕业典礼的演说者为什么就不适用同样的标准呢？

I also want to point out the irony of speaking to graduates of an institution that would have rejected me, had I the chutzpah to apply. I am married to “Dean Jean,” the former dean of admissions at Stanford. She assures me that she would have rejected me, if given the chance. When I showed her a draft of this speech, she objected strongly to my use of the word “rejected.” She never rejected applicants; her letters stated that “We are unable to offer an admission.” I have difficulty understanding the difference. After all, deans of admissions of highly selective schools are in reality, “deans of rejection.” Clearly, I have a lot to learn about marketing.
我还要指出一点，向哈佛毕业生发表演说，对我来说是有讽刺意味的，因为如果当年我斗胆向哈佛大学递交入学申请，一定会被拒绝。我的妻子迪恩·简，曾任斯坦福大学的招生办公室主任，她明确告诉我，如果当年我申请斯坦福大学，她会拒绝我。我把这篇演讲的草稿给她过目，她强烈反对我使用“拒绝”这个词，她从来不拒绝任何申请者。在拒绝信中，她总是写：“我们无法给你提供入学机会。”我不知道这两种说法有何差别。说到底，那些热门学校的招生办公室与其说是“准许他人入学的主任”，还不如说是“拒绝他人入学的主任”。很显然，我需要好好学学怎么来推销自己。