英語短篇勵志文章

　　近年來,無論是網上書店,還是實體書店,勵志圖書都佔據暢銷書榜前幾位, 勵志閱讀已成為當前大眾閱讀的主流。下面是小編帶來的，歡迎閱讀!

　　1

　　Give Children Their Room

　　給孩子一點空間

　　In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.

　　在這個充斥著網路聊天、電子遊戲和真人秀的時代中，不乏各種無需動腦的活動充斥著孩子們的頭腦。儘管它們都在爭搶孩子們的時間，我八歲的女兒瑞貝卡卻喜歡把她的業餘時間用來寫短篇故事。她想拿她的故事參加一個寫作比賽，去年她曾在那個比賽中獲勝。

　　As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressures of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface.

　　作為一個作家我很瞭解贏得比賽與輸掉比賽的感受。我知道自己很努力地寫出一篇文章卻遭到出版商退稿時的那種感覺。我也知道竭盡全力去維持過去的輝煌為你帶來的聲譽方面的壓力。如果她不能再次贏得比賽怎麼辦?那就是作為父母的很奇怪的想法。我們自己過去的傷疤和破碎的希望又再次浮現。

　　A revelation came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”

　　直到上個星期，我得到了啟示。我問她你想再贏一次嗎?” “不，”女兒回答，“我只想告訴大家一個天使上一年級的故事。”

　　I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.

　　當女兒自發地講起她的故事時，我花了幾個星期的時間來給她修改。一次一次地告誡自己只是一個有些經驗的作家在指導一個小作家成長而已，關於她的故事的角色、衝突和結尾我都提供了一下建議。在我的指導下，這個原來要上一年級的惴惴不安的小天使的故事，變成了一個有著偉大夢想的小女孩在上她的第一堂音樂課的故事。在不知不覺中我竟把她的比賽變成了我的比賽。

　　Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting ***借用***my daughter’s experience.

　　放手給孩子空間成長不像看起來那麼容易。因為我對能用工具的農場動物，或者一年級的小天使一無所知，我不得不承認我借用了女兒的經歷。

　　While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.

　　雖然站在孩子的後面對我來說有些艱難，但是我將在邁出這關鍵的第一步之後繼續努力，讓自己站得足夠遠，以讓她有足夠的發展空間，同時又能在她需要的時候離她足夠近。我還會一直提醒自己:孩子需要經歷、成長和找到自己心聲的空間。

　　2

　　things work out 守得雲開見月明 by edgar a. guest 鍾健鳴/譯

　　because it rains when we wish it wouldn't,

　　只因陰晴未必如我們所願，

　　because men do what they often should't,

　　只因人們未必都積德行善，

　　because crops fail,and plans go wrong-

　　只因作物欠收，計劃流產——

　　some of us grumble all day long.

　　我們中的一些人就終日抱怨。

　　but sometimes,in spite of the care and doubt,

　　但即使經歷憂慮與質疑，

　　it seems at last that things work out.

　　事情似乎終會好轉。

　　because we lose where we hoped to gain,

　　只因我們求勝之心落空，

　　because we suffer a little pain,

　　只因我們受到少許痛楚，

　　because we must work when we'd like to play-

　　只因我們必須工作而未能玩樂——

　　some of us whimper along life's way.

　　我們中的一些人就一生嗟嘆。

　　but somehow , as the day always follow the night

　　黑夜之後必是黎明，

　　most of our troubles work out all right.

　　我們的困難大多能圓滿解決。

　　because we cannot forever smile,

　　只因我們無法永遠微笑，

　　because we must trudge in the dust awhile,

　　只因我們要在泥塵中跋涉，

　　some of us whimper that life's all wrong.

　　我們中的一些人就哀訴生活多磨難。

　　but somehow,we live and our sky grows bright,

　　但我們挺過來了，守得雲開見月明，

　　and ererything seems to work out all right.

　　一切事都終得順利解決。

　　so bend to your trouble and meet your care,

　　所以，迎難而上，直面憂慮，

　　for the clouds must break,and the sky grows fair.

　　因為烏雲終將散去，天空必定晴朗。

　　let the rain come down,as it must and will,

　　讓雨灑下，它必須如此，不可逆轉。

　　but keep on working and hoping still.

　　但請繼續努力並始終希冀。

　　for in spite of the grumblers who stand about,

　　儘管到處都有發牢騷的人，

　　somehow,it seems,all things work out.

　　但無論如何，一切事情總會好轉。

　　3

　　Sense success in dark times.

　　Hear what your critics say about you.

　　React positively to negative situations.

　　Come back after defeat.

　　Prioritize your possibilities.

　　Adventure into new territories.

　　Trade off anxiety for peace.

　　Face the future unafraid.

　　Relax under pressure.

　　Faith practises the art of creating positive alternatives to negative assumptions.

　　Faith is NOT a contradiction of reality but the courage to face reality with hope.

　　譯文

　　在黑暗之中感受成功。

　　聆聽他人批評。

　　在消極情況下積極應對。

　　失敗，再爬起。

　　優化應對各種可能出現的問題。

　　敢於嘗試新的領域。

　　不要憂慮，保持平和。

　　無畏的面對未來。

　　在壓力下放鬆。

　　信心是一門藝術，不斷操練，創造積極方法，應對消極思想。

　　信心不是否定現實，而是懷揣希望，面對現實的勇氣。