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第二十八届韩素音青年翻译奖竞赛原文英译汉竞赛原文：OnIrritabilityIrritabilityisthetendencytogetupsetforreasonsthatseem–tootherpeople–tobeprettyminor.Yourpartnerasksyouhowworkwentandthewaytheyaskmakesyoufeelintenselyagitated.Yourpartnerisputtingknivesandforksonthetablebeforedinnerandyoumention(notforthefirsttime)thattheforkshouldgoonthelefthandside,nottheright.Theythenimmediatelyletoutahugesighandsweepthecutleryontothefloorandtellyouthatyoucanxxxx-ingdoityourselfifyouknowbetter.Itwasthemostminorofcriticismsandtechnicallyquitecorrect.Andnowthey’veexploded.Thereissomuchirritabilityaroundanditexactsahugedailycostonourcollectivelives,sowedeservetogetalotmorecuriousaboutit:whatisreallygoingonfortheirritableperson?Why,really,aretheygettingsoagitated?Andinsteadofblamingthemforgettinghetupabout“littlethings”,weshoulddothemthehonourofworkingoutwhy,infact,thesethingsmaynotbesominorafterall.Thejourneybeginsbyrecognisingtheroleoffearinirritabilityincouples.Behindmostoutburstsarecack-handedattemptstoteachtheotherpersonsomething.Therearethingswe’dliketopointout,flawsthatwecandiscern,remarkswefeelwereallymustmake,butourawarenessofhowtoproceedispanickedandhasty.Wegivecack-handed,meanspeeches,whichbearnofaithinthelegitimacy(eventhenobility)oftheactofimpartingadvice.Andwhenourpartnersareonthereceivingendoftheseirritable“lessons”,theyofcourseswiftlygrowdefensiveandbrittleinthefaceofsuggestionswhichseemmorelikemean-mindedandsenselessassaultsontheirverynaturesratherthancaring,gentleattemptstoaddresstroublesomeaspectsofjointlife.Theprerequisiteofcalminateacherisadegreeofindifferenceastothesuccessorfailureofthelesson.Onenaturallywantsforthingstogowell,butifanobduratepupilflunkstrigonometry,itis–atbase–theirproblem.Temperscanstayevenbecauseindividualstudentsdonothaveverymuchpoweroverteachers’lives.Fortunately,asnotcaringtoomuchturnsouttobeacriticalaspectofsuccessfulpedagogy.Yetthisisn’tanoptionopentothefearful,irritablelover.Theyfeelineluctablyledtodelivertheir“lessons”inacataclysmic,frenziedmanner(thedoorslamsveryloudlyindeed)notbecausetheyareinsaneorvile(thoughonecouldeasilydrawtheseconclusions)somuchasbecausetheyareterrified;terrifiedofspoilingwhatremainsoftheiryearsontheplanetinthecompanyofsomeonewhoitappearscannotinanywayunderstandapivotalpointaboutconversation,orcutlery,ortherighttimetoorderataxi.Oneknowsintuitively,whenteachingachild,thatonlytheutmostcareandpatiencewilleverwork:onemustnevershout,onehastouseextraordinarytact,onehastomaketencomplimentsforeveryonenegativeremarkandonemustleaveoneselfplentyoftime…Allthiswisdomwereliablyforgetinlove’sclassroom,sadlybecauseincreasingthelevelofthreatseldomhastensdevelopment.Wedonotgrowmorereasonable,moreacceptingofresponsibilityandmoreaccurateaboutourweaknesseswhenourpridehasbeenwounded,ourintegrityisthreatenedandourself-esteemhasbeenviolated.Thecomplaintagainsttheirritablepersonisthattheyaregettingworkedupover“nothing”.Butsymbolsofferawayofseeinghowadetailcanstandforsomethingmuchbiggerandmoreserious.Thegroceriesplacedonthewrongtablearenotupsettingatallinthemselves.Butsymbolicallytheymeanyourpartnerdoesn’tcareaboutdomesticorder;theymuddlethingsup;theyaremessy.Orthequestionaboutone’sdayisexperiencedasasymbolofinterrogation,alackofprivacyandahumiliation(becauseone’sdaysrarelygowellenough).Thesolutionis,ideally,toconcentrateonwhatthebiggerissueis.Entirephilosophiesoflifestirandcollidebeneaththesurfaceofapparentlypettysquabbles.Irritationsaretheoutwardindicationsofstifleddebatesbetweencompetingconceptionsofexistence.It’stothebiggerthemesweneedtotrytoget.Inthecourseofdiscussions,onemightevencomeface-to-facewiththatperenniallysurprisingtruthaboutrelationships:thattheotherpersonisnotanextensionofoneselfthathas,mysteriously,goneoffmessage.Theyarethatmostsurprisingofthings,adifferentperson,withapsychealloftheirown,filledwithaperplexingnumberofsubtle,eccentricandunforeseenreasonsforthinkingastheydo.Thedecodingmaytaketime,perhapshalfanhourormoreofconcentratedexplorationforsomethingthathaduntilthenseemedasifitwouldmorerightfullydeserveaninstant.Wepayaheavypriceforthisneglect;everyconflictthatendsinsourstalemateisablockedcapillarywithintheheartoflove.Emotionswillfindotherwaystoflowfornow,butwiththeaccumulationofunresolveddisputes,pathwayswillfurandpossibilitiesfortrustandgenerositynarrow.Alastpoint.Itmayjustbesleeporfood:whenababyisirritable,werarelyfeeltheneedtopreachaboutself-controlandapropersenseofproportion.It’snotsimplythatwefeartheinfant’sintellectmightnotquitebeuptoit,butbecausewehaveamuchbetterexplanationofwhatisgoingon.Weknowthatthey’reactingthisway–andgettingbotheredbyanylittlething–becausetheyaretired,hungry,toohotorhavingsomechallengingdigestiveepisode.Thefactis,though,thatthesamephysiologicalcausesgettousallourlives.Whenwearetired,wegetupsetmoreeasily;whenwefeelveryhungry,ittakeslesstobotherus.Butitisimmenselydifficulttotransferthelessoningenerosity(andaccuracy)thatwegainaroundtochildrenandapplyittosomeonewithadegreeinbusinessadministrationorapilot’slicense,ortowhomwehavebeenmarriedforthree-and-a-halfyears.