每個人都值得被尊重

by Vint Cerf

翻譯：Cass

每個人都值得被尊重

by Vint Cerf

翻譯：Cass

每個人的內心都渴望得到別人的尊重，但想得到別人的尊重，就要先學會尊重他人。無論社會地位高或低，無論貧或富，每個人都是獨一無二的存在，都值得被尊重。尊重他人的時候，你會發現，你能學到很多東西。

As the “Father of the Internet,” Vint Cerf注1has made his career in high-speed electronic communications. But Cerf still values face-to-face1)interactions. By engaging in2)civil conversations with those he meets, Cerf finds he can learn new things every day.

Once I was being driven by limo to a hotel in Palm Springs注2to give a speech. The driver appeared to be in his 60s and I remember thinking how sad that he has to keep working at this3)menial job. It turned out, though, that he was the retired CFO注3of a major Chicago-based corporation注4who had gotten bored with golf. He took a part-time job driving the hotel’s limo, so he could meet people and stay in touch with the world. He even ended up giving some good advice to me, a financially naive engineer.

I believe that every person deserves respect, and that I can learn something new from everyone.

Now, I make a point of asking people about their stories. From taxi cab drivers to cleaning crews, each person gives me a chance to4)vicariously visit a place or do a thing that I might never experience on my own. I’ve found most people are patient with me if I show an interest and respect for what they have to say.

Respect doesn’t mean we have to agree, but we should disagree in a civil fashion. My work is in high-speed electronic communication, where5)miscues are common and can lead to serious6)disputes rooted in misunderstanding and distrust.

Even though it’s impossible to assure civility in all situations, I can’t recall a time when I have been proud of an online conversation that ended in an email7)nasty-gram. After the heat of the exchange8)wears off, I feel9)awkward, embarrassed that I allowed myself to be10)offensive.

Some people think the Internet isolates and11)dehumanizes us. I don’t agree. The net is simply a12)vehicle for people to communicate. When an online discussion becomes13)testy, many of us have learned to move the discussion to face-to-face or at least the telephone, so that better social14)cues can15)moderate an increasingly angry exchange. Readingwords often invites the worst possible16)interpretation. Understanding this is key to the world of the Web.

Whether it’s on the web or in person, when I meet new people, if I am open, curious and civil, I can learn new things. I believe it’s17)imperative to treat every person with respect.

1) interaction [??nt?r'?k??n] n. 互動

2) civil ['s?vl] adj. 有禮貌的

3) menial ['mi?nj?l] adj. 卑微的

4) vicariously [va?'ker??sl?] adv. 代理地，間接地

5) miscue [?m?s'kju?] n. 失誤

6) dispute [d?s'pju?t] n. 爭論，爭吵

7) nasty-gram 侮辱性（或威脅性）電子郵件

8) wear off 逐漸消失

9) awkward ['??kw?d] adj. 令人尷尬的

10) offensive [?'fens?v] adj. 討厭的，無禮的

11) dehumanize [di?'hju?m?na?z] v. 使失掉人性

12) vehicle ['vi??kl] n. 傳播媒介

13) testy ['test?] adj. 暴躁的

14) cue [kju?] n. 暗示，信號

15) moderate ['m?d?r?t] v. 緩和，減輕

16) interpretation [?n?t??pr?'te???n] n. 解釋

17) imperative [?m'per?t?v] adj. 強制的，必要的

參考譯文

身為“互聯網之父”，文特·瑟夫以高速電子通訊為業，但他仍然十分重視面對面的互動交流。通過與相遇之人進行禮貌的交談，瑟夫發現每天都能夠學到新東西。

有一次，我乘坐豪華轎車去棕櫚泉的一個酒店發表演講。轎車司機看起來有六十多歲了，我記得我當時是這么想的：他不得不堅持一直做著這樣一份不體面的工作，真是悲哀呀！然而，他原來是一家芝加哥大公司的首席財務官。他退休之后厭煩了打高爾夫球，于是就在酒店找了一份開轎車的兼職，這樣他就能夠見到很多不同的人，和社會保持著接觸。到頭來，他甚至還給了我這個在財務方面一竅不通的工程師一些很好的建議。

我認為每個人都值得被尊重，而我能夠從他人身上學習到新的東西。

現在，我總不忘向人們詢問他們各自的故事。不管是計程車司機還是清潔工，每個人都給了我一個間接拜訪了某個地方或是做了某件事的機會，這些是我個人可能永遠都不會有的經歷。我發現，如果我對他們的話感興趣，并尊重他們所說的話，他們大多數人都會很有耐心地和我分享自己的經歷。

尊重并不代表我們一定要認同，但是我們要以禮貌的方式去表達自己的不同看法。我在高速電子通訊行業工作，這是一個失誤經常發生的行業，誤解和不信任往往會引發激烈的爭吵。

盡管不可能保證所有場合都能彬彬有禮，曾幾何時，我為用惡言相向的郵件結束在線交談而自豪？—在我記憶中幾乎沒有這種事情。在激動的心情平復下來之后，我為縱容自己的無禮感到難堪、羞愧不已。

有些人認為，網絡讓我們變得孤立，失去了人性。我并不同意這個觀點。網絡僅僅是人們交流的一個工具。當在線交談變得暴躁的時候，大多數人會轉為面對面或者起碼是打電話進行交流，以便交際信號能夠更好地緩和怒氣漸漲的交談。閱讀文字往往會導致最負面的理解。明白這一點對網絡交流極其重要。

無論是在網絡上交談還是面談，在我遇見陌生人時，如果我保持坦率的態度，懷著好奇之心，并且禮貌待人，我總能學到新東西。我覺得尊重每一個人是十分必要的。

注1：文特·瑟夫（Vint Cerf），谷歌公司副總裁兼首席互聯網專家。許多人把瑟夫看作“互聯網之父”之一，他也是TCP/IP協議和互聯網架構的聯合設計者之一。

注2：棕櫚泉（Palm Springs），位于美國的科羅拉多沙漠，是沙漠旁的綠洲城市。

注3：Chief Financial Officer的簡稱，即首席財務官。

注4：總部設在芝加哥的公司。

Every Person Deserves Respect