Rich Dad & Poor Dad《富爸爸穷爸爸》中英文对照版
2011-12-29 12:53阅读:
Rich Dad & Poor
Dad《富爸爸穷爸爸》中英文对照版
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There is
a Need
Does school prepare children for
the real world?
这就是你所需要的学校真的让孩子们准备好应付真实的世界了吗?
'Study hard and get good
grades and you will find
a high-paying job with great
benefits,' my parents used to
say. Their goal in life
was to provide a college
education for my older sister
and me, so that we would
have the greatest chance for
success in life.
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When T finally earned my diploma
in 1976-graduating with honors,
and near the top of my
class, in accounting from
Florida State University-my parents
had realized their goal. It
was the crowning achievement of
their lives. In accordance with
the 'Master Plan,' I was
hired by a 'Big 8'
accounting firm, and I looked
forward to a long career
and retirement at an early
age.
“努力学习,得到好成绩,你就能找到高薪并且伴有很多其他好处的职位。”我父母过去常这么对我说。他们的生活目标就是供我和姐姐上大学,觉得这样我们就有了在生活中获得成功的最好机会。1976年,当我从佛罗里达州立大学会计专业以全班第~的成绩光荣地获得学位证书时,我的父母实现了他们的目标,并把这作为他们一生中最引以为自豪的成就。根据“大师计划”,我很快便被“八大”会计公司中的一家雇佣,于是我在很早就觉察到了我今后漫长的职业生涯直至退休将是一条不会有太多变化的平稳道路。
My husband, Michael, followed a
similar path. We both came
from hard-working families, of
modest means but with strong
work ethics. Michael also
graduated with honors, but he
did it twice: first as an
engineer and then from law
school. He was quickly recruited
by a prestigious Washington,
D.C., law firm that specialized
in patent law, and his
future seemed bright, career
path well-defined and early
retirement guaranteed.
我丈夫迈克尔也走着同样的路。我们都来自努力工作的家庭,有着朴素的生活方式和极强的职业道德观。迈克尔也是以优异的成绩从名牌大学毕业的,他还先后深造过两次:一次是作为工程师,另一次是在法律学校。这之后,他便很快被华盛顿一所著名的法律公司聘用,专攻专利法。和我一样,他的未来看起来非常光明,事业的道路也已被很好的确定了,而且还有充分的退休保障。
Although we have been successful
in our careers, they have
not turned out quite as
we expected. We both have
changed positions several times-for
all the right reasons-but there
are no pension plans vesting
on our behalf. Our retirement
funds are growing only through
our individual contributions.
虽然我们在事业上很成功,应该说已经达到甚至超出了父母们当初提出的希望,但生活却并不像他们当初为我们所描绘的那么一劳永逸。由于新经济时代的种种原因,我们都曾先后换了几次工作,这使得当初看起来如此诱人的职业养老金计划几乎成了泡影,我们的退休金只能靠自己挣了。
Michael and I have a
wonderful marriage with three
great children. As I write
this, two are in college
and one is just beginning
high school. We have spent
a fortune making sure our
children have received the best
education available.
迈克尔和我婚姻美满并有三个好孩子。当我写这些话时候,其中两个正在大学,另一个也已开始念高中。我们花了许多钱希望使我们的孩子得到尽可能好的教育。
One day in 1996, one of
my children came home
disillusioned with school. He
was bored and tired of
studying. 'Why should I put
time into studying subjects I
will never use in real
life?' he protested.
1996年的一天,最小的孩子带着破灭的幻想从学校归来,他说他已经厌倦了,不想再去学习。“为什么我要花时间去学那些我真实生活中一辈子也用不到的东西呢?”他抗议道。
Without thinking, I responded,
'Because if you don't get
good grades, you won't get
into college.'
我毫不思索地答道:“因为如果你学得不好就进不了大学。”
'Regardless of whether I go
to college,' he replied, 'I'm
going to be rich.'
“可我并不想去上大学呢,”他说“我只想发财。”
'If you don't graduate from
college, you won't get a
good job,' I responded with
a tinge of panic and
motherly concern. 'And if you
don't have a good job,
how do you plan to get
rich?'
“如果你不能从大学毕业,就得不到好工作,”我带着一丝惊慌和母亲的关爱说,“如果你得不到好的工作,又怎么发财呢?”
My son smirked and slowly
shook his head with mild
boredom. We have had this
talk many times before. He
lowered his head and rolled
his eyes. My words of
motherly wisdom were falling on
deaf ears once again.
儿子笑了,带着一点厌烦之情慢慢地摇了摇头。我们以前已经进行过多次类似的谈话了,每次都会归结到这个结论上。他低下头转转眼睛,显然,我那母亲式的智慧之词又一次在装聋的耳朵面前失败了。
Though smart and strong-willed,
he has always been a
polite and respectful young
man.
儿子虽然很聪明并且有着强烈的自我意愿,但他仍不失为一个有礼貌、尊敬人的年轻人。
'Mom,' he began. It was my
turn to be lectured. 'Get
with the times! Look around;
the richest people didn't get
rich because of their
educations. Look at Michael
Jordan and Madonna. Even Bill
Gates, who dropped out of
Harvard, founded Microsoft; he
is now the richest man in
America, and he's still in
his 30s. There is a
baseball pitcher who makes more
than $4 million a year
even though he has been
labeled `mentally challenged.' '
“妈妈,”他又开口了,这次轮到我听演讲了,“跟上时代吧!你看看周围,那些最富有的人并不是因为受了良好的教育才致富的,看看迈克尔。乔丹和麦当娜吧,再看看比尔。盖茨,他退出了哈佛,建立了微软,他现在是全美最富的人,而他才30多岁。即使被贴上了“标新立异”的标签,他还是拥有每年花费400万美元的棒球场。”
There was a long silence
between us. It was dawning
on me that I was giving
my son the same advice my
parents had given me. The
world around us has changed,
but the advice hasn't.
我们都沉默了很久,我想该是轮到我把父母曾给我的忠告传授给儿子的时候了,但我却没有意识到世界已经变了,那忠告或许也需要变一变了。
Getting a good education and
making good grades no longer
ensures success, and nobody
seems to have noticed, except
our children.
当我的努力持续了大约十分钟后,我发现我已经无法再用当初父母说服我的话去说服儿子了,因为时代的确是变了,现实的许多例子告诉我们:得到好的教育和好的成绩不再能确保成功了。而孩子们似乎比我们先意识到了这一点。
'Mom,' he continued, 'I don't
want to work as hard as
you and dad do. You make
a lot of money, and we
live in a huge house with
lots of toys. If I follow
your advice, I'll wind up
like you, working harder and
harder only to pay more
taxes and wind up in
debt. There is no job
security anymore; I know all
about downsizing and rightsizing.
I also know that college
graduates today earn less than
you did when you graduated.
Look at doctors. They don't
make nearly as much money
as they used to. I know
I can't rely on Social
Security or company pensions for
retirement. I need new
answers.'
“妈,”儿子还在继续他的演讲,“我不想将来像你和爸那样辛苦地工作。你们是挣了很多钱,使我们住在一所有很多玩具的大房子里,但同时你们每个月也要付大量的账单。如果听从你们的建议,我将来就会像你们一样,加倍努力地工作只是为了付更多的税和欠更多的债务。现在世界上根本没有什么稳定的工作了,人生潮起潮落、变化莫测。相信你也知道大学毕业生在今天已经比你们毕业时挣的钱少多了。再看看医生,他们今天挣的也已经远不如从前了。我知道我不能再寄希望于社会保障或公司的退休金了,我要寻求新的出路。”
He was right. He needed
new answers, and so did
I. My parents' advice may
have worked for people born
before 1945, but it may
be disastrous for those of
us born into a rapidly
changing world. No longer can
I simply say to my
children, 'Go to school, get
good grades, and look for
a safe, secure job.' I
knew I had to look for
new ways to guide my
children's education.
沉默了片刻,我想他是对的,他的确需要新的答案,我也是、我父母的忠告也许对1945年出生的人来说是有用的,但对出生于当今这个迅速变化的时代的人来说则可能已经派不上用场了。我不能再只是简单地对孩子们重复:“去上学,争取拿好成绩,然后找到安全、稳定的工作,它会供养你一辈子。”我知道我必须找到一条新路并指引给孩子们。
As a mother as well as
an accountant, I have been
concerned by the lack of
financial education our children
receive in school. Many of
today's youth have credit cards
before they leave high school,
yet they have never had a
course in money or how to
invest it, let alone understand
how compound interest works on
credit cards. Simply put,
without financial literacy