New York Times: Go East, Young Man
纽约时报：到东方去吧，年轻人
Jonathan Levine is a lecturer in American studies and English at Tsinghua University. 本文作者乔纳森?莱文，系清华大学美国研究与英语美籍讲师。
NOT long ago, I was stuck in a dead-end job near Greenwich, Conn. I was in my early 20s, overeducated with a series of non-performing degrees from New York University and Columbia, and frustrated. When I saw the Occupy Wall Street protesters on TV, fed up with the economic status quo in the United States, I saw myself.
不久前，我在康涅狄格州的格林尼治从事一份毫无前途的工作。那时我刚20岁出头，从纽约大学和哥伦比亚大学拿了好几个没什么用处的学位，非常消沉。当我在电视上看到对美国经济现状感到不满的占领华尔街运动抗议者时，我仿佛看到了我自己。
Or rather, I saw my old self, before I figured a way out.
或者说，我看到了过去的自己，然后我心中豁然开朗。
To the occupiers and their sympathizers, I say vote — not with the ballot, but with your feet. Now that your encampment has disbanded, don't just leave Zuccotti Park: leave America.
对那些占领者以及他们的同情者，我要说，投票吧——不是用选票，而是用脚。现在露营结束了，不要只是离开祖科蒂公园而已，要离开美国。
For China. At least, that's what I did. It was the best decision I ever made.
去中国。至少我是这样做的。这是我做过的最英明的决定。
In February of last year, I moved to Beijing, having landed a job teaching American culture and English at Tsinghua University. While I was not a global neophyte, I had never set foot in Asia. China had 1.3 billion people, and I didn't know any of them.
去年2月，我来到北京，在清华大学教美国文化和英语。我此前从未到过亚洲。中国有13亿人，我一个也不认识。
But now, after living almost a year here, I feel that China is my second home. My work is fulfilling and my workload is manageable enough to give me time to travel. I have found friends among China's large expatriate community, my colleagues and, of course, my eager students. The food is outstanding and caters to both the gastronomically meek and the profoundly adventurous.
但如今，在这里生活了将近一年之后，我感觉中国就像我的第二故乡。我的工作让我颇有成就感却又游刃有余，完全有时间出门旅游。我在中国的庞大侨民界、我的同事，当然还有我的学生当中交了许多朋友。吃的东西都很棒，既能满足美食家，也能满足富有冒险精神的人。
Most of all, my experiences here have been enriched by the Chinese people themselves. Their patience, courtesy and hospitality leave me in no hurry to return home anytime soon.
最重要的是，我在这里的经历因为中国人民本身而多姿多彩。他们的耐心、礼貌和热情使我根本不急于回国。
And guess what? I'm not so special.
知道吗？我没什么特别的。
China wants you. Job prospects are abundant. The effects of the Great Recession of 2008 may be felt in the United States for years, but they barely scratched China. Demand for native English speakers is white-hot. ChinaJob.com, TheBeijnger.com and Dave's ESL Cafe are just a few of the places where you can search for work.
中国需要你。就业前景十分广阔。2008年的大萧条或许影响了美国好几年，却几乎丝毫未伤及中国。以英语为母语的人非常吃香，在中国不少地方都可以找到工作。
There are problems here, of course. China is a nation that unapologetically rejects Western democracy — and yet I am surprised to find that Chinese citizens and the news media have as much freedom as they do. For my money, CCTV News English, a channel offered by China's major state television broadcaster, is more fair and balanced than Fox News.
当然，这里也有一些问题。中国坚决反对西式民主——不过我惊讶地发现中国公民和新闻媒体的自由度毫不逊色。在我看来，中国中央电视台的英语频道比福克斯新闻频道更加客观公正。
Pollution is bad. Beijing, like much of China, is often enveloped in what local residents euphemistically call "mist." But there are nice days, too, more than you might think.
污染比较严重。北京跟中国的许多地方一样，经常弥漫着当地人所称的"雾"。但天气好的日子也是有的，而且比你以为的要多。
Many critics have rightly pointed out the shocking failures of the Chinese food safety system — the most famous being the tainted-baby-formula scandal of 2008. But what you may not know is that China meted out swift justice in that case to the perpetrators. That is more than can be said for the handling of many corporations in the United States that have harmed their consumers and remain unpunished.
许多批评者指出中国食品安全制度存在诸多缺陷，最著名的案例是2008年的毒奶粉丑闻。这没错，但你或许不知道的是，中国迅速处罚了肇事者。相比之下，美国有许多公司损害了消费者的利益却始终未受惩罚。
We live in grim times, but fortune favors the bold. So if you are reading this from some occupied encampment, a soul-crushing cubicle, your parents' basement or anywhere else in America really, maybe you should consider paying me a visit.
时势是残酷的，但好运会眷顾有胆量的人。因此，假如你在露营帐篷、逼仄的小房间、父母的地下室或者美国的其他任何地方读到这篇文章，或许你应当考虑来看看我。
I'll buy you a duck.
我会请你吃烤鸭。 |
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