美國作者 Malcolm Gladwell 寫的《以小勝大》(David and Goliath) 書中提到,做人最好有一些困境、有一些挑戰,這樣才能變得更強大、更有能力。這個理論放在寫作人的工作上,亦是成立。

譬如,寫作人若安逸怠惰,讀的書都是在他水準之下的作品,那麼他筆下的作品,亦不見得會有突破。反之,若不斷挑戰自己,常常接觸自己水準之上的作品,除了見識可以慢慢擴展,亦可磨練筆鋒。

每次承接比較重大的翻譯或文案工作之前,我亦習慣閱讀英美出版的好書,或至少閱讀《衛報》的英國、澳洲新聞網站,不斷聽英語播客節目。學習好東西、熱身一番之後,中譯英總是非常容易開筆,文案撰寫亦可行雲流水。

American writer Malcolm Gladwell’s David and Goliath mentioned that we should have desirable difficulties to become a stronger and more capable person. This theory also makes sense for a writer’s job.

If a writer is complacent and slackening off, they might be reading books below their standard. And this would translate into their failure to achieve a breakthrough in writing.

Contrarily, if a writer is always challenging himself to read books slightly above his standard, he would be able to expand his knowledge base and polish his writing skills.

When I am taking up a larger translation or copywriting project, it has become my routine to read good books published in UK and US, or at least, read The Guardian UK and Australia websites. Listening to English-language podcasts is also a good way to learn more.

Learn from good writers and speakers, have a good warm-up, I would then find my Chinese to English translation work to be very smooth and my copywriting to be surrounded by flow of new ideas.