TED英語演講：什麼是愛情

Stacey向來很着迷一對伴侶的邂逅過程。她邀請了攝影師Alec協助探討這個議題，她們在情人節那天，一起到拉斯維加斯參加全球最盛大的快速約會，又到訪內華達州最大的退休人士社區，她們解開了一個謎，就是一對伴侶怎樣由初次邂逅到一起共同生活的歷程。下面是小編為大家收集關於TED英語演講：什麼是愛情，歡迎借鑑參考。

演講題目：什麼是愛情?擇一城終老，遇一人白首!

演講者：Alec·Soth & Stacey·Baker

演講稿

Alec Soth: So about 10 years ago, I got a call from a woman in Texas, Stacey Baker, and she'd seen some of my photographs in an art exhibition and was wondering if she could commission me to take a portrait of her parents. Now, at the time I hadn't met Stacey, and I thought this was some sort of wealthy oil tycoon and I'd struck it rich, but it was only later that I found out she'd actually taken out a loan to make this happen.

Alec Soth: 大概十年前， 我收到德州一位女士的電話， 就是她，Stacey Baker。 她在一場藝術展上看過我的一些攝影作品， 然後想問是否可以請我為她的父母拍照。 當時，我還沒有見到Stacey， 我本以為她會是 某位石油大亨，讓我一夜暴富。 然而後來我很快發現， 她實際上是貸款來完成這個拍攝的。

I took the picture of her parents, but I was actually more excited about photographing Stacey. The picture I made that day ended up becoming one of my best-known portraits. At the time I made this picture, Stacey was working as an attorney for the State of Texas. Not long after, she left her job to study photography in Maine, and while she was there, she ended up meeting the director of photography at the New York Times Magazine and was actually offered a job. Stacey Baker: In the years since, Alec and I have done a number of magazine projects together, and we've become friends.

我為她父母拍攝了照片， 但實際上我對拍攝Stacey更感興趣。 當日我拍下的這張照片， 最後成為了我最出名的人像攝影作品之一。 我拍這張照片的時候， Stacey是德州的一位律師。 不久之後，她辭去工作， 去緬因州學習攝影。 在那期間， 她遇到了紐約時報雜誌的一名攝影指導， 並得到了一份工作。 Stacey Baker: 那之後很多年裏， Alec和我一起完成了很多雜誌攝影項目。 而且我們成為了朋友。

A few months ago, I started talking to Alec about a fascination of mine. I've always been obsessed with how couples meet. I asked Alec how he and his wife Rachel met, and he told me the story of a high school football game where she was 16 and he was 15, and he asked her out. He liked her purple hair. She said yes, and that was it. I then asked Alec if he'd be interested in doing a photography project exploring this question.

幾個月前， 我給Alec講述了我非常着迷的一個領域。 我一直痴迷於研究夫婦是如何相遇的。 我問Alec是如何和他妻子Rachel相遇的， 他給我講述了一個高中橄欖球賽的故事。 當時她16歲，他15歲， 他約她出去， 他喜歡她紫色的頭髮， 她同意了，就是這樣而已。 然後我問Alec他是否感興趣做一個攝影項目 來探索這個問題。

AS: And I was interested in the question, but I was actually much more interested in Stacey's motivation for asking it, particularly since I'd never known Stacey to have a boyfriend. So as part of this project, I thought it'd be interesting if she tried to meet someone. So my idea was to have Stacey here go speed dating in Las Vegas on Valentine's Day.

Alec Soth: 我對這個話題感興趣， 但我更感興趣的是 Stacey 詢問的動機。 尤其是因為我從沒聽説 Stacey 有男朋友。 所以作為這個項目的一部分， 我想如果她可以開始約會應該很有意思。 所以我的想法是讓 Stacey 參加速配約會， 去拉斯維加斯，在情人節當天。

SB: We ended up at what was advertised as the world's largest speed dating event. I had 19 dates and each date lasted three minutes. Participants were given a list of ice- breaker questions to get the ball rolling, things like, "If you could be any kind of animal, what would you be?" That sort of thing.

Stacey Baker: 我們最後參加了 被宣傳為世界最大規模速配約會的活動。 我經歷了19個約會， 每個三分鐘。 參加者會得到一張清單， 寫着各種用來打破沉默的問題 問題例如 “如果你可以成為一種動物， 你會選擇什麼?” 諸如此類。

My first date was Colin. He's from England, and he once married a woman he met after placing an ad for a Capricorn. Alec and I saw him at the end of the evening, and he said he'd kissed a woman in line at one of the concession stands.

我的第一個約會對象是Colin， 他來自英國， 他在張貼“想認識摩羯座的女孩”的廣告後， 遇見了前妻。 Alec 和我在那晚結束時看到了他， 他説他親吻了一位在小賣部排隊的女士。

Zack and Chris came to the date-a-thon together.

Zack 和 Chris 是一起來參加這場約會馬拉松的。

This is Carl. I asked Carl, "What's the first thing you notice about a woman?" He said, "Tits." (Laughter)

這位是Carl。 我問Carl，“對一個女人，你首先關注的是什麼?” 他説，“乳房。” (笑聲)

Matthew is attracted to women with muscular calves. We talked about running. He does triathlons, I run half-marathons. Alec actually liked his eyes and asked if I was attracted to him, but I wasn't, and I don't think he was attracted to me either.

Matthew 喜歡女人的小腿肌肉。 我們聊了跑步。 他參加三項全能，我參加半程馬拉松。 Alec 很喜歡他的眼睛， 問我有沒有被他吸引，我説：沒有。 而且我想我也沒有吸引到他。

Austin and Mike came together. Mike asked me a hypothetical question. He said, "You're in an elevator running late for a meeting. Someone makes a dash for the elevator. Do you hold it open for them?" And I said I would not. (Laughter)

Austin 和 Mark 是一起來參加的。 Mike 問我了一個假設性問題。 他説，“如果你在一架電梯裏， 參加會議要遲到了， 這時候有個人想衝進電梯， 你會等他上來後再關門嗎?” 我回答説不會。 (笑聲)

Cliff said the first thing he notices about a woman is her teeth, and we complimented each other's teeth. Because he's an open mouth sleeper, he says he has to floss more to help prevent gum disease, and so I asked him how often he flosses, and he said, "Every other day." (Laughter) Now, as someone who flosses twice a day, I wasn't really sure that that was flossing more but I don't think I said that out loud.

Cliff 説他會先注意到女人的牙齒， 我們稱讚了對方的牙齒。 因為他是那種張嘴睡覺的人， 他説他需要更頻繁地使用牙線， 以預防牙周病。 所以我問他用牙線有多頻繁， 然後他回答説，“兩天一次。” (笑聲) 作為一個一天用兩次牙線的人， 我不是太確定這算是更頻繁的使用， 但是我應該沒有説出口。

Bill is an auditor, and we talked the entire three minutes about auditing. (Laughter)

Bill 是一位審計師。 然後我們三分鐘全程都在討論審計。

The first thing Spencer notices about a woman is her complexion. He feels a lot of women wear too much makeup, and that they should only wear enough to accentuate the features that they have. I told him I didn't wear any makeup at all and he seemed to think that that was a good thing. Craig told me he didn't think I was willing to be vulnerable. He was also frustrated when I couldn't remember my most embarrassing moment. He thought I was lying, but I wasn't. I didn't think he liked me at all, but at the end of the night, he came back to me and he gave me a box of chocolates.

Spencer 首先注意到女人的會是她的面色。 他覺得很多女人粧化得太重了， 他覺得女人只應該適當強調特徵部位就可以。 我告訴他，我一點粧也沒化， 他看上去覺得這是件好事。 Craig 告訴我， 他覺得我是不願意脆弱的人。 對於我不能回想起人生中最尷尬時刻， 他感到很受挫。 他覺得我在説謊，但我並沒有。 我一點也沒覺得他喜歡我， 但是那晚結束時， 他來找我了，還送給了我一盒巧克力。

William was really difficult to talk to. I think he was drunk. (Laughter)

和 William 很難交談， 我覺得他喝多了。

Actor Chris McKenna was the MC of the event. He used to be on "The Young and the Restless." I didn't actually go on a date with him. Alec said he saw several women give their phone numbers to him.

演員 Chris McKenna 是活動的司儀， 他曾出演過“不安分的青春”。 我實際上並沒有和他約會。 Alec 説他看到一些女性 把自己的電話號碼給了 Chris。

Needless to say, I didn't fall in love. I didn't feel a particular connection with any of the men that I went on dates with, and I didn't feel like they felt a particular connection with me either.

毋庸置疑，我沒有墜入愛河。 我沒有對約會的任何一位男士有特別的感覺， 也沒感到他們對我有特殊的感覺。

AS: Now, the most beautiful thing to me -- (Laughter) -- as a photographer is the quality of vulnerability. The physical exterior reveals a crack in which you can get a glimpse at a more fragile interior. At this date-a-thon event, I saw so many examples of that, but as I watched Stacey's dates and talked to her about them, I realized how different photographic love is from real love.

Alec Soth: 作為一位攝影師， 對我來説最美好的事情-- (笑聲)就是脆弱的特質。 生理性質的外部展示出裂痕， 由此可以窺見一個更加脆弱的內心。 在這場約會馬拉松上， 我看到了許許多多這樣的例子， 但是我看着 Stacey 的約會對象， 對着她介紹自己， 我意識到照片下的愛 和真實中的愛是多麼的不同。

What is real love? How does it work? In order to work on this question and to figure out how someone goes from meeting on a date to having a life together, Stacey and I went to Sun City Summerlin, which is the largest retirement community in Las Vegas. Our contact there was George, who runs the community's photography club. He arranged for us to meet other couples in their makeshift photo studio. SB: After 45 years of marriage, Anastasia's husband died two years ago,

什麼是真實的愛?它如何作用? 為了解決這個問題， 為了找尋人們是如何從約會到一起生活的答案， Stacey 和我去了太陽城， 它是拉斯維加斯最大的退休人羣居住社區。 我們在那的聯繫人是George， 他經營社區的攝影俱樂部。 他在簡易攝影工作室裏， 為我們安排了與其他夫婦的見面。 Stacey Baker: 經過了45年的婚姻生活， Anastasia 的丈夫於兩年前去世了。

so we asked if she had an old wedding picture. She met her husband when she was a 15-year-old waitress at a small barbecue place in Michigan. He was 30. She'd lied about her age. He was the first person she'd dated.

所以我們問她能否提供以前的結婚照片。 她遇見他的丈夫的時候， 她是一位15歲的服務生， 在密歇根一家小燒烤店工作。 他當時30歲。 她謊報了年齡。 他是她約會的第一個人。

Dean had been named photographer of the year in Las Vegas two years in a row, and this caught Alec's attention, as did the fact that he met his wife, Judy, at the same age when Alec met Rachel. Dean admitted that he likes to look at beautiful women, but he's never questioned his decision to marry Judy.

Dean 曾連續兩年在拉斯維加斯 被稱為年度攝影師。 這引起了 Alec 的關注。 事實上，Dean 遇見他妻子 Judy 時的年齡， 與 Alec 遇見 Rachel 時的年齡一樣。 Dean 承認他喜歡看漂亮的的女人， 但是他從未對自己選擇 Judy 產生過疑問。

AS: George met Josephine at a parish dance. He was 18, she was 15. Like a lot of the couples we met, they weren't especially philosophical about their early choices. George said something that really stuck with me. He said, "When you get that feeling, you just go with it."

Alec Soth: George 是在教區舞會上 遇到 Josephine 的。 當時他18歲，她15歲。 如同我們遇到的很多夫婦一樣， 在一開始選擇時，他們沒有特別的理性。 George 説的話讓我特別難以忘懷， 他説，“當你有感覺時，就跟着感覺走。”

Bob and Trudy met on a blind date when she was still in high school. They said they weren't particularly attracted to each other when the first met. Nevertheless, they were married soon after.

Bob 和 Trudy 在一場初次約會中相遇， 當時她還在高中。 他們説他們在初次見面時，並沒有特別互相吸引。 然而，他們之後很快結婚了。

SB: The story that stayed with me the most was that of George, the photography club president, and his wife, Mary. This was George and Mary's second marriage. They met at a country-western club in Louisville, Kentucky called the Sahara. He was there alone drinking and she was with friends. When they started dating, he owed the IRS 9,000 dollars in taxes, and she offered to help him get out of debt, so for the next year, he turned his paychecks over to Mary, and she got him out of debt. George was actually an alcoholic when they married, and Mary knew it. At some point in their marriage, he says he consumed 54 beers in one day. Another time, when he was drunk, he threatened to kill Mary and her two kids, but they escaped and a SWAT team was called to the house. Amazingly, Mary took him back, and eventually things got better. George has been involved in Alcoholics Anonymous and hasn't had a drink in 36 years.

Stacey Baker: 我印象最深的故事 是 George，攝影俱樂部會長， 和他的妻子，Mary。 這是 George 和 Mary 的第二次婚姻。 他們一個叫撒哈拉的西部俱樂部相遇， 俱樂部在肯塔基的路易斯維爾。 當時他獨自在那喝酒， 而她和她的朋友們一起。 當他們開始約會時， 他欠國税局9000美金税款。 她提出要幫助他還上負債。 所以之後的一年， 他把自己的薪水上交給Mary， 然後她幫他走出了負債困境。 事實上，他們結婚時，George 是個酒鬼， 而 Mary 也知道此事。 在婚姻生活中的一段日子裏， 他説自己可以一天喝下 54 瓶啤酒。 還有一次，他喝醉了， 曾威脅要殺了 Mary 和她的兩個孩子。 她們逃走了，找了特警隊來家裏。 令人驚訝的是，Mary 把他從深淵裏拉了上來， 最後，一切都變好了。 George 參加了匿名戒酒互助會， 而且他已經 36 年沒有再喝酒了。

At the end of the day, after we left Sun City, I told Alec that I didn't actually think that the stories of how these couples met were all that interesting. What was more interesting was how they managed to stay together.

那天結束時， 我們離開了太陽城之後， 我對 Alec 説， 實際上，我沒覺得這些夫婦的相遇 本身有多麼有趣。 其實更加有趣的是， 他們如何一直生活在一起。

AS: They all had this beautiful quality of endurance, but that was true of the singles, too. The world is hard, and the singles were out there trying to connect with other people, and the couples were holding onto each other after all these decades.

Alec Soth: 他們都擁有忍耐這種美好品質， 然而，單身人士也是如此。 俗世艱難， 單身者獨自在那， 嘗試與他人接觸。 而夫妻在經歷歲月後， 依舊緊握彼此。

My favorite pictures on this trip were of Joe and Roseanne. Now, by the time we met Joe and Roseanne, we'd gotten in the habit of asking couples if they had an old wedding photograph. In their case, they simultaneously pulled out of their wallets the exact same photograph. What's more beautiful, I thought to myself, this image of a young couple who has just fallen in love or the idea of these two people holding onto this image for decades?Thank you.

這趟旅程中我最愛的照片， 是 Joe 和 Roseanne 的。 在我們遇到 Joe 和 Roseanne 時， 我們習慣於問夫婦倆有沒有一張老結婚照。 對此，他們倆同時從錢包裏 拿出了一模一樣的照片。 我問我自己，哪一個更美呢? 是這張年輕夫妻剛剛墜入愛河的照片? 還是二人緊握這張照片度過如此多年?謝謝。