翻译中必须避免五点愚蠢的想法

1. Recognise your blind spots
1.承认自己的盲点
Do you secretly think “you’re smarter than the average bear”？ It’s something called “illusory superiority”. In your defence, you might claim that you know you’re smart because of your report cards. If so, you might be suffering from “confirmation bias”– the tendency to only pick evidence to support your viewpoint. The fact is that we all suffer from some subconscious biases. Fortunately, psychologists are finding that people can be trained to spot them. There are about a 100 to consider, so start swotting up with this comprehensive list。
你是否默默认为自己比一般人都聪明？这种现象被称为是“虚幻的优越性”。为自己辩解时，你可能会说你成绩单上的成绩很好，这说明自己很聪明。这种现象被称为“确认偏误”，即倾向只选取支撑自己观点的证据。实际上，每个人都存在很多“确认偏误”问题。幸运的是，心理学家们发现，经过训练人们可以发现这些问题。需要注意的有100种，仔细研读一下这些问题吧。

2. Be ready to eat humble pie
2.做好妥协的准备
It measures how easily you deal with uncertainty, and how quickly you will change your mind based on new evidence. It’s a trait that some people find surprisingly hard to cultivate, yet the moment of self-deflation pays off in the long term. Intellectual humility comes in many other forms – but at its centre is the ability to question the limits of your knowledge。
做好低头的准备是指面对不确定状况，基于新证据，改变观点的速度。很多人都觉得这是种很难培养的品质，但从长远来看，自我消解能能够培养出这种品质。理智的谦虚还有其他很多种形式，但是最重要的一点是怀疑自己知识面的能力。

3. Argue with yourself
3.学会与自己争辩
If self-deprecation isn’t your strong suit, there is a simple strategy to deflate those biases: pick the exact opposite standpoint, and start arguing against your convictions. That internal argument can puncture many of the most resilient biases – such as overconfidence. A similar tactic might involve putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and imagining their viewpoint. That could be particularly useful when dealing with personal problems。
如果自嘲不是你的强项，那么还有其他方式可以打破这些偏见：选择完全相反的观点，反驳自己坚信的观点。这种辩论方式能够削弱很多偏见，比如过于自信。类似的做法还有站在他人的立场思考问题，想想他人的观点。处理个人问题时，这点非常有用。

4. Imagine “what if…”
4.多去设想一下“如果....。.”
One way to develop those skills could be to re-imagine key events. History students could write an essay exploring “What would the world be like if Germany had won World War Two?”. It may sound fanciful, but the point is that it forces you to consider the different eventualities and form hypotheses and you might find that it helps broaden your mindset。
培养这些能力的方式之一是重新想象关键事件。学历史的学生可以写论文探讨“如果德国在二战中取得了胜利，世界将会是什么场面？”这听起来不切实际，但是关键在于这样能够迫使你去思考各种可能性，形成假设。你会发现这有助于拓宽思维方式。

5.Don’t underestimate the checklist
5.不要低估清单
Distraction and absent-mindedness can be the downfall of the best of us. When wrestling with complex situations, it is easy to forget the basics. There were surgeons with the greatest skill and cutting-edge technology – yet a simple piece of paper ended up saving so many lives. Whatever your profession, those facts are worth considering before you assume that you know it all already。
即使是最优秀的人也会因为注意力分散和心不在焉失败。面对复杂情况时，很容易忘掉一些基础知识。很多外科医生技能出众，掌握最尖端的科技，但往往是一页清单最终拯救了那么多生命。不论是哪个行业，即使你认为自己已经掌握了全部内容，也要去仔细确认那些。

Practice these steps, and you might just find that you start to find talents that were previously unrecognised. Intelligence isn’t a score on an IQ test – it’s the ability to figure what you want in life that even if that involves some painful self-awareness of your own follies。
依照这些步骤，或许就能发现之前并不认可的人才。智商并不是IQ测试中所得的分数，而是指理清自己想要什么并努力实现的能力，即使这意味着你会意识到自己做的很多蠢事。