0912翻译: 谈创造性思维(罗迦·费·因格)
0912翻译: 谈创造性思维(罗迦·费·因格)
Translation: Discussion on Creative Mindset (Roger von Oech)
(assembled/translated by: alexcwlin; reviewed/edited by: Adam Lam)
从下列四种图形中，找出一个性质与其他三个不同的来。
In the four diagrams below, find the one which nature is different from the three others.
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对于上面这个问题，你是怎么回答的呢?
Respecting the above question, what would your answer be?
要是你选择的是B，那就恭喜你答对了。
If you chose figure B, congratula¬tions! You've picked the right answer.
因为图形B是惟一一个仅由直线构成的图形。
Figure B is the only one that has all straight lines.
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不过，也许有人会选择图形C。因为非对称性图形只有C一个，所以会被认为与其他图形不同。
Some of you, however, may have chosen figure C, thinking that C is unique because it's the only one that is asymmetrical.
确实如此，这也是正确答案。
And you are also right! C is the right answer.
答A也是可以的。因为A是惟一没有角的图形，
A case can also be made for figure A: it's the only one with no points.
所以A也是正确答案。
Therefore A is the right answer.
那么，D又怎么样呢?这是惟一一个由直线与曲线构成的图形，
What about D? It is the only one that has both a straight line and a curved line.
因此D也是正确答案。
So, D is the right answer.
换句话说，由于看图形的角度不同，四种答案全部正确。
In other words, they are all right depend¬ing on your point of view.
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“正确答案只有一个”这种思维模式，在我们头脑中已不知不觉地根深蒂固。
The "right answer" ap¬proach becomes deeply ingrained in our thinking.
事实上，若是某种数学问题的话，说正确答案只有一个是对的。
This may be fine for some mathematical problems where there is in fact only one right answer.
麻烦的是，生活中大部分事物并不像某种数学问题那样。
The difficulty is that most of life isn't this way.
生活中解决问题的方法并非只有一个，而是多种多样。
In life, there is more than one way to skin a cat.
由于情况的变化，原来行之有效的方法，到了现在往往不灵了。
As situations change, the initial effective method often no longer applies currently.
正因为如此，如果你认为正确答案只有一个的话，当你找到某个答案以后，就会止步不前。
Because of that, if you think there is only one right answer, then you’ll stop looking as soon as you find one.
因此，不满足于一个答案，不放弃探求，这一点非常重要。
Therefore not being content with one answer and not giving up on searching is very important.
然而，寻求第二种答案，或是解决问题的其他路径和新的方法，有赖于创造性的思维。
However, looking for the second answer, other methods or new approaches in solving a problem depends on creative thinking.
那么，创造性的思维又有哪些必需的要素呢?
Then what are the essentials necessary for creative thinking?
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有人是这样回答的：“富有创造性的人总是孜孜不倦地汲取知识，使自己学识渊博。从古代史到现代技术，从数学到插花，不精通各种知识就一事无成。
A person responded like this, "The creative person wants to be a know-it-all. He wants to know about all kinds of things: ancient history, nineteenth century mathematics, current manu¬facturing techniques, flower arranging, and hog futures.
因为这些知识随时都可能进行组合，形成新的创意。
He never knows when these ideas might come together to form a new idea.
这种情况可能出现在六分钟之后，也可能在六个月之后，六年之后。
It may happen six minutes later or six years down the road.
但当事人坚信它一定会出现。”
But the creative person has faith that it will happen."
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我对此完全赞同。
I agree.
知识是形成新创意的素材。
Knowledge is the stuff from which new ideas are made.
但这并不是说，光凭知识就能拥有创造性。
Nonetheless, knowledge alone won't make a person cre¬ative.
发挥创造力的真正关键，在于如何运用知识。
The real key to being creative lies in what you do with your knowledge.
创造性的思维，必须有探求新事物，并为此而活用知识的态度和意识，
Creative thinking requires an outlook that allows you to search for ideas and play with your knowledge and experience.
在此基础上，持之以恒地进行各种尝试。
With this outlook, you try different approaches.
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这方面的典型代表，首推约翰·古登贝尔克。
Among all the epitomes in this regard, Johann Gutenberg should be considered the first on the list.
他将原来毫不相关的两种机械——葡萄压榨机和硬币打制器组合起来，
What Gutenberg did was to combine two previously unconnected ideas: the wine press and the coin punch.
开发了一种新形式。因为葡萄压榨机用来从葡萄中榨出汁，所以它在大面积上均等加力。而硬币打制器的功能则是在金币之类的小平面上打出印花来。
The purpose of the coin punch was to leave an image on a small area such as a gold coin. The function of the wine press was, and still is, to apply force over a large area to squeeze the juice out of grapes.
有一天，古登贝尔克半开玩笑地自言自语道：“是不是可以在几个硬币打制器上加上葡萄压榨机的压力，使之在纸上打印出印花来呢?”
One day, Gutenberg asked himself, "What if I took a bunch of these coin punches and put them under the force of the wine press so that they left their image on paper?"
由此组合就是印刷机和排版术。
The resulting combination was the printing press and movable type.
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另一个例子是罗兰·布歇内尔。
Roland Bushnell was another example.
1971年的一天，布歇内尔边看电视边这么想：“光看太没意思了。
One day in 1971while watching television, Bushnell thought: “Just watching television is boring.
把电视接收器作为试验对象，看它产生什么反应。”
Let me experiment on the television receiver and see how it responds.”
此后不久，他就发明了对战型的乒乓球游戏，从此开始了游戏机的革命。
Soon afterwards, he invented competitive interactive ping-pong video game and a new era of revolutionized video game machines began.
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不过，这种创造性的思维是否任何人都具备呢?
However, does everyone possess this type of creative thinking?
是否存在富有创造力和缺乏创造力的区别呢?
Is there a difference in the type of people who are rich in creativity and those who are deficient in it?
某心理学专家小组以实际从事创造性工作的人与不从事此类工作的人为对象进行了调查研究，
A small team of psychology experts conducted research studies on people who engaged in creative works and those who didn’t.
并得出如下结论：“富于创造力的人，认为自己具有创造力；
They came up with a conclusion: “People who are rich in creativity believe they possess creativity.
缺乏创造力的人，不认为自己具有创造力。”
Those who are deficient in creativity do not believe they possess creativity.”
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认为“我不具备创造力”的人当中，有的觉得创造力仅仅是贝多芬、爱因斯坦以及莎士比亚他们的，
Among those people who believed “I do not possess creativity”, some of them felt creativity was unique to Beethoven, Einstein and Shakespeare exclusively.
从而进行自我压制。
As such they suppressed themselves from getting creative.
不言而喻，在创造的宇宙里，贝多芬、爱因斯坦、莎士比亚是光辉灿烂的明星。
It goes without saying that in the realm of creativity, Beethoven, Einstein and Shakespeare were dazzling stars.
然而在大多数情况下，即便是他们，也并非轻而易举就能获得如此非凡的灵感。
But in the majority of cases, even they did not acquire their exceptional inspirations hands down.
相反，这种非凡的灵感，往往产生于这样的过程：关注极其普通、甚至一闪念的想法，并对它反复推敲，逐渐充实。
On the contrary, such exceptional inspirations came about in a certain process: “pay attention to very ordinary and brainstorming ideas, repeatedly deliberate on them, and progressively enrich them”.
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由此看来，区分一个人是否拥有创造力，主要根据之一是，拥有创造力的人留意自己细小的想法。
From this you can see that one of the key bases in differentiating if a person has creativity or not is a creative person pays attention to his minute thinking.
即使他们不知道将来会产生怎样的结果，但他们很清楚，小的创意会打开大的突破口，
Even though they do not know what results could be engendered in the future, yet they are clear that small innovative ideas could open up huge breakthroughs.
并坚信自己一定能使之变为现实。
Also they must firmly believe they could make ideas come true.
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任何人都拥有创造力，首先要坚信这一点。
Everyone possesses creativity, and he must be totally convinced in this regard.
关键是要经常保持好奇心，不断积累知识；
The key is to maintain a sense of curiosity all the time and continuously accumulate knowledge.
不满足于一个答案，而去探求新思路，去运用所得的知识；
He must not be satisfied with one answer and dig for new way of thinking through the application of acquired knowledge.
一旦产生小的灵感，相信它的价值，并锲而不舍地把它发展下去。
Once he comes up with a tiny inspiration, he must believe in its value and persevere in developing it.
如果能做到这些，你一定会成为一个富有创造性的人。
If you can achieve these, you will become a person rich in creativity.
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附注：
(1) 名字翻译
英文名字翻译可能不准确。
(2) Source of English Original
The English version is from a book of Roger von Oech: “A Whack on the Side of the Head, How You Can be More Creative”.
(3) English Original Version and Translation
For whatever reasons, there are marked differences between the Chinese version and the English original in the book. Therefore I have to translate part of the Chinese scripts (in purple) where I cannot find comparable texts in the original book (in green).
(4) The title of the article is also under “事物的正确答案不止一个” “: The Correct Answer on Matter Could be More Than One”