又中又英｜To shake in your boots

To shake in your boots

What do you fear most? Not everyone is afraid of the same thing. Different people have different fears. I recently watched a TV show which said people fear public speaking the most. My Google search produced many reputable surveys that confirmed people fear public speaking the most. The fear of public speaking is called glossophobia. It is difficult for me to understand why people have glossophobia. As a long-time journalist, I have given many public speeches and done numerous live TV and radio shows. I admit I start off a little nervous when I speak to a packed audience, but I don’t shake in my boots.

To shake in your boots means you are very scared. People who fear public speaking say they are afraid those in the audience will boo (jeer) or throw things at them. Surprisingly, death or the death of a loved one is not the biggest human fear although it is one of the biggest. That’s probably because everyone knows the only certainty in life is death. Other studies have shown people fear failure the most. Surveys found that people who fear failure are afraid of trying anything new or risky. They remain in their comfort zone and can’t be successful.
To be in a comfort zone means to be in a situation or a place which makes people feel safe, comfortable, and in control. People who need to do things outside their comfort zone will feel nervous and afraid. I feared leaving my comfort zone when I left Hong Kong to work in Washington DC and London, but I overcame my fear because I wanted to be a successful journalist.

你最害怕的是什么？并不是人人都害怕同一样事物，不同的人有不同的恐惧。我最近看了一个电视节目，说人最害怕公开演说。我的谷歌搜寻发现，许多声誉良好的调查也证实，人们最害怕公开演说。这叫作公开发言恐惧症：glossophobia。我自己则难明白为何人们会有公开发言恐惧症（glossophobia）。多年来作为新闻工作者，我作过多次公开演说，也做了无数的电视和电台节目。我承认，要对着满堂的观众说话，一开始会有少许紧张，但我不会 shake in my boots。
 

To shake in your boots即你很惊怕，吓得两脚直发抖。那些害怕公开发言的人说，他们害怕观众席中会有人发出嘘声叽笑（boo），又或向他们掷物件。出乎意外地，死亡或最爱的人离世，并非人类最大的恐惧，虽然它也是最大恐惧之一。或许因为人人都知道，生命唯一必然的就是死亡。另一些研究则显示，人们最害怕失败。研究发现，害怕失败的人，是害怕尝试新事物，或有风险的事。他们待在 comfort zone里，不能成功。
To be in a comfort zone是指在安舒区中，一个令人感到安全、舒适、一切尽在掌控之内的处境或地方。人们若要离开安舒区（comfort zone）去做事，会感到紧张和害怕。当我离开香港，去华盛顿特区和伦敦工作的时候，我也害怕离开我的安舒区（comfort zone），但我战胜了恐惧，因为我希望成为一个成功的新闻工作者。

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻