ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Ben Saunders - Polar explorer
In 2004, Ben Saunders became the youngest person ever to ski solo to the North Pole. In 2013, he set out on another record-breaking expedition, this time to retrace Captain Scott’s ill-fated journey to the South Pole on foot.

Why you should listen

Although most of the planet's surface was mapped long ago, there's still a place for explorers in the modern world. And Ben Saunders' stories of arctic exploration -- as impressive for their technical ingenuity as their derring-do -- are decidedly modern. In 2004, at age 26, he skied solo to the North Pole, updating his blog each day of the trip. Humble and self-effacing, Saunders is an explorer of limits, whether it's how far a human can be pushed physically and psychologically, or how technology works hundreds of miles from civilization. His message is one of inspiration, empowerment and boundless potential.

He urges audiences to consider carefully how to spend the “tiny amount of time we each have on this planet.” Saunders is also a powerful advocate for the natural world. He's seen first-hand the effects of climate change, and his expeditions are raising awareness for sustainable solutions. 

Being the youngest person to ski solo to the North Pole did not satiate Saunders' urge to explore and push the boundaries. In 2008, he attempted to break the speed record for a solo walk to the North Pole; however, his journey was ended abruptly both then and again in 2010 due to equipment failure. From October 2013 to February 2014, he led a two-man team to retrace Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s ill-fated 1,800-mile expedition to the South Pole on foot. He calls this journey the hardest 105 days of his life.

More profile about the speaker
Ben Saunders | Speaker | TED.com
TED2014

Ben Saunders: To the South Pole and back — the hardest 105 days of my life

本 桑德斯: 极点往返 - 我生命中最艰苦的105天

Filmed:
1,144,289 views

今年,探险家本·桑德瑞斯展开了他最雄心壮志的旅程。-完成罗伯特·法尔考·斯科特船长,1912年未尽的南极探险。历时四月,共计1800英里。-他从南极洲边缘出发,到达极点,尔后返回。在回归后五周,于三尺讲台口述的冒险历程,桑德斯诚挚且直面他的”傲慢“,这一人生最为艰难的抉择,照亮前行之路。
- Polar explorer
In 2004, Ben Saunders became the youngest person ever to ski solo to the North Pole. In 2013, he set out on another record-breaking expedition, this time to retrace Captain Scott’s ill-fated journey to the South Pole on foot. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
So in the oasis绿洲 of
intelligentsia知识分子 that is TEDTED,
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TED是智慧的绿洲,
00:18
I stand here before you this evening晚间
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我有幸今晚站在这儿,
00:21
as an expert专家 in dragging拖延 heavy
stuff东东 around cold places地方.
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以一位行走在天寒地冻区域的探险专家的身份发言。
00:27
I've been leading领导 polar极性 expeditions探险
for most of my adult成人 life,
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成年后,我把大部分时间用于带领极地探险,
00:30
and last month, my teammate队友
Tarka塔卡 L'HerpiniereL'Herpiniere and I
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上个月,我和队友拉卡·赫皮尼尔,
00:33
finished the most ambitious有雄心
expedition远征 I've ever attempted尝试.
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完成了有生以来最雄心勃勃的探险。
00:39
In fact事实, it feels感觉 like I've been
transported straight直行 here
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我差不多像是从那无人区
00:42
from four months个月 in the middle中间 of nowhere无处,
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四个月的骂骂咧咧生活中,
00:44
mostly大多 grunting呼噜 and swearing宣誓就职,
straight直行 to the TEDTED stage阶段.
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直接被传送到了演说现场。
00:49
So you can imagine想像 that's a transition过渡
that hasn't有没有 been entirely完全 seamless无缝.
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因此你大概能注意到,我还没缓过劲儿来。
00:53
One of the interesting有趣 side effects效果
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其中一个有意思的后遗症,
00:55
seems似乎 to be that my short-term短期
memory记忆 is entirely完全 shot射击.
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就是我的短期记忆真的非常短,
00:58
So I've had to write some notes笔记
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所以我不得不做记些笔记,
01:00
to avoid避免 too much grunting呼噜 and swearing宣誓就职
in the next下一个 17 minutes分钟.
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来让剩下的17分钟,不会充斥咒骂和嘟哝。
01:05
This is the first talk I've given特定
about this expedition远征,
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这是我第一次谈论这次探险,
01:08
and while we weren't sequencing测序 genomes基因组
or building建造 space空间 telescopes望远镜,
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虽然我们没有做出基因测序,
或是建太空望远镜这样的贡献,
01:13
this is a story故事 about giving everything
we had to achieve实现 something
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但这次探险里,我们依然竭尽所能,
01:18
that hadn't有没有 been doneDONE before.
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达成了人类前所未有的目标。
01:20
So I hope希望 in that you might威力
find some food餐饮 for thought.
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而我也希望你们能从中获得些启示。
01:24
It was a journey旅程, an
expedition远征 in Antarctica南极洲,
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这是一次南极洲探险,
01:28
the coldest最冷, windiest风力最大, driest干旱 and
highest最高 altitude高度 continent大陆 on Earth地球.
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全世界最冷,风最大,最干燥,
海拔最高的大洲。
01:32
It's a fascinating迷人 place地点.
It's a huge巨大 place地点.
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那是个不可思议的,巨大的地方。
01:34
It's twice两次 the size尺寸 of Australia澳大利亚,
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它的面积是澳大利亚版图的两倍,
01:37
a continent大陆 that is the same相同 size尺寸
as China中国 and India印度 put together一起.
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等同于中国和印度版图面积的总和。
01:42
As an aside在旁边, I have experienced有经验的
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说句题外话,前些天
01:44
an interesting有趣 phenomenon现象
in the last few少数 days,
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我遇上了个有趣现象,
01:46
something that I expect期望 Chris克里斯 Hadfield哈德菲尔德
may可能 get at TEDTED in a few少数 years'年份' time,
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宇航员克里斯·哈菲尔德几年前
在TED演讲时应该也经历过。
01:50
conversations对话 that go something like this:
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我遇上了诸如此类的对话:
01:52
"Oh, Antarctica南极洲. Awesome真棒.
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“天啊,南极,棒极了!”,
01:53
My husband丈夫 and I did Antarctica南极洲
with Lindblad林德布劳德 for our anniversary周年."
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“我和老公在南极庆祝了结婚纪念日诶!”
01:59
Or, "Oh cool, did you go there
for the marathon马拉松?"
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或是“哦,真炫,你去那儿参加马拉松了?”
02:02
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑声)
02:06
Our journey旅程 was, in fact事实,
69 marathons马拉松 back to back
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我们的旅程,
它实际路程约69个全程马拉松。
02:10
in 105 days, an 1,800-mile-英里 round回合 trip
on foot脚丫子 from the coast of Antarctica南极洲
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共计105天,全程徒步从南极洲海岸
02:16
to the South Pole and back again.
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行至极点再返回,共计1800英里。
02:19
In the process处理, we broke打破 the record记录
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期间,我们打破了人类最长
02:21
for the longest最长 human-powered人力驱动 polar极性
journey旅程 in history历史 by more than 400 miles英里.
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人力极圈旅程的记录 -
比它多了400多英里。
02:27
(Applause掌声)
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(掌声)
02:31
For those of you from the Bay Area,
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对来自湾区的各位而言,
02:33
it was the same相同 as walking步行 from
here to San Francisco弗朗西斯科,
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这个距离差不多是从这儿走到旧金山,
02:38
then turning车削 around
and walking步行 back again.
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再走回这里。
02:40
So as camping露营 trips旅行 go, it was a long one,
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这真是个漫长旅程。
02:45
and one I've seen看到 summarized总结
most succinctly简洁地 here
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我在《马拉西亚经济洞察报》中,
02:48
on the hallowed神圣 pages网页
of Business商业 Insider内幕 Malaysia马来西亚.
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看到关于此行最简洁的概述。
02:52
["Two Explorers探险 Just Completed已完成 A Polar极性 Expedition远征
That Killed杀害 Everyone大家 The Last Time It Was Attempted尝试"]
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“两个探险家刚完成了上回尝试者
全军覆没的一次极地探险。”
02:58
Chris克里斯 Hadfield哈德菲尔德 talked so eloquently雄辩地
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克里斯·哈菲尔德痛陈了
03:00
about fear恐惧 and about the odds可能性 of success成功,
and indeed确实 the odds可能性 of survival生存.
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其中的恐惧以及成功与幸存的几率。
03:06
Of the nine people in history历史 that had
attempted尝试 this journey旅程 before us,
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在我们之前尝试过这旅行的9人中,
03:10
none没有 had made制作 it to the pole and back,
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没有人是成功到达极点后又走回来的,
03:12
and five had died死亡 in the process处理.
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有五人死于途中。
03:16
This is Captain队长 Robert罗伯特 Falcon Scott斯科特.
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这位是罗伯特·法尔考·斯科特,
03:19
He led the last team球队
to attempt尝试 this expedition远征.
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他带队作了最后的尝试。
03:22
Scott斯科特 and his rival对手 Sir先生 Ernest欧内斯特 Shackleton沙克尔顿,
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斯科特
和竞争者欧内斯特·沙克尔顿爵士,
03:24
over the space空间 of a decade,
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在十多年里,
03:27
both led expeditions探险 battling作战 to become成为
the first to reach达到 the South Pole,
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都力争成为第一个抵达南极点、
03:31
to chart图表 and map地图
the interior室内 of Antarctica南极洲,
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第一个画出南极内陆地图的人。
03:34
a place地点 we knew知道 less about, at the time,
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那时我们对那片土地知之甚少,
03:36
than the surface表面 of the moon月亮,
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-甚至不及月球表面。
03:38
because we could see
the moon月亮 through通过 telescopes望远镜.
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因为我们能从望远镜看到月球,
03:40
Antarctica南极洲 was, for the most part部分,
a century世纪 ago, uncharted未知.
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而南极洲在一个世纪前
大部分地方都没地图。
03:44
Some of you may可能 know the story故事.
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你们中有人也许听过这故事,
03:46
Scott's斯科特的 last expedition远征, the
Terra Nova新星 Expedition远征 in 1910,
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1910年,
斯科特对新大陆作了他最后一次探险,
03:49
started开始 as a giant巨人
siege-style包围式 approach途径.
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带着胸中的万丈豪情。
03:51
He had a big team球队 using运用 ponies小马,
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他人力充足。在种马,
03:54
using运用 dogs小狗, using运用 petrol-driven汽油驱动 tractors拖拉机,
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狗,汽动机,
03:56
dropping落下 multiple, pre-positioned预定位
depots车厂 of food餐饮 and fuel汽油
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足量食物及燃油
的条件下,
04:00
through通过 which哪一个 Scott's斯科特的 final最后 team球队 of five
would travel旅行 to the Pole,
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斯科特的五人小队
将会到达极点,
04:03
where they would turn around and ski滑雪
back to the coast again on foot脚丫子.
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然后,他们掉头返回,
用双脚丈量海岸。
04:07
Scott斯科特 and his final最后 team球队 of five
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1912年一月,
04:09
arrived到达 at the South Pole
in January一月 1912
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斯科特和他的五人小分队
到达了南极点。
04:13
to find they had been beaten殴打 to it
by a Norwegian挪威 team球队 led by Roald罗尔德 Amundsen阿蒙森,
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但不巧,他们发现
由挪威人罗尔德·阿蒙森领头的小队
04:18
who rode骑着车 on dogsled狗拉雪橇.
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已然领先。
04:19
Scott's斯科特的 team球队 ended结束 up on foot脚丫子.
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斯科特及队员们徒步前行。
04:21
And for more than a century世纪
this journey旅程 has remained保持 unfinished未完成.
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然而,已经过了一个世纪,
漫漫旅途无果而终。
04:26
Scott's斯科特的 team球队 of five died死亡
on the return返回 journey旅程.
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斯科特的五人小分队,
死于归途。
04:29
And for the last decade,
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过去十年来,
04:31
I've been asking myself why that is.
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我不断自问:为何?
04:34
How come this has remained保持
the high-water高水位 mark标记?
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何以它仍为人类巅峰?
04:38
Scott's斯科特的 team球队 covered覆盖 1,600 miles英里 on foot脚丫子.
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斯科特的团队共计步行
1600英里。
04:40
No one's那些 come close to that ever since以来.
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前无古人,后无来者。
04:42
So this is the high-water高水位 mark标记
of human人的 endurance耐力,
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这是人类耐力顶峰,
04:45
human人的 endeavor努力,
human人的 athletic竞技 achievement成就
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人们共同努力的结晶。
人类极限运动的巅峰。
04:47
in arguably按理说 the harshest最严厉 climate气候 on Earth地球.
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况且,四目所及,天寒地坼。
04:50
It was as if the marathon马拉松 record记录
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就好比马拉松记录,
04:53
has remained保持 unbroken绵绵 since以来 1912.
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自1912年以来都不曾被打破似的。
04:56
And of course课程 some strange奇怪 and
predictable可预测 combination组合 of curiosity好奇心,
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好奇,混杂着第六感,随风而来。
05:01
stubbornness固执, and probably大概 hubris傲慢
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固执,可能还有些许傲慢,
05:03
led me to thinking思维 I might威力 be the man
to try to finish the job工作.
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让我跃跃欲试。
05:07
Unlike不像 Scott's斯科特的 expedition远征,
there were just two of us,
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不同于斯科特,
我们相伴二人行。
05:10
and we set off from the coast
of Antarctica南极洲 in October十月 last year,
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自去年10月,
我们从南极洲海岸出发,
05:13
dragging拖延 everything ourselves我们自己,
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荷重前行。
05:16
a process处理 Scott斯科特 called "man-hauling人拖拉."
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即斯科特所谓的“人拖”。
05:18
When I say it was like walking步行 from
here to San Francisco弗朗西斯科 and back,
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我刚才说,这就像
从这儿到旧金山的往返路程。
05:21
I actually其实 mean it was like dragging拖延
something that weighs a shade阴凉处 more
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实际上,还要再拖个
比美式橄榄球运动员
05:25
than the heaviest最重 ever NFLNFL player播放机.
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稍微重点的东西。
05:27
Our sledges雪橇 weighed称重 200 kilos公斤,
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我们的行李大约200公斤重
05:29
or 440 pounds英镑 each at the start开始,
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或者说,刚开始,每人负荷是440磅。
05:32
the same相同 weights权重 that the weakest最弱
of Scott's斯科特的 ponies小马 pulled.
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这是斯科特团队中最瘦弱
的种马拉的货物重量。
05:37
Early on, we averaged平均 0.5 miles英里 per hour小时.
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起先,我们平均一小时行进0.5英里,
05:40
Perhaps也许 the reason原因 no one had
attempted尝试 this journey旅程 until直到 now,
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也许,
超过一世纪,
05:43
in more than a century世纪,
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人们惶而畏之因,
05:45
was that no one had been quite相当
stupid enough足够 to try.
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是真没有这么傻的人会尝试啊。
05:50
And while I can't claim要求 we were exploring探索
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虽然我们不能像爱德华时代
05:52
in the genuine真正 Edwardian爱德华时代
sense of the word
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的探索家那样,
05:55
we weren't naming命名 any mountains
or mapping制图 any uncharted未知 valleys山谷
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我们不是在为山命名
或是标出任何未知的峡谷
05:59
I think we were stepping步进 into uncharted未知
territory领土 in a human人的 sense.
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但我想我们踏入了一种人性的新区域。
06:03
Certainly当然, if in the future未来 we learn学习
there is an area of the human人的 brain
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诚然,如果未来,
我们得知人在赌咒时
06:06
that lights灯火 up when one curses诅咒 oneself自己,
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大脑一块区域会被激活,
06:10
I won't惯于 be at all surprised诧异.
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对我来说,这没什么好惊讶的。
06:13
You've heard听说 that the average平均 American美国
spends 90 percent百分 of their time indoors在室内.
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你们己经知道美国人平均花90%在室内,
06:17
We didn't go indoors在室内
for nearly几乎 four months个月.
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我们会几乎四个月不出门。
06:21
We didn't see a sunset日落 either.
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我们当然也看不到日落。
06:23
It was 24-hour-小时 daylight阳光.
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极点是24小时极昼,
06:25
Living活的 conditions条件 were quite相当 spartan斯巴达.
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生存条件恶劣。
06:27
I changed my underwear内衣
three times in 105 days
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在105天里,我换了3次内衣
06:32
and Tarka塔卡 and I shared共享
30 square广场 feet on the canvas帆布.
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我和队友共享30平方英尺的空间。
06:36
Though虽然 we did have some technology技术
that Scott斯科特 could never have imagined想象.
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确实我们有斯科特团队想都想不到的
技术
06:40
And we blogged博客 live生活 every一切 evening晚间
from the tent帐篷 via通过 a laptop笔记本电脑
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而且我们每晚都会通过笔记本电脑
及简易制作的卫星信号转换器
06:44
and a custom-made定制 satellite卫星 transmitter发射机,
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发博客来证明我们还活着。
06:46
all of which哪一个 were solar-powered太阳能:
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这一切都是太阳能驱动的,
06:48
we had a flexible灵活 photovoltaic光伏
panel面板 over the tent帐篷.
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在帐篷上,我们有可灵活移动的摄像头。
06:50
And the writing写作 was important重要 to me.
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写下经历对我来说也很重要。
06:53
As a kid孩子, I was inspired启发 by the
literature文学 of adventure冒险 and exploration勘探,
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孩提时,我被冒险和探索小说鼓舞了
07:00
and I think we've我们已经 all seen看到
here this week
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我想,这周,我们已经看到
07:03
the importance重要性 and
the power功率 of storytelling评书.
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叙述故事的重要性及其力量
07:07
So we had some 21st-centuryST-世纪 gear齿轮,
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综上所述,我们有21世纪的现代化设备
07:09
but the reality现实 is that the
challenges挑战 that Scott斯科特 faced面对
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但现实是,斯科特团队面临的挑战
07:11
were the same相同 that we faced面对:
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于我们而言,同样存在:
07:13
those of the weather天气 and of
what Scott斯科特 called glide滑行,
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天气恶劣,以及
07:17
the amount of friction摩擦 between之间
the sledges雪橇 and the snow.
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雪橇及雪之间大量的摩擦产生的
斯科特称之为“滑动”的作用力。
07:20
The lowest最低 wind chill寒意
we experienced有经验的 was in the -70s,
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风力最低也是70mps
07:24
and we had zero visibility能见度,
what's called white-out涂白,
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伸手不见五指
这就是所谓的白茫茫一片。
07:27
for much of our journey旅程.
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我们旅程大多数时候都是这样的。
07:30
We traveled旅行 up and down one of the largest最大
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我们穿行在世界上最大,也是最危险的
07:32
and most dangerous危险 glaciers冰川
in the world世界, the Beardmore比尔德莫尔 glacier冰川.
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冰川之一,比尔德莫尔冰川之上。
07:35
It's 110 miles英里 long; most of its surface表面
is what's called blue蓝色 ice.
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它长达110米,表层大部分由一种叫
蓝冰的物质覆盖。
07:39
You can see it's a beautiful美丽,
shimmering闪闪发光的 steel-hard钢硬 blue蓝色 surface表面
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你们可以看到,
它是美丽却难以使车轮前行的光滑冰川
07:42
covered覆盖 with thousands数千
and thousands数千 of crevasses裂缝,
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它由数以千计的溶洞覆盖
07:46
these deep cracks裂缝 in the glacial冰河 ice
up to 200 feet deep.
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最深处可达200英尺深。
07:50
Planes飞机 can't land土地 here,
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飞机无法着陆,
07:52
so we were at the most risk风险,
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所以我们的生命岌岌可危,
07:55
technically技术上, when we had the slimmest最薄
chance机会 of being存在 rescued获救.
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我们生还的几率近乎为零。
08:00
We got to the South Pole
after 61 days on foot脚丫子,
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除了有一天因为天气状况太糟糕而停止行进
08:04
with one day off for bad weather天气,
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再去南极点的路上
在徒步走了61天后
08:06
and I'm sad伤心 to say, it was
something of an anticlimax虎头蛇尾.
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我要说,这确实难于上青天。
08:09
There's a permanent常驻 American美国 base基础,
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这里有个永久的美国基地,
08:11
the Amundsen-Scott阿蒙森 - 斯科特 South Pole Station
at the South Pole.
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-在南极点的阿姆森-斯科特极点考察站。
08:15
They have an airstrip简易机场,
they have a canteen食堂,
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那儿有停机坪
厨房,
08:16
they have hot showers阵雨,
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热水浴。
08:18
they have a post岗位 office办公室, a tourist游客 shop,
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有邮局,游轮,
08:20
a basketball篮球 court法庭 that doubles双打
as a movie电影 theater剧院.
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以及两倍于一个电影院的篮球场。
08:24
So it's a bit different不同 these days,
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所以,这些天略有不同
08:26
and there are also acres of junk破烂.
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也有成堆的垃圾。
08:27
I think it's a marvelous奇妙 thing
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我觉得人类一年365天
08:29
that humans人类 can exist存在
365 days of the year
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只靠汉堡,热水和影院就能生活
08:34
with hamburgers汉堡包 and hot showers阵雨
and movie电影 theaters剧院,
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简直不可思议。
08:38
but it does seem似乎 to produce生产
a lot of empty cardboard纸板 boxes盒子.
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但这似乎确实产生了许多空纸板盒。
08:40
You can see on the left of
this photograph照片,
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你可以看到在这张照片的左面,
08:42
several一些 square广场 acres of junk破烂
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有好几平方的垃圾
08:44
waiting等候 to be flown飞行 out
from the South Pole.
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等着从南极点拖走。
08:46
But there is also a pole at the South Pole,
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但南极也有个极点,
08:50
and we got there on foot脚丫子, unassisted独力的,
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我们没有技术支持
08:54
unsupported不支持, by the hardest最难 route路线,
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走最困难的路线
08:55
900 miles英里 in record记录 time,
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共计900英里
08:58
dragging拖延 more weight重量
than anyone任何人 in history历史.
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而且负重超过史上任何一位考察队员。
09:00
And if we'd星期三 stopped停止 there
and flown飞行 home,
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而如果我们止步于此,
折返离开,
09:02
which哪一个 would have been
the eminently突出地 sensible明智 thing to do,
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去做更有意义的事
09:05
then my talk would end结束 here
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那我的演讲也就到此为止了。
09:07
and it would end结束 something like this.
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也就不足为奇。
09:10
If you have the right team球队 around you,
the right tools工具, the right technology技术,
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但如果你有优秀的团队,适宜的工具
险情的科技
09:15
and if you have enough足够 self-belief自信
and enough足够 determination决心,
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而且,自信满满
意志坚定
09:19
then anything is possible可能.
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那一切险阻当不在话下。
09:24
But then we turned转身 around,
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但那时,我们四周晃了会儿,
09:27
and this is where things get interesting有趣.
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然后一切变得有趣起来了。
09:30
High on the Antarctic南极洲 plateau高原,
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在亚特兰地高地,
09:32
over 10,000 feet, it's very windy有风,
very cold, very dry, we were exhausted.
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3999
超过10000英尺的地方,寒风凛冽
天寒地燥,我们精疲力竭。
09:36
We'd星期三 covered覆盖 35 marathons马拉松,
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我们翻阅了35座冰川
09:38
we were only halfway,
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但这只是路途一半。
09:40
and we had a safety安全 net, of course课程,
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但我们肯定有安全措施,
09:42
of ski滑雪 planes飞机 and satellite卫星 phones手机
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我们有雪上飞机和卫星电话。
09:44
and live生活, 24-hour-小时 tracking追踪 beacons信标
that didn't exist存在 for Scott斯科特,
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以及24小时时刻待命的后援团,
斯科特可没有这些安全措施。
09:48
but in hindsight事后,
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但从制高点来看,
09:50
rather than making制造 our lives生活 easier更轻松,
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安全措施并未使我们的生活更好
09:52
the safety安全 net actually其实 allowed允许 us
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它确实际上
09:54
to cut things very fine indeed确实,
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使东西四分五裂。
09:58
to sail very close to our absolute绝对
limits范围 as human人的 beings众生.
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让我们无限接近人类极限。
10:02
And it is an exquisite精美 form形成 of torture拷打
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并且,它是一种细致的折磨方式
10:05
to exhaust排气 yourself你自己 to the point
of starvation饥饿 day after day
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日复一日,将你拖到饥饿的零界点,
使你精疲力竭。
10:08
while dragging拖延 a sledge雪橇
full充分 of food餐饮.
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-而且你是拉着一雪橇满满的食物。
10:12
For years年份, I'd been writing写作 glib巧舌如簧 lines线
in sponsorship赞助 proposals建议
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数年来,我一直以资助顾问的身份撰写
10:16
about pushing推动 the limits范围
of human人的 endurance耐力,
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关于推动人类极限的油腔滑调的文章。
10:19
but in reality现实, that was
a very frightening可怕的 place地点 to be indeed确实.
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实际上,它确实是个令人畏惧的领域。
10:24
We had, before we'd星期三 got to the Pole,
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在去南极前,我们
10:26
two weeks of almost几乎 permanent常驻
headwind逆风, which哪一个 slowed放缓 us down.
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给头顶吹了2周的风,让我们反应迟钝。
10:29
As a result结果, we'd星期三 had several一些 days
of eating half rations口粮.
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结果,好几天我们食欲减半。
10:32
We had a finite有限 amount of food餐饮
in the sledges雪橇 to make this journey旅程,
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我们为这次行程在雪橇中准备了足量食物
10:34
so we were trying to string that out
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2002
所以我们通过
10:36
by reducing减少 our intake录取 to half
the calories卡路里 we should have been eating.
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3913
减少我们的卡路里摄入量至一半
来节省食物
10:40
As a result结果, we both became成为
increasingly日益 hypoglycemic降血糖
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3619
结果,我们
身体机能出现问题
10:44
we had low blood血液 sugar
levels水平 day after day —
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2824
我们日复一日,血糖指数
不断降低
10:47
and increasingly日益 susceptible易感
to the extreme极端 cold.
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但对严寒的适应程度却越发的好了。
10:51
Tarka塔卡 took this photo照片 of me one evening晚间
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在一个晚上,Tarka拍了这张我的照片
10:54
after I'd nearly几乎 passed通过 out
with hypothermia低温.
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-就在我近乎因为低温昏过去时。
10:56
We both had repeated重复 bouts较量 of hypothermia低温,
something I hadn't有没有 experienced有经验的 before,
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4808
我们身体都反复经历低温,
这之前从未有过。
11:01
and it was very humbling震撼人心 indeed确实.
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1711
这让人颤抖。
11:02
As much as you might威力
like to think, as I do,
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3668
就像你们可能会想,我也这么想过,
11:06
that you're the kind
of person who doesn't quit放弃,
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2256
你是不会退缩的人
11:08
that you'll你会 go down swinging摆荡,
207
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1994
你会继续探索
11:10
hypothermia低温 doesn't leave离开 you much choice选择.
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2252
低温并不会改变你选择。
11:12
You become成为 utterly完全 incapacitated无行为能力.
209
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你变得行为无法自主,
11:15
It's like being存在 a drunk toddler幼儿.
210
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3181
像醉汉一样。
11:18
You become成为 pathetic可怜.
211
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1973
你变得又笨又可怜。
11:20
I remember记得 just wanting希望
to lie谎言 down and quit放弃.
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4119
我记得,我当时只想
躺下来。然后退出。
11:24
It was a peculiar奇特, peculiar奇特 feeling感觉,
213
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2174
这是极为真切的感受。
11:27
and a real真实 surprise to me
to be debilitated衰弱 to that degree.
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5239
认输的想法
真的令我震惊不已。
11:32
And then we ran out of food餐饮 completely全然,
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4482
然后我们食物消耗殆尽,
11:36
46 miles英里 short of the first of the depots车厂
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离我们倚赖的第一仓库
11:40
that we'd星期三 laid铺设 on our outward向外 journey旅程.
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还有46英里远
11:42
We'd星期三 laid铺设 10 depots车厂 of food餐饮,
218
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1343
我们拿出10样食物,
11:43
literally按照字面 burying掩埋 food餐饮 and fuel汽油,
for our return返回 journey旅程
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2717
烧食物与汽油
准备返程
11:46
the fuel汽油 was for a cooker so you
could melt熔化 snow to get water
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3277
燃油是为炊具准备的
这样你可以把雪变成水。
11:49
and I was forced被迫 to make the decision决定
to call for a resupply补给 flight飞行,
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我不得不呼叫供应飞机
11:55
a ski滑雪 plane平面 carrying携带 eight days of food餐饮
to tide浪潮 us over that gap间隙.
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这是带着可以助我们越过那道坎的
8天食物的雪上飞机。
11:59
They took 12 hours小时 to reach达到 us
from the other side of Antarctica南极洲.
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他们用了12小时
从亚特兰地的另一头飞到我们这边
12:03
Calling调用 for that plane平面 was one of
the toughest最艰难的 decisions决定 of my life.
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呼叫那趟飞机
是我人生中最艰难的决定之一。
12:06
And I sound声音 like a bit of a fraud舞弊
standing常设 here now with a sort分类 of belly肚皮.
225
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我听上去就像
无助的站在那儿朝旷野呼唤的人
12:10
I've put on 30 pounds英镑
in the last three weeks.
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在过去三周,我已增重30磅
12:13
Being存在 that hungry饥饿 has left
an interesting有趣 mental心理 scar瘢痕,
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3075
在那样的饥饿状态下
导致了另一个有意思的后遗症
12:16
which哪一个 is that I've been hoovering用吸尘器吸尘 up
every一切 hotel旅馆 buffet自助餐 that I can find.
228
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4607
-我一直在找我能找到的所有酒店自助餐
12:20
(Laughter笑声)
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1778
(笑声)
12:22
But we were genuinely真正的 quite相当 hungry饥饿,
and in quite相当 a bad way.
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5694
但我们确实饿得不行
身体状况极其糟糕
12:28
I don't regret后悔 calling调用
for that plane平面 for a second第二,
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我并不后悔
呼叫了那趟飞机
12:30
because I'm still standing常设 here alive,
232
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2002
因为我还活着站在这儿
12:32
with all digits数字 intact完整,
telling告诉 this story故事.
233
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记述所有细节
诉说着这个故事。
12:34
But getting得到 external外部 assistance帮助 like that
was never part部分 of the plan计划,
234
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4738
但是获得那样的额外援助
绝不是计划的一部分。
12:39
and it's something my ego自我
is still struggling奋斗的 with.
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3204
这也是我的良心仍旧苦苦挣扎的地方。
12:42
This was the biggest最大 dream梦想 I've ever had,
236
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3042
这是我有生以来最大的梦想
12:45
and it was so nearly几乎 perfect完善.
237
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2092
它近乎完美。
12:48
On the way back down to the coast,
238
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1681
再回海岸的路上
12:50
our crampons冰爪 — they're
the spikes钉鞋 on our boots靴子
239
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2191
我们的破冰撬-
他们是我们
12:52
that we have for traveling旅行
over this blue蓝色 ice on the glacier冰川
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2926
在这个蓝色冰川上行进的砥柱-坏掉了。
12:55
broke打破 on the top最佳 of the Beardmore比尔德莫尔.
241
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1655
-就在本德穆尔冰川制高点。
12:57
We still had 100 miles英里 to go downhill下坡
242
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1765
在这些难以攀岩的蓝冰上,
12:59
on very slippery rock-hard坚硬的 blue蓝色 ice.
243
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2234
我们还有100英里要走下去。
13:01
They needed需要 repairing修复 almost几乎 every一切 hour小时.
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2391
几乎每小时,他们就要修一下。
13:03
To give you an idea理念 of scale规模,
245
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1951
给你们个大体上的概念吧
13:05
this is looking down towards the mouth
of the Beardmore比尔德莫尔 Glacier冰川.
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这就像是从本德穆尔冰川顶上向下看。
13:08
You could fit适合 the entirety整体 of Manhattan曼哈顿
in the gap间隙 on the horizon地平线.
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你可以在曼哈顿的间隙瞭望到整个视野。
13:12
That's 20 miles英里 between之间
Mount安装 Hope希望 and Mount安装 KiffinKiffin.
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霍普山与凯芙琳山间隔20英里。
13:15
I've never felt as small
as I did in Antarctica南极洲.
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在亚特兰地,我从未感到自己如此渺小。
13:21
When we got down
to the mouth of the glacier冰川,
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当我们走到冰川口时
13:23
we found发现 fresh新鲜 snow had obscured模糊
the dozens许多 of deep crevasses裂缝.
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发现新下的雪已经覆盖了岩洞的裂口。
13:28
One of Shackleton's沙克尔顿 men男人 described描述
crossing路口 this sort分类 of terrain地形
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一位沙克雷顿成员描述了
走过这层冰川的感觉,
13:31
as like walking步行 over the glass玻璃 roof屋顶
of a railway铁路 station.
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就像走过铁路表面一样。
13:36
We fell下跌 through通过 more times
than I can remember记得,
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我己经记不得有多少次,
13:39
usually平时 just putting a ski滑雪
or a boot through通过 the snow.
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我们在雪上放一块
雪橇或木板来看有没有洞
13:42
Occasionally偶尔 we went in all
the way up to our armpits腋下,
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偶尔,我们会掉进我们的窝
13:45
but thankfully感激地 never deeper更深 than that.
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但感谢上帝,没有更深了。
13:48
And less than five weeks ago,
after 105 days,
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五周前,也就是105天后,
13:52
we crossed越过 this oddly奇怪
inauspicious不祥 finish line线,
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我们越过了终点线。
13:56
the coast of Ross罗斯 Island
on the New Zealand新西兰 side of Antarctica南极洲.
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在亚特兰地新西兰的罗斯群岛海岸线。
13:59
You can see the ice in the foreground前景
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你可以看到在前边的冰
14:01
and the sort分类 of rubblyrubbly rock behind背后 that.
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以及后边风化的岩石。
14:04
Behind背后 us lay铺设 an unbroken绵绵
ski滑雪 trail落后 of nearly几乎 1,800 miles英里.
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在我们后面,有一条长达1800英里
未被破坏的冰线。
14:08
We'd星期三 made制作 the longest最长 ever
polar极性 journey旅程 on foot脚丫子,
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我们曾徒步走完了有史以来最长的极圈旅程
14:10
something I'd been dreaming做梦
of doing for a decade.
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这我已梦想了几十年了。
14:15
And looking back,
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2015
回首往事
14:17
I still stand by all the things
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我依然支持
14:19
I've been saying for years年份
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我数年来所说的
14:21
about the importance重要性 of goals目标
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有关目标,决心,及自信
14:23
and determination决心 and self-belief自信,
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的重要性。
14:26
but I'll also admit承认 that I hadn't有没有 given特定
much thought to what happens发生
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但我也承认我并未充分考虑
14:31
when you reach达到 the all-consuming所有消费 goal目标
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当你完成所有预定目标时会发生的事
14:35
that you've dedicated专用
most of your adult成人 life to,
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这些目标是你成人生活中为之贡献一生的
14:38
and the reality现实 is that I'm
still figuring盘算 that bit out.
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现实就是,我还在想要阐明它。
14:42
As I said, there are very few少数
superficial signs迹象 that I've been away.
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我也说过,几乎没有迹象表明我离开过。
14:45
I've put on 30 pounds英镑.
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我增重了30磅
14:47
I've got some very faint, probably大概
covered覆盖 in makeup化妆 now, frostbite冻疮 scars伤疤.
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我有了些淡淡的可能现在已消失的小红斑
14:50
I've got one on my nose鼻子, one on
each cheek脸颊, from where the goggles风镜 are,
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鼻子上,脸颊上各一处,
都是被护目镜压出来的。
14:54
but inside I am a very
different不同 person indeed确实.
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但内里,我改头换面了。
14:59
If I'm honest诚实,
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如果要我诚实到来,
15:01
Antarctica南极洲 challenged挑战 me
and humbled自愧不如 me so deeply
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亚特兰地如此深入的挑战我并改变了我
15:06
that I'm not sure I'll ever be able能够
to put it into words.
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这是不能用言语描述的变化。
15:10
I'm still struggling奋斗的 to piece
together一起 my thoughts思念.
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我仍在竭力重组我的想法
15:14
That I'm standing常设 here
telling告诉 this story故事
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我站在这儿讲这个故事的原因就是,
15:18
is proof证明 that we all can
accomplish完成 great things,
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为了证明我们都能完成伟大的事情。
15:23
through通过 ambition志向, through通过 passion,
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通过雄心,通过激情,
15:25
through通过 sheer绝对 stubbornness固执,
287
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通过傲慢,固执
15:27
by refusing拒不 to quit放弃,
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通过拒绝离开
15:28
that if you dream梦想 something
hard enough足够, as Sting said,
289
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如果你梦想的事足够艰难,
正如斯蒂芬说过的,
15:31
it does indeed确实 come to pass通过.
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它确然能实现。
15:34
But I'm also standing常设 here
saying, you know what,
291
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3346
但我也站在这儿告诉你们,
15:38
that cliche陈词滥调 about the journey旅程 being存在
more important重要 than the destination目的地?
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你们应当知道的是,路途远必目的地重要
15:44
There's something in that.
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有据可循
15:47
The closer接近 I got to my finish line线,
294
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我越靠近我的终点线
15:49
that rubblyrubbly, rocky岩石 coast of Ross罗斯 Island,
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罗斯群岛粗陋的海岸
15:53
the more I started开始 to realize实现
that the biggest最大 lesson
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我越发开始意识到这次很长,很难的徒步
15:56
that this very long, very hard walk步行
might威力 be teaching教学 me
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带给我的最大教训,
那就是
16:01
is that happiness幸福 is not
a finish line线,
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对我们人类来说
16:05
that for us humans人类,
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幸福不是终点线
16:06
the perfection完美 that so many许多 of
us seem似乎 to dream梦想 of
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我们许多人所梦想的完美
16:10
might威力 not ever be truly attainable可实现,
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也许遥不可及。
16:14
and that if we can't feel content内容
here, today今天, now, on our journeys旅程
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8466
如果我们不能在此时,此地,此行中
感到知足,
16:22
amidst烟雨 the mess食堂 and the striving努力
that we all inhabit居住于,
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970716
4468
承认我们继承的混乱与无序
16:27
the open打开 loops循环,
the half-finished半成品 to-do去做 lists名单,
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2720
打开的屋顶
完成一半的清单
16:29
the could-do-better-next-times能-DO,更好,未来倍,
305
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2852
也许下次会更好的想法
16:32
then we might威力 never feel it.
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那我们可能永远感受不到它。
16:36
A lot of people have asked me, what next下一个?
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许多人曾问过我,接下来呢?
16:39
Right now, I am very happy快乐 just recovering恢复
and in front面前 of hotel旅馆 buffets自助餐.
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现在,我很高兴刚从旅馆自助餐后遗症中
恢复过来
16:46
But as Bob短发 Hope希望 put it,
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但就像鲍勃·霍普期望的
16:50
I feel very humble谦卑,
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我感到很卑微。
16:53
but I think I have the strength强度
of character字符 to fight斗争 it. (Laughter笑声)
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但我认为我有强大的人格来与他斗争(笑)
16:57
Thank you.
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谢谢
16:59
(Applause掌声)
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(掌声)
Translated by Martin Owen
Reviewed by Tingting Zhao

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Ben Saunders - Polar explorer
In 2004, Ben Saunders became the youngest person ever to ski solo to the North Pole. In 2013, he set out on another record-breaking expedition, this time to retrace Captain Scott’s ill-fated journey to the South Pole on foot.

Why you should listen

Although most of the planet's surface was mapped long ago, there's still a place for explorers in the modern world. And Ben Saunders' stories of arctic exploration -- as impressive for their technical ingenuity as their derring-do -- are decidedly modern. In 2004, at age 26, he skied solo to the North Pole, updating his blog each day of the trip. Humble and self-effacing, Saunders is an explorer of limits, whether it's how far a human can be pushed physically and psychologically, or how technology works hundreds of miles from civilization. His message is one of inspiration, empowerment and boundless potential.

He urges audiences to consider carefully how to spend the “tiny amount of time we each have on this planet.” Saunders is also a powerful advocate for the natural world. He's seen first-hand the effects of climate change, and his expeditions are raising awareness for sustainable solutions. 

Being the youngest person to ski solo to the North Pole did not satiate Saunders' urge to explore and push the boundaries. In 2008, he attempted to break the speed record for a solo walk to the North Pole; however, his journey was ended abruptly both then and again in 2010 due to equipment failure. From October 2013 to February 2014, he led a two-man team to retrace Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s ill-fated 1,800-mile expedition to the South Pole on foot. He calls this journey the hardest 105 days of his life.

More profile about the speaker
Ben Saunders | Speaker | TED.com

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