Writing Material 15 (10/15)

Dear students,

I hope you have completed practicing the translation on your own. After trying to express these sentences in English, you will know what kinds of structures confuse you (Chinese to English), what kind of expressions you are not familiar with, and what the frequently used phrases mean. Only through thinking by yourselves will you truly benefit from the practice. For those who feel declined to practice, I have to once again encourage you to bravely use English as often as you can since this is the only way that you may actually boost your own English comprehension abilities. Remember, you will never be too diligent. It's human nature that laziness becomes the potential excuse for people to be easy on themselves, which makes their life remain stagnant without any improvement.

Seize every opportunity to practice writing.
As said by the renowned psychologist Abraham Maslow:
When your thoughts changes, your attitude will change; When your attitude changes, your habits will change; When your habit changes, your personality will change; When your personality changes, your life will change.

Remember this quotation! And try to change! I hope you take English learning as a lifelong career no matter what stage you are at now.

Best regards,
Your teacher, Christine


Translation of Writing Material 15
Translation Practice 1、2、5題的topic為同不同意「人們總是從錯誤中學習」這句話：
1. The argument “People always learn from their mistakes” seems convincing at first glance because my own experiences also point to the same conclusion. However, a closer examination reveals some fallacies in its line of reasoning: it neglects evidence that is contrary to its conclusion, and the assertive/dogmatic word “always” weakens the argument.

2. The statement about people who learn from their mistakes may be true, but it is certainly not the whole truth—there are many exceptions.

5. Inferring from my own experiences and observations, I believe that people always learn from their mistakes. If they are faced and corrected, and they prompt positive actions, mistakes always lead to improvement in learning. On the other hand, those who cannot learn from mistakes are bound to be losers. Thus, in our learning process, making mistakes definitely plays a constructive role.

第3、4題為同一topic：
3. Those who argue for the importance of cooperation may regard society as a harmonious organization in which there is an elaborate division of labor; each person assumes a different role and the efforts of each are supplemented by those of another. (配合中文語意，將此句背下來)

4. On the other hand, those who emphasize competitiveness regard the world as a playground where people are competing with each other. Examinations, quizzes, and other means of evaluating students are only parts of the numerous matches people encounter in their life. In order to survive in these games, people must learn to be competitive. Personally, I agree with those who view the world as a competitive playground because many successful politicians and businessmen attribute their success to tough competition with their rivals. As a consequence, I believe that learning to be competitive is the best preparation for life.