but what if you had an idea and you wanted to communicate it

但如果你有一個想法

with the person sitting next to you,

而你想和你旁邊的那個人分享討論

but you knew when you opened your mouth, the words wouldn't come out.

但你知道當你開口之後，想說的話卻說不出來

It might sound like I'm quoting the lyrical genius rapper, Eminem.

聽起來很像我在引用饒舌歌手阿姆的歌詞

But no. This is how you might feel when you're nervous, shy,

但不是的。這是你覺得緊張、害羞

scared, embarrassed, or just flat uncomfortable.

害怕、尷尬或單純覺得不自在的時候會發生的情形

For people that have a speech impediment,

對那些有語言障礙的人來說

this is how they feel all the time before they are about to speak.

這就是他們每次開口之前的感覺

I was born in Tabriz, Iran, which is on the northern side of Iran,

我在伊朗大不里士出生，在伊朗的北邊

close to the borders of Azerbaijan.

靠近亞塞拜然的的邊界

Now, in Tabriz, the language Azari is also spoken

現在在大不里士，他們也說阿塞語

but it's also the native language of Azerbaijan.

但阿塞語同時也是亞塞拜然的母語

I grew up in a household where Azari was spoken at home,

我在一個說阿塞語的家庭長大

and I was exposed to Turkish in various forms of media,

透過各種媒體我接觸到了土耳其語

and Farsi everywhere else,

還有其他說波斯語的地方

because it's the most commonly spoken language in Iran.

因為波斯語是伊朗最主要的語言

Now, with being exposed to these three languages

現在，因為接觸這三個語言的關係

my family created its own hybrid language which consisted of these three languages

我的家庭自己創造了一種結合這三種語言的混合語言

so we would say words that would mean the same thing

我們會用比較簡單的字

but would be easier to say.

去表達相同的意思

So for words that meant the same thing but only had two syllables,

所以對那些同義字但只有兩個音節的

compared to a word that had three syllables,

相較於同義字但有三個音節的

I would say the word that had two syllables. Pretty simple.

我會選只有兩個音節的字說。非常簡單

But I did that more than my parents and the reason I did this

不過我比我父母更常這樣做，而我會這樣做的原因

wasn't because it was easier, I just couldn't say it.

並非這樣比較方便，而是我無法妥善表達

So I would substitute with easier words to say this.

所以我會用簡單的字詞替換表達

I had a speaking problem at that time but it wasn't apparent.

我當時有語言障礙但不是很明顯

People just assumed I was going through my baby talk phase

大家只是認為我正在經歷嬰兒啞啞學語期

but I wasn't.

但我不是

When I moved to America in '96, this all changed.

當我在1996年搬到美國的時候，這些全都改變了

I got introduced to English.

我認識了英文

This language is not like none of those three.

這語言和那三個完全不同

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

There's no overlap. The sounds are different.

沒有重疊，發音也不同

It's a complete new world.

這是一個全新的世界

The only person that speaks English in my household is the TV.

在我家庭唯一會說英文的是那台電視

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

My dad came here before so he was my role model.

我爸比我早來所以他是我的典範

I looked up to him because he could speak it the best.

我很尊敬他因為他英文說得很棒

When it came to me, staying at home, I just watched TV

至於我，則是待在家看電視

grasped a little bit of English here and there,

東抓西抓幾個單字學習

But I didn't really speak it.

但我並沒有真的開口說英文

I was embarrassed to speak it because I couldn't speak it.

我羞于說英文因為我真的沒辦法表達

But this became obvious through my lack of speaking.

但這情形因為我疏於開口而變得越來越嚴重

I used to speak through my body language.

我以前習慣透過肢體語言溝通

If I wanted to talk, I used to act it out, like charades.

如果我想說話，我習慣用肢體動作表達，像猜字謎遊戲一樣

I used to read your body language in return.

我也習慣看你回應的肢體語言

Now, my charades phase, as my parents called it,

現在，我的猜字謎期，這是我爸媽取名的

became evident when I was in preschool,

在我進入幼兒園後變得明顯

because in preschool, there is a moment

因為在幼兒園，有一段時間

which my parents would never let me live down.

是我讓我父母非常難忘的

The teacher had even called my parents and told them to come in the class.

因為老師甚至請我的父母到班上去

The teacher has reading time and during reading time,

老師有閱讀時間，在那個閱讀時間

the teacher sits in her rocking chair, rocks back and forth, reads her book,

老師坐在她的搖椅上，前後搖擺並朗誦她的書

and makes all of us sit, criss-cross, apple sauce,

讓我們都坐著，criss-cross, apple sauce （兒童押韻歌曲）

on the carpet, listening to her.

在地毯上聽她唱

There are two problems here.

這裡有兩個問題出現了

I can't read your body language when you're just rocking back and forth,

當你坐在搖椅上前後搖擺的時候我無法解讀你的肢體語言

and I don't understand English.

還有我不懂英文

As a toddler, I can only listen for so long before I get bored,

做為一個幼兒，我很容易聽一聽就覺得無聊

and when I get bored

而當我覺得無聊的時候

I was combing this girl's hair in front of me, like a Persian cat!

我開始梳理在我前面的女孩的頭髮，就像波斯貓一樣

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

There's two things I'm confused about

有兩件事我很困惑

besides what the teacher was speaking, if the girl liked me back,

除了不懂老師在講什麼之外，如果那個女生也喜歡我

because it was apparent from my body language I liked her,

因為很明顯的我的肢體語言顯示出我很喜歡她

but that's a whole different talk in a whole different language.

但這完全是兩個不同世界裡完全不同的語言

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

As times goes on, I go into elementary school.

隨著時間推進，我進入了小學

In elementary school it became more evident

在小學的時候這個狀況又更加明顯

that I had trouble speaking so I went to see a therapist,

因為我有語言障礙的問題所以我去看了治療師

a speech therapist.

一個語言治療師

We worked together to pinpoint areas where I struggled,

我們一起合作找出我掙扎的區塊在哪

and at one point,

有一度

I thought it was the entire alphabet I struggled with.

我以為我是和全部的字母在奮鬥

I figured it out. It was CH, C, S, TH, Ts. I'm going to stop there.

後來我發現其實是CH, C, S, TH, Ts這些音，好了我不該再繼續說了

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So we worked on sounds but then we worked on phrases.

我們一起練習發音接著一起練習句子

Phrases were especially difficult

句子是尤其困難的

because I just said words as he told me to say

因為我雖然說了他叫我說的字

but I knew I couldn't say them, and she knew that too, which was bad.

但我知道我無法正確說出它們，而她也知道，情況不是很好

So we worked with these phrases but they were like tongue-twisters.

於是我們一起練習這些像繞口令的句子

You know the tongue-twister in English: Sally sells... Come on, say it with me.

你知道英文的繞口令：Sally sells...來嘛大家一起和我說

Audience: Sally sells seashells on the seashore.

觀眾：Sally sells seashells on the seashore.

I never really learnt that but that's not the point.

我從來沒有學好它但這不是重點

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

She made me say this but I never couldn't say it so I would go home

她要我說這個但我一直都無法，所以我回家

where she told me to practice this, but I wouldn't.

她要我回家後繼續練習這個，但我沒有

I would go home and go to my best friend: the Thesaurus.

我回家後去找了我最好的朋友：同義詞

Because they had the answer to what I lacked.

因為他們有我缺乏的東西

The words I could say but meant the same thing.

同樣意思但是是我能正確表達的詞

So that exact same thing you said, that's how I feel when I was speaking English.

所以當你在說同樣的事情的時候，我有這種痛苦的感覺

So I substituted that. It became: Sally hustles seashells on the beach.

於是我會替換它們，就變成：Sally hustles seashells on the beach

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

You get the gist but it doesn't really sound the same.

你懂我的意思但這聽起來還是不太一樣

That's still how I speak now.

我現在也還是這樣說

I use that word a lot so if you are near me

我很常用那個字，所以如果你在我旁邊

you can hear: hustle hustle hustle.

我會聽到：趕快趕快趕快

Why doesn't this kid ever say the word sell?

為甚麼這小朋友都不說sell這個字？

That's the reason why.

這就是原因

I got teased while I was going to school

我在學校常常被戲弄

because I used to talk like this growing up.

因為我長大的過程都是這樣講話

This put me in a state of isolation

也因此讓我陷入被孤立的狀態

but inside this isolation is where I found my passion.

但被孤立的過程中我發現了我熱衷的事情

This passion was running.

這股熱情是跑步

When I ran in elementary school,

當我用跑的進小學

I didn't have to talk and no one talked to me.

我不用任何人說話，也不會有人和我說話

It was my safe area.

這是我的安全地帶

When I ran, there was something I was running away from:

不過當我在跑步的時候，有個東西是我正在逃避掉的：

the problem at hand.

最重要的問題

But I enjoyed running so in my fifth grade,

但我很享受跑步所以在我小學五年級的時候

my school put on a prize.

學校提供了一個幾項

Whoever ran the most miles gets the prize.

誰能跑的距離最長誰就能贏得獎項

And I thought subconsciously:

而我下意識地想：

if I run the most miles, I will get the prize

如果我跑得最遠最長，我會贏得獎項

and I will earn the respect of these kids that tease me.

然後我就能得到那些戲弄我的人的尊敬

Well, I ran the most miles, I got the prize, I got some respect

我跑了最遠的距離，也贏得獎牌，得到一些尊敬

but that didn't change my speaking.

但這並沒有改變我說話的問題

I was running away from the problem.

我只是用跑步在逃避我的問題

It wasn't until high school when someone said:

直到高中有個人跟我說：

Aslan, if you want to be successful you have to get out of the comfort zone.

Aslan如果你想成功你就必須踏出你的舒適圈

And I did that exact thing.

而我也照做了

But what happened is that my flaws where being exploited

只不過我的缺點一直被大家取笑

so when I spoke, I failed, and people laughed;

每當我開口，我就失敗，接著大家會開始笑我

but the laughter for once didn't stop me. It kept me going.

但那笑聲並沒有將我阻撓，反而支撐我繼續努力

The laughter motivated me.

那些笑聲給了我動力

Because I knew that when I laughed with them

因為我知道當我和他們一起笑的時候

I was connecting with them.

我是在和他們互相聯結

That connection was something I've wanted all my life.

這種聯繫是我一直以來都很想得到的

So I failed, failed, failed, I connected, connected, connected

我失敗失敗失敗，我聯結聯結聯結

and this is where the Hello World moment hit me.

而這就是整個世界向我擁抱的時刻

This is the part where my weakness becomes a strength.

這是我的弱點如何轉化成力量的部分

Now I wanted to take my flaws, getting up my comfort zone to a new level.

現在我想再更進一步的面對我的缺點和我的舒適圈

So a person that can't speak English very well

所以一個英文說得不是很好的人

takes a job selling.

選擇做業務

So in my first job, I started selling pool supplies.

我的第一份工作，我是賣池具用品的

I went from being a SOI employee

一開始只是一個供應商的員工

within three months I have some of the highest units sold.

三個月之後我賣出了最多產品

So I wanted to do this again, so I started selling cars.

所以我想要再做一次，我開始賣車

I don't look like a typical car salesman

我看起來不像典型的汽車銷售員

but I had a huge running curve to go through.

我有很大的進步空間需要學習

I wasn't the loudest one at the car dealership

我在汽車行不是講話最大聲的

but I did talk the most.

但我是講最多的那一個

If you go back to the dealership and asked: who talked the most?

如果你去汽車行問：誰講得最多？

Without skipping a beat, everyone there would say my name.

不用一秒大家都會說我的名字

And from this process, of this continuing with these flaws,

從這個過程中，不斷面對我的缺點

with this getting out of my comfort zone

以及走出我的舒適圈

even standing up here getting out of my comfort zone,

甚至現在站在這裡也是踏出舒適圈的行為

I've realized that something that I viewed as a weakness,

我了解到過去我視為缺點的

something I avoided, something I've been running away from,

避免的、逃避的那些

I hit it straightforward.

我已經正面解決了

I solved that problem by turning that weakness into a strength.

我透過轉換弱點成力量來解決問題

Then I turned it into an asset by capitalizing on it,

然後我把它變成一項資產利用它

by seeing what I could do with it.

看我能善用它做哪些事

Putting me in a position where I had to do that, and face it.

讓我處在一個需要去解決與面對的處境之中

Through this process, I've turned that weakness into a passion.

我在過程裡把弱點轉化成熱情

I love talking, any time you see me I'm probably talking.

我喜歡說話，任何時候你看到我我大概都在說話

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I'm going to leave you with this:

我想告訴你們：

Speak loudly, speak proudly and get out of your comfort zone.

大聲地說、有自信的說，然後離開你的舒適圈

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

（掌聲）