It was a question that caught me by surprise.

「你能嚐到文字嗎？」

This summer, I was giving a talk at a literary festival,

這個問題讓我措手不及。

and afterwards, as I was signing books,

今年夏天，我受邀去 一個文學節慶演說，

a teenage girl came with her friend,

之後，我就開始簽書，

and this is what she asked me.

一名青少女和她的朋友一起來，

I told her that some people experience an overlap in their senses

這個問題就是她問我的。

so that they could hear colors

我告訴她，有些人會 體驗到感官重疊，

or see sounds,

因此他們可以聽見顏色，

and many writers were fascinated by this subject, myself included.

或看見聲音，

But she cut me off, a bit impatiently, and said, "Yeah, I know all of that.

許多作家對這個題材 很著迷，包括我在內。

It's called synesthesia. We learned it at school.

但她打斷我，有點沒耐心， 她說：「是啊，那些我都知道。

But my mom is reading your book,

那叫伴生感覺，學校有教。 （譯註：也有譯連帶感覺、共同感覺）

and she says there's lots of food and ingredients

但我媽媽在讀你的書，

and a long dinner scene in it.

而她說，書中有很多的食物和原料，

She gets hungry at every page.

還有一段很長的晚餐場景。

So I was thinking,

看每一頁都讓她覺得很餓。

how come you don't get hungry when you write?

所以，我在想，

And I thought maybe, maybe you could taste words.

為什麼你在寫的時候不會餓？

Does it make sense?"

我心想，也許你可以嚐到文字。

And, actually, it did make sense,

這樣合理嗎？」

because ever since my childhood,

事實上，那的確合理，

each letter in the alphabet has a different color,

因為自從我的童年開始，

and colors bring me flavors.

在字母表上的每一個字 都有不同的顏色，

So for instance, the color purple is quite pungent, almost perfumed,

而顏色能帶給我味道。

and any words that I associate with purple

比如，紫色十分有刺激性， 幾乎是芳香的，

taste the same way,

而所有被我和紫色聯結在一起的字，

such as "sunset" -- a very spicy word.

嚐起來都是那個味道，

But I was worried that if I tell all of this to the teenager,

比如「日落」就是個非常辛辣的字。

it might sound either too abstract

但我擔心，如果我把 這些都告訴這位青少女，

or perhaps too weird,

可能聽起來會太抽象，

and there wasn't enough time anyhow,

或是太奇怪，

because people were waiting in the queue,

其實也沒時間說這麼多，

so it suddenly felt like what I was trying to convey

因為有很多人還在排隊，

was more complicated and detailed

所以，突然間，感覺就像是 我在試著傳達的訊息

than what the circumstances allowed me to say.

比當時情況下我能夠

And I did what I usually do in similar situations:

說出的訊息還要更複雜、更詳細。

I stammered, I shut down, and I stopped talking.

所以，我就做了我在 類似的情況下通常會做的：

I stopped talking because the truth was complicated,

我結巴、我關上門、我不再說話了。

even though I knew, deep within,

我不再說話是因為真相很複雜，

that one should never, ever remain silent for fear of complexity.

即使在內心深處我也知道

So I want to start my talk today

人永遠都不應該因為 害怕複雜就保持沉默。

with the answer that I was not able to give on that day.

所以，我想要用那天我無法

Yes, I can taste words --

給予那位青少女的答案， 來做為今天演說的開頭。

sometimes, that is, not always,

是的，我能嚐到文字，

and happy words have a different flavor than sad words.

有時候能，不是一直都能，

I like to explore: What does the word "creativity" taste like,

快樂的文字和悲傷的 文字有不同的味道。

or "equality,"

我想探究的是：「創意」 這個字嚐起來像什麼，

"love," "revolution?"

或「平等」、

And what about "motherland?"

「愛」、「革命」這些字？

These days, it's particularly this last word that troubles me.

「祖國」又如何呢？

It leaves a sweet taste on my tongue,

現今，最後這個字特別讓我困擾。

like cinnamon, a bit of rose water

它在我的舌尖留下甜甜的餘味，

and golden apples.

就像肉桂皮，加上一點玫瑰香水，

But underneath, there's a sharp tang,

以及金蘋果。

like nettles and dandelion.

但它底下還有強烈刺激的味道，

The taste of my motherland, Turkey,

就像蕁麻和蒲公英。

is a mixture of sweet and bitter.

我的祖國土耳其的味道，

And the reason why I'm telling you this

是甜味與苦味的混合，

is because I think there's more and more people

我之所以告訴各位這些，

all around the world today

是因為我認為，現今全世界

who have similarly mixed emotions

有越來越多人，

about the lands they come from.

對於他們來自的土地，

We love our native countries, yeah?

有著類似的混合情緒。

How can we not?

我們愛我們的母國，對嗎？

We feel attached to the people, the culture, the land, the food.

怎麼可能不愛？

And yet at the same time,

我們對於母國的人民、文化、 土地、食物都有著依附感。

we feel increasingly frustrated by its politics and politicians,

但，同時，

sometimes to the point of despair or hurt or anger.

卻因為母國的政治和政客， 我們越來越感到挫折，

I want to talk about emotions

有時甚至會到絕望、 受傷、憤怒的程度。

and the need to boost our emotional intelligence.

我想要談談情緒，

I think it's a pity

以及將我們情緒智商提升的必要性。

that mainstream political theory pays very little attention to emotions.

我覺得很可惜，

Oftentimes, analysts and experts are so busy with data and metrics

主流政治理論很少會注意到情緒。

that they seem to forget those things in life

通常，分析師和專家 忙著處理資料和度量，

that are difficult to measure

他們似乎忘記了人生當中還有些東西

and perhaps impossible to cluster under statistical models.

是很難去測量的，

But I think this is a mistake, for two main reasons.

這些東西甚至可能很難 用統計模型來分成集群。

Firstly, because we are emotional beings.

但我認為這是個錯誤，原因有二。

As human beings, I think we all are like that.

第一點，因為我們是情緒的生物。

But secondly, and this is new,

身為人類，我知道我們都是那樣的。

we have entered a new stage in world history

但，第二點，這點是新的，

in which collective sentiments guide and misguide politics

我們進入了世界歷史的新階段，

more than ever before.

在這個階段，是有史以來 集體感情最會引導

And through social media and social networking,

和誤導政治的時候。

these sentiments are further amplified,

透過社交媒體和社交網路，

polarized, and they travel around the world quite fast.

這些感情會被進一步放大、

Ours is the age of anxiety, anger,

極端化，且能非常快速地傳遍世界。

distrust, resentment

我們的時代充滿了焦慮、憤怒、

and, I think, lots of fear.

不信任、仇恨、以及……

But here's the thing:

我認為還有許多恐懼。

even though there's plenty of research about economic factors,

但重點是：

there's relatively few studies about emotional factors.

雖然有很多關於經濟因素的研究，

Why is it that we underestimate feelings and perceptions?

相對之下，很少有 關於情緒因素的研究。

I think it's going to be one of our biggest intellectual challenges,

為什麼我們會低估了感覺和感知？

because our political systems are replete with emotions.

我想，這將會是我們 最大的智力挑戰之一，

In country after country,

因為我們的政治體制充滿了情緒。

we have seen illiberal politicians exploiting these emotions.

在一個又一個國家中，

And yet within the academia and among the intelligentsia,

我們看見反自由的政客 在利用這些情緒。

we are yet to take emotions seriously.

但是在學術界和知識界，

I think we should.

我們尚未認真看待情緒。

And just like we should focus on economic inequality worldwide,

而我認為我們應該要。

we need to pay more attention to emotional and cognitive gaps worldwide

就像我們應該要聚焦在 全球的經濟不平等一樣，

and how to bridge these gaps,

我們也需要更注意全球的 情緒和認知落差、

because they do matter.

以及如何彌救這些落差，

Years ago, when I was still living in Istanbul,

因為它們是有所謂的。

an American scholar working on women writers in the Middle East

數年前，我還住在伊斯坦堡時，

came to see me.

一位在研究中東女性作家的美國學者

And at some point in our exchange, she said,

來找我。

"I understand why you're a feminist,

當我們交流到某個時點時，她說：

because, you know, you live in Turkey."

「我了解為何你是女權主義者，

And I said to her,

因為，你知道的，你住在土耳其。」

"I don't understand why you're not a feminist,

我對她說：

because, you know, you live in America."

「我不了解為何你不是女權主義者，

(Laughter)

因為，你知道的，你住在美國。」

(Applause)

（笑聲）

And she laughed.

（掌聲）

She took it as a joke,

她笑了。

and the moment passed.

她把這話當玩笑話，

(Laughter)

那個時刻就過去了。

But the way she had divided the world into two imaginary camps,

（笑聲）

into two opposite camps --

但她的方式是把世界 分割成兩個想像的陣營，

it bothered me and it stayed with me.

兩個對立的陣營──

According to this imaginary map,

這點讓我不舒服，且揮之不去。

some parts of the world were liquid countries.

根據這張想像出來的地圖，

They were like choppy waters not yet settled.

世界有些部份是液態（不穩定）國家。

Some other parts of the world, namely the West,

它們就像是波浪起伏的水， 還沒有平靜下來。

were solid, safe and stable.

世界上的其他部份，也就是西方，

So it was the liquid lands that needed feminism

則是固態，是安全和穩定的。

and activism and human rights,

是液態土地才需要女權主義、

and those of us who were unfortunate enough

激進主義、人權。

to come from such places

而非常不幸來自

had to keep struggling for these most essential values.

這類地方的人，

But there was hope.

就必須為這些最重要的價值 而不斷掙扎。

Since history moved forward,

但還是有希望。

even the most unsteady lands would someday catch up.

因為歷史會向前行，

And meanwhile, the citizens of solid lands

即使是最不安定的土地， 也有一天會趕上來。

could take comfort in the progress of history

而這期間，固態土地的公民

and in the triumph of the liberal order.

可以從歷史的進展

They could support the struggles of other people elsewhere,

和自由秩序的勝利中得著安慰。

but they themselves did not have to struggle

他們可以支持其他地方 其他人的掙扎，

for the basics of democracy anymore,

但他們自己本身不再需要

because they were beyond that stage.

為了民主的基礎而掙扎，

I think in the year 2016,

因為他們已經過了那個階段。

this hierarchical geography was shattered to pieces.

我認為，在 2016 年，

Our world no longer follows this dualistic pattern

這種階層式的地理學被粉碎了。

in the scholar's mind, if it ever did.

我們的世界不再遵循這種 學者腦中的二元的模式，

Now we know that history does not necessarily move forward.

如果它真的曾經存在過的話。

Sometimes it draws circles,

現在，我們知道， 歷史不見得會向前走。

even slides backwards,

有時候它會原地打轉，

and that generations can make the same mistakes

甚至後退，

that their great-grandfathers had made.

而且各世代都可能會再犯

And now we know that there's no such thing

曾祖父母就犯過的錯誤。

as solid countries versus liquid countries.

現在，我們知道，沒有所謂的

In fact, we are all living in liquid times,

固態國家 vs. 液態國家。

just like the late Zygmunt Bauman told us.

事實上，我們都生在液態的時代，

And Bauman had another definition for our age.

就如同已逝的齊格蒙鮑曼告訴我們的。

He used to say we are all going to be walking on moving sands.

對我們的時代，鮑曼還另有一個定義。

And if that's the case, I think,

他曾說我們都將走在流沙中。

it should concern us women more than men,

我認為，如果真的是這樣，

because when societies slide backwards into authoritarianism,

那麼女性受到的影響會比男性大，

nationalism or religious fanaticism,

因為當社會向後滑動 回到專制主義、

women have much more to lose.

民族主義、宗教狂熱，

That is why this needs to be a vital moment,

女性失去的更多。

not only for global activism,

那就是為什麼現在是很關鍵的時刻，

but in my opinion, for global sisterhood as well.

不僅是對全球激進主義而言，

(Applause)

依我所見，對全球姊妹情誼 而言亦是如此。

But I want to make a little confession before I go any further.

（掌聲）

Until recently, whenever I took part in an international conference or festival,

但在進一步談下去之前， 我要先做個小小的告解。

I would be usually one of the more depressed speakers.

直到最近，每當我參加 國際會議或是慶祝活動，

(Laughter)

我通常是比較沮喪的講者之一。

Having seen how our dreams of democracy and how our dreams of coexistence

（笑聲）

were crushed in Turkey,

我見到我們的民主夢想以及共存夢想

both gradually but also with a bewildering speed,

在土耳其被摧毀，

over the years I've felt quite demoralized.

有時是漸漸地被摧毀，有時是 以讓人混亂的速度被摧毀，

And at these festivals there would be some other gloomy writers,

這些年來，我覺得相當洩氣，

and they would come from places such as Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan,

在這些慶祝活動上， 會有一些其他憂鬱的作家，

Bangladesh, Philippines, China, Venezuela, Russia.

他們來自埃及、 奈及利亞、巴基斯坦、

And we would smile at each other in sympathy,

孟加拉共和國、菲律賓、 中國、委內瑞拉、俄國等地。

this camaraderie of the doomed.

我們會帶著同情，對彼此微笑，

(Laughter)

受厄運者的同志情誼。

And you could call us WADWIC:

（笑聲）

Worried and Depressed Writers International Club.

你們可以稱我們為 WADWIC：

(Laughter)

憂心沮喪作家國際俱樂部。

But then things began to change,

（笑聲）

and suddenly our club became more popular,

但接著，事情開始改變了，

and we started to have new members.

突然間，我們的俱樂部變熱門了，

I remember --

我們開始有新成員。

(Laughter)

我記得……

I remember Greek writers and poets joined first, came on board.

（笑聲）

And then writers from Hungary and Poland,

我記得希臘作家和詩人最先加入。

and then, interestingly, writers from Austria, the Netherlands, France,

接著是來自匈牙利和波蘭的作家，

and then writers from the UK, where I live and where I call my home,

很有趣的是，再接下來是來自 奧地利、荷蘭、法國的作家，

and then writers from the USA.

再來是來自英國的作家，我自己 就住在英國且稱英國為我的家，

Suddenly, there were more of us

再來是來自美國的作家。

feeling worried about the fate of our nations

突然間，我們人數變多了，

and the future of the world.

我們都在擔心我們國家的命運、

And maybe there were more of us now

以及世界的未來。

feeling like strangers in our own motherlands.

也許，現在我們當中有越來越多人

And then this bizarre thing happened.

在自己的祖國裡 卻覺得自己像是陌生人。

Those of us who used to be very depressed for a long time,

接著發生了一件怪異的事。

we started to feel less depressed,

我們當中那些本來沮喪了 很長一段時間的人，

whereas the newcomers, they were so not used to feeling this way

反而開始感覺比較不那麼沮喪了，

that they were now even more depressed.

而新來的人，他們很 不習慣有這樣的感覺，

(Laughter)

以致於他們現在變得更沮喪。

So you could see writers from Bangladesh or Turkey or Egypt

（笑聲）

trying to console their colleagues

所以你們可以發現，來自 孟加拉、土耳其、或埃及的作家

from Brexit Britain or from post-election USA.

在試圖安撫那些來自脫歐的英國

(Laughter)

或來自選舉後的美國的作家同行。

But joking aside,

（笑聲）

I think our world is full of unprecedented challenges,

但把玩笑放到一旁，

and this comes with an emotional backlash,

我認為，我們的世界 充滿了空前的挑戰，

because in the face of high-speed change,

而這是會有情緒後座力的，

many people wish to slow down,

因為在面對高速改變時，

and when there's too much unfamiliarity,

許多人會希望慢下來，

people long for the familiar.

且，當有太多不熟悉時，

And when things get too confusing,

人們會渴望熟悉。

many people crave simplicity.

當事物變得太讓人困惑時，

This is a very dangerous crossroads,

許多人會期盼簡單。

because it's exactly where the demagogue enters into the picture.

這是個非常危險的十字路口，

The demagogue understands how collective sentiments work

因為群眾煽動者就是在這裡出現的。

and how he -- it's usually a he -- can benefit from them.

群眾煽動者了解集體感情如何運作、

He tells us that we all belong in our tribes,

以及他──通常是男性的 「他」──能如何從中獲利。

and he tells us that we will be safer if we are surrounded by sameness.

他告訴我們，我們 都屬於我們的部落，

Demagogues come in all sizes and in all shapes.

他告訴我們，如果我們周圍 都是相同性，我們會比較安全。

This could be the eccentric leader of a marginal political party

群眾煽動者有各種形狀跟大小。

somewhere in Europe,

可能會是歐洲某地一個小政黨的

or an Islamist extremist imam preaching dogma and hatred,

古怪領導者，

or it could be a white supremacist Nazi-admiring orator somewhere else.

或是伊斯蘭極端主義伊瑪目， 在鼓吹教義和仇恨，

All these figures, at first glance -- they seem disconnected.

也可能是其他地方的一名 崇拜納粹的至上主義白人演說家。

But I think they feed each other,

乍看之下，所有這些人物 似乎都沒有關聯。

and they need each other.

但我認為他們以彼此為能源，

And all around the world,

他們需要彼此。

when we look at how demagogues talk and how they inspire movements,

在全世界，

I think they have one unmistakable quality in common:

當我們去看群眾煽動者如何說話、 以及他們如何激勵運動，

they strongly, strongly dislike plurality.

我想，他們有一項共通的明確特質：

They cannot deal with multiplicity.

他們非常非常不喜歡多重性。

Adorno used to say,

他們無法處理多樣性。

"Intolerance of ambiguity is the sign of an authoritarian personality."

阿多諾說過：

But I ask myself:

「無法忍受模糊， 是專制獨裁人格的徵兆。」

What if that same sign,

但我問我自己，

that same intolerance of ambiguity --

如果同樣這個徵兆，

what if it's the mark of our times, of the age we're living in?

對模糊無法容忍──