Herewith the first attemp at translating April's article on the difficulties of having open and honest discussions. Please feel free to comment, add suggestions or to email me at vanwykj8@gmail.com with alternative translations.
我一直觉得坦诚交换意见又不至于引起矛盾是一件很难的事。
I always believed that exchanging ideas openly and frankly without going as far as arousing a quarrel is a very difficult thing.
从个人到国家都很难。
From the individual to the state it’s very difficult.
从我个人的经验到电视上的新闻经常确认我的这一个看法。
From my personal experience to the news on TV, regularly confirm this opinion of mine.
星期三晚上我和六个同学坐下来一起讨论我们下个星期的研讨会的准备工作。
On Wednesday evening six colleagues and me sat down to discuss the preparations for next week’s discussion class.
我们把各自准备的那部分材料拿出来讲，
We took out the materials that each one had to prepare in order to discuss it,
然后问自己理解上有没有错误，
afterwards we asked each other whether there were any comprehension mistakes
准备得是不是太多，等等。
or whether what we had prepared was not too much, etc.
总体感觉上，我们这六个人都太有礼貌了。
On the whole it seemed as though we were all too polite.
我们总是先提出一点小意见，下意识地看看听意见的人是不是觉得尴尬，然后才继续谨慎地多提一点意见。
We always first bring up a tiny suggestion and then consciously look and listen whether the person to whom we suggest something is feeling awkward or not, only then do we proceed to cautiously give another suggestion.
有两个人干脆就没有开口。
There were two people who then just wouldn’t say a word.
我们都又想做好工作，又不想让人难堪。
We only wanted to do a good job without embarrassing anyone.
所以正式讨论的进展不太大。
As a result, this formal discussion does not allow for adequate progression.
倒是后来非正式的讨论更好一些。
On the other hand the ensuing informal discussion is far better.
非正式的讨论是我们有三个人一起坐车，坐在前后座位上，一直扭着脖子说了一路，收获很大。The informal discussion takes place when we three people travel in the car (bus) together, sitting back to back and straining our necks and talking the whole way, then a lot comes out.
似乎黑乎乎的车厢就是我们的保护伞，如果看不到别人的表情，那多说一点也无妨了。
It is as if the darkness in the car’s cabin is our protective umbrella, if you cannot see another person’s facial expressions, then you say more without doing any harm.
还有人少了一半，可能也有关系。
It could also be due to the fact that there are only half as many people.
国家与国家之间的讨论就更难了。
Discussions between nations are then even more difficult.
怎么样能用外交的手段解决真实的问题实在是一个大难题。
It is a real problem using diplomatic means to solve actual problems.
就看最近的中国和日本的关于钓鱼岛的争论就知道了，日本到现在还扣押着一个平民老百姓来做讨价还价的筹码。
Just look at the recent quarrel between China and Japan over Diaoyu Island to know that Japan is still detaining a civilian to use as a bargaining chip.
两个国家的政府都既要顾全自己的面子，
The governments of both countries want to keep face,
又不能做得太离谱而让国际谴责，
can’t act so far from the norm and risk international condemnation,
又要维护基本的文化贸易的往来，
want to maintain basic cultural and trade relations,
又要保护本国人民的利益，
want to safeguard their own peoples interests,
这么多责任混杂在一起而要都达到，几乎是不可能的。
so many responsibilities are mixed into the equation that they want to reach, that it is almost impossible.
一些中国和日本的民间活动已经受到影响，不知道谁的损失更大。
Some Sino-Japanese popular activities have already been affected; I do not know whose loss is the greatest.
坦诚地交换意见一定不是互相谩骂，互相指责。
To openly exchange ideas definitely does not mean to insult or to criticize
each other.
但是电视上看到的对话多数会变成这一类的。
But a large number of dialogues one sees on TV can end up like this.
如果不是，那就是没人说不好听的，每个人都挑好听的说。
If it is not the case, then no one says anything bad and each one chooses to only say what sounds good.
世界的大部分峰会都属于这后一种，
Most of the world summit meetings belong to this last kind,
在会议结束时推出一些所谓的达成的共识，
at the end of the conference they release some so-called agreements that have been reached.
然后就等着下一次的峰会。And then afterwards they just wait for the following summit meeting.
我觉得最近这次联合国大会的千年发展议题简直有点滑稽。
I think this recent United Nations Thousand year development plan is simply hilarious.
为什么要千年，Why is it a thousand years
为什么不是万年发展，why not ten thousand years development
或者百年大计? or a hundred year plan?
谁能衡量发展的进度? Who can measure the pace of development?
是不是前面的九百九十年可以什么都不动，Is it possible that nothing happens for the first 990 years
等最后的十年来一个突飞猛进? and that a spurt of progress is made in the last ten years?
或者过去二十年以后大家都忘了还有什么千年的计划? Or when 20 years have passed everyone has forgotten that there was a thousand year plan?
不过千年发展听起来好听，Nevertheless, a thousand year development plan sounds good.
以后一千年联合国都不发愁没东西讲了。For the following thousand years the United Nations does not need to worry not to have anything to talk about.
但是没有一个国家说出不同的意见。But there was not a single nation who expressed an opinion of disagreement.
光这点，就很可疑了。Just this point is already very suspicious.
所以，坦诚地交换意见，人类不知道什么时候才能学会。So, we do not know when mankind will learn how to share opinions frankly and honestly.
我请同学们都坦诚地批评我的翻译试图。我不要觉得尴尬。我觉得不同意的人讨论的时候又不至于引起矛盾，倒是是很健康的情况。最好的世界，就是让人不怕坦诚地交换意见的那个地方。所以，我要求你，纠正我的错误吧！也许我们可以互相帮助改善我们的中文。
在会儿！
湛宁
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