间隔年是啥？

　　A gap year is a semester or year of experiential learning, typically taken after high school or university and prior to career or postgraduate education, in order to deepen one's practical, professional, and personal awareness.

　　间隔年通常是一个学期或一年的时间，在这段时间中进行体验式的学习。间隔年通常是在高中或者本科结束，在读研究生或工作之前的时间里开展的。间隔年的目的是让人们在职业和个人方面有更符合实际的认识。

　　In other words, gap years provide young people with time and space to learn about themselves and the world — much of which they haven’t seen or experienced as a child living in their parent's home.

　　换句话说，间隔年能够给予年轻人时间和空间去了解自己和世界——这种了解通常是住在父母屋檐底下的小孩从未见过或经历过的。

　　为什么要间隔年？

　　Unfortunately, there's a stigma surrounding taking time off to travel and learn. Too many people believe not heading directly to a university or the workplace means a young person is destined to work in a menial job forever or never go back to school.

　　遗憾的是，间隔年一直背负着误解。很多人认为放弃直接升学或者工作就意味着这个年轻人注定以后要做一份平庸的工作或永远都无法再进修了。

　　But studies have shown that taking a gap year not only are tied to increases in college GPAs, but more significantly is tied to improved job satisfaction. In short, taking the time to figure out what success looks like is a surefire way to be directed in achieving it.

　　不过研究显示间隔年不仅仅与绩点上升有关，而且更重要的是还与工作满意度的增加有关。总的来说，花时间想清楚自己要的成功是什么样子一定可以帮你定位到正确的方向上。

　　If you're thinking a gap year is just a time to slack off and avoid the hard work required to pursue a college degree, think again.

　　如果你以为间隔年就是做一条咸鱼，逃避取得学位所付出的努力的话，那你再想想吧。

　　There are real benefits that result from it.

　　间隔年是真的有益处的。

　　You can see the world in a different way, determine your real goals and the best way to achieve them, and gain valuable career experience.

　　你看待世界的方式会变得不同，能够找到真正的目标和实现它最好的方式，而且还能获得宝贵的职业经验。

　　Bear in mind that your gap year is not confined in traveling abroad only. In fact, you can combine travel with an educational opportunity that changes the way you think forever. For example, Find an internship abroad if you can.

　　记住，间隔年可不只是出出国、旅旅游。事实上你可以在旅行中得到启示，这将改变你的思维方式。比方说，可以找一个海外实习啊。

  有谁选择过间隔年？

　　史蒂夫·乔布斯

　　He famously started Apple, with all its iconic imagery and minimalist aesthetic. But what's less well known is that he spent months living in India, meditating in the mountains and learning how to tap into what was important to him.

　　乔布斯创立了拥有标志性形象和极简主义美学的苹果公司，他也因此闻名于世。但很少有人知道乔布斯曾在印度生活过几个月，在山上冥想并思考究竟什么才是重要的。

　　He contracted lice, dysentery, and eventually scabies before running out of money and returning home to start a new project, the original Mac.

　　他染上了虱子和痢疾，还得了疥疮， 随后又花光了钱。然后回到家中，他开始了一个新项目，也就是初代的Mac电脑。

　　J·K·罗琳

　　J.K. Rowling spent three years teaching English as a foreign language in Portugal. During this time, Harry Potter went from being an idea on a piece of paper to the first three chapters of Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone.

　　J·K·罗琳曾在葡萄牙当了三年英语教师。在这期间，“哈利·波特”从纸上的想法变成了《哈利·波特与魔法石》的前三章。

　　Her time spent in a new country allowed her to craft her vision of the young wizard world and a yearning for the British landscape.

　　在异国的时光让罗琳编织出了自己的年轻巫师世界，也让她思念英国的风景。

　　艾玛·沃特森

　　A gap year doesn't always have to be a break from the intellect. In fact, Emma Watson decided to take a break from her acting career to study feminism and gender studies, committing herself to reading a new book every week as personal study.

　　间隔年并不是说一定要中断学习让大脑放假。事实上，艾玛·沃特森之前就中断过演艺事业，来学习女权主义和性别研究，保证自己每周阅读一本新书作为个人学习计划。

　　本尼迪克特·康伯巴奇

　　When he was 19, he traveled throughout the Himalayas, living with a Nepali family outside Darjeeling, and teaching English to Tibetan monks and nuns.

　　卷福19岁的时候就去了喜马拉雅山麓，住在大吉岭的一个尼泊尔人家里，在那儿教藏传佛教僧侣们英语。

　　"They were amazingly warm, intelligent, humorous people. Hard to teach English. I built a blackboard, which no other previous teachers seem to have done. With 12 monks in a room with an age-range of about 8 to 40, that's quite important — and the reward-punishment thing of sweets or no sweets, or game or no game, worked quite well."

　　“当地人都很热情、聪明、幽默。但是教英语很难。我制作了一个黑板，之前的老师好像都没做过。课上有12个喇嘛，年龄8-40岁不等，这很重要。还有奖惩措施，发不发糖果，允不允许玩游戏，这一招相当管用。”

　　"But they taught me a lot more than I could possibly ever teach them. They taught me about the simplicity of human nature, but also the humanity of it, and the ridiculous sense of humor you need to live a full spiritual life."

　　“不过他们教会我的东西比我教给他们的东西多多了。他们让我领悟了人性的至简和仁慈，还让我领略了精神生活中所需要的幽默感。”

　　间隔年不是目的，它不是用来逃避现实的万灵药。

　　不确定自己是否要考研或工作的时候，试着把间隔年作为一个手段。

　　通过学习课堂和职场都教不了的知识，或许你可以把未来的路走得更坚定。

　　Notes

　　menial /ˈmiːniəl/ adj不需要技巧的;枯燥的;报酬低的。

　　surefire /ˈʃuəfaɪə/ adj一定能成功的;可靠的

　　minimalist /ˈmɪnɪməlɪst/ adj极简主义的

　　lice /laɪs/ n(louse的复数) 虱子

　　dysentery /ˈdɪsənteri/ n痢疾

　　scabies /ˈskeɪbiːz/ n疥疮

　　wizarding /ˈwɪzədɪŋ/ adj巫师的

spiritual /ˈspɪrɪtʃuəl/ adj精神的;心灵的;宗教的