Afraid of Your Computer
克服畏难心理 熟练使用电脑

惧怕科技（尤其是电脑）是90年代的流行病。 有很多人根本无从逃避电脑。 学会操作电脑并不如一般人想象中那么困难。 不要给厚厚的操作手册吓怕。 你对最有帮助的人未必最懂电脑。 若能克服对电脑恐怕心理，人生会更多彩多姿。

[1]Sue Barrows was enthusiastic『热情的；热中的』when, at age 37, she went back to college to study broadcasting communications. But as she came face to face with the computers involved in video production and editing, she wondered if she'd made a mistake.

[1]37岁的休·巴罗斯充满热情地返回校园学习广播传播。然而当她在影像制作和编辑课上面对电脑时，她怀疑自己做出了错误的选择.

[2]What Barrows lacked in computer savvy¹『一般常识；实际知识』, she made up for『补回；弥补』in stick-to-itiveness『坚定不移；不屈不挠』. Nine years later, she has an award-winning video company, Barrows Productions, and uses not one but two computers in her home office.

[2]巴罗斯缺乏电脑知识，于是她发奋补习。九年后，她拥有了一家获奖的图像公司——巴罗斯制作公司，在她那既是家又是办公室的屋子里摆着两台电脑.

[3]Barrows's initial『最初的；最早的』apprehension²『忧虑；不安』wasn't unusual. A ten-year study completed in 1993 by Dell Computer Corp. underlined『表明；强调』fear of technology—computers in particular—as the phobia『恐惧感；恐惧症』of the 1990s. “The current fear figure,” says California State University psychology『心理学』professor Larry D. Rosen, “is 30 to 40 percent.”

[3] 巴罗斯最初的忧虑并不是个别现象。戴尔电脑公司1993完成的一项10年研究显示：惧怕科技（尤其是电脑）是90年代的流行病。心理学教授莱利·罗新说：“目前，有这种恐惧的人约占30％至40％。” .

[4]For many people, avoiding the computer isn't an option『选择；选择自由』. Since 1984 the number of jobs that require one has risen from 25 to 46 percent. More than 70 percent of management positions now demand computer literacy. Still, almost half the white-collar workers in a 1994 MCI - Gallup survey identified『定义』themselves as “cyberphobic.”

[4]有很多人根本无从逃避电脑。譬如在美国，自1984年以来，须操作电脑的工作岗位由25％增加至46％。超过7成的主管职务规定须谙熟电脑使用。但1994年的MCI－盖洛普调查中，仍有接近一半的白领阶级自认（害怕电脑）。

[5]But becoming computer competent『有能力的』is easier than people think. Experts suggest these steps:

[5]其实，学会操作电脑并不如一般人想象中那么困难。专家建议如下：

Don't be snowed by jargon³.

不要给术语吓倒

[6]When you shop for a computer, decide what you'd like to do with it and list those goals, says Kris Jamsa, author of Welcome to Personal Computers. Then, if a salesperson⁴ asks an obscure『模糊的；不明白的』question—such as “How many megahertz do you want?”—respond: “I don't know. You tell me what I need to accomplish my goals, which are…”

[6]《个人电脑指南》一书作者基斯·吉姆萨说，选购电脑时，首先想清楚自己会用电脑做什么，并予列出。如果售货员问：“你需要多大的内存？”你可以这样回应：“不知道。你告诉我，我需要多大的内存。我打算用电脑做以下这些工作……。” .

[7]The salesperson should be able to answer in plain English. And don't worry about your choice becoming obsolete⁵『过时的；旧式的』. Focus on meeting your needs for the next few years.

[7]售货员应能用简明的话给你答复。别担心你选购的电脑会过时，只须注意这部电脑能否在未来数年符合你的需要.

[8]Once you get your computer home, learn just enough basic lingo『术语；行话』to get going. “If you were going to become a carpenter, your first project wouldn't be to build a house. You'd start with something simple, like a bench or birdhouse,” says computer expert Robin⁶ Williams. “It's the same with the computer. You'd learn as you were faced with new tasks.”

[8]买了电脑回家，只须学会足够的基本行话，让你可以使用电脑就足够了。“如果你想做木匠，你的第一个计划不会是去盖一幢房子。你会先造几样简单的东西，例如长凳或花架，”电脑专家罗宝·威廉斯说，“操作电脑也一样。等到你要处理新问题，便会学到更多的东西。”.

Dive right in.

直接启动电脑

[9]You don't need to know the technical details of your computer any more than you need to understand the technology behind your microwave oven. “Don't get bogged⁷ down『陷入』in a hefty『沉重的；厚的』computer manual,” advises Joe Kraynak, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to PCs. “Go ahead and flip『轻弹；轻击』the switch, click and move the mouse.”

[9]你无须深知电脑技术细节，正如你不必了解微波炉的原理一般。“不要给厚厚的操作手册吓怕，”《个人电脑傻瓜大全》一书的作者祖·克雷纳格说，“尽管按动开关，轻击然后移动鼠标便成了。”

[10]For some people, the biggest obstacle『障碍；阻碍』to pressing that first computer key is the fear of hitting the wrong one. “Don't worry about your mistakes,” says Dick Shoemaker, founder⁸ of the National PC. Users Group in Lemont, Pa. “Your computer won't remember how many wrong keys you press—unless you ask it to.” Adds Kraynak, “Don't worry about losing information. Most computer programs have a feature that can retrieve『恢复；找回』lost data or undo『取消；解除』the previous command.”

[10]对于有些人来说，能否在电脑键盘上按下第一个键的最大障碍在于害怕按错了。“别担心犯错，”个人电脑用户协会创始人迪克·苏麦加说，“电脑不会记得你按错了多少个键；除非你要它那样做”。克雷纳格也说：“不必担心无意中丢了资料。大部分电脑程序都有找回失去资料、或解除上一个指令的功能。”

Take a step at a time.

每次只行一步

[11]According to Jamsa, if you master just three specific tasks—saving and printing a document, sending and receiving e-mail, and browsing『浏览』the World Wide Web—you'll be as computer proficient⁹ as most of the population.

[11]吉姆萨说，你只要掌握了三项基本技术——把文件存盘或打印，收发电子函件，上万维网去浏览棗便已具有及格的电脑技术了。 .

[12]Editor Carol Kutscher of Plainview, N. Y., had been using a manual『手动的；用手操作的』typewriter when her husband brought home their first computer in 1987. Her initial response —“Do we really need this thing?”—was prompted『刺激；驱使』by fear that she'd never learn to use it. But Kutscher took it slow and learned the basics. Now, as an insurance-claims examiner, she uses another computer system. Whenever she feels stumped『困惑；难倒』by a procedure, Kutscher jots『草草记下』notes on “cheat sheets” until she remembers it easily on her own.

[12]在纽约州普莱恩维尤做编辑工作的卡罗·柯谢尔一直使用手动打字机。1987年，她丈夫买了家里的第一部电脑。她怕自己学不来，起先认为，“我们真的需要这种东西吗？”但她一步步学习，终于学会基本技术。现在她是保险索赔审查员，使用的是另外一套电脑系统。每次她给一个程序难住时，便用小纸条记下要点，直至完全记住。

Ask for help.

找人帮助

[13]To find a teacher, consider joining a user group, which can be community-based or a national association. Typically charging annual dues『费用』of less than $ 30 a year, user groups can offer free consultations『咨询；咨询服务』and provide networking opportunities.

[13]要找人帮忙，不妨考虑加入用户协会，社区性或者全国的都可以。这类组织收取的年费还不到30美元，可免费提供咨询服务和上网的机会。

[14]If you attend user meetings, hook up with someone you can comfortably communicate with. “The best person to learn from may not be the most knowledgeable,” Jamsa explains. Someone who has recently learned the things you'd like to learn might be best in tune¹⁰ with your needs.

[14]出席这些组织的聚会时，找些你觉得合得来的人交往。“你对最有帮助的人未必最懂电脑”，吉姆萨说，“有些人刚学懂你正要学的东西，也许最符合你的需要”

[15]Clifford Porter, a reference librarian in Rockville, Md., took a basic computer-skills class, then got one-on-one help from her college son John. He would walk her through each process until she was comfortable. Today Clifford is secretary of the Capital PC User Group in Rockville.

[15]克利福德·波特过去是马里兰州洛克维尔的图书馆资料员，在上完电脑技能课后，又得到她上大学的儿子约翰手把手的辅导。约翰一步步地把她教到熟练为止。现在克利福德是洛克维尔首都个人电脑用户协会的秘书。

[16]To find a user group in your area, call your local college computer center, ask the staff at a local computer store or talk to your librarian.

[16]要想找到你所在地的用户协会， 可以给当地大学的计算机中心打电话，询问当地计算机商店的店员或找图书馆管理员打听。 .

[17]Overcoming you apprehension of computers may enrich your life in ways you'd never imagined.

[17]若能克服对电脑恐怕心理，人生会更多彩多姿，好处是我们意想不到的。

[18]Successful attorney John Sullivan had always had a secretary. When he returned to school and had to use a computer for the first time, his typo-filled papers made him feel inept¹¹『愚蠢的；笨拙的』.

[18] 约翰·沙立文是位成功的律师，平时总是带着秘书。当他重返校园第一次使用计算机的时候，他的论文里满是打字错误。这令他感到自己很笨。

[19]Today he's building a computer-based legal-research business in Monroe, Wis. “What a great feeling it is to know you're computer proficient,” he says. “Now others are coming to me for help.”

[19]而目前他正在威斯康星州的门罗市创办一家计算机法律研究公司。他说：“知道自己熟练使用计算机是件多么令人激动的事情。现在其他人都要找我来帮忙。”