Why Are They Volunteering

by Julie Schwietert

翻译：箐舞

Why Are They Volunteering

成为志愿者的万千理由

by Julie Schwietert

翻译：箐舞

为什么要做志愿者？不同的人有不同的答案。为了回报社会、为了认识新的朋友、为了收获一份快乐……著名旅游网站斗牛士（www.matadornetwork.com）的编辑和写手们不仅热爱旅游，更热心于公益。在被问到“为什么你要做志愿者”这个问题时，他们告诉我们—

Yes, volunteering makes you feel good. Yes, you learn from other people. But there are many other reasons people volunteer, too. And here are ten from1)Matador members who are2)experienced volunteers.

“I volunteer because it takes me out of my daily life. Because I have3)expertise that is really easy for me to teach, and yet makes a big difference to those I teach. Because it reminds me how lucky I am. Because I have been given so much in life and believe it’s important to give as well.”

Leigh volunteers at a local church, serving lunch to school children and helping kids with their English homework.

“I volunteer because it5)continuously teaches me something new about people, about6)cooperation, about7)compassion, and about myself. In helping others, I feel that we are all in this together and we need to support each other. Life has so much to offer if we can look beyond ourselves.”

Juliane volunteers at the Berkeley Free8)Clinic.

1) matador ['mætədɔː] n. 斗牛士

2) experienced [Ik'spIərIənst] adj. 富有经验的

3) expertise [ekspʒː'tiːz] n. 专门知识，专门技能

4) contributing editor 特约编辑

5) continuously [kən'tInjʊəslI] adv. 连续不断地

6) cooperation [kəʊɒpə'reIʃən] n. 合作

7) compassion [kəm'pæʃən] n. 同情，怜悯

8) clinic ['klInIk] n. 诊所

语法小知识

Make a (big) difference to/in... 表示“对……产生（重大的）影响，对……起（重要）作用，产生（很大的）不同”。通常，这些影响、作用或不同都是指好的方面。例如：

1) Changing schools made a big difference to my life.（转学对我的人生产生了很大的影响。）

2) The teacher’s words made a difference.（老师的话起作用了。）

“I volunteer because I love my city and I need to give back something to it other than tax dollars. Also, my soul needs10)redemption.”

Candice volunteers with an animal11)rescue organization.

“I volunteer because I want to not just see the world, but make a difference to it.”

Abbie has volunteered at United Planet注1.

“I volunteer because I have the time. I recognize that time is something I can give, if not money. I regret that I never volunteered before I left America. I don’t know how much I make a big difference in the lives of the kids that I work with, but I do know that I can take some pressure off of those that are able to14)devote more time. Sometimes that’s just got to be enough.”

Kate volunteers in15)Buenos Aires.

“I volunteer because: 1) I truly like helping people. 2) I feel called to volunteer and share my talents and time with others. 3) I enjoy meeting different people from different backgrounds and cultures while volunteering. 4) It’s a lot of fun!”

Heather plans to volunteer while on a16)RTW starting this month.

“I volunteer to learn something new or to17)acquire a skill that I18)lacked. I couldn’t go out and get a job to learn that skill, but I could volunteer and learn it.”

Pamm has volunteered as an19)investigator, a20)conference organizer, and a21)knitter—knitting sweaters for children in an22)orphanage outside of Lhasa, Tibet.

“I volunteer because I can’t stand seeing any animal23)suffering and because it makes me feel alive.”

Nola has volunteered with Care for Dogs in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

“I volunteer not so much to help others, but to gain some24)perspective about my own life. But in the end, I get both.”

Jamie has volunteered with Catalytic Communities, CIACAC, and Calle注2.

“I volunteer because I can. It’s as simple as that. If you could do something to help the world around you, why wouldn’t you?”

Kelsey volunteers at a25)hospice.

注1：联合星球，一个非营利性的国际志愿者组织。

注2：催化社区、青少年综合社区和街道服务中心都是巴西里约热内卢的非政府公益组织，分别为平民窟、青少年和街道服务。

9) associate editor 副主编

10) redemption [rI'dempʃən] n. 救赎

11) rescue ['reskjuː] v. 营救

12) intern ['Intʒːn] n. 实习生

13) co-editor 合作编辑

14) devote [dI'vəʊt] v. 献身

15) Buenos Aires ['bwenəs 'aIərIz] n.（阿根廷首都）布宜诺斯艾利斯

16) RTW=Round the World 环游世界

17) acquire [ə'kwaIə] v. 获得

18) lack [læk] v. 缺乏

19) investigator [In'vestIgeItə] n. 调查员

20) conference organizer 会议组织者

21) knitter ['nItə] n. 编织员knit [nIt] v. 编织

22) orphanage ['ɔːfənIdʒ] n. 孤儿院

23) suffer ['sʌfə] v. 受苦，受难

24) perspective [pə'spektIv] v. 看法，远景

25) hospice ['hɒspIs] n. 临终关怀医院

是的，志愿工作让你感觉很棒。是的，你可以从中向他人学习。但人们做志愿者还有其他许多原因，比如以下十位有丰富志愿服务经验的斗牛士网站成员。

“我做志愿者是因为这能让我从日常生活中脱离开来。因为我自身具备专业知识，教书对我来说非常简单，却会对所教的学生影响深远；因为这提醒我自己有多么幸运；因为在生活中，我已经得到了太多东西。而我相信，给予同样重要。”

利·舒尔曼在当地一家教堂做志愿者，为学生分发午餐，同时辅导孩子们的英语作业。

“我做志愿者是因为它不断地教给我一些新的东西—关于人、关于合作、关于同情心、关于我自己。在帮助他人的过程中，我感受到我们患难与共，我们需要相互扶持。如果我们都能不计较自己的利益得失，那么生活能给予我们的东西多不胜数。”

朱莉安娜在伯克利免费诊所做志愿者。

“我做志愿者是因为我热爱我（生活）的城市，除了交税，我还需要回馈它一些其他的东西。而且我的灵魂也需要救赎。”

坎蒂丝在一个动物援救组织做志愿服务。

“我做志愿者是因为我不仅想去看看这个世界，还想让它变得更美好。”

阿比是联合星球的志愿者。

“我做志愿者是因为我有时间。我发现如果没有钱的话，时间是我所能给予的。我后悔在我离开美国前没有做过志愿活动。我不知道我能给我帮助过的孩子们的生活带来多大的影响，但我可以肯定我能舒缓一下那些能够奉献出更多时间的人的压力。有时候，这便足够了。”

凯特在布宜诺斯艾利斯做志愿者。

“我做志愿者是因为：1) 我真心喜欢帮助人们；2) 我感受到志愿服务对我的召唤，感受到与他人分享天赋与时间的渴望；3) 我很享受在志愿服务的过程中认识有着不同文化背景的人们；4) 做志愿者很有趣！”

希瑟将在这个月开始环游世界，并计划在旅途中进行志愿服务。

“我做志愿者是为了学到新东西，也为了获取我所缺乏的技能。我无法出去找到一份学会那项技能的工作，但我能通过志愿服务学会它。”

帕姆曾做过调查员、会议组织者和编织员—为西藏拉萨城外的一家孤儿院的孩子们织毛衣。

“我做志愿者是因为我不能忍受自己眼睁睁地看着动物受苦，也因为做志愿者让我感到自己还活着。”

诺拉在泰国清迈的爱狗之家做志愿者。

“我做志愿者与其说是为了帮助他人，倒不如说是为了能够找到看待自己生活的新视角。但到了最后，我两者兼得。”

杰米在催化社区、青少年综合社区和街道服务中心做志愿服务。

“我做志愿者是因为我有这样的能力。就是这么简单。如果你能为周遭的世界献出一份力，何乐而不为呢？”

凯尔西在一家临终关怀医院做志愿者。