around the world in 18 minutes.

みなさんを世界に案内します

My base of operations is in the U.S.,

私の活動ベースは米国ですが

but let's start at the other end of the map,

まずは 遠く離れた―

in Kyoto, Japan,

京都での話から始めます

where I was living with a Japanese family

日本人家庭に下宿し

while I was doing part of my dissertational research

学位論文の調査をしていました

15 years ago.

15年前のことです

I knew even then that I would encounter

カルチャーショックや誤解を

cultural differences and misunderstandings,

経験するとは思っていましたが

but they popped up when I least expected it.

予想もしない形で訪れました

On my first day,

日本到着の１日目

I went to a restaurant,

レストランに入り

and I ordered a cup of green tea with sugar.

“砂糖入り”の緑茶をオーダー

After a pause, the waiter said,

ウェイターが一瞬戸惑い 言いました

"One does not put sugar in green tea."

“緑茶に砂糖は入れません”

"I know," I said. "I'm aware of this custom.

“その習慣は知っていますが

But I really like my tea sweet."

甘い緑茶が好きなんです”

In response, he gave me an even more courteous version

前よりも礼儀正しい口調で

of the same explanation.

同じことを言われました

"One does not put sugar

“緑茶には…

in green tea."

砂糖を入れませんので…”

"I understand," I said,

“日本人が無糖で飲むのは

"that the Japanese do not put sugar in their green tea,

十分存じていますが

but I'd like to put some sugar

わたくしは

in my green tea."

砂糖を入れるんです”

(Laughter)

(会場の笑い声）

Surprised by my insistence,

私がしつこいので

the waiter took up the issue with the manager.

彼は困って 店長のもとへ

Pretty soon,

すると間もなく

a lengthy discussion ensued,

彼らは長い話し合いをし

and finally the manager came over to me and said,

最終的に店長が謝りに来ました

"I am very sorry. We do not have sugar."

“あいにく 砂糖がございません...”

(Laughter)

(会場の笑い声）

Well, since I couldn't have my tea the way I wanted it,

私好みの緑茶がないので

I ordered a cup of coffee,

コーヒーを頼みました

which the waiter brought over promptly.

すぐさま コーヒーが運ばれ

Resting on the saucer

そこで見たのは

were two packets of sugar.

２袋の砂糖！

My failure to procure myself

私の注文 甘い緑茶が

a cup of sweet, green tea

通らなかった原因は

was not due to a simple misunderstanding.

単純な誤解ではありません

This was due to a fundamental difference

選択に対する双方の

in our ideas about choice.

根本的な考え方の違いです

From my American perspective,

米国人の考え方では

when a paying customer makes a reasonable request

お客さんが好みに基づいた

based on her preferences,

分別ある要求をする限り

she has every right to have that request met.

叶えてもらう権利があります

The American way, to quote Burger King,

バーガーキング曰く

is to "have it your way,"

“自己流で召し上がれ”

because, as Starbucks says,

スタバ 曰く

"happiness is in your choices."

“幸せは選択肢にある”

(Laughter)

(会場の笑い声）

But from the Japanese perspective,

でも 日本人の考えでは

it's their duty to protect those who don't know any better --

無知な人を護るのは

(Laughter)

我らの務め

in this case, the ignorant gaijin --

(会場の笑い声）

from making the wrong choice.

この場合 無知なガイジンを

Let's face it: the way I wanted my tea

誤った選択から護ること

was inappropriate according to cultural standards,

私好みの緑茶は

and they were doing their best to help me save face.

文化的基準に不適切

Americans tend to believe

私の面子を保とうと

that they've reached some sort of pinnacle

彼らは努めました

in the way they practice choice.

反して 米国人は

They think that choice, as seen through the American lens

選択術の頂点を

best fulfills an innate and universal

極めていると考えがち

desire for choice in all humans.

すべての人間は先天的に

Unfortunately,

選択肢を求めるものだと―

these beliefs are based on assumptions

米国人は思っています

that don't always hold true

残念ながら

in many countries, in many cultures.

それは思い込みであり

At times they don't even hold true

異なる国や文化では

at America's own borders.

当てはまらないこともあります

I'd like to discuss some of these assumptions

米国においてですら

and the problems associated with them.

時には当てはまりません

As I do so, I hope you'll start thinking

これらの思い込みと

about some of your own assumptions

それに伴う問題について話します

and how they were shaped by your backgrounds.

みなさんも ご自分の思い込みや

First assumption:

それが形成された過程を

if a choice affects you,

一緒に考えてみてください

then you should be the one to make it.

１つめの思い込み

This is the only way to ensure

“選択が自分に影響をもたらすなら

that your preferences and interests

自分が選択するべきだ

will be most fully accounted for.

己の優先事項や利益を

It is essential for success.

最大限 反映させるには

In America, the primary locus of choice

自ら 選択するしかない”

is the individual.

成功には不可欠です

People must choose for themselves, sometimes sticking to their guns,

米国では 第一の選択権は

regardless of what other people want or recommend.

個人にあります

It's called "being true to yourself."

自分で選択するのが当たり前

But do all individuals benefit

人に左右されず信念を守る

from taking such an approach to choice?

自分に正直に生きる

Mark Lepper and I did a series of studies

でも この選択方法が

in which we sought the answer to this very question.

万人に有利と言えるでしょうか

In one study,

マーク リッパーと共に

which we ran in Japantown, San Francisco,

この疑問を解く調査をしました

we brought seven- to nine-year-old Anglo- and Asian-American children

このリサーチで

into the laboratory,

サンフランシスコの日本人街に行き

and we divided them up into three groups.

７～９歳の白人系とアジア系米国人を

The first group came in,

研究所に呼び

and they were greeted by Miss Smith,

子供を３グループに分けました

who showed them six big piles of anagram puzzles.

第１グループに

The kids got to choose which pile of anagrams they would like to do,

スミスを紹介し

and they even got to choose which marker

６つの文字並べ替えパズルを見せました

they would write their answers with.

子供は 好きなパズルを選択

When the second group of children came in,

答えを書くマーカーペンまで

they were brought to the same room, shown the same anagrams,

選択できます

but this time Miss Smith told them

第２グループが同じ部屋で

which anagrams to do

同じパズルを見せられます

and which markers to write their answers with.

でも今回はスミスが

Now when the third group came in,

どのパズルをするか

they were told that their anagrams and their markers

どのマーカーを使うかを指示

had been chosen by their mothers.

第３グループは

(Laughter)

母親が決めたパズルとマーカーを

In reality,

使うよう指示されます

the kids who were told what to do,

(会場の笑い声）

whether by Miss Smith or their mothers,

実際には

were actually given the very same activity,

スミス または母親に

which their counterparts in the first group

指示を受けたとは言え

had freely chosen.

作業はまったく同じ

With this procedure, we were able to ensure

第１グループだけは

that the kids across the three groups

選択の自由がありました

all did the same activity,

この手順で ３グループに

making it easier for us to compare performance.

同じ作業を与え

Such small differences in the way we administered the activity

成果を比較しやすいように

yielded striking differences

アレンジしました

in how well they performed.

小さな差を設けただけですが

Anglo-Americans,

子供の成果に

they did two and a half times more anagrams

目を見張る差がでました

when they got to choose them,

白人系米国人は

as compared to when it was

自分でパズルを選んだ場合

chosen for them by Miss Smith or their mothers.

2.5倍もの量を解きました

It didn't matter who did the choosing,

このデータは

if the task was dictated by another,

スミスや母親が決めた時との比較です

their performance suffered.

誰が選ぶかには関係なく

In fact, some of the kids were visibly embarrassed

他人から命令されると

when they were told that their mothers had been consulted.

能力が落ちました

(Laughter)

母親が決めたと言うと

One girl named Mary said,

露骨に恥ずかしがる子もいました

"You asked my mother?"

(会場の笑い声）

(Laughter)

メアリーという子が言いました

In contrast,

“なんで ママに聞くわけ？”

Asian-American children

(会場の笑い声）

performed best when they believed

それと反対に

their mothers had made the choice,

アジア系米国人の子供は

second best when they chose for themselves,

母親が選んだ時

and least well when it had been chosen by Miss Smith.

最もよく出来ました

A girl named Natsumi

２番目が自分で選択した時

even approached Miss Smith as she was leaving the room

最下がスミスが選んだ時でした

and tugged on her skirt and asked,

なつみという子は

"Could you please tell my mommy

別れ際 スミスに駆け寄り

I did it just like she said?"

ぴったり くっついて言いました

The first-generation children were strongly influenced

“ママの言う通りにしたって

by their immigrant parents'

ママに伝えてくれる？”

approach to choice.

二世である子供は 選択において

For them, choice was not just a way

移民である両親から

of defining and asserting

強い影響を受けていました

their individuality,

彼らにとって 選択とは

but a way to create community and harmony

個性の明示や主張の

by deferring to the choices

手段だけでなく

of people whom they trusted and respected.

信用し尊敬する人たちに

If they had a concept of being true to one's self,

選択をゆだねることで

then that self, most likely,

社会や調和を築く手段でもあります

[was] composed, not of an individual,

“自分に正直に”という考えを持つとすれば

but of a collective.

おそらく 彼らの“自己”は

Success was just as much about pleasing key figures

個人ではなく

as it was about satisfying

集団的なものでしょう

one's own preferences.

大切な人を喜ばせることは

Or, you could say that

自分自身の望みを

the individual's preferences were shaped

満たすことに匹敵する

by the preferences of specific others.

言葉を変えれば

The assumption then that we do best

個人の選択傾向は

when the individual self chooses

特定の人の望みによって形成されている

only holds

自分が下す決断が

when that self

最も正しいという思い込みが