1.I lost my sight /when I was four years old /by falling off a box car /in a freight yard/ in Atlantic city, /and landing on my head.
拆小句+排顺序
时间状语+地点状语+原因状语
四岁那年，在大西洋城，我从货场的一辆货车上摔了下来，头先着地，于是失明了。
freight （海运、空运或陆运的）货物；货运goods that are transported by ships, planes, trains or lorries/trucks; the system of transporting goods in this way
freight savings 运费 / freight box 车厢
2.vague
1.（思想上）不清楚的，含糊的，不明确的，模糊的not clear in a person's mind
2.~ (about sth)
不具体的；不详细的；粗略的not having or giving enough information or details about sth
3.茫然的；糊涂的；心不在焉的suggesting a lack of clear thought or attention
4.不清楚的；模糊的；朦胧的not having a clear shape
e.g. I can vaguely remember the way to his house.
e.g. The speaker conveyed vague information so the audience were in the dark.
3.I can vaguely remember the brightness of sunshine and what color red is.
我依稀记得阳光是多么明媚，红色是多么鲜艳。
注意语言风格平时，汉语多短句
4. the other day有一天，前几天
It occurred to me the other day that I might not have come to love life as I do, if I hadn't been blind.
有一天我突然想到，如果我不是盲人，或许我不会像现在这样热爱生活。
5.Life, I believe, asks a continuous series of adjustments to reality.我认为，生活需要我们不断根据现实做出调整。
有时候 a N of 就是表示 许多的意思 一系列可以省略。
6.the more readily a person is able to make these adjustments,
这里readily 怎么译？
readily
adv.
1.快捷地 ;轻而易举地;便利地quickly and without dificulty
2.欣然地; 乐意地in a way that shows you do not object to sth
这里翻译为“及时”
人越是能及时进行调整
7.but a calamity can do strange things to people.
strange 怎么译？
联系下文，失明这件事给"我”带来了好处
但是灾难也能对人产生奇妙的作用。
8.My parents and my teachers saw something in me —a potential to live, you might call it ——which I didn’t see.
扣原文翻译
我的父母和老师在我身上发现了某种东西，可以称之为活下去的潜力吧，而我自己却没有发现。
9.fight it out 一决胜负，一决雌雄，打到底
e.g.What he said made me want to fight it out with difficulties.
e.g. The speech inspired him to fight it out with cancer
10. a chair rocker
a chair rocker来源于rock a chair 摇椅子
I would have collapsed and become a chair rocker on the front porch for the rest of my life .我会精神崩溃，坐在前门廊的摇椅中度过余生。
11.But I mean something bigger than that:
但是我指的是某种更加强大的力量
12.sweeping adj.
1.影响广泛的；大范围的；根本性的having an important effect on a large part of sth
2.（过分）笼统的；一概而论的too general and failing to think about or understand particular examples
3.~ victory
（在投票等中的）大胜，全胜a victory by a large number of votes, etc.
4.弧线的；弯曲的forming a curved shape
Ask him whether he thinks he can get a sweeping agreement and he says he would not be making the effort if he did not.
当问到是否认为能够达成一全面性的协议时，布朗表示，如果他不这麽认为，他就不会花这麽多力气了。
13.an assurance that I am, despite imperfections, a real, positive person that somewhere in the sweeping, intricate pattern of people there is a special place where I can make myself fit.
坚信我虽然有缺陷，但我是个真实的，积极向上的人，坚信在芸芸众生错综复杂的格局中，自有我能安生立命的一席之地。
词性转换 n. 变v.
反说正译
重复
四字成语
14.It took me years to discover and strengthen this assurance.
discover 怎么译？
树立，注意动宾搭配
15.invited the bitterness of failure
招致失败的苦果
e.g. What Zhai Tianlin has done invites criticim.
e.g. His carelessness invited the irreversible loss.
总结:
1.英译汉要注意正确断句，排顺序，注意前后的逻辑关系。
2.the brightness of sunshine and what color red is 翻译的时候偏正变主谓
3.strange 不能直译，联系下文
4.readily 及时
5.a chair rocker
6. 反说正译
7.重复
8.词性转换
9.invite 导致