If you use them poorly, bad idea. Right?

所以你千万别成拙，对吧？

Beyond a certain level, extra effort seems to be self-defeating.

超过一定水平后，额外努力似乎会成拙。

But to extend an arm's-length approach to ordinary research would be self-defeating.

但是，将保持距离方法延伸到普通研究将会成拙。

Even well-meaning attempts to sugarcoat the truth are self-defeating, because they spread mistrust, rumours and, ultimately, fear.

即便是善意粉饰企图也会成拙，因为粉饰会传播不信任、谣言，最终是恐惧。

But companies themselves are prone to bend reality out of shape in ways that are self-defeating.

但企业本身往往会扭曲现实并成拙。

Right. I mean, today our whole goal was to impress you. We made fools of ourselves.

对啊，比如我们今天本来目标是要给你留下好印象，结果成拙。

Former President Obama criticized the decision as " cruel" and " self-defeating."

前总统奥巴马批评这一决定是“残忍”“成拙”。

Or we could take the threat seriously enough that it becomes a self-defeating prophecy.

或者我们可以认对待这个威胁，以至于它变成一个成拙预言。

Now, sometimes we get stuck in a cynical and self-defeating narrative.

现在，有时我们会陷入愤世嫉俗成拙叙述中。

She tried to look picturesque, but only succeeded in being untidy.

她试图显得别具一格，却只是成拙，显得邋遢不堪。

Sometimes, despite the best intentions, we still get it wrong.

有时候，尽管我们出于好意，却仍可能成拙。

And it can even be self defeating.

它甚至可能成拙。

And it keeps literally, in some cases, blowing up in his face.

而在某些情况下，这确实让他自食其果，成拙。

Many shortcuts are self-defeating; they waste the reader's time instead of conserving it.

很多捷径都是成拙；他们浪费了读者时间而不是节省了时间。

The important thing to remember is that jumping the gun is usually self-defeating.

重要是要记住，操之过急通常会成拙。

That seems especially puzzling and self-defeating, since a microbe that kills its host kills itself.

这似乎特别令人费解成拙，因为杀死宿主微生物也会杀死自己。

It's easy to make things worse.

很容易成拙。

You know I do try to do everything right, and sometimes I just get it wrong.

你也知道我尽量让一切都运转正常，但有时候我却成拙。

But desperate efforts to induce creativity can be self-defeating, in the same way that telling yourself that you must get to sleep is bound to keep you awake.

但是，不顾一切地激发创造力努力可能会成拙，就像告诉自己必须睡觉一定会让你保持清醒一样。

And so that's one that you probably need to work on that enough that you're not going to like shoot yourself in the foot playing to your strengths.

因此，你可能需要在这方面付出足够努力，以免在发挥自己优势时成拙。