And I’m Sam. Rob, I’m writing a letter to a friend in Spain  

而我是山姆。羅伯，我正在給西班牙的一個朋友寫信

and I need some help. Do you know the Spanish for, ‘it’s raining’?  

而我需要一些幫助。你知道 "下雨了 "的西班牙語嗎？

Don’t worry, I have this new app ... I just hold up my phone, scan the word 

別擔心，我有這個新的應用程序......我只是舉起我的手機，掃描這個詞

I want translated, uh, 'esta lloviendo’,

我想翻譯一下，呃，"esta lloviendo"。

is the Spanish for, ‘it’s raining’. Amazing! In this programme we’re discussing

是西班牙語，意思是 "下雨了"。太神奇了!在這個節目中，我們將討論

language technologies – computers that can

語言技術-------能在電腦上

translate between languages. Modern software like Google Translate  

在語言之間進行翻譯。像谷歌翻譯這樣的現代軟件

has transformed how we learn foreign languages, bringing us closer to a world  

已經改變了我們學習外語的方式，使我們更接近於一個世界。

where language is no longer a barrier to communication.  

在那裡，語言不再是溝通的障礙。

But how well do these computers know  what we really mean to say?  

但是，這些計算機對我們真正想說的話瞭解多少呢？

Later we’ll find out exactly what machines can and can’t translate,  

以後我們會發現機器到底能翻譯什麼，不能翻譯什麼。

and, as usual, we’ll be learning some new vocabulary as well.  

和往常一樣，我們還將學習一些新的詞彙。

But first I have a question for you, Sam. The translation app I used just now is 

但首先我有一個問題要問你，Sam。 我剛才使用的翻譯應用程序是

very recent, but there’s a

很近，但有一個

long history of computer mistranslations - times when computers got it badly wrong.  

漫長的計算機誤譯歷史--計算機嚴重出錯的時代。

In 1987, the American airline, Braniff, ran television adverts promoting  

1987年，美國的布蘭尼夫航空公司播放電視廣告，宣傳

the all-leather seats installed on their flights to Mexico.  

他們飛往墨西哥的班機上安裝的全皮座椅。

But how was its “fly in leather” advertising slogan mistranslated into Spanish?  

但是它的 "穿皮衣飛 "的廣告語是如何被誤譯成西班牙語的呢？

Did the advert say: a) fly in lava  

廣告中是否說：a) 在熔岩中飛行

b) fly on a cow c) fly naked  

b) 飛在牛身上 c) 裸體飛行

Hmm, I have a feeling it might be, c) fly naked.  

嗯，我有一種感覺，可能是，c）裸體飛行。

Ok, Sam. I’ll reveal the correct answer later in the programme.  

好的，山姆。我將在節目中稍後揭曉正確答案。

Computer software used to rely on rules-based translation,  

計算機軟件曾經依靠基於規則的翻譯。

applying the grammar rules of one language to another.  

將一種語言的文法規則應用於另一種語言。

That worked fine for simple words and phrases but what happens when a translator  

對於簡單的單詞和短語來說，這樣做很好，但是當一個翻譯員

comes across more complex language for example metaphors  

遇到更復雜的語言，如比喻

- expressions used to describe one thing by comparing it to another.  

- 用來描述一個事物與另一個事物相比較的表達方式。

Lane Greene is a language journalist and the author of the book,

萊恩-格林是一名語言記者，也是這本書的作者。

Talk on the Wild Side. Here he explains to BBC

談到野性的一面。在這裡，他向BBC解釋

Radio 4 programme, Word of Mouth, how apps like Google Translate  

第四電臺節目《口碑》，谷歌翻譯等應用程序如何

allow users to manually translate metaphors: If I say, ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’  

允許用戶手動翻譯隱喻。如果我說，'下雨了，貓和狗'。

and it literally translates, ‘esta lloviendo perros y gatos’  

它的字面翻譯是："esta lloviendo perros y gatos"。

in Spanish, that won’t make any sense, but I think somebody at Google  

在西班牙語中，這不會有任何意義，但我認為谷歌的某人

will have inputted the phrase, ‘lueve a cántaros’ which is the phrase,  

將輸入 "lueve a cántaros "這個短語，這是一個短語。

‘it’s raining pitchers’, or ‘it’s raining jugs of water’,  

'下的是投手'，或者'下的是水壺'。

so that the whole chunk, ‘raining cats and dogs’,  

這樣，整個大塊，'雨過天晴'。

is translated into the equivalent metaphor in Spanish.  

被翻譯成西班牙語中的對應隱喻。

Lane wants to translate the phrase,  

萊恩想翻譯這句話。

it’s raining cats and dogs, something that people sometimes say  

雨過天晴，人們有時會這樣說

when it’s raining heavily. It wouldn’t make sense to translate this  

下大雨的時候。 如果翻譯成這樣，就沒有意義了

phrase into another language literally, word by word. One solution is to translate  

將短語一字不差地翻譯成另一種語言。一個解決方案是翻譯

the whole idiom as a chunk, or a large part of text or language.  

整個成語是一個大塊，或者說是文本或語言的很大一部分。

This works for phrases and idioms that people regularly use in the same way  

這適用於人們經常以相同方式使用的短語和習語

because they can be taught to a computer. But what happens when someone like a poet  

因為它們可以被教給計算機。但是，當像詩人這樣的人發生了什麼

writes a completely new sentence which has never been written before?  

寫了一個全新的、以前從未寫過的句子？

Lane Greene thinks that even the smartest software  

Lane Greene認為，即使是最聰明的軟件

couldn’t deal with that, as he told Michael Rosen,  

無法處理這個問題，正如他告訴邁克爾-羅森的那樣。

poet and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Word of Mouth:  

詩人，英國廣播公司第四臺《口碑》節目主持人。

…if a poet writes a new one then the machine is not going to pick it up,  

......如果一個詩人寫了一個新的，那麼機器是不會去接的。

and it’s going to have a struggle, isn’t it? Sorry, I’m sticking up for poetry here  

而它會有一個掙扎，不是嗎？對不起，我在這裡為詩歌站臺

and trying to claim that it’s untranslatable – can you hear what I’m doing?  

並試圖聲稱它是無法翻譯的--你能聽到我在做什麼嗎？

I hear you, and in a war against the machines, our advantage is novelty and creativity.  

我聽到了，在與機器的戰爭中，我們的優勢是新穎性和創造性。

So you’re right that machines will be great at anything that is rote,  

所以你是對的，機器會在任何死記硬背的事情上表現出色。

anything that’s already been done a million times can be automated.  

任何已經做了一百萬次的事情都可以自動化。

So you and I with our pre-frontal cortexes can try to come up with phrases  

所以，你和我用我們的前額葉皮層可以試著想出一些短語來

that’ll flummox the computer and so keep our jobs.  

這將使計算機感到困惑，從而保住我們的工作。

When we say machines “learn” a language, we really mean they have been trained  

當我們說機器 "學習 "一種語言時，我們真正的意思是它們已經被訓練過了。

to identify patterns in millions and millions of translations.  

在數百萬和數百萬的翻譯中識別模式。

Computers can only learn by rote - by memory in order to repeat information  

計算機只能通過死記硬背來學習--通過記憶來重複資訊

rather than to properly understand it. This kind of rote learning  

而不是為了正確理解它。這種死記硬背的學習方式

can be easily automated - done by machines instead of humans.  

可以很容易地實現自動化--由機器而不是人完成。

But it’s completely different from human learning requiring creative thinking  

但這與需要創造性思維的人類學習完全不同

which would flummox – or confuse, even the most sophisticated machine.  

即使是最複雜的機器，也會感到困惑--或者說迷惑。

Bad news for translation software, but good news for humans  

對翻譯軟件來說是壞消息，但對人類來說是好消息

who use different languages in their jobs – like us!  

在工作中使用不同語言的人--就像我們一樣!

Yes, if only Braniff Airlines had relied on human translators,  

是的，如果布蘭尼夫航空公司依靠人類翻譯就好了。

they might have avoided an embarrassing situation.  

他們可能已經避免了一個尷尬的局面。

Ah, in your question you asked how Braniff’s television advertisement  

啊，在你的問題中，你問Braniff的電視廣告如何

“fly in leather” was translated into Spanish. I guessed it was mistranslated as “fly naked’.  

"飛在皮革裡 "被翻譯成西班牙語。我猜測它被誤譯為 "裸飛"。

Which was… the correct answer! Braniff translated its "fly in leather" slogan  

這就是......正確的答案!布蘭尼夫公司將其 "穿著皮革飛翔 "的口號譯為

as fly "en cuero," which sounds like

如飛 "en cuero"，聽起來像

Spanish slang for "fly naked”. OK, let’s recap the vocabulary  

西班牙俚語中的 "裸體飛行"。好了，讓我們來回顧一下這些詞彙

from this programme about language translations  

從這個節目中瞭解到關於語言翻譯的情況

which are automated - done by machines instead of humans.  

這些都是自動化的--由機器而不是人完成。

Often found in poetry, a metaphor is a way of describing  

隱喻常常出現在詩歌中，是一種描述的方式

something by reference to something else. When it’s raining heavily  

通過參考其他東西來說明問題。下大雨的時候

you might use the idiom, it’s raining cats and dogs!  

你可以用一個成語來形容，那就是雨過天晴!

A chunk is a large part of something. Rote learning involves memorising information  

大塊是事物的一大部分。記憶性學習包括記憶資訊

which you repeat but don’t really understand. And finally, if someone is flummoxed,  

這是你重複但並不真正理解的。最後，如果有人被弄糊塗了。

they’re so confused that they don’t know what to do!  

他們很困惑，不知道該怎麼做!

Once again our six minutes are up! Join us again soon for more trending topics  

我們的六分鐘又一次到了!請儘快加入我們，瞭解更多的趨勢性話題

and useful vocabulary here at 6 Minute English.  

和有用的詞彙，在這裡6分鐘英語。

Goodbye for now! Bye!

暫時再見!再見！