- I’m Sam. - And I’m Neil.

-我是Sam。- 而我是Neil。

It’s nice to see you, Neil! [smiley face],[high five], [fist bump]!

很高興見到你，尼爾，[笑臉]、[擊掌]、[撞拳]!

What’s this, Sam? Are you saying hello with emojis?

Sam，你在做什麼？你在用表情符號打招呼嗎？

Yes, I am! In this programme, we’re entering the world of emojis, the small characters people use to show emotions in texts and emails.

是的，沒錯！在本次節目中，我們將進入表情符號的世界，就是人們在文字和電子郵件中用來表達情感的小符號。

Do you have a favorite emoji, Neil?

Neil，你有沒有最愛的表情符號？

Mine’s the [crying tears of laughter] emoji.

我的是[笑中帶淚]的表情符號。

I like the [smiling face with hearts] one, and with over three thousand emojis to choose from, there’s one for every occasion.

我喜歡[帶心的笑臉]，還有超過三千種表情符號可以選擇，每種場合都有適合的。

It’s one of the reasons why emojis have become so popular over the last twenty years.

這是表情符號在過去的二十年裡變得這麼流行的原因。

They let people put back some of the human emotion that’s missing in written texts and emails.

它們讓人們能在書面文本和電子郵件中放入原先所缺少的人類情感。

We’ll be finding out more about emojis, and learning some related vocabulary, soon, but first I have a question for you, Neil.

我們將了解更多關於表情符號，也很快會學習一些相關詞彙，但Neil，首先我有一個問題要問你。

It’s about the word "emoji" itself, which was invented in 1999 in Japan for the first internet-enabled mobile phones.

關於「表情符號」這個詞本身，它於1999年首次在日本的第一批可連上網的手機中發明。

The name, "emoji," comes from the combination of two Japanese words, but which words?

它的名字，「表情符號」來自於兩個日語單詞的結合，但是是哪些單詞呢？

Is the word "emoji" a combination of: (a) face and emotion (b) picture and character or (c) message and image?

它是？(a) 臉和情感？(b) 圖片和字元？ 或 (c)資訊和圖像？

I'll say it’s (a) face and emotion.

我選(a) 臉和情感。

OK, Neil. We’ll find out if your answer gets a [thumbs up] at the end of the programme.

好的，Neil。我們在節目的最後會揭曉你的答案會不會得到一個[大拇指]。

When we talk with someone face to face, we use physical gestures like smiling, laughing or nodding to show the other person how we feel.

當我們與某人面對面交談時，我們用肢體動作，像是微笑、大笑或點頭來向表達我們的感受。

But these gestures get lost in written communication.

但這些肢體動作無法在書面溝通中展示出來。

That’s where emojis come in; they add feeling and emotion to online messages.

這就是表情符號的作用，它們在網路訊息中添加了感覺和情感。

But not everyone is an emoji fan.

但不是每個人都支持表情符號。

Some people believe that carefully chosen words are the best way of expressing yourself, and that emojis are affecting our ability to put feelings into words.

有些人認為，斟酌選擇文字是表達自己的最好方式，而表情符號正在影響我們用文字來表達情感的能力。

Here’s cognitive linguist, Professor Vyv Evans, author of a book about the language of emojis, explaining more to BBC Radio 4’s, Word of Mouth.

這裡是一位撰寫表情符號語言的書的作者，認知語言學家Vyv Evans教授在BBC Radio 4’s，Word of Mouth 所作出的解釋。

A lot of people, you know, language-mavens, the grammar police and so on, or say... have this sort of jaundiced, prejudiced view about emoji that it's taking us back to the dark ages of illiteracy.

你知道很多人，語言大師、文法警察等等，或者說有這種關於表情符號狹隘的、偏見看法的人，把我們帶回了文盲的黑暗時代。

Bring back Shakespeare, and stick to the language of Shakespeare and all the rest of it.

帶回到莎士比亞，堅持使用莎士比亞的語言和其他有的沒的。

But that fundamentally misunderstands the nature of communication.

但這從根本上錯誤理解了溝通的本質。

Emoji is important.

表情符號很重要。

In fact, it makes us more effective communicators in the digital age.

事實上，它讓我們在這個數位時代成為更有效的溝通者。

Vyv Evans describes people who don’t approve of emojis as the grammar police, a slang term referring to people who want to see formal language and grammar, what they call "correct" English written online.

Vyv Evans說不認可表情符號的人是grammar police（文法警察），這是一個俚語，指的是那些想在網上看到正式語言和文法的人，那些他們所謂的「正確 」英語。

The grammar police criticise modern styles of English and like to correct other people’s mistakes in spelling and grammar.

文法警察批評現代英語風格，喜歡糾正別人的拼寫和語法錯誤。

According to Professor Evans, the grammar police have a jaundiced view of emojis.

根據Evans教授的說法，文法警察對於表情符號的觀點很狹隘。

They only see the negative side of them because of their own ideas and experiences.

只因自己的想法和經驗，他們對於表情符號的感受很負面。

What’s more, they think emojis are taking us back to the dark ages of illiteracy, when most people couldn’t read or write.

更重要的是，他們認為表情符號正在把我們帶回文盲的黑暗時代，當時大多數人不能閱讀或書寫。

If someone refers to the dark ages, they mean a past time in history considered uncivilised, and characterised by ignorance.

如果有人提到了dark ages（黑暗時代），指的就是歷史上一個被認為不文明、無知的時期。

But luckily for emoji fans, the grammar police are in the minority.

但對於支持表情符號的人來說幸運的是，文法警察佔少數。

Over six billion emoji messages are sent around the world every day, with about 70 percent containing emotion-based characters like [smiley face] and [blowing kisses].

世界各地每天有超過60億個表情符號資訊被發送， 其中約70%是含有情感的符號，如 [笑臉]和[飛吻]。

According to Professor Evans, emoji users are more expressive, more effective communicators.

根據Evans教授的說法，表情符號用戶的表達能力更強，是更有效的溝通者。

So, could that be an advantage for someone looking for love online?

那麼，這是否可以成為一個人在網上尋找愛情的優勢呢？

That’s what Michael Rosen, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s, Word of Mouth, wanted to find out.

這便是Michael Rosen所主持的BBC Radio 4’s，Word of Mouth所想探討的。

Is it possible to start a relationship using emoji?

有可能用表情符號開始一段關係嗎？

Well, there is research that’s been conducted by Match.com, the American-based dating site,

這裡有一個研究是美國的約會網站，Match.com進行的，

and what they’ve found, based on their research, is that the people that use more emojis tend to be lucky in love, they have more success in terms of dating.

根據研究，他們發現，使用較多的表情符號的人在感情中的運氣會比較好，他們在約會方面比較容易成功。

In the digital age, using emoji makes us more effective communicators... - More expressive. - More expressive, we’re better able to express our emotional selves,

在數位時代，表情符號使我們成為更有效的溝通者。 - 更會表達。 - 更會表達，更能傳遞自我情感，

and people therefore stand to reason—if you use more emojis you’re gonna get more dates!

因此人們會覺得如果你用更多的表情符號就會有更多約會是有道理的！

For people who are dating, or starting a romantic relationship with someone, it seems that using emojis helps them be lucky in love, an expression meaning lucky in finding a romantic partner.

對於正在約會的人，或正要和某人在一起，看來使用表情符號幫助他們 be lucky in love（在感情中的運氣更好），表示幸運找到了伴侶。

Emojis let us show our true personality, so Professor Evans says, it stands to reason, in other words, it seems likely to be true, that emoji users get more dates.

Evans教授說，表情符號讓我們展示自己的真實個性，所以it stands to reason（這是有道理的），換句話說，這似乎是真的──表情符號使用者有更多約會機會。

And that’s a big [thumbs up] from me!

我會給一個[大拇指]！

What about our question, Sam?

Sam，你的問題呢？

Did my answer get a [thumbs up] too?

我的答案也得到了[大拇指]嗎？

In my question, I asked you which words combine to make up the Japanese word, "emoji."

在我的問題中，我問你哪些詞組合成日語單詞 emoji。

And I guessed it was (a) face and emotion.

然後我猜 (a) 臉和情緒。

Which was [sad face], the wrong answer, I’m afraid.

答案是 [悲傷的臉]，很抱歉答錯了。

In fact, "emoji" combines the words for "picture" and "character" in Japanese.

事實上，「表情符號 」是以下幾個日文的結合：「圖片」和「字元」。

OK, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learnt about emojis, starting with the grammar police, people who want correct spelling and grammar online, and criticize those who don’t.

好的，讓我們回顧一下我們所學到的關於表情符號的詞彙，從grammar police （文法警察）開始，表示想要網路中能使用正確拼寫和文法、並批評其他沒有這麼做的人。

If you have a jaundiced view of something, you only see the negative side because of your own bad experience with it.

如果你對某事有jaundiced（狹隘的）看法，表示你只看到負面的一面，因為你有不好的經驗。

"The dark ages" describes a period in history characterized by ignorance and a lack of progress.

The dark ages（黑暗時代），描述了一個歷史中時期愚昧無知和沒有進步的時期。

If you are dating someone, you are spending time with them romantically, which means you are lucky in love, an expression meaning lucky in finding a romantic partner.

如果你和某人約會，代表你與他們浪漫地共度時光，意味著you are lucky in love （你在感情上的運氣很好），意思是幸運找到另一半。

And finally, the phrase "it stands to reason," means that something seems likely to be true, or it makes sense.

最後，it stands to reason（這句話是有道理的），意味著某些東西似乎是真實的，或者說是有意義的。

- Once again, our six minutes are up. Bye for now! - Bye!

- 我們的六分鐘時間到了。下次見！ - 再見！