The origin of the word 'penguin' is still debated.

「企鵝」這個字的來源仍有待確定。

The name was first applied to the now extinct Great Auk of the seas around Newfoundland in Canada, and may have come from the Welsh "pen gwyn", meaning white head, or perhaps even a similar phrase in the Breton or Cornish languages.

這個字最早指的是現已絕種的大海雀，牠們棲息的區域為加拿大紐芬蘭附近海域，可能取自威爾士語的「pen gwyn」，意思是白色的頭，或者可能取自布列塔尼語或康瓦爾語中近似的用語。

In the log book of the golden hind, which sailed around the world in 1577-1580, there is a reference to a 'foule, which the Welsh men named Pengwin' that was seen at the Magellan's strait at the tip of South America.

1577 年到 1580 年航遊世界的黃金雌鹿號之航海日誌中提及一種「東西（foule為法文），威爾士人取名叫Peng win」，他們在南美洲的麥哲倫海峽看到的。

The sailors on the expedition may have mistaken penguins for great auks, or simply applied a term they knew to an unfamiliar bird.

探險隊的水手可能把企鵝錯看成大海雀了，或者只是用他們覺得最像的字去形容沒看過的鳥。

The great auk looked very much like a penguin, in that it was a large flightless bird with black and white plumage that was adapted to life in freezing waters.

大海雀看起來非常像企鵝，牠是一種不能飛的巨型鳥類，身上黑白兩色的羽毛讓牠們能在冰冷的水中生活。

Naturally, the question that then usually arises is whether or not a penguin is in fact classified as a bird?

當然囉，通常這時候你會想問企鵝到底算不算是鳥呢？

This is because we often see images of these creatures swimming underwater, or waddling in an ungainly way across the icy wastes of Antarctica.

這是因為我們常常看到這些生物在水裡游泳或是在南極洲冰動的荒地上搖頭晃腦地行走。

Penguins can't fly, and we typically think of birds as being able to soar through the air.

企鵝不能飛，而我們通常認為典型的鳥類應該能夠翱翔天際。

However, penguins are classified as birds, aves in zoological terms.

不過，企鵝的確屬於鳥類，也就是動物學的鳥綱。

They are black and white, flightless seabirds, of the family spheniscidae, which are found in the southern hemisphere, mostly in the Antarctic, although several species live in warmer regions.

牠們是黑白、不能飛的海鳥，屬於企鵝科生活於南半球，大多聚集在南極洲，不過有些品種生活於較溫暖的地區。

In common with other birds, penguins have feathers, lay eggs, and are warm-blooded.

像其他鳥類一樣，企鵝也有羽毛、也會生蛋，也是恆溫動物。

Through evolutionary processes, penguins' wings gradually adapted to become flippers, which they use for swimming.

經過演化，企鵝的翅膀逐漸變成鰭狀，利於牠們游泳。

The feathers of a penguin are relatively short and stiff in comparison to those of other birds, and they overlap closely to form a thick, smooth layer, which traps air beneath it and so provides insulation from the cold.

企鵝的羽毛相當的短跟其他鳥類相較之下顯得較硬，它們會相互重疊形成 一層又厚又平滑的外衣，這樣一來就鎖住內層的空氣而能與外界寒冷隔絕 。

There are other flightless birds, like the Australian emu, the cassowary of New Guinea, and the ostrich.

世界上還有其他不能飛的鳥，像是澳洲鴕鳥、新幾內亞的鶴鴕，還有鴕鳥。

Unlike the penguin, they are all more visibly feathery as well as being land-based, so we're probably less likely to question the fact that they're birds.

他們不像企鵝，牠們的羽毛更明顯而且都生活在陸地上，所以我們可能比較不會懷疑牠們算不算是鳥類。