It's my first year as a new high school science teacher,

現在是我第一年當高中科學教師，

and I'm so eager.

而我滿懷期待。

I'm so excited, I'm pouring myself into my lesson plans.

我非常興奮，把自己完全投入了課程的安排之中。

But I'm slowly coming to this horrifying realization

然而我慢慢理解到一個恐怖的事實

that my students just might not be learning anything.

是我的學生們可能其實什麼也沒有學到。

This happens one day:

有一天發生了這樣的事：

I'd just assigned my class to read this textbook chapter

我指定了我們班讀課本裡的一章

about my favorite subject in all of biology:

是有關於生物學中我最喜歡的部份：

viruses and how they attack.

病毒以及牠們如何攻擊致病。

And so I'm so excited to discuss this with them,

因此我非常興奮要與他們討論這課題，

and I come in and I say, "Can somebody please explain

而當我切入話題時，「請哪一位可以解釋一下

the main ideas and why this is so cool?"

這裡的主要概念以及這個概念為什麼這麼酷？」

There's silence.

課堂裡一片寂靜。

Finally, my favorite student, she looks me straight in the eye,

終於，我最喜愛的學生，她直直看著我的眼

and she says, "The reading sucked."

然後她說，「閱讀很糟。」

And then she clarified. She said, "You know what,

接下來她澄清道說，「你知道嗎，

I don't mean that it sucks. It means that I didn't understand a word of it.

我不是說這課題很糟。我的意思是我無法明白這裡任何一個字。」

It's boring. Um, who cares, and it sucks."

這很無聊。而且，誰管它，這就是很糟。」

These sympathetic smiles

那些深感同情的微笑

spread all throughout the room now,

現在漫延到整個房間，

and I realize that all of my other students are in the same boat,

而我了解我所有其他學生都在同樣的情況裡，

that maybe they took notes or they memorized definitions from the textbook,

就是雖然他們記筆記或是記下課本裡的定義，

but not one of them really understood the main ideas.

但是他們中沒有一位真正理解主要概念。

Not one of them can tell me why this stuff is so cool,

他們沒有一位能夠告訴我為什麼這東西如此酷，

why it's so important.

為什麼這如此重要。

I'm totally clueless.

我完全沒了頭緒。

I have no idea what to do next.

我完全不知道下一步該怎麼作。

So the only thing I can think of is say,

所以我唯一能想到的就是說，

"Listen. Let me tell you a story.

「聽著。讓我來跟你們說個故事吧。

The main characters in the story are bacteria and viruses.

在這故事裡面的主角是細菌和病毒。

These guys are blown up a couple million times.

這兩位先生被放大了幾百萬倍。

The real bacteria and viruses are so small

真正的細菌和病毒是如此的小

we can't see them without a microscope,

我們不用顯微鏡是無法看見牠們的，

and you guys might know bacteria and viruses

而或許你們會知道細菌和病毒

because they both make us sick.

是因為牠們都使我們生病。

But what a lot of people don't know is that viruses

然而有很多人不知道的是病毒

can also make bacteria sick."

也能夠使細菌生病。」

Now, the story that I start telling my kids,

現在，這是我告訴我孩子們的故事，

it starts out like a horror story.

它的開頭像是個恐怖故事。

Once upon a time there's this happy little bacterium.

很久以前有一隻小小快樂的細菌。

Don't get too attached to him.

別對牠太過著迷囉。

Maybe he's floating around in your stomach

有可能牠在你的胃裡四處漂流

or in some spoiled food somewhere,

或者在哪裡的腐壞食物中，

and all of a sudden he starts to not feel so good.

突然牠開始感到有些不舒服。

Maybe he ate something bad for lunch,

大概是牠午餐吃了些不好的東西，

and then things get really horrible,

然後事情變得非常恐怖，

as his skin rips apart, and he sees a virus

牠的皮膚裂開，看見一隻病毒

coming out from his insides.

從牠的肚子裡跑出來。

And then it gets horrible

接著更恐怖的事發生了

when he bursts open and an army of viruses

牠爆開而且一整隊的病毒

floods out from his insides.

像洪水般從牠體內湧出。

If -- Ouch is right! --

如果--唉唷是正確的形容--

If you see this, and you're a bacterium,

如果你看到這，而你是隻細菌，

this is like your worst nightmare.

這就像是你最糟糕的惡夢。

But if you're a virus and you see this,

反而如果你是病毒而看到這，

you cross those little legs of yours and you think,

你會交叉你那小小的雙腿想著，

"We rock."

「我們超屌。」

Because it took a lot of crafty work to infect this bacterium.

因為要感染這隻細菌需要很多精密的工作。

Here's what had to happen.

以下是會發生的事

A virus grabbed onto a bacterium

一隻病毒抓上了一隻細菌

and it slipped its DNA into it.

然後它把DNA植入那隻細菌

The next thing is, that virus DNA made stuff

接著發生的事，病毒的DNA會生產物質

that chopped up the bacteria DNA.

把細菌的DNA切成一斷一斷

And now that we've gotten rid of the bacteria DNA,

然後現在我們就搞定了細菌的DNA

the virus DNA takes control of the cell

病毒的DNA奪下了這個細胞

and it tells it to start making more viruses.

並告訴這個細胞開始生成更多的病毒

Because, you see, DNA is like a blueprint

因為，你知道，DNA像是藍圖

that tells living things what to make.

告訴活著的東西要建造甚麼。

So this is kind of like going into a car factory

所以這有點像是走進汽車工廠

and replacing the blueprints with blueprints for killer robots.

然後把他們的工程藍圖偷偷換成機器人殺手的藍圖。

The workers still come the next day, they do their job,

第二天工廠工人仍然來，完成他們的工作，

but they're following different instructions.

只是現在他們遵從不同的指示。

So replacing the bacteria DNA with virus DNA

所以把細菌的DNA換成病毒的DNA

turns the bacteria into a factory for making viruses --

就會把細菌轉化成製造病毒的工廠--

that is, until it's so filled with viruses that it bursts.

就是，直到病毒塞爆這隻細菌。

But that's not the only way that viruses infect bacteria.

但是這不是病毒感染細菌的唯一方式。

Some are much more crafty.

有些是更狡猾的。

When a secret agent virus infects a bacterium,

當特務病毒要感染一隻細菌時，

they do a little espionage.

他們會先做點小偵測。

Here, this cloaked, secret agent virus is slipping his DNA into the bacterial cell,

這隻穿著夜行衣的特務病毒正要植入它的DNA到細菌細胞中，

but here's the kicker: It doesn't do anything harmful -- not at first.

但最厲害的是這個：它不會做任何有傷害性的動作——至少一開始不會

Instead, it silently slips into the bacteria's own DNA,

相反地，它悄悄将自己的DNA塞入細菌，

and it just stays there like a terrorist sleeper cell,

然後就待在那像是一個小歇中的恐怖份子，

waiting for instructions.

等待著進一步指示。

And what's interesting about this is now whenever this bacteria has babies,

有趣的是，現在只要這隻細菌有了小孩，

the babies also have the virus DNA in them.

它的小孩們也會帶有病毒的DNA。

So now we have a whole extended bacteria family,

所以現在有了一整個家族的細菌，

filled with virus sleeper cells.

都感染上了這沉睡中的病毒。

They're just happily living together until a signal happens

他們一同快樂地住在一起直到信號發生

and -- BAM! -- all of the DNA pops out.

然後--碰！--所有病毒的DNA竄出

It takes control of these cells, turns them into virus-making factories,

奪下了這些細胞，把它們變成病毒工廠，

and they all burst,

然後他們全都爆開來，

a huge, extended bacteria family,

一整個大細菌家族，

all dying with viruses spilling out of their guts,

全部死於從肝膽竄出的細菌，

the viruses taking over the bacterium.

然後病毒大舉掌控了細菌。

So now you understand how viruses can attack cells.

現在你就知道病毒如何攻擊細胞。

There are two ways: On the left is what we call the lytic way,

有兩種方式：左邊的我們叫做裂解性，

where the viruses go right in and take over the cells.

也就是病毒直接攻擊然後奪下細胞。

On the [right] is the lysogenic way

右邊是溶原性

that uses secret agent viruses.

派出的是秘密特務病毒。

So this stuff is not that hard, right?

所以這些東西並不那麼難，對吧？

And now all of you understand it.

現在你們全部都了解了。

But if you've graduated from high school,

然而只要你們讀過高中，

I can almost guarantee you've seen this information before.

我幾乎可以保證你曾看過這樣的資訊。

But I bet it was presented in a way

但是我懷疑會是以這樣的形式出現

that it didn't exactly stick in your mind.

使它不會深深印在你的腦海。

So when my students were first learning this,

这就是我的學生第一次學這個的時候，

why did they hate it so much?

為什麼他們如此恨這課題？

Well, there were a couple of reasons.

嗯，這裡有幾點原因。

First of all, I can guarantee you that their textbooks

第一點，我可以保證你他們的教科書

didn't have secret agent viruses, and they didn't have horror stories.

沒有秘密特務病毒，也沒有恐怖故事。

You know, in the communication of science

你們知道嗎，在科學的溝通裡面

there is this obsession with seriousness.

有一種對嚴肅擺脫不了的著迷。

It kills me. I'm not kidding.

這著迷使我受不了。我不是開玩笑。

I used to work for an educational publisher,

我曾經為一個教育出版機構工作，

and as a writer, I was always told never to use stories

而身為一個作家，我總是被告知千萬不要用故事

or fun, engaging language,

或者是有趣，迷人的文字，

because then my work might not be viewed

因為這樣會使我的作品不會被認為

as "serious" and "scientific."

是「嚴肅」和「科學」的。

Right? I mean, because God forbid somebody have fun

對吧？我是說，因為神禁止人們有樂趣

when they're learning science.

當他們在學習科學知識。

So we have this field of science that's all about slime,

就這樣我們有科學領域全有關於軟泥，

and color changes. Check this out.

還有變色反应。看看這個。

And then we have, of course, as any good scientist has to have,

我們還有，當然，像任何好的科學家都該有的

explosions!

爆炸！

But if a textbook seems too much fun,

然而如果一本教科書看來太好玩，

it's somehow unscientific.

它就會被評為不科學的。

Now another problem was that

現在另一個問題是

the language in their textbook was truly incomprehensible.

在學生教科書裡的文字真的是讓人無法理解的。

If we want to summarize that story that I told you earlier,

如果我們要總結前面我告訴你們的那個故事，

we could start by saying something like,

我們可以從這樣的話起頭，

"These viruses make copies of themselves

「這些病毒將自己複製

by slipping their DNA into a bacterium."

是靠著把自己的DNA放進細菌裡面。」

The way this showed up in the textbook, it looked like this:

而這信息在課本裡出現，是像這樣

"Bacteriophage replication is initiated

「病毒感染細菌的複製是起始於

through the introduction of viral nucleic acid

引介病毒的核酸

into a bacterium."

進入一個細菌。」

That's great, perfect for 13-year-olds.

那很好，超適合十三歲的人。

But here's the thing. There are plenty of people

但是現在這種情況。有無數的人

in science education who would look at this and say there's no way

在科學教育界會看著我們的總結說不可能

that we could ever give that to students,

把這樣的東西教給學生，

because it contains some language that isn't completely accurate.

因為這裡面有些不完全精確的用詞。

For example, I told you that viruses have DNA.

比如，我告訴你病毒有DNA。

Well, a very tiny fraction of them don't.

事實上，有一小部份的病毒沒有。

They have something called RNA instead.

牠們有叫做RNA的作取代。

So a professional science writer would circle that

所以一個專業的科學文字工作者會圈起它

and say, "That has to go.

然後說，「這必須改掉。」

We have to change it to something much more technical."

我們必須要把它改成更技術性的詞。」

And after a team of professional science editors

就這樣在一整組專業的科學編輯

went over this really simple explanation,

看過這非常簡單的解釋以後，

they'd find fault with almost every word I've used,

他們會從我所用的每一個詞挑出錯誤，

and they'd have to change anything that wasn't serious enough,

而且他們必須改正任何不夠嚴肅的詞語，

and they'd have to change everything

而他們必須改動所有

that wasn't 100 percent perfect.

不是百分之百完美的用詞。

Then it would be accurate,

然後文章會變得十分精確，

but it would be completely impossible to understand.

但是會變得完全無法理解。

This is horrifying.

這真是恐怖。

You know, I keep talking about this idea

你知道，我不斷提到這概念

of telling a story,

也就是說故事，

and it's like science communication has taken on this idea

而看起來科學的交流離不開這個概念

of what I call the tyranny of precision,

就是我稱為對精確要求的暴政，

where you can't just tell a story.

你不能只說個故事。

It's like science has become that horrible storyteller

好像科學已經成為一個糟糕的說故事者

that we all know, who gives us all the details nobody cares about,

你我都很熟習這種人，給我們一大堆無用細節的人，

where you're like, "Oh, I met my friend for lunch the other day,

就像，「喔，我某天跟我的朋友一起吃午餐，

and she was wearing these ugly jeans.

而她正穿著那很醜的牛仔褲。

I mean, they weren't really jeans, they were more kind of, like, leggings,

我是說，那並不真是牛仔褲，大概更像是褲襪，

but, like, I guess they're actually kind of more like jeggings,

但是，呃，我猜想那實際上更像是件窄褲，

like, but I think — " and you're just like, "Oh my God.

「像是，但我想——而你就像，「喔我的天啊。

What is the point?"

你到底想要說什麼？」

Or even worse, science education is becoming

或者更糟的，科學教育已經變成

like that guy who always says, "Actually."

像是個老是在說，「事實上」的人。

Right? You want to be like, "Oh, dude,

是吧？你想要像這樣說，「喔，老兄

we had to get up in the middle of the night

我們必須要半夜起來

and drive a hundred miles in total darkness."

而且要在黑暗中開上一百英里。」

And that guy's like, "Actually, it was 87.3 miles."

然後那人就回像是，「事實上，那是87.3英里。」

And you're like, "Actually, shut up!

然後你就說，「事實上，你給我閉嘴！

I'm just trying to tell a story."

我只是想要說個故事。」

Because good storytelling is all about emotional connection.

因為把故事說好完全是件關於情感連接的事。

We have to convince our audience

我們要說服我們的聽眾

that what we're talking about matters.

告訴他們我們所說的很重要。

But just as important is knowing

但是相同重要的是

which details we should leave out

我們必須省略哪些細節

so that the main point still comes across.

好讓主要的重點能夠顯出。

I'm reminded of what the architect Mies van der Rohe said,

我想起有位建築家Mies van der Rohe說過，

and I paraphrase, when he said that sometimes

而我這裡重述，他說有時候

you have to lie in order to tell the truth.

你必須要說謊才能說出實話。

I think this sentiment is particularly relevant

我認為這句格言

to science education.

和科學教育特別有關。

Now, finally,

現在，終於，

I am often so disappointed

我很多時候非常失望

when people think that I'm advocating

當人們認為我是在提倡

a dumbing down of science.

把科學弱智化。

That's not true at all.

那完全不是真的。

I'm currently a Ph.D. student at MIT,

我現在是MIT的博士生，

and I absolutely understand the importance of detailed,

而且我絕對理解細節的重要，

specific scientific communication between experts,

特別是專家之間的科學溝通，

but not when we're trying to teach 13-year-olds.

但不該是在我們想要教會13歲孩子的時候。

If a young learner thinks that all viruses have DNA,

如果有個年輕的學生認為所有的病毒都有DNA，

that's not going to ruin their chances of success in science.

那並不會毀了他們在科學上成功的機會。

But if a young learner can't understand anything in science

然而如果一個年輕的學生無法理解任何科學

and learns to hate it because it all sounds like this,

從而學到痛恨它因為它都聽來像天書，

that will ruin their chances of success.

那就真會毀了他們成功的機會。

This needs to stop,

這必須要停止，

and I wish that the change could come from the institutions

而我希望改變能來自於那些

at the top that are perpetuating these problems,

早存在這種問題的頂尖教育機構，

and I beg them, I beseech them to just stop it.

而我求他們，我懇求他們就停止這樣作。

But I think that's unlikely.

但是我想那是不太可能的。

So we are so lucky that we have resources

所以我們很幸運有一些資源

like the Internet, where we can circumvent these institutions

像是網路，在這我們可以在學府以外找到出路

from the bottom up.

從底而上。

There's a growing number of online resources

有越來越多的線上資源

that are dedicated to just explaining science

是傾注於只解釋科學

in simple, understandable ways.

用的是簡單，易了解的方法。

I dream of a Wikipedia-like website that would explain

我作夢能有個像是維基百科的網站可以解釋

any scientific concept you can think of

你能想到的任何科學概念

in simple language any middle schooler can understand.

用任何中學生都能了解的簡單文字寫成。

And I myself spend most of my free time

而我自己花了我大部份的閒遐時間

making these science videos that I put on YouTube.

來製作這些我放在YouTube上的影片。

I explain chemical equilibrium using analogies

我把化學平衡

to awkward middle school dances,

譬喻成怪異的中學生舞蹈，

and I talk about fuel cells with stories

而且我說了許多故事來解釋燃料電池

about boys and girls at a summer camp.

有關在夏季營隊裡的男孩和女孩。

The feedback that I get is sometimes misspelled

有時候我得到的回應是拼錯字的

and it's often written in LOLcats,

而且時常是以簡化文字像火星文寫的，

but nonetheless

然而不論如何

it's so appreciative, so thankful

是非常感激，充滿感謝的

that I know this is the right way

讓我知道這是正確的路

we should be communicating science.

我們應該這樣討論科學。

There's still so much work left to be done, though,

然而，這裡還有非常多的工作要做，

and if you're involved with science in any way

而如果你在任何方面有參與科學

I urge you to join me.

我力勸你來加入我的行列。

Pick up a camera, start to write a blog, whatever,

拿起相機，開始寫個部落格，任何事，

but leave out the seriousness, leave out the jargon.

但是不要用嚴肅的字眼，不要用專有名詞。

Make me laugh. Make me care.

讓我笑一個。讓我關心。