当你需要知道一个外语单词时，你会怎么做？许多人会拿起智能手机，来翻译他们需要的单词。但是如果计算机出错了，怎么办？在非正式的场合中，犯个小错误，也许影响不大；但有时在正式的重要场合中，一旦出现翻译错误，被传播出去，后果可能不堪设想。科技在不断地进步，但机器翻译能比真人翻译更好吗？

词汇: language and translation 语言和翻译

For me, it was bacon. There I was, standing in the streets of Medellin, Colombia, looking hungrily at a delicious empanada. The sign read 'queso y tocino'. Because I'd got my tongue round some essential Spanish vocabulary, I knew that 'queso' was cheese. But 'tocino'? I typed it into my smartphone translation app. What came back? 'Tocino'. I later learned that means 'bacon' in the local lingo.

Computer-assisted translation is popular. Google Translate, for example, is used by more than 500 million people. But while convenient and easy to use, they are hardly perfect. Now, dropping the odd expression now and again is hardly important on an informal conversational level – as might happen to a tourist on holiday. But in more formal circumstances, such as a medical or legal discussion, the wrong vernacular can be disastrous. So, can a computer translator ever equal a human?

The technology has come a long way. These days, people can wear a 'translation earpiece'.  These pick up the foreign terminology and translate it directly to the wearer. Andrew Ochoa, chief executive of US start-up Waverly Labs, a producer of one such earpiece, says they work by 'combining a network of algorithms and speech-recognition technology'.  But they have limitations. Firstly, there's a delay while the phrase is translated. How long often depends on the connection strength. Secondly, they aren't able to communicate human sentiment well.

Human conversation is subtler than just the words used. It has tone, attitude, nuance, for example. "If you want to create a relationship… you need a human translator to make it sound natural," Zoey Cooper, brand and content director at Wordbank, a global marketing and translation agency, told the BBC.

So, while many professional translators do use computer-assisted translation tools to help them with the repetitive nature of translation, context is important. It might work well for a survey or instruction manual, but for important human-to-human speech, and for the time being at least, better to use a translator, or your message might get garbled or lost in translation.

词汇表

get your tongue round 正确发出……音
vocabulary 词汇
translation 翻译
lingo 语言
expression 表达
conversational 交谈的，口语的
discussion 讨论
vernacular 本地话，方言
terminology 术语
speech-recognition 语音识别
sentiment 情绪
subtle 微妙的
tone 口气
nuance 细微差别
sound natural 听起来很通顺、自然
context 语境
garble 让（话语或信息）变得含糊不清，易引起误会
lost in translation 在翻译中遗失了

测验与练习

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What kind of food did the author want to buy in Colombia?

2. True or false? No one uses computer-assisted translation these days.

3. When can a computer-assisted translation error be a big problem?

4. How do translation earpieces work?

5. What are the disadvantages of translation earpieces?

2 .  选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. I'm quite good at languages, but I find Russian difficult to get my _______.

tongue round                tongue down                  mouth round             head down

2. 'Plagiarism' is a word you'll hear a lot in academic _______.

translation                   expression                       vernacular                 sentiment

3. The radio message was _______ by interference from the storm.

lost in translation         garbled                             nuanced                    discussed

4. He says he's sorry, but without _______, so I'm not sure I believe him.

translation                   discussion                        sentiment                  context

5. I am your teacher, young man, and I don't appreciate your _______.

context                        garble                               nuance                      tone

答案

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。  

1. What kind of food did the author want to buy in Colombia?
The author wanted to buy a 'queso y tocino' (cheese and bacon) empanada.

2. True or False? No one uses computer-assisted translation these days.
False. Google Translate, for example, is used by more than 500 million people.

3. When can a computer-assisted translation error be a big problem?
In formal circumstances, such as a medical or legal discussion, the wrong vernacular can be disastrous.

4. How do translation earpieces work?
They combine a network of algorithms and speech-recognition technology.

5. What are the disadvantages of translation earpieces?
There is a delay while the sentence is translated and they aren't able to communicate sentiment well.

2 .  选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. I'm quite good at languages, but I find Russian difficult to get my tongue round.

2. 'Plagiarism' is a word you'll hear a lot in academic vernacular.

3. The radio message was garbled by interference from the storm.

4. He says he's sorry, but without sentiment, so I'm not sure I believe him.

5. I am your teacher, young man, and I don't appreciate your tone.