翻译技术 - 6 Minute English：英语精读讲义

Six Minute English from the BBC.

BBC 六分钟英语。

Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

大家好，这里是 BBC 英语教学的六分钟英语。

I'm Rob.

我是 Rob。

And I'm Sam.

我是 Sam。

Rob, I'm writing a letter to a friend in Spain

Rob，我正在给一位在西班牙的朋友写信，

and I need some help.

我需要一点帮助。

Do you know the Spanish for it's raining? 短語搭配

你知道“下雨了”用西班牙语怎么说吗？

Don't worry, I have this new app.

别担心，我有一个新应用。

I just hold up my phone, scan the word I want translated, 短語動詞

我只需举起手机，扫描我想翻译的单词，

"Está lloviendo" is the Spanish for it's raining.

“Está lloviendo”就是西班牙语的“下雨了”。

Amazing.

太棒了。

In this program, we're discussing language technologies, 表達脈絡

在本期节目中，我们将讨论语言技术，

computers that can translate between languages. 短語搭配

也就是能够在不同语言间进行翻译的计算机。

Modern software like Google Translate has transformed how we learn foreign languages, 語法

像谷歌翻译这样的现代软件已经改变了我们学习外语的方式，

bringing us closer to a world where language is no longer a barrier to communication. 短語搭配

让我们离一个语言不再是沟通障碍的世界更近了。

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

但是这些计算机到底有多了解我们真正想表达的意思呢？

Well, later we'll find out exactly what machines can and can't translate. 短語動詞

好了，稍后我们将确切地了解机器能翻译和不能翻译什么。

And as usual, we'll be learning some new vocabulary as well.

和往常一样，我们还会学习一些新词汇。

But first, I have a question for you, Sam.

但首先，我有一个问题要问你，Sam。

The translation app I used just now is very recent,

我刚才用的翻译应用是最近才有的，

but there's a long history of computer mistranslations, 短語搭配

但计算机错误翻译的历史却很悠久，

times when computers got it badly wrong. 短語搭配

也就是计算机弄得大错特错的时候。

In 1987, the American Airline Braniff ran television adverts 用詞

1987年，美国布兰尼夫航空公司播放了电视广告，

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

宣传他们飞往墨西哥的航班上安装的全真皮座椅。

But how was its "Fly in Leather" advertising slogan mistranslated into Spanish? 短語搭配

但是它的广告语“Fly in Leather”是如何被错误地翻译成西班牙语的呢？

Did the ad say

广告里说的是

A, fly in lava,

A，在岩浆中飞行，

B, fly on a cow,

B，在牛背上飞行，

or C, fly naked?

还是 C，裸体飞行？

Hmm.

嗯。

I have a feeling it might be C, fly naked. 語氣意圖

我有种感觉可能是 C，裸体飞行。

Okay, Sam, I'll reveal the correct answer later in the program.

好的，Sam，我会在节目后半段揭晓正确答案。

Computer software used to rely on rules-based translation, 講解

计算机软件过去依赖基于规则的翻译，

applying the grammar rules of one language to another. 短語搭配

将一种语言的语法规则应用到另一种语言上。

That worked fine for simple words and phrases,

这对简单的单词和短语很有效，

but what happens when a translator comes across more complex language? 短語動詞

但是当翻译器遇到更复杂的语言时会发生什么呢？

For example, metaphors,

例如，隐喻，

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

也就是通过将一件事物比作另一件事物来描述它的表达方式。

Lane Greene is a language journalist

Lane Greene 是一名语言记者，

and the author of the book Talk on the Wild Side.

也是《Talk on the Wild Side》一书的作者。

Here, he explains to BBC Radio 4 program Word of Mouth

在这里，他向 BBC 广播4台的节目《Word of Mouth》解释了

how apps like Google Translate allow users to manually translate metaphors. 語法

像谷歌翻译这样的应用如何让用户手动翻译隐喻。

If I say it's raining cats and dogs, 習語

如果我说“it's raining cats and dogs”（倾盆大雨），

um and it literally translates "Está lloviendo perros y gatos" 用詞

呃，如果它字面上被翻译成“Está lloviendo perros y gatos”

those in Spanish, that won't make any sense. 短語搭配

那些西班牙语，那将完全说不通。

But I think somebody at Google will have inputted the phrase 語法

但我猜谷歌里肯定有人输入了短语

"llueve a cántaros",

“llueve a cántaros”，

which is the phrase "It's raining pitchers" or "It's raining jugs of water".

这个短语的意思是“下着水壶那么大的雨”或“下着水罐那么大的雨”。

So that uh the whole chunk, "raining cats and dogs", 用詞

这样，呃，整个语块，“raining cats and dogs”，

is translated into the equivalent metaphor in Spanish. 用詞

就被翻译成了西班牙语中对等的隐喻。

Lane wants to translate the phrase "It's raining cats and dogs",

Lane 想翻译短语“It's raining cats and dogs”，

something that people sometimes say when it's raining heavily.

这是人们有时在雨下得很大时会说的话。

It wouldn't make sense to translate this phrase into another language literally, 短語搭配

把这个短语照字面翻译成另一种语言是说不通的，

word by word.

逐字逐句地。

One solution is to translate the whole idiom as a chunk 用詞

一个解决办法是把整个习语作为一个语块来翻译，

or a large piece of text or language.

或者说是一大段文本或语言。

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

这对于人们经常以相同方式使用的短语和习语很有效，

because they can be taught to a computer. 語法

因为它们可以被教给计算机。

But what happens when someone like a poet writes a completely new sentence

但是当像诗人这样的人写出一个全新的句子时会发生什么呢，

which has never been written before? 語法

一个以前从未被写过的句子？

Lane Greene thinks that even the smartest software couldn't deal with that, 短語動詞

Lane Greene 认为即使是最聪明的软件也处理不了这个问题，

as he told Michael Rosen,

正如他告诉 Michael Rosen 的那样，

poet and presenter of BBC Radio 4's Word of Mouth.

这位诗人也是 BBC 广播4台《Word of Mouth》节目的主持人。

But if a poet writes a new one, 語法

但如果诗人写了一句新的，

then the machine is not going to pick it up 短語動詞

那机器就无法识别它，

and it's going to have a struggle, isn't it? 語氣意圖

并且会感到很吃力，不是吗？

Sorry, I'm I'm yeah, I'm sticking up for poetry here 短語動詞

抱歉，我，我，是的，我在这里支持诗歌，

and trying to claim that it's untranslatable.

并试图声明它是不可翻译的。

Can you hear what I'm doing? 語氣意圖

你能听出我在做什么吗？

I I hear you and and and you know, in in our war against the machines, 習語

我，我听到了，而且，而且，你知道的，在我们对抗机器的战争中，

our our advantage is novelty and creativity.

我们，我们的优势是新颖性和创造力。

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

所以你说得对，机器在任何死记硬背的事情上都会很棒，

anything that's already been done a million times 習語

任何已经被做过一百万次的事情

can be automated.

都可以被自动化。

So you and I with our with our prefrontal cortexes

所以你和我，带着我们的，带着我们的前额叶皮层，

can can try to come up with phrases that'll flummox the computer 講解

可以，可以试着想出一些能让计算机发懵的短语，

and so keep our jobs.

从而保住我们的工作。

When we say machines learn a language, 表達脈絡

当我们说机器学习一种语言时，

we really mean they have been trained to identify patterns 語法

我们真正的意思是它们被训练去识别模式，

in millions and millions of translations. 短語搭配

在成千上万的翻译中。

Computers can only learn by rote, by memory, 用詞

计算机只能通过死记硬背、通过记忆来学习，

in order to repeat information 語法

以便重复信息，

rather than to properly understand it. 語法

而不是去真正理解它。

This kind of rote learning can be easily automated, 語法

这种死记硬背的学习很容易被自动化，

done by machines instead of humans.

由机器代替人类完成。

But it's completely different from human learning, 短語搭配

但这与人类的学习完全不同，

requiring creative thinking, 語法

人类学习需要创造性思维，

which would flummox or confuse even the most sophisticated machine.

这会让即使是最先进的机器也感到发懵或困惑。

Bad news for translation software, 表達脈絡

这对翻译软件来说是个坏消息，

but good news for humans who use different languages in their jobs,

但对在工作中使用不同语言的人类来说是好消息，

like us.

比如我们。

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

是的，要是布兰尼夫航空公司当初依赖了人类翻译人员，

they might have avoided an embarrassing situation.

他们或许就能避免一场尴尬的局面。

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

啊，在你的问题里，你问布兰尼夫的电视广告

"Fly in Leather" was translated into Spanish.

“Fly in Leather”是如何被翻译成西班牙语的。

I guessed it was mistranslated as "Fly naked".

我猜它被错误地翻译成了“裸体飞行”。

Which was the correct answer.

这正是正确答案。

Hmm.

嗯。

Braniff translated its "Fly in Leather" slogan as "Fly in cuero", 文化背景

布兰尼夫把它的“Fly in Leather”广告语翻译成了“Fly en cuero”，

which sounds like Spanish slang for "Fly naked". 用詞

这听起来像是西班牙语俚语里的“裸体飞行”。

Okay, let's recap the vocabulary from this program about language translations, 表達脈絡

好了，让我们来回顾一下本期节目中关于语言翻译的词汇，

which are automated,

这些翻译是自动化的，

done by machines instead of humans.

由机器代替人类完成。

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

隐喻（metaphor）常见于诗歌中，是一种描述事物的方式，

by reference to something else. 短語搭配

通过参考另一件事物来描述。

When it's raining heavily,

当雨下得很大时，

you might use the idiom

你可能会用到习语

"It's raining cats and dogs".

“It's raining cats and dogs”。

A chunk is a large part of something.

语块（chunk）指的是某物的一大部分。

Rote learning involves memorizing information which you repeat

死记硬背（Rote learning）涉及记忆你要重复的信息，

but don't really understand.

但其实并不真正理解。

And finally, if someone is flummoxed,

最后，如果有人感到发懵（flummoxed），

they're so confused that they don't know what to do.

意思是他们非常困惑，不知所措。

Once again, our six minutes are up. 短語搭配

我们的六分钟又一次到了。

Join us again soon for more trending topics and useful vocabulary 語氣意圖

请尽快再次加入我们，获取更多热门话题和实用词汇，

here at Six Minute English.

就在六分钟英语。

But goodbye for now.

不过现在要说再见了。

Bye.

再见。

Six Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

bbclearningenglish.com 的六分钟英语。