一个村庄如何维系印度手工羽毛球产业的命脉 | 屹立不倒：英语精读讲义

Perfect feathers are key to a good badminton shuttlecock. 短語搭配

完美的羽毛是制作优质羽毛球的关键。

16 of them to be exact. 短語搭配

准确地说，要用16根。

Craftspeople in India's Jadurberia village have been making these birdies by hand for generations. 講解

印度Jadurberia村的手工艺人世世代代都在手工制作这种羽毛球。

The area used to be filled with over 500 small factories like Dodo Shuttles. 語法

这一地区过去有500多家像Dodo Shuttles这样的小工厂。

But foreign competition and growing demand for synthetic shuttlecocks have forced many to close, 講解

但外来竞争和对合成羽毛球日益增长的需求，迫使许多工厂关门，

and scores of workers have left to find higher-paying jobs. 用詞

大批工人也纷纷离开，另寻薪资更高的工作。

We visited West Bengal to see how India's shuttlecock capital is still standing. 習語

我们来到西孟加拉邦，看看这座“印度羽毛球之都”如何坚守至今。

All of Dodo's shuttlecocks are made with white duck feathers.

Dodo的羽毛球全部采用白鸭羽毛制成。

Workers like Israel Mallick wash them in small bunches in soapy water.

Israel Mallick等工人把羽毛分成小把，放进肥皂水里清洗。

Usually he works in the final stages of production,

他通常负责生产的最后几道工序，

but today he's on washing duty. 短語搭配

但今天轮到他清洗羽毛。

He and his coworkers scrub by the handful for several seconds. 短語搭配

他和同事每次抓起一把，搓洗几秒钟。

It can take workers up to an hour to get through a batch this size. 講解

这么大一批羽毛，工人最多要花一个小时才能洗完。

Local duck meat farmers sell these feathers in bulk to the factory. 短語搭配

当地的肉鸭养殖户把这些羽毛成批卖给工厂。

Next, they rinse the bunches in water and set them aside to drip off. 短語動詞

接着，他们用清水漂洗一把把羽毛，再放到一旁沥水。

Israel fills his buckets with fresh water for a second rinse.

Israel在桶里装满清水，准备进行第二次漂洗。

He keeps one clean 語法

其中一桶只放清水，

and dilutes a small amount of natural indigo dye in the other.

另一桶则加入少量天然靛蓝染料稀释。

This gives the feathers a very subtle tint that keeps them from yellowing. 語法

这样会给羽毛染上一层极淡的色调，防止它们发黄。

Working swiftly in tandem, 短語搭配

他们配合默契，动作麻利，

they rinse,

先漂洗，

dye,

再染色，

and wring out handfuls at a time. 短語動詞

然后一把把拧干。

Then they spread them out to dry in the sun for 3 to 4 hours.

之后，他们把羽毛铺开，在阳光下晾晒3到4个小时。

The clean and dry feathers go inside to be sorted and trimmed. 語法

干净且干燥的羽毛会被送进室内分拣和修剪。

This is co-owner Subodh Niyogi's favorite part of the whole process.

这是合伙人Subodh Niyogi在整个流程中最喜欢的环节。

A worker inspects each feather looking for strength and uniformity.

工人逐根检查羽毛，看强度和均匀度是否合格。

If one isn't up to standard, 短語搭配

如果有一根达不到标准，

it gets discarded. 語法

就会被丢弃。

Then he trims them to exactly 3 inches long.

然后，他把羽毛修剪成整整3英寸长。

His shears are bolted together to ensure there's no variation in length.

他的剪刀用螺栓固定在一起，确保剪出的长度毫无偏差。

Next, a team of workers start to shape them.

接下来，一组工人开始给羽毛塑形。

They take just a few seconds to cut out a curved edge on one side

他们只用几秒钟，就能在一侧剪出弧形边缘，

and a straight edge on the other.

在另一侧剪出直边。

The cutters are so practiced that they don't even require a guide to churn through 講解

剪裁工熟练到根本不需要模板，每天就能处理

hundreds of identically trimmed feathers a day.

数百根修剪得一模一样的羽毛。

Even though the Niyogis are proud to use only Indian feathers, 語法

尽管Niyogi一家为坚持只用印度羽毛而自豪，

they do import these cork bases from China. 語法

但这些软木底座却是从中国进口的。

A worker drills 16 holes into each base

一名工人在每个底座上钻出16个孔，

with the only machine used at the factory.

用的是工厂里唯一一台机器。

But it isn't fully automated.

不过，它并非全自动机器。

Someone still has to guide it into place with a steady hand and a good eye. 短語搭配

仍然需要有人凭借稳健的手和敏锐的眼力，把底座引导到正确位置。

Precision like this is also key when it comes to gluing the feathers into the base. 短語搭配

把羽毛粘进底座时，这样的精准度同样至关重要。

With just a quick dab of glue,

只需迅速点上一小滴胶，

a worker aligns each feather so it overlaps with the next,

工人便会对齐每根羽毛，让它与下一根相互重叠，

occasionally checking that they're all even. 用詞

并不时检查它们是否全都齐整。

And then another binds them together with thread.

然后，另一名工人用线把它们绑在一起。

This forms what's called the skirt of a shuttlecock. 用詞

这样就形成了羽毛球上所谓的“羽裙”。

He knots around each feather's shaft,

他绕着每根羽毛的羽轴打结，

making two separate rings of thread.

形成两个独立的线圈。

But for an added bit of security,

不过，为了再多一重保障，

a worker also applies a thin coat of epoxy to the base 短語搭配

工人还会在底座上薄薄涂一层环氧树脂，

and threads with a paintbrush.

并用画笔把它涂在线上。

Then it's time for the finishing touches, 習語

接下来就是最后的收尾，

like a label that indicates the speed of the shuttlecock,

比如贴上标明羽毛球速度的标签，

and of course, the Dodo brand.

当然，还有Dodo的品牌标识。

One important aspect of Israel's job is to weigh each one before packaging.

Israel工作中的一个重要环节，是在包装前给每个羽毛球称重。

Once they're at 70 g,

重量达到70克后，

he stacks 10 of them in a tube and prepares them for sale across India.

他把10个羽毛球叠放进一个筒里，准备销往印度各地。

Depending on the quality, 語法

根据品质不同，

Dodo sells each tube for 200 to 300 rupees,

Dodo每筒售价为200到300卢比，

or about $3 to $4.

也就是大约3到4美元。

Production here is often done in stages,

这里的生产通常分阶段进行，

but from start to finish, 短語搭配

但从头到尾，

a single shuttlecock takes just 30 minutes to make.

制作一个羽毛球只需30分钟。

However, this handmade approach means small places like this can't make as much product 語法

不过，这种手工方式意味着，像这样的小工厂无法生产那么多产品，

or as much profit as major global brands that use machines.

也无法像使用机器的全球大品牌那样赚取丰厚利润。

This has forced many of the workers in Jadurberia

这迫使Jadurberia的许多工人

out of the village's traditional industry over the past few years.

在过去几年里离开了村里的传统产业。

Hamare is finish department amader tak to do janke.

以前，我们的收尾部门有8到10个人。

The rise in synthetic shuttlecocks is another threat.

合成羽毛球的兴起是另一项威胁。

Plastic and nylon alternatives have become more popular

塑料和尼龙替代品越来越受欢迎，

as they're often cheaper and last longer.

因为它们通常更便宜，也更耐用。

But that's changing. 表達脈絡

但这种情况正在改变。

In January 2020, the Badminton World Federation announced it would allow approved synthetic shuttlecocks 講解

2020年1月，世界羽毛球联合会宣布，将允许使用获批的合成羽毛球，

at all levels of competition starting in 2021.

并从2021年起用于各级别赛事。

But the coronavirus pandemic has delayed widespread development and approval of them.

但新冠疫情推迟了这类羽毛球的大规模开发和审批。

And opinions among professional players are still mixed on how it could impact the sport. 短語搭配

而职业球员对于它会如何影响这项运动，仍然看法不一。

But for the workers who rely on feathered shuttlecocks,

但对靠生产羽毛材质的羽毛球谋生的工人来说，

there's no substitute for the real thing. 講解

真正的羽毛球无可替代。