一座村莊如何維繫印度手工羽毛球產業的命脈 | 屹立不搖：英語精讀講義

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

完美的羽毛是製作優質羽球的關鍵。

16 of them to be exact. 片語搭配

確切來說，要用16根。

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

印度Jadurberia村的工匠世世代代都在手工製作這種羽球。

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

這個地區過去有500多家像Dodo Shuttles這樣的小工廠。

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

但外來競爭和對合成羽球日益增加的需求，迫使許多工廠關門，

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

大批工人也紛紛離開，另尋薪資更高的工作。

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

我們來到西孟加拉邦，看看這座「印度羽球之都」如何堅持至今。

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

Dodo的羽球全部採用白鴨羽毛製成。

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

Israel Mallick等工人把羽毛分成小把，放進肥皂水裡清洗。

Usually he works in the final stages of production,

他通常負責生產的最後幾道工序，

but today he's on washing duty. 片語搭配

但今天輪到他清洗羽毛。

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

他和同事每次抓起一把，搓洗幾秒鐘。

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

這麼大一批羽毛，工人最多要花一個小時才能洗完。

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

當地的肉鴨養殖戶把這些羽毛成批賣給工廠。

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

接著，他們用清水沖洗一把把羽毛，再放到一旁瀝水。

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

Israel在桶裡裝滿清水，準備進行第二次沖洗。

He keeps one clean 文法

其中一桶只放清水，

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

另一桶則加入少量天然靛藍染料稀釋。

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

這樣會給羽毛染上一層極淡的色調，防止它們變黃。

Working swiftly in tandem, 片語搭配

他們配合默契，動作俐落，

they rinse,

先沖洗，

dye,

再染色，

and wring out handfuls at a time. 片語動詞

然後一把把扭乾。

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

之後，他們把羽毛鋪開，在陽光下曬3到4個小時。

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

乾淨且乾燥的羽毛會被送進室內分類和修剪。

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

這是合夥人Subodh Niyogi在整個流程中最喜歡的環節。

A worker inspects each feather looking for strength and uniformity.

工人逐根檢查羽毛，看強度和均勻度是否合格。

If one isn't up to standard, 片語搭配

如果有一根達不到標準，

it gets discarded. 文法

就會被丟棄。

Then he trims them to exactly 3 inches long.

接著，他把羽毛修剪成整整3英吋長。

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

他的剪刀用螺絲固定在一起，確保剪出的長度完全一致。

Next, a team of workers start to shape them.

接下來，一組工人開始為羽毛塑形。

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

他們只要幾秒鐘，就能在一側剪出弧形邊緣，

and a straight edge on the other.

在另一側剪出直邊。

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

剪裁工熟練到根本不需要模板，每天就能處理

hundreds of identically trimmed feathers a day.

數百根修剪得一模一樣的羽毛。

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

儘管Niyogi一家為堅持只用印度羽毛而自豪，

they do import these cork bases from China. 文法

但這些軟木底座卻是從中國進口的。

A worker drills 16 holes into each base

一名工人在每個底座上鑽出16個孔，

with the only machine used at the factory.

用的是工廠裡唯一一台機器。

But it isn't fully automated.

不過，它並不是全自動機器。

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

仍然需要有人憑著穩定的手和敏銳的眼力，把底座引導到正確位置。

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

把羽毛黏進底座時，這樣的精準度同樣至關重要。

With just a quick dab of glue,

只要迅速點上一小滴膠，

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

工人便會對齊每根羽毛，讓它與下一根相互重疊，

occasionally checking that they're all even. 用詞

並不時檢查它們是否全都整齊。

And then another binds them together with thread.

接著，另一名工人用線把它們綁在一起。

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

這樣就形成了羽球上所謂的「羽裙」。

He knots around each feather's shaft,

他繞著每根羽毛的羽軸打結，

making two separate rings of thread.

形成兩個獨立的線圈。

But for an added bit of security,

不過，為了再多一層保障，

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

工人還會在底座上薄薄塗一層環氧樹脂，

and threads with a paintbrush.

並用畫筆把它塗在線上。

Then it's time for the finishing touches, 慣用語

接下來就是最後的收尾，

like a label that indicates the speed of the shuttlecock,

例如貼上標示羽球速度的標籤，

and of course, the Dodo brand.

當然，還有Dodo的品牌標誌。

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

Israel工作中的一個重要環節，是在包裝前為每顆羽球秤重。

Once they're at 70 g,

重量達到70公克後，

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

他把10顆羽球疊放進一個筒內，準備銷往印度各地。

Depending on the quality, 文法

依品質不同，

Dodo sells each tube for 200 to 300 rupees,

Dodo每筒售價為200到300盧比，

or about $3 to $4.

也就是大約3到4美元。

Production here is often done in stages,

這裡的生產通常分階段進行，

but from start to finish, 片語搭配

但從頭到尾，

a single shuttlecock takes just 30 minutes to make.

製作一顆羽球只需要30分鐘。

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

不過，這種手工方式意味著，像這樣的小工廠無法生產那麼多產品，

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

也無法像使用機器的全球大品牌那樣賺取豐厚利潤。

This has forced many of the workers in Jadurberia

這迫使Jadurberia的許多工人

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

在過去幾年裡離開村裡的傳統產業。

Hamare is finish department amader tak to do janke.

以前，我們的後段加工部門有8到10個人。

The rise in synthetic shuttlecocks is another threat.

合成羽球的興起是另一項威脅。

Plastic and nylon alternatives have become more popular

塑膠和尼龍替代品越來越受歡迎，

as they're often cheaper and last longer.

因為它們通常更便宜，也更耐用。

But that's changing. 表達脈絡

但這種情況正在改變。

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

2020年1月，世界羽球聯盟宣布，將允許使用通過核准的合成羽球，

at all levels of competition starting in 2021.

並從2021年起用於各級賽事。

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

但新冠肺炎疫情延誤了這類羽球的大規模開發與核准。

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

而職業選手對於它會如何影響這項運動，仍然看法不一。

But for the workers who rely on feathered shuttlecocks,

但對靠生產羽毛材質的羽球維生的工人來說，

there's no substitute for the real thing. 講解

真正的羽球無可取代。