为什么我们选择发信息而无暇交谈？
Why do we choose to text instead of talk?
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
大家好。这里是BBC教学英语的《六分钟英语》节目。我是尼尔。
And I'm Georgina.
我是乔治娜。
Can I ask you something, Georgina…?
我能问你件事吗，乔治娜？
Mm-mm-hmm.
嗯……嗯……嗯。
Georgina? I said, I want to ask you something… are you listening to me?!
乔治娜？我说我想问你一件事，你在听我说话吗？
Mm-hmm, just a second, Neil, I'm texting a friend…
嗯，等一下，尼尔，我在给一个朋友发信息……
Ah, has this ever happened you?
你有过这样的经历吗？
Someone too busy texting to talk.
有些人忙着发信息而无暇交谈。
With the huge rise of mobile phones in recent decades,
随着近几十年来手机的巨大崛起，
communicating by text has become more and more popular,
通过文字交流已经变得越来越流行，
and scenes like this have become increasingly common.
而像这样的场景已经变得越来越普遍。
…and send! There, all done!
发送！全部搞定！
Now, what were you saying, Neil?
尼尔，你刚才说什么来着？
In this programme, we'll be investigating why people often choose to text,
在本期节目中，我们将调查为什么人们经常选择发信息，
instead of talk to the people in their lives.
而不和他们生活中的人交谈。
We'll be asking whether this popular form of communication is changing how we interact with each other.
我们会问问这种流行的交流方式是否正在改变我们彼此之间的互动方式。
And, of course, we'll be learning some related vocabulary as well.
当然，我们也会学习一些相关的词汇。
Now, Neil, what did you want to ask me?
尼尔，你想问我什么？
My quiz question, Georgina, which is this.
乔治娜，我的测试问题就是这个。
Young people are often the biggest users of mobile phones,
年轻人通常是手机的最大用户，
but in a 2016 study,
但在2016年的一项研究中，
what percentage of British teenagers said they would prefer to send a text rather than speak to someone,
有多大比例的英国青少年表示，他们更愿意发信息而不是和某人说话，
even if they were in the same room?
即使他们在同一间屋子里？
Is it: a) 9 percent, b) 49 percent, or c) 99 percent?
是：a）9％，b）49％，还是c）99％？
That sounds pretty shocking!
听起来相当吓人啊！
I can't believe 99 percent of teenagers said that,
我不相信有99%的青少年会这么说，
so I'll guess b) 49 percent.
所以我猜是b) 49%。
OK, Georgina. We'll find out later if that's right.
好的，乔治娜。我们稍后将揭晓你的答案正确与否。
In one way, the popularity of texting,
在某种程度上，发信息的流行，
sometimes called talking with thumbs, is understandable.
有时被也称为“用拇指说话”——是可以理解的。
People like to be in control of what they say.
人们喜欢掌控自己说的话。
But this low-risk way of hiding behind a screen may come at a cost,
但这种隐藏在屏幕后的低风险方式可能要付出代价，
as neuroscientist, Professor Sophie Scott,
正如神经学家索菲·斯科特教授
explained to Sandra Kanthal, for BBC World Service programme, The Why Factor:
在BBC全球服务节目The Why Factor中向桑德拉·坎瑟解释的那样：
When we talk with our thumbs by text or email or instant message,
当我们通过信息、电子邮件或即时讯息“用拇指说话”时，
we're often prioritising speed over clarity and depth.
我们通常是优先考虑速度，而不是内容是否清楚、有深度。
But when we can't hear the way someone is speaking,
但是当我们听不到别人说话的方式时，
it's all too easy to misunderstand their intention.
就很容易误解他们的意图。
So if I say a phrase like, Oh shut up - has a different meaning than, Oh shut up!
所以像短语“哦，闭嘴！”和“哦，闭嘴！”就有不同的含义。
There's an emotional thing there but also a strong kind of intonation:
那里面包含情感，也有强烈的语调：
one's sort of funny, one's just aggressive.
一个略带风趣，另一个就很强硬。
Written down it's just aggressive - Shut up - and you can't soften that.
写下来它就很强硬——“闭嘴！”——没法让它柔和。
We always speak with melody and intonation to our voice and we'll change our meaning depending on that.
我们说话总带着旋律和语调，我们说的话的含义会根据语调发生改变。
You take that channel of information out of communication.
那种信息渠道无法进行沟通。
You lose another way that sense is being conveyed.
你会失去信息传达的另一种方式。
When reading a text instead of listening to someone speak,
当我们阅读文本而不是听某人说话时，
we miss out on the speaker's intonation
我们会忽略说话人的语调
- that's the way the voice rises and falls when speaking.
——也就是说话时声音起伏的方式。
Intonation, how a word is said, often changes the meaning of words and phrases
语调，如何说出单词，经常会改变单词和短语的意思。
- small groups of words people use to say something particular.
短语是人们用来表达特定事物的单词组。
Reading a phrase like, Oh shut up in a text, instead of hearing it spoken aloud,
读文本中像“哦，闭嘴！”这样的短语，而不是听别人大声说出来，
makes it easy to misunderstand the speaker's intention
就很容易误解说话人的意图
- their aim, or plan of what they want to do.
——即他们想做之事的目的或计划。
And it's not just the speaker's intention that we miss.
我们不仅忽略了说话人的意图。
A whole range of extra information is conveyed through speech,
一系列的额外信息通过说话传达出来，
from the speaker's age and gender to the region they're from.
从说话人的年龄、性别到他们来自的地区。
Poet, Gary Turk, believes that we lose something uniquely human when we stop talking.
诗人加里·特克认为，当我们停止说话时，我们会失去人类特有的一些东西。
And there are practical problems involved with texting too,
而且发信息也涉及一些实际问题，
as he explains to BBC World Service's, The Why Factor:
正如他向BBC全球服务节目The Why Factor节目解释的那样：
If you speak to someone in person and they don't respond right away, that would be rude.
如果你面对面和某人交谈，而他们没有马上回应，那会很不礼貌。
But you might be speaking to someone in person and someone texts you...
但你和某人面对面交谈，又有人发信息给你……
and it would be ruder for you then to stop that conversation and speak to the person over text…
如果你停下交谈，去和给你发信息的人聊起来，那会更不礼貌……
yet the person on the other side of the text is getting annoyed – you haven’t responded right way.
然而信息那边的人会恼火——你没有以正确的方式做出回应。
It’s like we’re constantly now creating these situations using our phones that allow us to like tread on mines
就好像我们现在一直在用手机制造这种情况，就像踩在雷区
– no matter what you do, we’re going to disappoint people because we’re trying to communicate in so many different ways.
——不管你做什么都会让人失望，因为我们在试着用很多不同的方式进行沟通。
Do you prioritise the person on the phone?
你会优先考虑电话那端的人吗？
Would you prioritise the person you're speaking to?
你会优先考虑和你交谈的人吗？
Who do you disappoint first?
你会先冷落谁？
You're going to disappoint somebody.
你总得冷落某个人。
So what should you do if a friend texts you when you're already speaking to someone else in person
所以，如果你已经和别人亲身交谈了，而你的朋友却发信息给你，你该怎么办？
- physically present, face to face?
亲身是指亲自、面对面。
You can't communicate with both people at the same time,
你没法同时和两个人交流，
so whatever you do someone will get annoyed - become angry and upset.
所以无论你做什么，总有人会恼火——变得生气和沮丧。
Gary thinks that despite its convenience,
加里认为，尽管发信息很方便，
texting creates situations where we have to tread on mines,
但它造成的处境会让我们不得不踩在雷区。
another way of saying that something is a minefield,
那是称某事物充满隐伏危险的另一种说法，
meaning a situation full of hidden problems and dangers,
意思是充满隐患和危险的处境，
where people need to take care.
人们需要小心谨慎。
Yes, it's easy to get annoyed when someone ignores you to text their friend…
是的，当有人忽略你而发信息给他们的朋友时，我们很容易生气……
Oh, you're not still upset about that are you, Neil?
哦，你不会还在为此气恼吧，尼尔？
Ha, it's like those teenagers in my quiz question!
哈，就像我测试问题里的那些青少年一样！
Remember I asked you how many teenagers said they'd prefer to text someone,
还记得吗？我问你，有多少青少年说他们更愿意给别人发短信，
even if they were in the same room.
即使他们在同一间屋子里。
I guessed it was b) 49 percent.
我猜是b) 49%。
Which was… the correct answer!
回答……正确！
I'm glad you were listening, Georgina, and not texting!
我很高兴你在听，乔治娜，而不是发信息！
Ha ha! In this programme we've been discussing ways in which texting differs from talking with someone in person - or face to face.
哈哈！在本期节目中，我们一直在讨论发信息和亲自或面对面交谈的不同之处。
Sending texts instead of having a conversation means we don't hear the speaker's intonation - the musical way their voice rises and falls.
发信息而不是交谈意味着我们听不到说话人的语调——他们声音起伏的方式。
A phrase - or small group of words - like Oh shut up,
一个短语——或一组单词，比如“哦，闭嘴！”，
means different things when said in different ways.
用不同的方式说就会表达不同的意思。
Without intonation we can easily misunderstand a text writer's intention
没有语调，我们很容易误解发信息的人的意图
- their idea or plan of what they are going to do.
——他们想做之事的目的或计划。
Which in turns means they can get annoyed - or become irritated, if you don't understand what they mean, or don't respond right away.
反过来，这意味着，如果你不理解他们的意思，或者没有马上做出回应，他们就会恼怒或生气。
All of which can create an absolute minefield
所有这些都会产生一个绝对的雷区
- a situation with many hidden problems,
——一个有许多隐藏问题的处境，
where you need to speak and act carefully.
你需要小心地说话做事。
And that's all we have time for in this programme,
以上就是我们本期节目的全部内容，
but remember you can find more useful vocabulary, trending topics and help with your language learning here at BBC Learning English.
但是请记住，在BBC教学英语，你可以找到更多有用的词汇、热门话题以及对你语言学习有帮助的内容。
We also have an app that you can download for free from the app stores,
我们也有一个应用程序，你可以从应用商店免费下载，
and of course we are all over social media.
当然，我们遍布社交媒体。
Bye for now!
再见了！
Bye!
拜！