和陌生人聊天
Chatting to new people
Hello. This is 6 Minute English and I’m Neil.
大家好。这里是六分钟英语，我是尼尔。
Joining me for our discussion is Georgina.
和我搭档进行讨论的是乔治娜。
Hello!
大家好。
Now, Georgina, you’re a chatty, sociable kind of person, aren’t you?
乔治娜，你是一个健谈、善交际的人，不是吗？
Well, yes, I think so.
嗯，是的，我想是那样的。
But would you go up to a stranger and strike up a conversation?
但你会走向一个陌生人，开始一段对话吗？
That might be going too far – if you don’t know them, what are you going to start talking about?
那可能太过了——如果你不认识他们，你要开始谈论什么呢？
A good question.
好问题。
But maybe you should – because in this programme we’re looking at how talking to strangers might actually be good for you!
但也许你应该那么做——因为在本期节目中，我们要看看怎样与陌生人交谈会可能实际上对你有益！
But first, let me talk to you about today’s question.
但首先，让我跟你聊聊今天的问题。
I’d like you to answer this.
我想让你回答这个问题。
To make conversation we need words
为进行对话，我们需要单词
– so according to the Oxford English Dictionary, approximately how many words are in use in the English language?
——所以根据《牛津英语词典》，英语中大约有多少个单词在使用？
Is it… a) 171,146 b) 271,146 or c) 371,146?
是a) 171,146个 b) 271,146个，还是c) 371,146个？
We use a lot of words in English, but not 371,000 – so I’ll go for a) 171,146.
在英语中我们使用很多单词，但不是371,000个——所以我选a) 171,146个。
OK. Well, as always I will reveal the answer later in the programme.
好的。和往常一样，稍后我将在节目中揭晓答案。
Now, let’s continue our conversation about having conversations with strangers!
现在，让我们继续关于和陌生人交谈的谈话。
Many of us spend part of every day surrounded by strangers,
我们中的许多人每天都有一部分时间被陌生人包围着，
whether on our commute to work, sitting in a park or cafe, or visiting the supermarket.
无论是我们通勤上班的路上，坐在公园或咖啡馆里，还是去超市。
But we rarely reach out and talk to them because we fear it would make us both feel uncomfortable – or awkward.
但我们很少主动与他们交谈，因为我们担心那会让双方都感到不舒服——或者说尴尬。
And Gillian Sandstrom, social psychologist from Essex University in the UK, can explain why.
英国埃塞克斯大学的社会心理学家吉莉安·桑德斯罗姆可以解释原因。
Here she is speaking on BBC Radio 4’s All In The Mind programme….
这是她在BBC广播4频道All In The Mind节目中谈到的……
We kind of underestimate,
我们有点低估了，
we have this negative voice in our head that’s telling us "I shouldn’t have said that,
我们脑海中有一个消极的声音告诉我们“我不应该说那个的，
why did I do that?
我为什么要那样做？
I said that story better last time".
我上次讲这个事的时候明明讲得更好。”
But the other person doesn’t know any of that and they’re probably… they might be anticipating that they won’t have a positive conversation and then they do.
但是另一个人不知道那些，他们可能……你知道的，他们可能预料到他们不会有一段积极的对话，然后他们就确实没有。
And they think, wow,
他们会想，哇，
that person was amazing.
那个人太棒了。
So we walk round with this fear that the other person isn’t going to be interested in talking to us.
所以我们带着这种恐惧走来走去，害怕别人对我们没兴趣。
Fascinating stuff.
很有意思。
So we have a negative voice in our head telling us about all the bad things that might happen.
所以我们头脑中有一个消极的声音告诉我们所有可能发生的坏事。
We basically underestimate ourselves.
我们基本上低估了自己。
To underestimate means to think that something is smaller or less important than it really is.
低估的意思是认为某事物没有它实际上那么重要。
We worry that what we say won’t be interesting or important enough.
我们担心我们说的话不够有趣或不够重要。
Ah, but the other person doesn’t know that.
啊，但另一个人对此并不知情。
They’re also anticipating – or guessing - the outcome.
他们也在预料或猜测结果。
They’re thinking that if they have a conversation, it won’t go well.
他们认为如果他们进行交谈，交谈不会顺利。
But of course, when strangers do talk to each other it normally goes well.
当然，当陌生人互相交谈时，通常情况下是顺利的。
Yes, it’s just fear that is stopping us.
是的，正是恐惧阻止了我们。
But if we get over that fear, and get chatting,
但如果我们克服了这种恐惧，开始聊天，
people might actually like us – and we might make new friends.
人们可能真的会喜欢我们——我们可能会交到新朋友。
Another reason why you should pluck up the courage to talk to strangers is that it’s good for our health!
你应该鼓起勇气和陌生人说话的另一个原因是它对我们的健康有好处！
"Pluck up the courage" – that’s a good phrase, Georgina,
“鼓起勇气”——这是一个不错的短语，乔治娜，
meaning force yourself to do something that you’re scared about and…
意思是强迫自己做一些你害怕的事情，而且……
research by the University of Chicago found we may often underestimate the positive impact of connecting with others for both our own and others’ wellbeing.
芝加哥大学的研究发现，我们可能经常低估与他人联系对我们自己和他人健康的积极影响。
And connecting here means starting or having a good relationship with someone.
这里的“联系”指的是同某人开始或拥有良好关系。
So the research found that, for example, having a conversation with a stranger on your way to work may leave you both feeling happier than you would think.
所以研究发现，例如，在你上班的路上和一个陌生人交谈，可能会使你们双方都感到比自己认为的更快乐。
Gillian Sandstrom also spoke about her research and the power of talking to strangers on the You and Yours programme.
吉莉安·桑德斯罗姆也在You and Yours节目中谈到了她的研究以及与陌生人交谈的力量。
Listen out for the word "connected"…
注意听“有联系的”这个词……
What we’ve shown in the research is that it’s really good for your mood.
我们在研究中表明的是，它真的对你的心情有好处。
So people are in a better mood after they reach out and have a conversation, however minimal,
所以人们在交谈之后心情会更好，不管交谈程度有多低。
and the other thing that the research has shown is that just makes people feel more connected to each other.
而研究表明的另一件事是，交谈让人们觉得彼此之间的联系更多了。
There you go!
就是那样！
Talking to strangers is good for our mood – and mood means the way we feel.
与陌生人交谈对我们的心情有好处——心情就是我们的感受。
It’s good for our mental health – and we might discover people actually like us!
它对我们的心理健康有好处——我们可能会发现人们其实是喜欢我们的！
And even if we’re an introvert – a person who prefers to be alone rather than with other people - experiments have shown that talking to others can make us happier.
即使我们是内向的人——一个喜欢独处而不是和别人一起的人——实验表明，和别人交谈可以让我们更快乐。
The problem remains, Neil, that when speaking to someone new, what do you talk about?
还是那个问题，尼尔，当你和陌生人说话时，你会说什么？
How about some interesting facts – like approximately how many words are in use in the English language?
说些有趣的事实，怎么样？比如英语中大约有多少个单词在使用？
Which is what I asked you earlier.
这是我早些时候问你的。
Is it... a) 171,146 b) 271,146 or c) 371,146?
是……a) 171,146个 b) 271,146个，还是c) 371,146个？
What did you say, Georgina?
你说是什么，乔治娜？
I said 171,146. Was I right?
我说是171,146个。对吗？
Spot on, Georgina.
完全正确，乔治娜。
Well done!
做得好！
Yes, there are an estimated 171,146 words currently in use in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary
是的，据《牛津英语词典》统计，目前英语中估计有171,146个单词在使用，
–plus many more obsolete words.
此外还有更多被淘汰的词。
I shall pick a few of them and make conversation with someone on the Tube later,
我将挑选其中几个单词，稍后用于在地铁上与人交谈，
but not before we recap some of the vocabulary we’ve explained.
但并不是在我们回顾我们已经解释过的一些词汇之前。
Yes – so we highlighted six words,
是的——所以我们强调了六个单词，
starting with underestimate which is to think that something is smaller or less important than it really is.
从“低估”开始，它是指认为某事物没有它实际上那么重要。
Anticipating means guessing or expecting a certain outcome.
“预料”指的是猜测或预期某种结果。
I anticipate this programme to be 6 minutes long!
我预料这个节目会有6分钟长！
That’s a given!
那是既定的！
Next, we mentioned the phrase to pluck up the courage, meaning to force yourself to do something that you’re scared or nervous about.
接下来，我们提到了短语“鼓起勇气”，意思是强迫自己去做你害怕或紧张的事情。
When you connect with someone,
当你和某人联系时，
it means you start or have a good relationship with someone.
这意味着你同某人开始或拥有良好关系。
I think we’ve connected on this programme, Neil!
尼尔，我想我们已经在这个节目中有联系了！
Absolutely, Georgina.
当然，乔治娜。
And that’s put me in a good mood – mood means the way we feel.
那让我心情很好——心情就是我们的感受。
And finally, an introvert is a person who prefers to spend time on their own.
最后，内向的人是更喜欢独处的人。
Thanks, Georgina.
谢谢你，乔治娜。
Well, that’s our conversation over,
好了，我们的谈话结束了，
but you can hear more from us on our website and on our app.
但是你可以在我们的网站和应用程序上听到更多内容。
Goodbye!
再见！
Bye!
拜！