I'm Neil.

我是尼爾

And I'm Georgina

我是喬治娜

Can I ask you something, Georgina…?

我能問你點事嗎，喬治娜？

Mm-mm-hmm.

MM -MM -HMM。

Georgina? I said, I want to ask you something…

喬治娜？ 我說，我想問你一些事情...我說，我想問你一些事情... ...

are you listening to me?!

你在聽我說嗎？

Mm-hmm,

嗯哼。

just a second, Neil, I'm texting a friend…

等一下，尼爾，我在給朋友發短信... ...

Ah, has this ever happened you?

啊，你有過這種情況嗎？

Someone too busy texting to talk.

有人忙著發短信，沒時間說話。

With the huge rise of mobile phones in recent decades,

近幾十年來，隨著手機的大量興起。

communicating by text has become more and more popular

文字交流越來越流行

and scenes like this have become increasingly common.

而這樣的場景已經越來越常見。

…and send! There, all done!

...然後發送！好了，都搞定了！

Now, what were you saying, Neil?

現在，你剛才說什麼，尼爾？

In this programme, we'll be investigating why people

在本期節目中，我們將調查為什麼人們會

often choose to text, instead of talk to the people in their lives.

經常選擇發短信，而不是和生活中的人說話。

We'll be asking whether this popular form of communication

我們要問的是，這種流行的交流方式是否是

is changing how we interact with each other.

正在改變我們彼此之間的互動方式。

And, of course, we'll be learning some related

當然，我們也會學習一些相關的。

vocabulary as well.

詞彙以及。

Now, Neil, what did you want to ask me?

現在，尼爾，你想問我什麼？

My quiz question, Georgina, which is this.

我的考題，喬治娜，是這樣的。

Young people are often the biggest users of mobile phones,

年輕人往往是手機的最大用戶。

but in a 2016 study, what percentage of British

但在2016年的一項研究中，有多少比例的英國人。

teenagers said they would prefer to send a text

青少年表示，他們更願意發短信。

rather than speak to someone,

而不是跟人說話。

even if they were in the same room?

即使他們在同一個房間裡？

Is it: a) 9 percent?,

是：a）9%？

b) 49 percent?, or, c) 99 percent?

b）49%嗎，或者，c）99%嗎？

That sounds pretty shocking!

這聽起來很令人震驚！

I can't believe 99 percent of teenagers said that,

我不相信99%的青少年都會這麼說。

so I'll guess b) 49 percent.

所以我猜b）49%。

OK, Georgina. We'll find out later if that's right.

好吧，喬治娜。我們稍後會知道是否正確。

In one way, the popularity of texting, sometimes called

從某種程度上說，簡訊的普及，有時被稱為

'talking with thumbs', is understandable - people like to

'用大拇指說話'，是可以理解的--人們都喜歡

be in control of what they say.

掌控自己的話語權。

But this low-risk way of hiding behind a screen may come

但是，這種躲在螢幕後面的低風險方式可能會來

at a cost, as neuroscientist, Professor Sophie Scott,

代價，作為神經科學家，蘇菲-斯科特教授。

explained to Sandra Kanthal, for BBC World Service

向英國廣播公司世界服務部的桑德拉-坎塔爾解釋說

programme, The Why Factor:

節目《為什麼因素》。

When we 'talk with our thumbs' by text or email or

當我們通過簡訊、郵件或 "用拇指說話 "時，或

instant message, we're often prioritising speed over clarity

即時資訊，我們經常把速度放在首位，而不是清晰。

and depth.

和深度。

But when we can't hear the way someone is speaking it's all

但是，當我們聽不到別人說話的方式時，就會覺得

too easy to misunderstand their intention.

太容易讓人誤解他們的意圖。

So if I say a phrase like, 'Oh shut up!' -

所以，如果我說一句話，像 "哦，閉嘴！

has a different meaning than, 'Oh shut up!'

與 "哦，閉嘴！"有不同的含義。

There's an emotional thing there but also a strong

有情感的東西，但也有強烈的

kind of intonation: one's sort of funny,

樣的語氣：一個人的有點好笑。

one's just aggressive.

一個只是咄咄逼人。

Written down it's just aggressive – 'Shut up!'

寫下來就是咄咄逼人--"閉嘴！"。

- and you can't soften that. […] We always speak with melody

- 而你不能軟化它。[... ] 我們總是用旋律說話

and intonation to our voice and we'll change our meaning

我們的聲音和語調就會改變我們的意思。

depending on that.

取決於此。

You take that channel of information out of communication

你把這個資訊管道從溝通中抽離出來

you lose another way that sense is being conveyed.

你失去了另一種方式，感覺被傳達。

When reading a text instead of listening to someone speak,

當讀課文而不是聽別人說話時。

we miss out on the speaker's intonation –

我們錯過了說話人的語調 -------------。

that's the way the voice rises and falls when speaking.

那是說話時聲音起伏的方式。

Intonation, how a word is said, often changes

語調，一個詞的發音方式，經常會發生變化

the meaning of words and phrases - small groups of words

詞句含義----------小詞組

people use to say something particular.

人們習慣於說一些特別的東西。

Reading a phrase like, 'Oh shut up!' in a text,

在課文中讀到一句話："哦，閉嘴！"。

instead of hearing it spoken aloud, makes it

不聞其聲，不見其人，只聞其聲。

easy to misunderstand the speaker's intention –

容易誤解說話人的意圖---------------------------。

their aim, or plan of what they want to do.

他們的目標，或他們想做的計劃。

And it's not just the speaker's intention that we miss.

而我們忽略的不僅僅是說話者的意圖。

A whole range of extra information is conveyed

傳遞一系列額外資訊

through speech, from the speaker's age and gender

通過語言，從說話人的年齡、性別

to the region they're from.

到他們所在的地區。

Poet, Gary Turk, believes that we lose something

詩人加里-特克認為，我們失去了一些東西。

uniquely human when we stop talking.

當我們停止說話的時候，我們是獨一無二的人類。

And there are practical problems involved with texting too,

而且簡訊也涉及到實際問題。

as he explains to BBC World Service's, The Why Factor:

他向英國廣播公司世界服務部解釋 "為什麼因素"。

If you speak to someone in person and they don't respond

如果你當面和別人說話，而他們沒有迴應。

right away, that would be rude.

馬上，那將是粗魯的。

But you might be speaking to someone in person

但你可能會親自跟人說話

and someone texts you...

有人發短信給你...

and it would be ruder for you then to stop that conversation

如果你停止談話，那就更沒禮貌了。

and speak to the person over text…

並通過文字與對方交談... ...

yet the person on the other side of the text is getting annoyed –

但文字的另一邊的人卻越來越惱火--------。

you haven't responded right way – it's like we're

你沒有正確的迴應方式 - 這就像我們一樣。

constantly now creating these situations using our phones

現在不斷地用我們的手機制造這些情況

that allow us to like tread on mines –

讓我們能夠像踩在地雷上一樣----。

no matter what you do, we're going to disappoint people

不管你做什麼，我們都會讓人失望的。

because we're trying to communicate in so many different ways.

因為我們要用這麼多不同的方式來溝通。

Do you prioritise the person on the phone?

你會優先考慮電話裡的人嗎？

Would you prioritise the person you're speaking to?

你會優先考慮和你說話的人嗎？

Who do you disappoint first?

你先讓誰失望？

You're going to disappoint somebody.

你會讓別人失望的

So what should you do if a friend texts you when you're

那麼，如果朋友給你發短信時，你應該怎麼做呢？

already speaking to someone else in person –

已經在和別人說話了

physically present, face to face?

親臨現場，面對面？

You can't communicate with both people at the same time,

你不能同時和兩個人交流。

so whatever you do someone will get annoyed –

所以無論你做什麼都會有人惱火

become angry and upset.

變得憤怒和不安。

Gary thinks that despite its convenience,

加里認為，儘管方便。

texting creates situations where we have to tread on mines,

發短信造成我們不得不踩雷的情況。

another way of saying that something is a minefield,

另一種說法是，有些東西是雷區。

meaning a situation full of hidden problems and dangers,

意為充滿隱患和危險的情況。

where people need to take care.

人們需要注意的地方。

Yes, it's easy to get annoyed when someone ignores you

是的，當別人不理你的時候，你很容易生氣的

to text their friend…

發短信給他們的朋友...

Oh, you're not still upset about that are you, Neil?

哦，你不會還在為那件事生氣吧，尼爾？

Ha, it's like those teenagers in my quiz question!

哈，就像我考題中的那些少年一樣!

Remember I asked you how many teenagers

記得我問過你有多少青少年

said they'd prefer to text someone,

說他們更願意給人發短信。

even if they were in the same room.

即使他們是在同一個房間。

I guessed it was b) 49 percent.

我猜是b）49%。

Which was… the correct answer!

那是... 正確的答案！

I'm glad you were listening, Georgina, and not texting!

我很高興你在聽，喬治娜，而不是發短信！

Ha ha! In this programme we've been discussing

哈哈！在這個節目中，我們一直在討論在這個節目中，我們一直在討論

ways in which texting differs from talking with someone in person

發短信與當面交談的不同之處。

– or face to face.

- 或面對面。

Sending texts instead of having a conversation

發短信而不是對話

means we don't hear the speaker's intonation –

意味著我們聽不到說話者的語調--------。

the musical way their voice rises and falls.

他們聲音起伏的音樂方式。

A phrase - or small group of words - like 'Oh shut up!',

一個短語--或一小組詞--比如'哦，閉嘴！'。

means different things when said in different ways.

用不同的方式說，意思就不同。

Without intonation we can easily misunderstand a

如果沒有語調，我們很容易誤解一個

text writer's intention – their idea or plan of

文意--作者的構思或計劃。

what they are going to do.

他們要做什麼。

Which in turns means they can get annoyed –

這反過來又意味著他們會感到煩躁----------。

or become irritated, if you don't understand

惱羞成怒，如果你不瞭解

what they mean, or don't respond right away.

他們的意思，或者不馬上回應。

All of which can create an absolute minefield –

所有這些都會造成一個絕對的雷區------。

a situation with many hidden problems,

隱患重重的局面。

where you need to speak and act carefully.

在那裡你需要慎言慎行。

And that's all we have time for in this programme,

這就是我們在這個節目中所有的時間。

but remember you can find more useful vocabulary,

但記住你可以找到更多有用的詞彙。

trending topics and help with your language learning

熱門話題，幫助您學習語言

here at BBC Learning English.

在BBC學英語這裡。

We also have an app that you can download for free

我們也有一個應用程序，你可以免費下載。

from the app stores and of course

從應用商店和當然

we are all over social media. Bye for now!

我們都在社交媒體上。暫時再見！

Bye!

再見！