But have you ever stopped to think about what it really means, or why it's used so often?

但是你是否曾停下想過 ，這到底是什麼意思？或是為什麼它這麼常被使用呢？

The term was named after British author Eric Blair, known by his pen name George Orwell.

該詞彙取名自英國作家艾瑞克．布萊爾，其為人熟知的筆名為喬治．歐威爾。

Because his most famous work, the novel "1984,"

因為他最聞名的小說著作「一九八四」，

depicts an oppressive society under a totalitarian government, "Orwellian" is often used simply to mean authoritarian.

描寫一個受極權政府壓迫的社會，「歐威爾型」就是經常被用來表示獨裁的。

But using the term in this way not only fails to fully convey Orwell's message, it actually risks doing precisely what he tried to warn against.

不過如此使用這個詞彙不只有失於完整地表達出歐威爾的中心思想，而且根本是涉險一分不差地做著 他企圖警示對抗的東西

Orwell was indeed opposed to all forms of tyranny, spending much of his life fighting against anti-democratic forces of both the left-wing and the right.

歐威爾的確是反對所有形式的獨裁，耗費他泰半的人生抨擊皆為反民主力量的右派與左派。

But he was also deeply concerned with how such ideologies proliferate.

不過他也極度憂心如此理念要如何增衍。

And one of his most profound insights was the importance that language plays in shaping our thoughts and opinions.

而他最了不起的一個見解就是語言塑出我們的想法和意見的重要性。

The government of "1984"'s Oceania controls its people's actions and speech in some ways that are obvious.

「一九八四」的大洋國政府在某些方面很明確的控制著人民的言論與行動。

Their every move and word is watched and heard, and the threat of what happens to those who step out of line is always looming overhead.

大家的一言一行都被監看和監聽，對違規者有什麼下場的威脅總是在眼前上演。

Other forms of control are not so obvious.

其他形式的控制就沒有那麼明顯了 。

The population is inundated with a constant barrage of propaganda, made up of historical facts and statistics manufactured in the Ministry of Truth.

全國上下沉浸於永不停歇的轟炸式宣導 ，「真理部」加工杜撰史實和數據。

The Ministry of Peace is the military.

「和平部」是軍隊。

Labor camps are called "Joycamps."

「勞動營」被稱為玩樂營。

Political prisoners are detained and tortured in the Ministry of Love.

政治犯被「仁愛部」所拘押與刑求。

This deliberate irony is an example of doublespeak, when words are used not to convey meaning but to undermine it, corrupting the very ideas they refer to.

這種刻意的反諷是一種雙關的例子，當文字不是被用來傳達其字義而是要詆損、瓦解它們含意的概念。

The regime's control of language goes even further, eliminating words from the English language to create the official dialect of Newspeak,

公權力控制語言還要更過份得多，從英語裡刪減文字，創造出國語：「新話」 ，字首縮寫與具體容易之名辭 粗魯地縮限的一本合集缺乏任何含意深遠足以助長稍異 或是批判想法的字彙 這在心智上有著歐威爾 稱做「雙重念頭」的影響

a crudely limited collection of acronyms and simple concrete nouns lacking any words complex enough to encourage nuanced or critical thought.

一種認知失衡的催眠狀態在此情況下任誰在官方做準的 說法中被迫揚棄自己的認知

This has an effect on the psyche Orwell calls, "Doublethink,"

造成個人完全地仰賴國家對真實的定義結果就是一個即便是私下個人 想法的兜轉也是違法的世界

a hypnotic state of cognitive dissonance in which one is compelled to disregard their own perception in place of the officially dictated version of events,

某人也許說了夢話被判思想罪成立寫日記而或是有了地下情

leaving the individual completely dependent on the State's definition of reality itself.

等同叛軍造反的行為這也許聽起來像是只會 發生在極權政府的事情

The result is a world in which even the privacy of one's own thought process is violated,

但是歐威爾想要警告我們 即便在民主社會這種情事發生的潛藏可能

where one may be found guilty of thoughtcrime by talking in their sleep,

而這就是為什麼光是獨裁 並非歐威爾型所造成的

and keeping a diary or having a love affair equals a subversive act of rebellion.

在他的小品文「政治與英語」裡他描述好比運用浮誇的文字來影射官方

This might sound like something that can only happen in totalitarian regimes,

或是透過娓婉、晦澀的 句型結構包裝的技巧

but Orwell was warning us about the potential for this occurring even in democratic societies.

使得慘無人道聽起來沒什麼了不起不過就算更無傷大雅的玩弄語言 也能夠影響我們想事情的方式

And this is why "authoritarian" alone does not "Orwellian" make.

你在每天的廣告所看到、聽到的字眼

In his essay, "Politics and the English Language,"

已經被潤飾來吸引你和影響你的行為

he described techniques like using pretentious words to project authority,

就如同政治活動中的妙語和論點

or making atrocities sound acceptable by burying them in euphemisms and convoluted sentence structures.

這些東西罕有表達議題 最不經動手腳的觀點而且我們運用現成的句子和應對

But even more mundane abuses of language can affect the way we think about things.

從媒體新聞搜羅來或是從網路上複製的

The words you see and hear in everyday advertising have been crafted to appeal to you and affect your behavior,

容易造成沒有深思或是 質疑自己的假定就打混過去所以下次你聽到有人用了「歐威爾型」 這個字眼時要多留意些

as have the soundbites and talking points of political campaigns which rarely present the most nuanced perspective on the issues.

要是他們打算要談論矇蔽 、操弄的運用語言他們在正確的思路方向

And the way that we use ready-made phrases and responses gleaned from media reports or copied from the Internet makes it easy to get away with not thinking too deeply or questioning your assumptions.

要是他們打算要談有關 廣泛監控和干預式政府他們正在形容某種獨裁 但不必然是「歐威爾型」的東西 而且如果他們把它當成通用詞來用 針對任何他們討厭的理念來說 很有可能比起任何他們所批判的東西

So the next time you hear someone use the word Orwellian, pay close attention.

他們的言論更是「歐威爾型」文字具有讓想法定型的力量

If they're talking about the deceptive and manipulative use of language, they're on the right track.

語言是政治上的約定俗成從最一般日常的互動到 高深至極的理念形成社會的基礎

If they're talking about mass surveillance and intrusive government, they're describing something authoritarian but not necessarily Orwellian.

歐威爾驅策你我護守我們的語言因為到頭來我們清楚明白地 思考和溝通的能力

And if they use it as an all-purpose word for any ideas they dislike,

分隔開我們與戰爭就是和平、 自由就是奴隸的世界！

it's possible their statements are more Orwellian than whatever it is they're criticizing.

Words have the power to shape thought.

Language is the currency of politics, forming the basis of society from the most common, everyday interactions to the highest ideals.

Orwell urged us to protect our language because ultimately our ability to think and communicate clearly is what stands between us and a world where war is peace and freedom is slavery.