BBC听英文｜Talking to machines
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Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Rob.
大家好，欢迎来到六分钟英语。我是罗伯。
And I’m Dan.
我是丹。
Hey, Dan. What’s the time?
嘿，丹，什么时间了？
Time you got a new watch?
你该买块新表的时候？
No, I didn’t ask you that, just for a joke or a sarcastic comment now, did I?
不，我没有问你那个，现在只是开个玩笑或者嘲讽一下，不是吗？
Well, no, but look, there’s a clock over there, and you are wearing a watch, you have a smartphone and a computer, all of which show the time. So why are you asking me?
好吧，但是你看那有一块表，你也戴着一块手表，你有智能机和电脑，所有这一切都可以显示时间。所以你为什么要问我呢？
Dan! I was trying to introduce today’s topic, which is all about virtual assistants or bots. You seemed to have forgotten the script.
丹！我刚正在努力介绍今天的主题，全是关于虚拟助手或者虚拟程序。你似乎忘记台本了。
Oh, yes, sorry. We’re talking about software that you talk to and that can talk back to you. Like Apple’s Siri, Google’s Assistant, Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana. It might be on your phone or computer or even a speaker in your house.
噢，是的，抱歉。我们现在讨论是你与之交谈并反过来与你交谈的软件。就像苹果的Siri，谷歌的Assistant，亚马逊的Alexa还有微软的Cortana。它可能在你的手机或电脑里，或者甚至是在你你家里的扬声器中。
Now before we hear more about this topic, here is today’s quiz question.Do you know when was the first computer, which could recognise speech, launched? Was it in a) 1951 b) 1961 or c) 1971 ?
现在在我们听到更多关于今天主题的内容之前，是今天的测试问题。你知道第一台能识别语音的电脑什么时候开始上市的？是在a) 1951年 b) 1961年 还是 c) 1971年 ？
Oh, I have found my script, so I’ve seen the answer.But I have to say I was surprised.
噢，我找到我的台本了，所以我已经看过答案了。但是我不得不说我很吃惊。
OK. Don’t tell anybody, Dan, OK?We’ll give the answer for the listeners at the end of the programme. We’re going to hear now from Tom Hewitson, who is a conversation designer, working in the field of virtual assistants, talking on BBC Radio 4’s Word of Mouth programme. He talks about the whole idea of virtual assistants and how they are changing the way we interact with technology. How does he describe our existing relationship with computers?
好的，不要告诉任何人，丹，好吗？我们将会在节目最后给观众答案。我们现在要听一下汤姆•休伊森做客BBC4频道的Word of Mouth节目是怎么说的，他是从事虚拟助手领域工作的对话设计师。他谈到了虚拟助手的整体观点，以及它们如何改变我们和科技的互动。他是如何描述我们和计算机的现存联系的？
It changes the way that we think about computers. To date we’ve thought of them largely as tools. They’re just an advanced version of a calculator. They’re something you kind of use to get a specific thing done, whereas this is kind of changing them more into like an agent. They’re an active participant in the interaction and in guiding you to make the right decision.
它改变了我们对电脑的看法。迄今为止，我们大多把它们当做工具。它们只是高级版本的计算器。它们是你完成特定事情所使用的某种事物，而这在一定程度上正将它们变为发展的动因。它们积极参与我们之间的互动以及指导你做出正确决定。
How did he describe our existing relationship with computers then?
然后他是怎么形容我们和计算机现存联系的？
He said that to date, which is an expression, which means ’up until this point in time’, we have thought of them as advanced calculators.
他说迄今为止我们认为它们是高级计算器。“迄今为止”指的是“到目前为止的时间”的一种表达。
Yes, that’s right, we use them as a tool to get things done. But he says that modern technology is turning them into an agent. This doesn’t mean a secret agent, like James Bond! In this sense an agent is something that has agency and that means it has the ability to act individually and make its own decisions.
是的，那是对的，我们把它们当做做事的工具。但是他说现代科技正在将它们变为一种动因。这并不是指像詹姆斯•邦德那样的秘密组织。在这里"agent"指的是某物有一定能力，而且那指的是它有单独行动并做出自己决定的能力。
I’m not sure I’d like my phone to have agency. It probably wouldn’t like being in my pocket all day.
我不确定我希望我的手机有这个能力。它或许不会整天待在我兜里。
Who would, Dan.But I’m not sure Hewitson is suggesting our devices would become that clever.But he did say they could become more active in our lives.
哪有谁会愿意呢，丹。但是我不确定休伊森有在暗示我们的设备会变得那么成熟。但是他说它们会在我们的生活中变得更加活跃。
Maybe. Oh, I imagine, for example, telling us if we are spending too much time in fast food restaurants.
或许吧。我想例如它们会告诉我们，我们是否花费了太多时间在快餐店里。
Maybe in your case, Dan. Mine would be telling me I spend too much time in the gym! Hewitson goes on to explain how the way we will talk to our virtual assistants will develop. What does he say we don’t need to do?
或许那是你的情况。我的话是会告诉我花费太多时间在健身房里。休伊森继续解释我们同虚拟助手的交谈将如何发展。他说我们不必做什么？
We will develop our own kind of vernacular for speaking with machines. That will be subtly different from how we speak to other people. Because as you rightly point out, you don’t need to make the machine like you. You don’t need to kind of make random chit-chat that’s just filling the time. It can be much more brusque and to the point.
我们将会形成自己的本地话和机器交谈。那和我们与他人说话时略有不同。你所言极是，因为你不必让机器像你一样。你不需要那种只是打发时间的随意闲聊。它会更加直截了当，简明扼要。
A lot of what we say in human communication is to do with our relationship with the person we’re talking to.
我们在人类交流中所说的许多东西是和我们交流的对象产生联系。
We say things and talk about things that are maybe not directly relevant to our point. With a digital virtual assistant, we don’t need to do that, so we don’t need to make the machine like us.
我们所说的事情和谈论的事情或许不是直接和我们的观点相关。但是和数字虚拟助手，我们不必那样，所以我们不需要让机器像我们一样。
Hewitson said that we will develop our own vernacular, this is a general word for a native language. This vernacular will be a little bit different from our everyday vernacular.Because, as we said, we don’t need to maintain a social relationship with the artificial assistant.
休伊森称我们将会形成自己的本地话，这是“本土语”的一般词汇。这种本地话和我们日常本地话略有不同。因为正如我们所说，我们不需要和人工助手维持社会关系。
This means that we won’t need chit-chat.Chit-chat is another expression for small talk.Conversation topics, which aren’t important but are part of everyday social communication, like talking about the weather.
这意味着我们不需要闲聊。闲聊是简短交谈的另一种表达。对话的主题不重要，但却是日常社会交流的一部分，就像谈论天气。
And because we don’t need to be friends with our virtual assistants, we can be brusque and to the point. Both of these mean being very direct and not very polite.
而且因为我们不必和我们的虚拟助手做朋友，我们可以直截了当，简明扼要。这两个都是指非常直接，不是很礼貌。
Well, Dan, I don’t mean to be brusque, but it is time for the answer to this week’s quiz question.Earlier I asked when was the first computer which could recognise speech, launched. The options were: a) 1951 b) 1961 and c) 1971.Well, actually the first computer which could recognise speech was launched in 1961.
好的，丹，我无意这么粗鲁，但是到了揭晓本周测试问题答案的时间了。早些时候我问，第一台可以识别语音的计算机什么时候发布的？选项是a) 1951年 b) 1961年 和 c) 1971年。好的，实际上第一台可以识别语音的计算机在1961年发布。
Yep, it was called the IBM Shoebox and could recognise 16 words and the numbers zero to nine. That’s nearly as many as you!
它被叫做IBM Shoebox，并且可以识别16个单词以及0到9的数字。那几乎和你的能识别的数量一样多。
Cheeky! Right, enough of this chat-chat. Let’s recap today’s vocabulary.
你真无耻！好了，这次闲聊够了。让我们回顾一下今天的词汇。
Well, chit-chat was one of today’s expressions, meaning ’small talk’. But we also had the expression - to date. That means ‘up until this moment in time’.
好吧，闲聊是今天表达之一，指的是“简短交谈”。但是我们我们同样学习了一种表达——迄今为止。那指的是“到此刻的时间为止”。
Then we had the noun - agent. This refers to something that has agency. And that is the ability to think, make decisions and act independently.
然后我们学习了名词——动因。这指代的是有一定能力的某事物。并且那是能够思考，做出决定并独立行动的能力。
The next word is vernacular, another word for language, particularly when talking about a native language.
下一个单词是本地话，语言的另一个单词，特别是当谈到本土语时。
And finally there was brusque, meaning ’direct and not polite’ and to the point, which also means ’direct and without unnecessary information’.
最后是直截了当，指的是“直接且不礼貌”，而且同样指的是“直接且不含不必要的信息”。
Hey, Rob.
嘿，罗伯。
Yes, what can I do for you, Dan?
在，我能为你做什么呢，丹？
End the programme.
结束节目。
Certainly, Dan. Well, that’s all from us today. Bye for now!
当然，丹。好的，以上就是我们今天所有的内容。再见了！
Byebye!
拜拜！