TED演讲：重新定义字典(3)

 　　And of course, a few of us are saying: okay, computers! Computers! What about computers? 当然，你们中的有些人会说，计算机！计算机！计算机是新东西吧？

　　The thing about computers is, I love computers. 不要误会，我喜欢计算机，

　　I mean, I'm a huge geek, I love computers. 我超级喜欢计算机，

　　I would go on a hunger strike before I let them take away Google Book Search from me. 如果有人不让我用谷歌的图书搜索，我一定会绝食抗议。

　　But computers don't do much else other than speed up the process of compiling dictionaries. 但是，在字典编纂工作中，计算机能起到的作用，就是加快了编纂的工作进程，仅此而已。

　　They don't change the end result. 计算机没有改变最终结果。

　　Because what a dictionary is, is it's Victorian design merged¹ with a little bit of modern propulsion. 因为字典就是维多利亚时代的设计和现代推动力的整合。

　　It's steampunk. What we have is an electric velocipede. 没什么，就是一台电动的脚踏车。

　　You know, we have Victorian design with an engine on it. That's all! 给维多利亚时代的设计加上一个引擎，仅此而已！

　　The design has not changed. And OK, what about online dictionaries, right? 设计上没有任何变化。好，那线上字典呢？

　　Online dictionaries must be different. 线上字典不一样了吧。

　　This is the Oxford² English Dictionary Online, one of the best online dictionaries. 这是牛津线上英语字典，目前最好的线上字典之一。

　　This is my favorite word, by the way. 看一下一个我喜欢的词，

　　Erinaceous: pertaining³ to the hedgehog family; of the nature of a hedgehog.  Erinaceous：属于刺猬的；刺猬的本性。

　　Very useful word. So, look at that. Online dictionaries right now are paper thrown up on a screen. 非常有用的词。看看这里，线上字典目前就是把纸质版本放到屏幕前。

　　This is flat. Look how many links there are in the actual entry: two! 还是很平面。看看这个单词有几个链接？两个！

　　Right? Those little buttons, I had them all expanded except for the date chart. 对吧？那些小按键，除了日期纪录，我把他们都展开了。

　　So there's not very much going on here. There's not a lot of clickiness. 没什么东西，没什么可以点击。

　　And in fact, online dictionaries replicate⁴ almost all the problems of print, except for searchability. 事实上，线上字典继承了印刷品几乎所有的毛病，除了搜索功能。

　　And when you improve searchability, you actually take away the one advantage of print, which is serendipity⁵. 而当搜索功能改善了，你同时也把印刷品的优势拿走，那就是能不经意间有新的发现的能力。

　　Serendipity is when you find things you weren't looking for, 你能发现一些并不是你要找的东西，

　　because finding what you are looking for is so damned difficult. 其实是因为找到你想找的东西是如此困难。

1 merged   

（使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中

参考例句：

• Turf wars are inevitable when two departments are merged. 两个部门合并时总免不了争争权限。
• The small shops were merged into a large market. 那些小商店合并成为一个大商场。

2 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

3 pertaining   

与…有关系的，附属…的，为…固有的(to)

参考例句：

• Living conditions are vastly different from those pertaining in their country of origin. 生活条件与他们祖国大不相同。
• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school. 视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。

4 replicate   

v.折叠，复制，模写；n.同样的样品；adj.转折的

参考例句：

• The DNA of chromatin must replicate before cell division.染色质DNA在细胞分裂之前必须复制。
• It is also easy to replicate,as the next subsection explains.就像下一个小节详细说明的那样，它还可以被轻易的复制。

5 serendipity   

n.偶然发现物品之才能；意外新发现

参考例句：

• "It was serendipity all the way,"he says.用他的话说是“一直都很走运”。
• Some of the best effects in my garden have been the result of serendipity.我园子里最珍贵的几件物品是机缘巧合之下意外所得。