芬兰发布官方“国家表情”

 　　Finland's foreign ministry¹ has launched a set of official emojis, and a once-ubiquitous Nokia handset is among them.

　　芬兰外交部发布了一组官方表情符号，其中包括曾人手一部的诺基亚手机。

　　More than 30 icons² will be available for people to download, representing "important things associated with Finland", the ministry says. The first three to be unveiled depict³ a man and woman enjoying a sauna, a Nokia 3310 - beloved by many who remember the pre-smartphone era - and a headbanger, reflecting Finns' affection for hard rock. "The Finland emojis were designed with a tongue-in-cheek approach," says Director of Public Diplomacy⁴ Petra Theman. "But I hope they will tell the world not only about our special features, but also something about our strengths. One example is disarming⁵ honesty."

　　芬兰外交部称，这组“表情包”有30多个表情供人们下载，均描绘了“与芬兰有关的重要事物”。首批公开的3个表情为正在洗桑拿的男人和女人、一部诺基亚3310手机（在智能手机时代之前，这部手机深受许多人喜爱）以及一位重金属摇滚乐迷，最后这个表情体现的是芬兰人对硬摇滚乐的热爱。芬兰公共外交主任佩特拉·瑟曼（Petra Theman）说：“这些芬兰表情设计走的是搞笑风格。但我希望，通过它们，世界不仅可以了解芬兰的特色，还能发现我们的优点，例如能够让人放下戒心的诚实。”

　　国家表情

　　Designed in conjunction with a marketing⁶ agency, the emojis will also feature in an online advent⁷ calendar available in 13 languages - including Chinese, Arabic and Hindi. The ministry says Finland is the first country in the world to launch its own emojis.

　　这些表情符号是芬兰外交部与一家市场营销机构共同设计的，不久后将可在一款网络降临节日历中使用。该日历支持13种语言，包括汉语、阿拉伯语和印度语。芬兰外交部称，芬兰是世界上第一个发布自身表情符号的国家。

　　The Ilta-Sanomat newspaper has asked readers to vote on whether they like the designs or not, and so far people seem happy - of more than 4,400 votes, 75% approve. But those who took the time to comment were more sceptical. One person describes the heavy metal association as "so cheesy" and another points out that saunas could also represent Finland's neighbouring countries. "Let's spread Finnish stereotypes⁸ around the internet," one person says dryly. There are also some suggestions for what should feature among the remaining emojis - from the simple idea of a Finnish flag, to a bottle of vodka.

　　芬兰《新闻晚报》（Ilta-Sanomat）曾要求读者就是否喜欢这些表情的设计进行投票。而到目前为止，人们似乎很满意，在4400多个投票中，75%的人表示喜欢。但那些没急着评论的人则持更为怀疑的态度。有人认为，重金属摇滚乐的联想“太俗气”；还有人指出，桑拿也可以代表芬兰的邻国。还有一个人讽刺地说：“让我们在互联网上传播人们对芬兰的模式化印象吧”。还有一些人就尚未公布的表情应该包含的事物提建议——从简单的芬兰国旗到一瓶伏特加都有。

　　Vocabulary

　　emoji：表情符号

　　headbanger：重金属乐爱好者

　　tongue-in-cheek：不认真的，半开玩笑的

　　disarming：消除敌意的，使解除警戒心的

　　heavy metal：重金属摇滚乐

　　cheesy：廉价的，低级的，没有水平的

　　dryly：冷淡地，讽刺地

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 icons   

n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像

参考例句：

• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 depict   

vt.描画，描绘；描写，描述

参考例句：

• I don't care to see plays or films that depict murders or violence.我不喜欢看描写谋杀或暴力的戏剧或电影。
• Children's books often depict farmyard animals as gentle,lovable creatures.儿童图书常常把农场的动物描写得温和而可爱。

4 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

5 disarming   

adj.消除敌意的，使人消气的v.裁军( disarm的现在分词 )；使息怒

参考例句：

• He flashed her a disarming smile. 他朝她笑了一下，让她消消气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We will agree to disarming troops and leaving their weapons at military positions. 我们将同意解除军队的武装并把武器留在军事阵地。 来自辞典例句

6 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

7 advent   

n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临

参考例句：

• Swallows come by groups at the advent of spring. 春天来临时燕子成群飞来。
• The advent of the Euro will redefine Europe.欧元的出现将重新定义欧洲。

8 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》