TED演讲之说什么 重新定义字典(3)
And of course, a few of us are saying: okay, computers!
当然，你们中的有些人会说，计算机！
Computers! What about computers?
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 merged 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 Oxford 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: pertaining 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 replicate 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 serendipity.
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。
演讲简介：
备受爱戴的纸质字典是不是注定要绝迹了？在这个充满感染力和活力的演讲里，首席字典编纂家爱琳·麦奇，从多方面看印刷字典的转型。