FOR centuries, canes have served blind and partially sighted people well by giving them a means to negotiate the world around them. The only serious upgrade they have undergone dates back to 1921, when a Briton called James Biggs, who had recently lost his sight, painted his own cane white in order to make it easily visible and to alert others to the presence of someone unable to see nearby obstacles. In the opinion of Daniela Rus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), however, the white cane has had its day. Dr Rus would like to replace it with a system that scans its user’s environment and communicates back to him what it sees.
官方譯文：
幾百年來，拐杖很好地服務(wù)了盲人和弱視者，給了他們探索周圍世界的途徑。它們唯一一次真正的升級還是在1921年，當(dāng)時剛剛失明的英國人詹姆斯·比格斯 (James Biggs) 把自己的拐杖漆成了白色以讓它變得更醒目，提醒別人這里有一個看不到障礙物的人。不過，在麻省理工學(xué)院的達(dá)尼埃拉·魯斯 (Daniela Rus) 看來，導(dǎo)盲杖的輝煌期已經(jīng)到頭了。魯斯博士想用一套新設(shè)備取代它。這個系統(tǒng)可以掃描用戶所在大環(huán)境，并把所見反饋給用戶。
一句一句來：
★ FOR centuries,caneshave served blind andpartiallysightedpeople well by giving them a means tonegotiatethe world around them.
Cane: 拐杖，手杖
Partially: If something happens or exists partially, it happens or exists to some extent, but not completely. 在一定程度上地
Lisa is deaf in one ear and partially blind.
莉薩一只耳朵聾了，并且在一定程度上失明了。
Sighted: someone who is sighted can see, and is not blind〔人〕看得見的，有視力的，不盲的
Partially sighted: 有視力障礙的，比如：her partially sighted father 她那有視力障礙的父親，不建議翻譯成“部分視力障礙的人”，有歧義，是視力障礙人群中的一部分嗎？也不建議翻譯成“半失明”，有的只有一點點受損，是半失明嗎？有的幾乎是看不到了，也只能算“半”失明嗎？
Negotiate: to succeed in getting past or over a difficult place on a path, road etc順利通過
Guido swung the steering-wheel round to negotiate a corner. 吉多轉(zhuǎn)動方向盤，順利地通過了拐角。
此處的意思是，在周遭環(huán)境中順利通行。
★The only serious upgradethey have undergonedates back to 1921, when aBritoncalled James Biggs, who had recently lost his sight,paintedhis own cane white in order to make it easily visible and toalert others tothe presence of someoneunable to see nearby obstacles.
Briton: n. 英國人，大不列顛人
Paint sth. (in)表示顏色的形容詞：paint sth (in) blue/red/green etc，比如：
We painted the door blue. 我們把門漆成了藍(lán)色。
Paint the walls in a contrasting colour. 用對比色粉刷墻壁。
Alert to: 使警惕，使警戒；警告(某人)(有威脅等)；提醒(某人)注意(某事)：
to alert someone to the fact that… 提醒某人注意…的事實
to alert gardeners to the dangers of some pesticides使園丁注意某些殺蟲劑的危險
they have undergone——they指代canes，而不是殘障人士。
unable to see nearby obstacles——這是修飾someone的，nearby修飾障礙物，而不是提醒周圍的人怎樣怎么樣。
★In the opinion of Daniela Rus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), however, the white canehas had its day.
has one’s day: 走運，正在得意的時候。這里可以是：已是明日黃花，明日黃花比喻過時或無意義的事物。能表達(dá)類似意思的還可以是：have seen one’s day。
關(guān)于這個詞組，有一個諺語：
Every dog has its day.
凡人都有得意日；風(fēng)水輪流轉(zhuǎn)
拓展一下，在英語中，dog很多都沒有貶義，比如lucky dog幸運兒，還有top dog: the person who has the most power in a group, especially after a struggle〔尤指經(jīng)過爭斗后〕最有權(quán)的人
He always wanted to be the one in control, the top dog. 他總是想執(zhí)掌大權(quán)，成為第一把手。
★Dr Rus would like to replace it with a system that scans its user’s environment andcommunicatesback to him what it sees.
Communicate: to express your thoughts and feelings clearly, so that other people understand them?表達(dá)，傳達(dá)〔思想和感情〕
communicate sth to sb
Without meaning to, she communicated her anxiety to her child.
她無意中向孩子傳達(dá)了她的焦慮。
His enthusiasm communicated itself to the voters.
他的熱情傳遞給了選民。
A teacher must be able to communicate effectively to students.
教師必須能夠有效地對學(xué)生表達(dá)自己的意思。
Dr Rus’s device, of which she demonstrated a prototype on June 1st at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Singapore, consists of a camera worn on a lanyard around the neck, and a belt. A computer inside the camera creates a three-dimensional image of the area ahead of the wearer, processes it to extract relevant information, and uses the results to pass on appropriate signals via the belt.
官方譯文：
在6月1日于新加坡舉辦的機(jī)器人和自動化國際會議上，魯斯展示了這種設(shè)備的原型。它包括 一臺掛在脖子上的攝像機(jī)和一根腰帶。攝像機(jī)內(nèi)部的計算機(jī)會生出一個廟會用戶前方區(qū)域的三維影像，處理該影響以提取有用的信息，并將結(jié)果轉(zhuǎn)化為信號，通過腰帶向用戶傳輸。
Dr Rus knew from previous attempts to build devices of this sort that what might seem the obvious way of manifesting those signals, namely as sounds with specific meanings, was not, in fact, a good approach.?Blind people depend a lot on their hearing and do not like it when newfangled devices hamper this sense with beeps and clicks. Hence the belt, which has five vibrating motors installed in it. One sits over the centre of the wearer’s abdomen. The others flank this central motor, with two spaced out on either side of it.
官方譯文：
從過往開發(fā)這類設(shè)備的嘗試中，魯斯已經(jīng)明白了一點：呈現(xiàn)這類信號的一個似乎顯而易見的方式——表達(dá)特定含義的聲音——實際上不是一個好辦法。盲人非常依賴聽覺，不喜歡新奇設(shè)備發(fā)出的嗶嗶聲和滴滴聲干擾這一知覺。所以她設(shè)計了腰帶，上面裝有五臺震動電動機(jī)。其中一臺位于佩戴者腹部的正中央，其余分部兩側(cè)，一邊兩臺，彼此隔開些距離。
逐句讀：
★Dr Rus knew from previous attempts to build devices of this sort that what might seem the obvious way ofmanifestingthose signals, namely as sounds with specific meanings, was not, in fact, a good approach.
what might seem the obvious way of manifesting those signals——如果說“似乎很顯然……”，本身中文就存在邏輯矛盾，似乎是不確定，顯然是確定，那到底是確定還是不確定呢？
為了避免這樣的歧義，我們要把might和obvious拆開來看：
The obvious way of doing sth.可以參考：
the/an obvious choice
the person or thing that you would expect everyone to choose
明擺著的選擇
Teaching is an obvious choice of career if you like working with children.
如果你喜歡和孩子打交道，那么教書就是明擺著的選擇。
Manifest: to show a feeling, attitude etc顯示，表明，表露〔感情、態(tài)度等〕
The shareholders have manifested their intention to sell the shares.
股東們表明了要出售股票的意圖。
關(guān)于此句的翻譯如何避免歧義，詳見你以為你分清了句子主干，其實呢……
★Blind people depend a lot on their hearing and do not likeitwhennewfangleddevices hamper this sense with beeps and clicks.
it：used to refer to the situation that someone is in now, or what is happening now〔指某人目前所處的境況或正在發(fā)生的事〕，比如：
I can’t stand it any longer. I’m resigning.
我再也忍受不了啦，我要辭職。
Newfangled: recently designed or produced - usually used to show disapproval or distrust新設(shè)計的；新生產(chǎn)的；新奇的〔一般含貶義或表示不信任〕
newfangled ideas about children’s education
關(guān)于兒童教育的新奇想法
柯林斯的詞條中還有復(fù)雜的意思：
If someone describes a new idea or a new piece of equipment as newfangled, they mean that it is too complicated or is unnecessary. 過于復(fù)雜的; 沒必要的
Mr. Goss does not believe in any of this newfangled nonsense about lean meat.
戈斯先生對瘦肉奇談都嗤之以鼻。
★One sits over the centre of the wearer’s abdomen. The othersflankthis central motor, with twospaced outon either side of it.
Flank: to be on both sides of someone or something 位于…兩側(cè)
Lewis entered flanked by two bodyguards.
劉易斯在左右兩名保鏢的陪同下走了進(jìn)來。
mountains flanking the road
公路兩旁的群山
spaced out：(使)間隔開，(在…中間)拉開間隔：
to space out the payments
間隔開還款日期
That configuration permits the computer to warn a wearer when he is on a collision course with an obstacle. It does so by telling the motor pointing most closely in the direction of the obstacle to vibrate.?If the wearer is walking towards a wall, for example, the central motor vibrates softly when he comes within a couple of metres of it. If he ignores this, perhaps because he actually wants to reach the wall, the computer increases the amplitude as he closes in, giving him a good idea of exactly how far away he is.?Similarly, if he is in danger of bumping, say, his right shoulder on a door frame while walking from one room to another, the right-most motor on the belt will warn him of the impending collision. And it works. When compared with navigation by white cane in one of MIT’s famously crowded hallways, it reduced blind students’ collisions with others by 86%.
官方譯文：
這種設(shè)置使得計算機(jī)可以在用戶快要撞到障礙物時發(fā)出警告。計算機(jī)會讓距離障礙物最近的電動機(jī)振動起來。比如，假如用戶正走向一面墻，在距離兩三米遠(yuǎn)時中央電動機(jī)就會開始輕微震動，如果他不為所動繼續(xù)向前——也許是因為他本來就是想走到墻邊——計算機(jī)會逐漸增加那臺電動機(jī)振動幅度，讓他能清楚了解到自己離墻還有多遠(yuǎn)。同樣，假如他從一個房間走向另一個房間時右肩可能要撞上門框，那么腰帶上最右邊的那臺電動機(jī)就會對他發(fā)出警告。這還真管用——在麻省理工學(xué)院某條出了名擁擠的走廊里，和使用導(dǎo)盲杖相比，這套設(shè)備讓盲人學(xué)生撞到其他人的次數(shù)減少了86%。
挑幾個句子：
★Thatconfigurationpermits the computer to warn a wearer when he is on a collisioncoursewith an obstacle.
Configuration: the shape or arrangement of the parts of something構(gòu)造，結(jié)構(gòu)；布局
the configuration of pistons in an engine
發(fā)動機(jī)內(nèi)活塞的布局
作“配置”意思時，主要是說計算機(jī)設(shè)備的內(nèi)部配置：technical the combination of equipment needed to run a computer system〔計算機(jī)設(shè)備的〕配置。
Course: The course of a vehicle, especially a ship or aircraft, is the route along which it is travelling. 路線
Aircraft can avoid each other by altering course to left or right.
飛行器可以通過向左或向右改變航線來避免相撞。
★It does so by telling the motorpointingmost closely in the direction of the obstacle to vibrate.
Point: If something points to a place or points in a particular direction, it shows where that place is or it faces in that direction. 指向
An arrow pointed to the toilets.
一個箭頭指向了廁所。
He controlled the car until it was pointing forward again.
他控制住了汽車，直到車頭再次朝向前方。
point most closely in the direction 最接近某個方向的，最接近某個角度的。
★If he ignores this, perhaps because he actually wants to reach the wall, the computer increases the amplitude as hecloses in, giving him a good idea of exactly how far away he is.
Close in: 迫近；包圍，籠罩(常與 on 連用)：
They ran away when the enemy army began to close in.
敵軍迫近時，他們逃跑了。
The new system can, however, do more than just help someone walk around without collisions, for the belt incorporates a touchpad that is inscribed with instructions in Braille. This permits the user to program it to perform specific tasks.
官方譯文：
不過，這套新系統(tǒng)能做的不僅僅是讓盲人走路時避免碰撞。腰帶上還嵌有一塊觸控板，上面刻有盲文指令。這讓用戶可以給這塊觸控板編程來執(zhí)行特定的任務(wù)。
For example, Dr Rus knew that blind students often struggle to find an empty seat in a crowded lecture theatre. Adding an appropriate algorithm to the computer’s software helps get around this by enabling it to recognise chairs, and also whether or not a chair is occupied. In this case, the motors are used to indicate a direction to be travelled in, rather than one to be avoided. Activating the algorithm using the touchpad causes the motor pointing most closely towards an empty chair to vibrate when the system spots one.
官方譯文：
例如，魯斯知道盲人學(xué)生常常很難在擁擠的階梯教室里找到座位。在計算機(jī)的軟件里加入恰當(dāng)?shù)乃惴?，讓它能夠識別座位并確定座位上是否有人，就可以解決這個問題。在這種情況下，發(fā)動機(jī)將用以指示使用者要前往的方向，而不是要躲避的方向。通過觸控屏激活算法后，一旦系統(tǒng)找到一個空位，就會讓最靠近空位的發(fā)動機(jī)開始振動。
逐句來：
★For example, Dr Rus knew that blind students often struggle to find an empty seat in a crowdedlecture theatre.
Lecture threatre: 階梯教室，大教室，大講堂
視障和盲的區(qū)別：視障是指視覺功能受到一定程度的損害，患者因為視覺敏銳度低或視野受損，以致無法達(dá)到正常視力，因而到影響日常生活。 視覺障礙者簡稱視障者，廣義而言，如果個人需透過輔助器具如眼鏡、放大鏡等才能看清楚東西，就稱為視障者。 所以說，視障不等于全盲，這是一般人常有的錯誤刻板印象。
★Adding an appropriate algorithm to the computer’s software helpsget aroundthisby enablingitto recognise chairs, and also whether or not a chair is occupied.
Get around: ?To get around a problem or difficulty means to overcome it. 解決
None of these countries has found a way yet to get around the problem of the polarization of wealth.
這些國家均未找到一個方案來解決貧富兩極分化的問題。
This就是指代前面盲人學(xué)生找座難的問題。
It指代計算機(jī)軟件。
★In this case, the motors are used to?indicate a direction to be travelled in, rather than one to be avoided.
In this case: 假使是這樣的話，在這種情況下
One 指代direction，翻譯的時候注意，不是要避開的障礙物，而是方向。
In trials involving a room that contained an empty chair, an occupied chair and also a recycling bin, the algorithm directed the belt-wearer straight to the empty chair 80% of the time. Cane users presented with the same arrangement always found the empty chair eventually, but in doing so came into contact with objects other than their target more than five times as often as those using the camera and belt.
官方譯文：
在試驗中，一個房間里擺放著一張空椅、一張坐了人的椅子和一個垃圾桶。在算法的引導(dǎo)下，佩戴腰帶的用戶徑直走向空椅的幾率是80%。在一模一樣的環(huán)境里，那些持導(dǎo)盲杖的人最后都會找到空椅，但是相比使用攝像機(jī)和腰帶組件，他們觸碰到其他物體的次數(shù)增加了五倍。
逐句走：
★In trials involving a room that contained an empty chair, anoccupiedchair and also a recycling bin, the algorithm directed the belt-wearer straight to the empty chair 80% of the time.
Occupied:
(1)[not before noun,不用于名詞前]busy doing something忙于…的，從事…的
The museum has enough exhibits to keep anyone occupied for an hour or two.
這座博物館的展品足夠讓任何人觀賞一兩個小時。
I kept myself occupied by watching television.
為了不讓自己閑著，我一直看電視。
[+ with]
His time was occupied with the children.
他的時間都被孩子占用了。
She’s fully occupied with work.
工作使她忙得不可開交。
(2)[not before noun,不用于名詞前]a bed, chair, room etc that is occupied is being used〔床、椅子、房間等〕已被占用的，有人使用的
Sorry, this seat is occupied.
抱歉，這個座位有人了。
如此說來，此處的an occupied seat不太嚴(yán)謹(jǐn)，如果要修改，可以是a seat occupied, 作后置定語。
Occupied的反義詞可以是
empty: not being used by anyone無人用的，空著的
I spotted an empty table in the corner.
我發(fā)現(xiàn)角落里有一張空桌子。
He put his feet on an empty chair.
他把雙腳擱在空椅子上。
free:If something such as a table or seat is free, it is not being used or occupied by anyone, or is not reserved for anyone to use. (桌子或座位) 空著的
There was only one seat free on the train.
火車上只有一個空座。
vacant: a vacant seat, building, room or piece of land is empty and available for someone to use〔座位、房屋、土地〕空的，未被占用的
Only a few apartments were still vacant.
只有幾套公寓仍然空著。
There was only a vacant lot (= empty unused area of land in a city ) where her house used to be.
她以前房子所在的地方只剩下一塊空地了。
但在日常英語中，表達(dá)座位或房間空著，人們通常說 free，而不說 vacant
Is this seat free?
這個座位空著嗎？
In trials involving a room that contained an empty chair, an occupied chair and also a recycling bin——修飾trials的后置定語太長了，不建議都處理成定語放在試驗前面，否則就會是：在涉及到一間有什么什么和什么的房間的試驗里，太長了，建議拆出來。
★翻譯tips：
可以把room這個定語從句獨立出來成一個完整的句子，比如官譯：在試驗中，一個房間里擺放著一張空椅、一張坐了人的椅子和一個垃圾桶。在算法的引導(dǎo)下，佩戴腰帶的用戶徑直走向空椅的幾率是80%。
可以給Trail補(bǔ)充一個動詞，組成動賓結(jié)構(gòu)，比如: 在一個放置一把空椅子、一把被坐了的椅子和一個回收桶的房間里進(jìn)行試驗，80%的情況下，腰帶佩戴者會在算法的指引下徑直走向空椅子。
★Cane userspresentedwith the same arrangement always found the empty chair eventually, but in doing socame into contact withobjects other than their target more than five times as often as those using the camera and belt.
句子很長，先做意群劃分：
Cane users （主語）presented（過去分詞作后置定語，表被動） with the same arrangement always found （謂語1）the empty chair （賓語）eventually, but（平行結(jié)構(gòu)） in doing so came（謂語2） into contact with objects other than their target more than five times as often as（比較狀語） those using （現(xiàn)在分詞作后置定語）the camera and belt.
Present: exhibit to others 向……展示，顯示，users presented with… 單純就字面理解就是他們被展示了什么東西。
Come into contact with觸及到，碰到
more than five times as often as——這里兩個坑，一個是more than漏譯，還有一個是times誤譯。
比較的維度是often，也就是頻率、概率、幾率、頻繁度。Times修飾這種頻率、概率，就不可能是次數(shù)，而是倍數(shù)，五倍于。如果是比誰多出五次，應(yīng)該是five times more than sb. 就不會有often這個維度了。
另外，注意“是……的五倍”和“增加五倍”的區(qū)別，后者是六倍了。
表示倍數(shù)是可以用：
A is twice+比較級+than B ；
A is twice as 原形 as B；
A is twice the 名詞 of +B
比如：這間房比那間房大三倍：(以下三種同義)
This room is three times bigger than that one.
This room is four times as big as that one.
This room is four times the size of that one.
Whether a camera (ideally, smaller than the one in the prototype) and a belt could replace a cane completely remains to be seen. In particular, Dr Rus’s system does lack one important feature of Biggs’s innovation. A white cane not only helps a blind person to navigate, it also signals his condition to the rest of the world, allowing others to adjust their behaviour accordingly. As a supplementary aid, however, her approach seems most promising.
官方譯文：
攝像機(jī)（最好能比原型機(jī)中的那臺小一點）和腰帶的組合能否完全取代導(dǎo)盲杖還需拭目以待。特別是魯斯的系統(tǒng)缺少了比格斯發(fā)明的一項重要功能。白色的手杖不僅僅能幫助盲人行路，也向其他所有人表明了其主人的狀況，讓他們可以相應(yīng)地調(diào)整自己的行為。不過，作為導(dǎo)盲杖的一種補(bǔ)充，魯斯的方法看來很有前途。
