英语笔译实务 3级配套训练 第八单元 英译汉(一) Robot

英语笔译实务3级配套训练第八单元

英译汉（一）

Robot

Even before the first robot was built, the subject of robotics was controversial. The word “robot” was coined in 1921 by a Czech playwright who wrote about a colony of machines endowed with artificial intelligence that eventually turned against their human creators. Although that account was fictional, the first industrial robots were in use by the early 1960s. Today, we continue to be intrigued by robots and their potential for both good and evil.

Basically, a robot is any machine that performs work or other actions normally done by humans. Most robots are used in factories to make products such as cars and electronics. Others are used to explore underwater, in volcanoes and even on other planets.

Robots consist of three main components: a brain, which is usually a computer; actuators and mechanical parts such as motors, wheels and gears; and sensors for detecting images, sound temperature, motion and light. With these basic components, robots can interact with their environment and perform the tasks they are designed to carry out.

The advantages are obvious –robots can do things humans just

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don’t want to do, and they are usually more cost effective. Robots can also do things more precisely than humans and allow progress in medical science and other useful advances.

But, as with any machine, a robot can break down and even cause disaster. There’s also the possibility that wicked people will use robots for evil purpose. Yet this also true with other forms of technology such as weapons and biological material.

Robots will probably be used even more in the future. They will continue to do tasks where danger, repetition, cost or the need for precision prevents humans from performing. As to whether they will be used for good or evil, that depends on the nature of the humans who create them.

课文词汇

robotics 机器人学coin （词语）生造，杜撰intrigue 激起……兴趣actuator 驱动装置

参考译文

机器人

早在第一个机器人造出来之前，机器人学就已是个颇有争议的话题。“机器人”这个词是由一名捷克的剧作家于1921年创造的。他在作品中描述了一群被赋予人工智慧的机器逐渐与它们的创造者——人类反目为

敌（反目成仇）。虽然这个故事是虚构的，但在20世纪60年代初期，第一批工业用机器人真的诞生了。直至今日，我们依然对机器人及其正、反两面的潜质（及其亦善亦邪的可能性）具有高度的好奇心（显示出极大的兴趣）。

基本而言，机器人是指任何能代替人工作业的机械。大多数的机器人是用来在工厂里制造汽车与电子产品，其它的运用于海底、火山甚至其他星球的探测。

机器人主要由三部分组成：脑部——通常是一部计算机；驱动装置和机载零部件——如马达、轮子和传动器；感应器——用于侦察图像、声音、温度、位移和动作，以及光线。藉助这些基本零件，机器人便能与其所处的环境交互，并且执行它们被设计完成的任务。

机器人的优点是显而易见的，它们可以做人类不愿做的事，而且往往比较经济实惠（而且往往用起来比较划算）。机器人做事也比人要更精确，因此促进了医学及其它各方面的有益发展（所以对医学以及其它方面，促成了很大的发展）。

然而，就像其它的任何机器一样，机器人也会出故障，甚至造成灾害。坏人也可能会利用机器人为非作歹。其他科技，如武器和生物材料，也可能出现同样的情况（同样的情形，也可见证于其他科技上，如武器和生物材料等科技）。

在将来，机器人的运用可能会更广。它们将继续从事那些人类不敢从事的危险的、重复性的、代价高昂的以及对精确度要求高的工作（它们将继续从事危险、重复、代价高昂、或是需要高精度，而人类无法适任的工

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