ElementaryHSK 23:58
X 上的新翻译：以前看不懂的话，现在都能看懂
The New Translator on X: Words You Couldn't Read, Now You Can
The New Translator on X: Words You Couldn't Read, Now You Can
This is an HSK 2 Chinese listening episode that runs about 4 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 12 key vocabulary words such as 今天、想、看 and walks through 4 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples.
今天我们说一个新闻。
Today we'll talk about a news story.
这个新闻，
This news
和一个软件有关。
is related to an app.
这个软件叫"X"。
This app is called "X."
你听过"X"吗？
Have you heard of "X"?
"X"以前叫"Twitter"。
"X" used to be called "Twitter."
它是一个，
It is a
很大的社交软件。
huge social media app.
全世界，
Worldwide,
有几亿人在用。
hundreds of millions of people use it.
今年四月，
This April,
"X"做了一件大事。
"X" did a big thing.
它给所有的内容，
It added,
都加上了，
to all of its content,
自动翻译。
automatic translation.
"翻译"，
"Translate"
就是把一种语言，
means turning one language
变成另一种语言。
into another language.
"自动"，
"Automatic"
意思是不用你做。
means you don't have to do it.
软件自己帮你做。
The app does it for you.
这个功能，
This feature
其实已经用了几个月了。
has actually been in use for several months.
但是最近，
But recently,
这件事，
this matter,
在中文网上，
on the Chinese internet,
突然变得特别火。
has suddenly become extremely hot.
为什么呢？
Why?
因为越来越多，
Because more and more
说中文的人，
Chinese-speaking people
开始发现：
have started to notice:
现在我在"X"上，
Now on "X" I
能直接看懂，
can directly read
日本人、
what Japanese,
韩国人、
Korean,
阿拉伯人，
and Arabic-speaking people
在说什么了。
are saying.
反过来，
And the other way around,
他们也能看懂，
they can also read
中文写了什么。
what Chinese says.
听起来很好，
Sounds great,
对不对？
right?
全世界的人，
People all over the world
可以直接聊天了。
can chat directly.
但是，
But
事情没有这么简单。
things aren't so simple.
网友们给这件事，
Netizens have given this matter
起了一个名字：
a name:
"马斯克建起了巴别塔"。
"Musk has built the Tower of Babel."
"巴别塔"是什么？
What is "the Tower of Babel"?
是《圣经》里的故事。
It is a story in the Bible.
故事说：
The story goes:
以前所有的人，
in the past, all people
都说一样的话。
spoke the same language.
他们想一起，
They wanted to build, together,
造一个，
a
很高很高的塔，
very, very tall tower
叫"巴别塔"。
called "the Tower of Babel."
神不高兴了。
God was not pleased.
神让他们，
God made them
开始说不一样的话。
start speaking different languages.
他们听不懂彼此，
They couldn't understand each other,
塔就没有造成。
and the tower was never built.
从那以后，
Ever since,
人就有了，
people have had
不同的语言。
different languages.
现在马斯克的翻译，
Now Musk's translation
让所有人，
lets everyone
又能听懂彼此了。
understand each other again.
所以叫"建起了巴别塔"。
So they call it "building the Tower of Babel."
那么，
So,
"巴别塔"建起来以后，
after "the Tower of Babel" was built,
发生了什么？
what happened?
有让人开心的事，
There are things that make people happy,
也有让人难过的事。
and things that make people sad.
开心的事是：
The happy things are:
不同国家的人，
people from different countries
开始一起开玩笑。
have started joking around together.
比如，
For example,
意大利人发现，
Italians discovered
日本人在网上，
that Japanese people, online,
做"意大利面"的方法很奇怪。
have a very strange way of making "Italian pasta."
意大利人就说：
The Italians said:
"我们做错了什么？
"What did we do wrong?
大家都笑了。
Everyone laughed.
但是难过的事也来了。
But the sad things came too.
有的日本人，
Some Japanese people,
以前在自己的国家里，
in their own country in the past,
说了一些，
had said some things
对中国人不好的话。
that aren't nice about Chinese people.
他们以为，
They assumed
没有中国人能看到。
no Chinese people could see.
但是现在，
But now,
中国人都能看到了。
Chinese people can all see.
中国人很生气。
Chinese people are very angry.
日本以前给世界的印象，
Japan's previous image to the world
是"很有礼貌、
was "very polite,
"很有文化"。
"very cultured."
但是这一次，
But this time,
很多人看到了，
many people saw
不太一样的日本。
a Japan that wasn't quite the same.
反过来也是。
And the other way too.
有的中国人说的话，
Some things Chinese people said,
现在外国人也能看到了。
foreigners can now also see.
我看了这个新闻，
I read this news,
我想了一件事。
and I thought of one thing.
以前，
In the past,
我们说话，
when we spoke,
是说给"自己人"听的。
we spoke to "our own people."
现在不一样了。
Now it's different.
你说的每一句话，
Every sentence you say
全世界都可能看到。
can possibly be seen by the whole world.
这是好事，
This is a good thing,
也是新的问题。
and a new problem.
最后我问你：
Finally I'll ask you:
如果你说的每一句话，
If every sentence you say
外国人也能看懂——
can also be read by foreigners —
你会不会，
will you
小心一点呢？
be a little more careful?
你想一想。
Think about it.
好。
Okay.
今天就说到这里。
That's all for today.
明天再聊。
Talk tomorrow.
Today. The narrator opens 今天我们说一个新闻 — 'today we'll tell a news story.'
To think. 我想了一件事 — 'I thought of one thing'; closing 你想一想.
To read. 现在我在"X"上，能直接看懂 — 'now on X I can directly read.'
To hear. 你听过"X"吗 — 'have you heard of X?'
News. The episode is built around a news story about X's auto-translate.
The same. The Babel story turns on this: 都说一样的话 — 'all spoke the same language' — until God scrambled them.
Translate. Beyond HSK2. The episode glosses it: 把一种语言变成另一种语言.
Automatic. Beyond HSK2. The episode glosses it: 不用你做，软件自己帮你做 — 'you don't have to; the app does it for you.'
App. Beyond HSK2. X is a 社交软件 — a social-media app — with hundreds of millions of users.
Netizen. Beyond HSK2. 网友们给这件事起了一个名字 — 'netizens gave this matter a name': 'Musk has built the Tower of Babel.'
Impression. Beyond HSK2. 日本以前给世界的印象，是"很有礼貌、很有文化" — Japan's previous impression on the world.
Polite. Beyond HSK2. Part of Japan's old global image — 很有礼貌 — that the translation feature has dented.
* beyond level超纲词
越来越 + adj/verb
越来越 marks a steady, ongoing increase. The episode uses it for the growing wave of Chinese-speaking users noticing the feature.
越来越多，说中文的人，开始发现。
在中文网上，突然变得特别火。
把 A 变成 B
把 + A + 变成 + B describes a transformation. The episode uses it to define translation itself.
把一种语言，变成另一种语言。
反过来
反过来 marks a symmetric reversal. The episode uses it to balance the story — both Chinese users read foreigners, and foreigners read Chinese users.
反过来，他们也能看懂，中文写了什么。
反过来也是。
听起来 + adj，对不对?
听起来 + adj asks the listener to evaluate something that just sounds a certain way — often before the episode complicates it.
听起来很好，对不对？
但是事情没有这么简单。