高级笔译训练：科幻小说中的五大鸡肋发明（四）

会计考友

1.Matter Replicators
第一名：物质复制机
As seen in:
. [1 J* z- V5 F( \) M8 F  d- }1 YAgain, Star Trek
( a5 v2 q/ V+ v0 Q% c( J- V曾经出现在：
$ g. e7 n; V# i+ S( H还是《星际迷航》
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* }. b1 X7 v  U& w, d/ R5 Y2 `; ]* wWhy we thought we wanted it:
You're hungry, and you don't really feel like cooking or even going out to get something. Well no need to starve! This machine will replicate virtually any food that you can think of. Or, at least a series of foods that have previously been programmed into the machine.
我们想要它的原因：
你饿了，可你很不想做饭，甚至不想出去买吃的。你不会饿死的！这台机器基本上可以复制出任何你想吃的东西。或者，至少是那些被预先编到机器程序里的食物。
6 I: x) j/ n* L: P" ^9 b4 DNot just food, either. Anything. Need new batteries for your remote? Replicator. New pair of shoes? No problem. Forget your girlfriend's birthday? Punch a button on the replicator and it'll spit out a pair of flawless diamond earrings.
还不止是吃的东西，而是任何东西。遥控器该换新电池了？复制。想要双新鞋？没问题。把女朋友的生日忘了？按机器上的一个钮，一对完美无暇的钻石耳环就从机器里出来了。

Why we were wrong:
% C( q3 j, D3 [Since it's just assembling molecules, presumably it would be cheaper for this thing to make you a pair of diamond earrings than a hot dog, since fewer molecules and less energy would be required. It could print perfect counterfeit money. Hell, punch a button, and it'll crank out a molecule-for-molecule replica of The Mona Lisa.
; B1 c' X5 W+ v9 v4 J我们是笨笨：
既然只是分子的组装，那么可以推出，用这个机器做一对钻石耳环会比做一只热狗便宜，因为做前者用的分子和能量更少。它还能造出完美的假币。更绝的是，只要按一下钮，它就会做出一幅一个分子一个分子复制的《蒙娜丽莎》。
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The bad news is, of course, it would eliminate your job. Your job, and all your friends' jobs, and, well, almost everyone else's. No need for farms or factories or stores. The only people who'd still be working are doctors and the people who make replicators. Oh, wait, you can just have a huge replicator that makes replicators. Nevermind.
- t  W% k4 `$ Q3 D' x/ L可惜，这显然会让你失业。你的工作、你所有朋友的工作，还有几乎每个人的工作都会丢掉。我们再也不需要什么农场或者工厂或者商店了。唯一在工作的人们，就是医生和那些做复制机的人。呃，等等，你可以只做一个巨大的复制机，专门复制复制机。这样就再也不愁了。

" b) Q# O! c& G. I( qIt's just as well, even if there were jobs, there would be no way to pay you. You could make bars of gold in your replicator. Yes, we're talking about the utter collapse of the entire basis by which every society has ever existed on the planet.
3 y. A' D1 [  ]' `1 H; i同样的，即便有工作，也不用给工资了。你能用你的复制机做金条嘛。没错，这儿说的正是每个存在在这星球上的社会中，最基本的东西的崩塌。
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9 E0 h. p$ o; O% t( _The end of everything will come on the day when anyone can make anything. Except a flying car, those will still be useless.
, g5 J" V7 v# |) r# L6 _( _9 Z 当任何人都有能力做任何东西的时候，世界末日也就到了。除了飞车，剩下那四个就都没用了（译者注：飞行的棺材，人人都会最终死去）。