Hello. This is 6 Minute English and I’m Neil.
大家好。這裡是六分鐘英語，我是尼爾。
Joining me for our discussion is Georgina.
和我搭檔進行討論的是喬治娜。
Hello!
大家好。
Now, Georgina, you’re a chatty, sociable kind of person, aren’t you?
喬治娜，你是一個健談、善交際的人，不是嗎？
Well, yes, I think so.
嗯，是的，我想是那樣的。
But would you go up to a stranger and strike up a conversation?
但你會走向一個陌生人，開始一段對話嗎？
That might be going too far – if you don’t know them, what are you going to start talking about?
那可能太過了——如果你不認識他們，你要開始談論什麼呢？
A good question.
好問題。
But maybe you should – because in this programme we’re looking at how talking to strangers might actually be good for you!
但也許你應該那麼做——因為在本期節目中，我們要看看怎樣與陌生人交談會可能實際上對你有益！
But first, let me talk to you about today’s question.
但首先，讓我跟你聊聊今天的問題。
I』d like you to answer this.
我想讓你回答這個問題。
To make conversation we need words
為進行對話，我們需要單詞
– so according to the Oxford English Dictionary, approximately how many words are in use in the English language?
——所以根據《牛津英語詞典》，英語中大約有多少個單詞在使用？
Is it… a) 171,146 b) 271,146 or c) 371,146?
是a) 171,146個 b) 271,146個，還是c) 371,146個？
We use a lot of words in English, but not 371,000 – so I』ll go for a) 171,146.
在英語中我們使用很多單詞，但不是371,000個——所以我選a) 171,146個。
OK. Well, as always I will reveal the answer later in the programme.
好的。和往常一樣，稍後我將在節目中揭曉答案。
Now, let’s continue our conversation about having conversations with strangers!
現在，讓我們繼續關於和陌生人交談的談話。
Many of us spend part of every day surrounded by strangers,
我們中的許多人每天都有一部分時間被陌生人包圍著，
whether on our commute to work, sitting in a park or cafe, or visiting the supermarket.
無論是我們通勤上班的路上，坐在公園或咖啡館裡，還是去超市。
But we rarely reach out and talk to them because we fear it would make us both feel uncomfortable – or awkward.
但我們很少主動與他們交談，因為我們擔心那會讓雙方都感到不舒服——或者說尷尬。
And Gillian Sandstrom, social psychologist from Essex University in the UK, can explain why.
英國埃塞克斯大學的社會心理學家吉莉安·桑德斯羅姆可以解釋原因。
Here she is speaking on BBC Radio 4’s All In The Mind programme….
這是她在BBC廣播4頻道All In The Mind節目中談到的……
We kind of underestimate,
我們有點低估了，
we have this negative voice in our head that’s telling us "I shouldn’t have said that,
我們腦海中有一個消極的聲音告訴我們「我不應該說那個的，
why did I do that?
我為什麼要那樣做？
I said that story better last time".
我上次講這個事的時候明明講得更好。」
But the other person doesn’t know any of that and they’re probably… they might be anticipating that they won’t have a positive conversation and then they do.
但是另一個人不知道那些，他們可能……你知道的，他們可能預料到他們不會有一段積極的對話，然後他們就確實沒有。
And they think, wow,
他們會想，哇，
that person was amazing.
那個人太棒了。
So we walk round with this fear that the other person isn’t going to be interested in talking to us.
所以我們帶著這種恐懼走來走去，害怕別人對我們沒興趣。
Fascinating stuff.
很有意思。
So we have a negative voice in our head telling us about all the bad things that might happen.
所以我們頭腦中有一個消極的聲音告訴我們所有可能發生的壞事。
We basically underestimate ourselves.
我們基本上低估了自己。
To underestimate means to think that something is smaller or less important than it really is.
低估的意思是認為某事物沒有它實際上那麼重要。
We worry that what we say won’t be interesting or important enough.
我們擔心我們說的話不夠有趣或不夠重要。
Ah, but the other person doesn’t know that.
啊，但另一個人對此並不知情。
They’re also anticipating – or guessing - the outcome.
他們也在預料或猜測結果。
They’re thinking that if they have a conversation, it won’t go well.
他們認為如果他們進行交談，交談不會順利。
But of course, when strangers do talk to each other it normally goes well.
當然，當陌生人互相交談時，通常情況下是順利的。
Yes, it’s just fear that is stopping us.
是的，正是恐懼阻止了我們。
But if we get over that fear, and get chatting,
但如果我們克服了這種恐懼，開始聊天，
people might actually like us – and we might make new friends.
人們可能真的會喜歡我們——我們可能會交到新朋友。
Another reason why you should pluck up the courage to talk to strangers is that it’s good for our health!
你應該鼓起勇氣和陌生人說話的另一個原因是它對我們的健康有好處！
"Pluck up the courage" – that’s a good phrase, Georgina,
「鼓起勇氣」——這是一個不錯的短語，喬治娜，
meaning force yourself to do something that you’re scared about and…
意思是強迫自己做一些你害怕的事情，而且……
research by the University of Chicago found we may often underestimate the positive impact of connecting with others for both our own and others』 wellbeing.
芝加哥大學的研究發現，我們可能經常低估與他人聯繫對我們自己和他人健康的積極影響。
And connecting here means starting or having a good relationship with someone.
這裡的「聯繫」指的是同某人開始或擁有良好關係。
So the research found that, for example, having a conversation with a stranger on your way to work may leave you both feeling happier than you would think.
所以研究發現，例如，在你上班的路上和一個陌生人交談，可能會使你們雙方都感到比自己認為的更快樂。
Gillian Sandstrom also spoke about her research and the power of talking to strangers on the You and Yours programme.
吉莉安·桑德斯羅姆也在You and Yours節目中談到了她的研究以及與陌生人交談的力量。
Listen out for the word "connected"…
注意聽「有聯繫的」這個詞……
What we』ve shown in the research is that it’s really good for your mood.
我們在研究中表明的是，它真的對你的心情有好處。
So people are in a better mood after they reach out and have a conversation, however minimal,
所以人們在交談之後心情會更好，不管交談程度有多低。
and the other thing that the research has shown is that just makes people feel more connected to each other.
而研究表明的另一件事是，交談讓人們覺得彼此之間的聯繫更多了。
There you go!
就是那樣！
Talking to strangers is good for our mood – and mood means the way we feel.
與陌生人交談對我們的心情有好處——心情就是我們的感受。
It’s good for our mental health – and we might discover people actually like us!
它對我們的心理健康有好處——我們可能會發現人們其實是喜歡我們的！
And even if we’re an introvert – a person who prefers to be alone rather than with other people - experiments have shown that talking to others can make us happier.
即使我們是內向的人——一個喜歡獨處而不是和別人一起的人——實驗表明，和別人交談可以讓我們更快樂。
The problem remains, Neil, that when speaking to someone new, what do you talk about?
還是那個問題，尼爾，當你和陌生人說話時，你會說什麼？
How about some interesting facts – like approximately how many words are in use in the English language?
說些有趣的事實，怎麼樣？比如英語中大約有多少個單詞在使用？
Which is what I asked you earlier.
這是我早些時候問你的。
Is it... a) 171,146 b) 271,146 or c) 371,146?
是……a) 171,146個 b) 271,146個，還是c) 371,146個？
What did you say, Georgina?
你說是什麼，喬治娜？
I said 171,146. Was I right?
我說是171,146個。對嗎？
Spot on, Georgina.
完全正確，喬治娜。
Well done!
做得好！
Yes, there are an estimated 171,146 words currently in use in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary
是的，據《牛津英語詞典》統計，目前英語中估計有171,146個單詞在使用，
–plus many more obsolete words.
此外還有更多被淘汰的詞。
I shall pick a few of them and make conversation with someone on the Tube later,
我將挑選其中幾個單詞，稍後用於在地鐵上與人交談，
but not before we recap some of the vocabulary we』ve explained.
但並不是在我們回顧我們已經解釋過的一些詞彙之前。
Yes – so we highlighted six words,
是的——所以我們強調了六個單詞，
starting with underestimate which is to think that something is smaller or less important than it really is.
從「低估」開始，它是指認為某事物沒有它實際上那麼重要。
Anticipating means guessing or expecting a certain outcome.
「預料」指的是猜測或預期某種結果。
I anticipate this programme to be 6 minutes long!
我預料這個節目會有6分鐘長！
That’s a given!
那是既定的！
Next, we mentioned the phrase to pluck up the courage, meaning to force yourself to do something that you’re scared or nervous about.
接下來，我們提到了短語「鼓起勇氣」，意思是強迫自己去做你害怕或緊張的事情。
When you connect with someone,
當你和某人聯繫時，
it means you start or have a good relationship with someone.
這意味著你同某人開始或擁有良好關係。
I think we』ve connected on this programme, Neil!
尼爾，我想我們已經在這個節目中有聯繫了！
Absolutely, Georgina.
當然，喬治娜。
And that’s put me in a good mood – mood means the way we feel.
那讓我心情很好——心情就是我們的感受。
And finally, an introvert is a person who prefers to spend time on their own.
最後，內向的人是更喜歡獨處的人。
Thanks, Georgina.
謝謝你，喬治娜。
Well, that’s our conversation over,
好了，我們的談話結束了，
but you can hear more from us on our website and on our app.
但是你可以在我們的網站和應用程式上聽到更多內容。
Goodbye!
再見！
Bye!
拜！
英文、圖片來源：BBC Learning English