If you thought it was cold where you are at the moment then a visit to the Russian village of Oymyakon might just change your mind.
如果你覺得你現在所處的地方十分寒冷，那麼到俄羅斯的奧伊米亞康村莊走一走，你或許會改變看法。
With the average temperature for January standing at -50C, it is no wonder the village is the coldest permanently inhabited settlement in the world. Known as the 'Pole of Cold', the coldest ever temperature recorded in Oymyakon was -71.2C.
該村莊一月份的平均氣溫達到零下50度，難怪會成為全球最寒冷的永久居住點。奧伊米亞康歷史最低氣溫達到零下71.2度，被稱為「寒極」。
This is the lowest recorded temperature for any permanently inhabited location on Earth and the lowest temperature recorded in the Northern Hemisphere.
對於地球上任何一個永久居住點來說，這都是有記錄以來的最低氣溫，也是北半球有記錄以來的最低氣溫。
Ironically, Oymyakon actually means 'non-freezing water' due to a nearby hot spring. Most homes in Oymyakon still burn coal and wood for heat and enjoy few modern conveniences.
具有反諷意味的是，由於附近有處溫泉，奧伊米亞康這一名字的實際意思是「不凍泉」。奧伊米亞康的大多數村民仍然靠燒煤和木炭取暖，幾乎不使用現代化設施。
Nothing grows there so people eat reindeer meat and horsemeat. A single shop provides the town's bare necessities and the locals work as reindeer-breeders, hunters and ice-fisherman.
這裡不長莊稼，所以村民們以馴鹿肉和馬肉為食。村子裡只有一家商店，出售種類屈指可數的生活必需品。當地人靠養鹿、狩獵和捕魚為生。
Doctors say the reason the locals don't suffer from malnutrition is that their animals' milk contains a lot of micronutrients.
醫生表示，當地人之所以沒有營養不良，是因為他們喝下的動物奶含有大量微量元素。
Unsurprisingly, locals are hardened to the weather and unlike in other countries - where a flurry of snow brings things grinding to a halt, Oymyakon's solitary school only shuts if temperatures fall below -52C.
當地人能經受住酷寒天氣，這一點不足為奇。和其他國家遇到大雪各種活動暫停不同，奧伊米亞康唯一的一所學校只有在氣溫低於零下52度時才停課。
There are few modern conveniences in the village - with many buildings still having outdoor toilets - and most people still burn coal and wood for heat. When coal deliveries are irregular the power station starts burning wood. If the power ceases, the town shuts down in about five hours, and the pipes freeze and crack.
村子裡沒有現代化設施——很多家庭仍使用室外廁所——大多數人都靠燒煤和木炭取暖。一旦煤炭供應不上，發電站就靠燒木炭供能。如果斷電，整個村子就會在五小時內陷入癱瘓，導致水管凍裂。
Daily problems that come with living in Oymyakon include pen ink freezing, glasses freezing to people's faces and batteries losing power. Locals are said to leave their cars running all day for fear of not being able to restart them.
奧伊米亞康居民因低溫遭遇諸多困擾，比如墨水結冰、玻璃鏡片凍裂、電池耗電等等。汽車發動機必須保持全天候工作，因為人們擔心熄火後可能無法重啟。
Even if there was coverage for mobile phone reception the phones themselves would not work in such cold conditions.
雖然這裡可以接收手機信號，但由於天氣極端寒冷，手機根本使用不了。
Another problem caused by the frozen temperatures is burying dead bodies, which can take anything up to three days. The earth must first have thawed sufficiently in order to dig it, so a bonfire is lit for a couple of hours. Hot coals are then pushed to the side and a hole couple of inches deep is dug. The process is repeated for several days until the hole is deep enough to bury the coffin.
冰凍天氣給村民們造成的另一困擾是埋葬死者，這可能要花費多達3天的時間。首先必須將土壤充分解凍便於挖坑，所以要用篝火持續烘烤數小時。然後把滾燙的煤推至一旁，挖下幾英寸。這一過程要反覆持續數日，直到這個墓穴可以裝得下一口棺材。
Travel companies offer tourists the opportunity to visit the village and sample life in the freezing conditions.
一些旅行社給遊客提供參觀該村莊的機會，讓人們體驗極寒天氣下的「寒極」生活。
(Read by Brian Salter. Brian Salter is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)