Whenever we picture the stereotypical pirate, he’s usually wearing a long coat or striped shirt, is bearing acutlass, and is sporting an eye patch. While the first two are easily explainedas being appropriate for the period, the eye patch is an anomaly that seemsmore like a modern add-on to give the customary costume a unique touch.
我們腦海中典型的海盜通常穿著長外套或條紋襯衫，拿著彎刀，戴著眼罩。雖然前兩個很容易理解為適應這個時期，但眼罩是一個反常現象，似乎更像是為了給習慣的服裝一個獨特的觸感的現代附加物。
The truth is, however, that the eyepatch was part of pirate garb, but that leaves the question as to why. It’s unlikely that so many pirates lost an eye to warrant it becoming synonymous with piracy. While it’s probable that many pirates were covering a damaged eye, there is another plausible reason that may explain why the eye patch was so prevalent out at sea.
然而事實是眼罩是海盜裝束的一部分，但這就留下了為什麼的問題。這麼多的海盜失去了一隻眼睛，這不太可能成為海盜的代名詞，但很可能是許多海盜遮住了受損的眼睛，但是還有另外一個原因可以解釋為什麼眼罩在海上如此普遍。
The popularity of patches
補丁的流行
Buy any Halloween pirate costume and there is a very good chance an eye patch is going to be included. While it’s a staple of the iconic getup, back in the days of piracy, the eye patch was believed to have had a clear purpose.
購買任何萬聖節海盜服裝都會包括一個眼罩在內。在盜版盛行的年代，眼罩是標誌性服裝的主要部分，但人們相信它有明確的用途。
Living with a bounty on your head and enemies at every turn, pirates needed to be ready for anything. Whether day ornight, if a rival ship came too close or they happened upon a settlement worth sacking, pirates had to be ready. Come night fall, adjusting to the shift from light to dark was essential to pillaging and plundering. To prevent the nightfrom impeding their vision, pirates allegedly used eye patches so that they would always have one eye well-adjusted to the dark.
依靠懸賞金生存的海盜需要準備好任何事情。無論白天還是晚上，如果敵對船隻靠得太近，或者他們碰巧發現了一個值得洗劫的定居點，海盜們必須做好準備。到了夜幕降臨的時候，適應從明到暗的轉變對於搶劫和掠奪是至關重要的。據稱，為了防止夜晚妨礙他們的視力，海盜們使用了眼罩，這樣他們的一隻眼睛可以很好地適應黑暗。
The importance of night vision
夜視的重要性
According to "Scientific American," it can take the human eye up to 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness. For pirates, those 30 minutes could be the difference between being left on the ocean floor and getting a jump on incoming opposing flags.
根據《科學美國人》的說法，人類的眼睛需要30分鐘才能適應黑暗。對於海盜來說，這30分鐘的時間可能是他們被留在海底的時間，也可能是他們被對方旗幟擊中的時間。
Piracy doesn’t follow a set clock, andships were constantly moving through the night. In the event of a confrontation, it was vital that pirates could see. On starless and moonless nights, the sea could be pitch-black. Pirates who kept one eye in the dark had an advantage over those who didn’t.
海盜行為並不遵循一個固定的時鐘，船隻在夜間不停地移動。在發生衝突的情況下，海盜能看到是至關重要的。在沒有星星和月亮的夜晚，大海可能是漆黑一片。在黑暗中保持一隻眼睛的海盜更有優勢有優勢。
Is it plausible?
這合理嗎？
The issue determining whether or not this reasoning is accurate is that there are no historical records to offer confirmation. There may be no evidence or pirate artifacts that support thistheory, but there are real-world applications that at least give reason to believe this theory.
這種推理是否準確的關鍵在於沒有歷史記錄可以證實。也許沒有證據支持這個理論，但是現實世界中的情況至少給了我們相信這個理論的理由。
The team behind the"MythBusters" TV show put this idea to the test in their 2007 pirate special. Known for taking the necessary steps to create a controlled environment and mimic the original conditions, the team set up a dark room and sent in light-adjusted eyes. In the dark maze, they stumbled and had adifficult time making it to the exit.
「流言終結者」電視節目的團隊在2007年的海盜特輯中對這個想法進行了測試。該團隊以採取必要步驟創造可控環境和模擬原始條件而著稱，他們設置了一個黑暗的房間，並通過光線調節給眼睛發送信號。在黑暗的迷宮裡，他們跌跌撞撞，艱難地走到出口。
A second dark room served as a maze foreyes that were covered for 30 minutes. This room was completed in significantly less time.
第二個作為迷宮的小黑屋持續了三十分鐘，這個房間完成的時間要短的多。