Frank: So why are you so against genetically modified food, then? I think you’ve been taken in by all the bad press.
弗兰克：为什么你这么反对转基因食品呢？我觉得你是被负面报道影响了吧。
Ann: No, that’s not true. I’ve read up on the subject and I think there are just too many risks.
安：不是这样子的。通过仔细研读，我自己认为转基因食品有太大的风险。
Frank: The GM foods that you get are probably safer than non GM foods.
弗兰克：可是转基因食品比非转基因食品更安全。
Ann: Don’t be daft. Where’ve you got that from?
安：别傻了。你从哪里知道这些？
Frank: Well, there are tighter controls for GM food. There are controls in each country and then at a European level as well. If they pass through all of those controls before they reach the shops they must be OK.
弗兰克：在检查方面，转基因食品受到更严格的控制。每个国家，包括欧洲地区都进行严格检查。如果能够到达店面前通过全部检查，就不会有什么问题的。
Ann: I just don’t like the idea of having my food altered. What’s wrong with the food we’ve always had?
安：我只是不喜欢改变我们原有的食物罢了。我们平常吃的食物有什么问题呢？
Frank: We have to move with the times. The possibilities for GM food are endless.
弗兰克：我们得跟上时代发展。转基因食品将来还有各种可能性。
Ann: What - redder tomatoes or bigger strawberries?
安：什么……更红的西红柿，更大的草莓？
Frank: Yes, for one thing – but what about vegetables with a higher vitamin content or bananas with vaccines built into them?
弗兰克：对，这是一方面。还有那些维生素含量更高的蔬菜，含有疫苗的香蕉呢？
Ann: What? (laughing)
安：什么？（笑声）
Frank: It’s true. They’ve developed a way to produce bananas with the Hepatitis B vaccine.
弗兰克：是真的。他们已经研制了一种含有乙肝疫苗的香蕉的生产方法。
Ann: Mm, not sure what I think of that. We haven’t done enough research and playing around with crops is playing havoc with the wildlife. There are whole species of birds that are in danger of becoming extinct. Larks, for example, they are rapidly decreasing in numbers and it’s because of the chemicals they are using on GM foods.
安：对于这个，我不是很确定对与错。但我们的调查还不充分，如此轻率对待农作物将会给野生植物带来严重的破坏。现在很多鸟类濒临绝种，再例如，百灵鸟数量大幅度减少，而也是用在转基因食物的化学药品所导致的。
Frank: They haven’t proved that.
弗兰克：这还得不到证实吧。
Ann: Not yet, no. But it’s only a matter of time.
安：是，还没，但只是早晚而已。
Frank: Mm.
弗兰克：嗯。
Ann: And another thing that worries me is the power that a few food companies will have if we start to rely on GM food. They’ll dominate the poor countries even more than they do today.
安：我还担心另外一件事：如果我们开始依赖转基因食品的话，一些食品公司就拥有了掌控权，比起今天，他们可能会控制贫穷的国家。
Frank: They’ll feed them.
弗兰克：他们会为贫穷国家提供食物。
Ann: At a price, yes. Maybe. I’m worried about the food chain too.
安：是，但是以很高的价格。我还担心食物链的问题。
Frank: What do you mean?
弗兰克：你的意思是……
Ann: Well, playing around with nature causes no end of damage to some plants and animals. When a species dies out or mutates, it has a knock-on effect on the whole ecosystem.
安：轻率对待大自然将会导致对植物和动物无休止的损害。一个物种灭绝或者突变都会使整个生态系统发生连锁反应。
Frank: I think you’re being cynical. You’re not giving GM food a chance.
弗兰克：我觉得你对这件事情过分怀疑，你都没给转基因食品一个机会。
Ann: Not cynical, just cautious.
安：不是怀疑，只是小心谨慎而已。
Frank: OK, consider this. Global warming is threatening to destroy the habitat of polar bears.
弗兰克：好，想一下这个。全球变暖的威胁摧毁了北极熊的栖息处。
Ann: What’s this got to do with genetically modified food?
安：这跟转基因食物有什么联系？
Frank: Everything. We could use GM food to change the polar bears’ habitat now. That way we can prevent them from becoming extinct.
弗兰克：很多方面。我们可以利用转基因食物来改变北极熊的栖息地，这样的话，就可以避免它们面临绝种的问题。
Ann: OK, I quite like that idea.
安：嗯，我挺喜欢这个主意的。
Frank: Good. You’re starting to come round to my way of thinking.
弗兰克：很好，你终于开始转向我的思维方式了。
Ann: No, I’m just trying to understand. I don’t like being a guinea pig and we are all being guinea pigs for the experiments they’re doing on GM foods. I guess I don’t like the way things seem to just be happening without much of a debate.
安：不，我只是尝试着理解。我不喜欢成为一只豚鼠，但是我们都会因为转基因食品的尝试而变成豚鼠。我想，我只是不喜欢没有经过多少讨论就决定事情怎么发展罢了。
Frank: What do you mean? We’re talking about it all the time.
弗兰克：你是什么意思？我们一直都在讨论这个问题。
Ann: Talking maybe, but nobody’s listening.
安：兴许是在谈论，但是没人在听。