Pupils often assume their teachers don't really exist outside the school gates, now robot classroom assistants could make this a reality.
小学生们经常都认为课一上完，老师们就管不着了。而现今有了机器人助教的帮助，课后教学也成了可能。

Almost 30 egg-shaped robots have started teaching English at primary schools in South Korea.
在韩国，有近30个蛋型的机器人开始了他们在小学的教学生涯。

The 3.3ft high machines have a TV panel that displays a female Caucasian face and can wheel around the classroom while speaking to the students. The robots are also able to read books and dance to music moving their head and arms.
这种3.3英尺（约1米左右）的机器人在头部有一个屏幕、显示一名白人教师的脸孔，也有轮子可以在教室中边走动边和学生讲话。他们还可以朗读书本，也可以随着音乐“跳舞”——也就是动动头和胳膊啦。

But despite appearances the robots, developed by the Korea Institute of Science of Technology, are not autonomous beings.
不过掩藏在机器人的外表下，这种由韩国科学技术研究所设计的机器人可不是全自动的。

They are actually controlled remotely by English teachers living in the Philippines, who can see and hear the children via a remote control system.
它们其实是由远在菲律宾的真正英语教师远程遥控，菲律宾的老师们可以通过控制系统看到和听到学生们的反应。

Cameras then detect the teachers' facial expressions and reflect them on the avatar's face.
而老师一边，摄像机也会拍下他们的真实表情并反应在“替身”（阿凡达）机器人的屏幕上。（沪江小编：注意这里原文中用到了"Avatar"一词。没错啦，就是今年的大热影片《阿凡达》！原作者用在这里是为了比喻老师对机器人的控制，就像是人类使用阿凡达替身一样。）

The robots will teach after-school classes at 21 schools in the south-eastern city of Daegu.
这些机器人会在韩国东南部城市大邱广域市的21所学校中教授课后兴趣班。

'Well-educated, experienced Filipino teachers are far cheaper than their counterparts elsewhere, including South Korea,' Sagong Seong-Dae, a senior scientist at KIST.
一名韩国科学技术研究所的高级科学家Sagong Seong-Dae表示：菲律宾的老师学历高、经验丰富，而收费比起其他地区甚至韩国本土的老师都便宜。

Apart from reading books, the robots use pre-programmed software to sing songs and play alphabet games with the children.
除了读书以外，机器人还可以用事先编辑好的软件唱歌、和孩子们玩字母游戏。

Education official Kim Mi-Young, said: 'The kids seemed to love it since the robots look, well, cute and interesting. But some adults also expressed interest, saying they may feel less nervous talking to robots than a real person.'
教育官员Kim Mi-Young说：“机器人看来，恩，可爱又有趣，所以孩子们看起来很喜欢它。而有些大人也表现出了兴趣，因为和机器人老师对话会没那么紧张。”

Ms Mi-Young said some may be sent to remote rural areas of South Korea shunned by foreign English teachers.
Mi-Young小姐称可能会把一些机器人送到偏远的、没有外教的地区去。

She said the robots are still being tested. But officials might consider hiring them full time if scientists upgrade them and make them easier to handle and more affordable.
她说目前机器人尚在测试阶段，不过如果科学家能够让它们升级、变得更易操作、更便宜的话，那么官方可能会考虑全职雇佣机器人。

'Having robots in the classroom makes the students more active in participating, especially shy ones afraid of speaking out to human teachers,' she said.
“机器人教学让孩子们更愿意参与其中，特别是那些害羞、不敢跟真的老师讲话的孩子而言。”她说。

She stressed the robots, which cost £5,600 each, will provide extra support for teachers but not replace them.
她强调这些每个5600镑（约合人民币5万6千元）的机器人不会替代老师，而是为他们提供支持。

The four-month pilot programme was sponsored by the government, which invested £900,000.
这项为期四个月的先期计划是由政府出资的，投入高达90万英镑（合人民币900万。）

Mr Seong-Dae added: 'They won't complain about health insurance, sick leave and severance package, or leave in three months for a better-paying job in Japan... all you need is a repair and upgrade every once in a while.'
Seong-Dae先生补充道：“机器人不会抱怨医疗保险、不会请病假、不会要求遣散费，也不会为了高薪工作去日本三个月……你只需要隔段时间修整和更新一下就好。”