We've made huge technology leaps since the new century began, which got me thinking about the difference today's technology will make in the lives of tomorrow's kids.
进入新世纪以来,科技突飞猛进,我不禁想,今天的这些科技会对明天孩子们的生活产生什么影响呢?

Do you think kids born in 2011 will recognize any of the following?
你认为2011年出生的孩子会认得下面这些事物中的任何一个吗?

Video tape
录影带

Starting this year, the news stories we produce have all been shot, edited, and distributed to TV stations without ever being on any kind of tape. Not only that, the tape-less broadcast camera we use today offers much higher quality than anything that could have been imagined 10 years ago -- and cost less than the lens on the camera we were using previously.
从今年开始,我们的电视新闻从拍摄,到剪辑,再到传输到电视台的整个过程都将不会使用任何形式的录影带。不仅如此,现在的数码摄像机能够提供我们十年前根本想象不到的高质量影像——而整个花费比我们从前用的摄影机的一个镜头还要少。

Movie rental stores
影碟出租店

You actually got in your car and drove someplace just to rent a movie?
曾经人们真的开着车到某个地方去租赁影碟吗?

Books, magazines, and newspapers
书籍,杂志和报纸

Like video tape, words written on dead trees are on their way out. Sure, there may be books -- but for those born today, stores that exist solely to sell them will be as numerous as record stores are now.
就像录影带一样,把字印在死掉的树造的纸上这种方式也正在成为历史。当然,书籍会继续存在——但是对那些今天印刷出来的书而言,单纯为了销售它们而存在的商店将会变得和如今的唱片商店一样稀少。

Watches
手表

Maybe as quaint jewelry, but the correct time is on your smartphone, which is pretty much always in your hand.
手表也许会成为一件古老而别致的首饰,但正确的时间当然是在你的智能手机上——而它几乎总是在你手里。

Wired phones
有线电话

Why would you pay $35 every month to have a phone that plugs into a wall? For those born today, this will be a silly concept.
为什么要每个月花35刀去装一架固定在墙上的电话呢?对那些今天出生的孩子们而言,这将是个无比愚蠢的想法。

Yellow and White Pages
电话黄页

Why in the world would you need a 10-pound book just to find someone?
你们究竟是为什么需要去翻一本10磅重的书才能找到某个人呢?

Fax machines
传真机

Can you say "scan," ".pdf" and "email?"
有一种方式叫做“扫描”,“转换成PDF格式”,“发送”,懂?

The evening news
晚间新闻

The news is on 24/7. And if you're not at home to watch it, that's OK -- it's on the smartphone in your pocket.
新闻随时都可以看,不在家也没关系——掏出你口袋里的智能手机就好了。

Commercials on TV
电视广告

They're terrifically expensive, easily avoided with DVRs, and inefficiently target mass audiences. Unless somebody comes up with a way to force you to watch them, who's going to pay for them?
它们巨贵无比,用一台数字录像机就能避开,而且没有针对性。除非有人想出了强迫人们看电视广告的方法,否则谁会买它的账呢?

Film cameras
胶卷相机

For the purist, perhaps, but for kids born today, the word "film" will mean nothing. In fact, even digital cameras -- both video and still -- are in danger of extinction as our pocket computers take over that function too.
对于摄影发烧友来说也许是另一回事,但对今天出生的孩子们而言,“胶卷”这个词完全是浮云。事实上,即便数码相机和数码摄像机也濒临灭绝了——拍照摄影什么的,一台便携电脑就可以统统搞定了。

Hand-written letters
手写信件

For that matter, hand-written anything. When was the last time you wrote cursive? In fact, do you even know what the word "cursive" means? Kids born in 2011 won't -- but they'll put you to shame on a tiny keyboard.
确切地说,是一切手写的东西。你上一次写草书是什么时候?或者应该问,你知道“草书”这个词是啥意思不?2011年出生的孩子当然不会知道,但是他们能在键盘上把你打得落花流水。

Hiding
隐藏

Not long ago, if you didn't answer your home phone, that was that -- nobody knew if you were alive or dead, much less where you might be. Now your phone is not only in your pocket, it can potentially tell everyone -- including advertisers -- exactly where you are.
不久以前,如果你在家却不接电话,就没人知道你是不是还活着,更不用说找到你了。现在你口袋里的手机就会把你的确切坐标泄露给每个人——包括广告商。

 声明:双语文章中,中文翻译仅代表译者个人观点,仅供参考。如有不妥之处,欢迎指正。