What "Orwellian" really means - Noah Tavlin

譯者: Harry Chen 審譯者: MQ L

If you've watched the news or followed politics

假如你有在看新聞或是關心政治

chances are you've heard the term Orwellian

大有機會你曾聽過「歐威爾型」這個詞彙

thrown around in one context or another.

在一則又一則的內容裡來來去去

But have you ever stopped to think about what it really means,

但是你曾否停下來想過 它到底是指什麼？

or why it's used so often?

為什麼它這麼常被使用呢？

The term was named after British author Eric Blair

該詞彙取名自英國作家艾瑞克．布萊爾

known by his pen name George Orwell.

為人熟知的筆名喬治．歐威爾

Because his most famous work, the novel "1984,"

因為他最聞名的 小說著作「一九八四」

depicts an oppressive society under a totalitarian government,

描寫一個受極權政府壓迫的社會

"Orwellian" is often used simply to mean authoritarian.

「歐威爾型」經常就是被用來 表示專橫、獨裁式

But using the term in this way

不過如此使用這個詞彙

not only fails to fully convey Orwell's message,

不只有失於完整地表達出 歐威爾的中心思想

it actually risks doing precisely what he tried to warn against.

而且根本是涉險一分不差地做著 他企圖警示對抗的東西

Orwell was indeed opposed to all forms of tyranny,

歐威爾的確是反對所有形式的獨裁

spending much of his life fighting against anti-democratic forces

耗費他泰半的人生抨擊 皆為反民主力量的右派與左派

of both the left-wing and the right.

But he was also deeply concerned with how such ideologies proliferate.

不過他也極度憂心如此理念要如何增衍

And one of his most profound insights

他最了不起的一個見解

was the importance that language plays in shaping our thoughts and opinions.

就是語言型塑出我們的 想法和意見的重要性

The government of "1984"'s Oceania controls its people's actions and speech

「一九八四」的大洋國政府 控制著人民的言論與行動

in some ways that are obvious.

在某些方面是很明確的

Their every move and word is watched and heard,

大家的一言一行都被盯著和聽著

and the threat of what happens to those who step out of line

對違規者有什麼下場的威脅 總是在眼前上演

is always looming overhead.

Other forms of control are not so obvious.

其他形式的控制就沒有那麼明確了

The population is inundated with a constant barrage of propaganda

全國上下沉浸於永不停歇的轟炸式宣導

made up of historical facts and statistics manufactured in the Ministry of Truth.

「真理部」所加工杜撰的史實和數據

The Ministry of Peace is the military.

「和平部」是軍隊

Labor camps are called "Joycamps."

「勞動營」被稱為玩樂營

Political prisoners are detained and tortured in the Ministry of Love.

政治犯被「仁愛部」所拘押與刑求

This deliberate irony is an example of doublespeak,

這種刻意的反諷是一與雙關的例子

when words are used not to convey meaning but to undermine it,

當文字不是被用來傳達其字義

corrupting the very ideas they refer to.

而是要詆損、瓦解它們含意的概念

The regime's control of language goes even further,

公權力控制語言還要更過份得多

eliminating words from the English language

從英語裡刪減文字 創造出國語：「新話」

to create the official dialect of Newspeak,

a crudely limited collection of acronyms and simple concrete nouns

字首縮寫與具體容易之名辭 粗魯地縮限的一本合集

lacking any words complex enough to encourage nuanced or critical thought.

缺乏任何含意深遠足以助長稍異 或是批判想法的字彙

This has an effect on the psyche Orwell calls, "Doublethink,"

這在心智上有著歐威爾 稱做「雙重念頭」的影響

a hypnotic state of cognitive dissonance

一種認知失衡的催眠狀態

in which one is compelled to disregard their own perception

在此情況下任誰在官方做準的 說法中被迫揚棄自己的認知

in place of the officially dictated version of events,

leaving the individual completely dependent

造成個人完全地仰賴國家對真實的定義

on the State's definition of reality itself.

The result is a world

結果就是一個即便是私下個人 想法的兜轉也是違法的世界

in which even the privacy of one's own thought process is violated,

where one may be found guilty of thoughtcrime by talking in their sleep,

某人也許說了夢話被判思想罪成立

and keeping a diary or having a love affair

寫日記而或是有了地下情

equals a subversive act of rebellion.

等同叛軍造反的行為

This might sound like something that can only happen in totalitarian regimes,

這也許聽起來像是只會 發生在極權政府的事情

but Orwell was warning us about the potential for this occurring

但是歐威爾想要警告我們 即便在民主社會

even in democratic societies.

這種情事發生的潛藏可能

And this is why "authoritarian" alone does not "Orwellian" make.

而這就是為什麼光是獨裁 並非歐威爾型所造成的

In his essay, "Politics and the English Language,"

在他的小品文「政治與英語」裡

he described techniques like using pretentious words to project authority,

他描述好比運用浮誇的文字來影射官方

or making atrocities sound acceptable by burying them in euphemisms

或是透過娓婉、晦澀的 句型結構包裝的技巧

and convoluted sentence structures.

使得慘無人道聽起來沒什麼了不起

But even more mundane abuses of language can affect the way we think about things.

不過就算更無傷大雅的玩弄語言 也能夠影響我們想事情的方式

The words you see and hear in everyday advertising

你在每天的廣告所看到、聽到的字眼

have been crafted to appeal to you and affect your behavior,

已經被潤飾來吸引你和影響你的行為

as have the soundbites and talking points of political campaigns

就如同政治活動中的妙語和論點

which rarely present the most nuanced perspective on the issues.

這些東西罕有表達議題 最不經動手腳的觀點

And the way that we use ready-made phrases and responses gleaned from media reports

而且我們運用現成的句子和應對

從媒體新聞搜羅來或是從網路上複製的

or copied from the Internet

makes it easy to get away with not thinking too deeply

容易造成沒有深思或是 質疑自己的假定就打混過去

or questioning your assumptions.

So the next time you hear someone use the word Orwellian,

所以下次你聽到有人用了「歐威爾型」 這個字眼時要多留意些

pay close attention.

If they're talking about the deceptive and manipulative use of language,

要是他們打算要談論矇蔽 、操弄的運用語言

they're on the right track.

他們在正確的思路方向

If they're talking about mass surveillance and intrusive government,

要是他們打算要談有關 廣泛監控和干預式政府

they're describing something authoritarian but not necessarily Orwellian.

他們正在形容某種獨裁 但不必然是「歐威爾型」的東西

And if they use it as an all-purpose word for any ideas they dislike,

而且如果他們把它當成通用詞來用 針對任何他們討厭的理念來說

it's possible their statements are more Orwellian

很有可能比起任何他們所批判的東西

than whatever it is they're criticizing.

他們的言論更是「歐威爾型」

Words have the power to shape thought.

文字具有讓想法定型的力量

Language is the currency of politics,

語言是政治上的約定俗成

forming the basis of society from the most common, everyday interactions

從最一般日常的互動到 高深至極的理念形成社會的基礎

to the highest ideals.

Orwell urged us to protect our language

歐威爾驅策你我護守我們的語言

because ultimately our ability to think and communicate clearly

因為到頭來我們清楚明白地 思考和溝通的能力

is what stands between us and a world where war is peace

分隔開我們與戰爭就是和平、 自由就是奴隸的世界！

and freedom is slavery.