Language Shouldn't Be a Barrier to Climate Action | Sophia Kianni | TED Countdown

翻译人员: Xinlin Liu 校对人员: Helen Chang

At just 12 years old,

在我年仅12岁的时候，

I witnessed the devastating impact pollution was having on Iran,

我见证了污染给我父母的祖国伊朗

my parents' home country.

带来的毁灭性打击。

On one of my summer visits,

一年夏天，

I witnessed smog so heavy it completely blanketed the air,

我看到严重的雾霾弥漫在空气中，

obscuring the stars I wanted to trace out of the night sky.

遮挡住了夜空中我想追逐的星星。

I decided to read more about climate change in Iran,

我决定去了解更多 关于伊朗的气候变化，

and I became increasingly alarmed,

然后我感到越来越惊恐，

particularly when I learned the fact that temperatures in the Middle East

特别是当我了解到 中东的气温上升

were rising more than twice the global average.

比全球高了两倍时。

Armed with this knowledge, I decided to confront my relatives.

当我了解到这些后， 我决定去告诉我的亲人们。

But I was shocked when they informed me

而当他们告诉我，

that they knew almost nothing about climate change.

他们对气候变化一无所知时， 我感到十分震惊。

So I began to dig into the lack of climate education in Iran,

于是我开始探究 伊朗在气候变化教育上的不足，

and I found a study that read

然后我找到了一个报告说，

only five percent of Iranian students

只有百分之五的伊朗学生

could properly explain the greenhouse gas effect.

能解释什么是温室效应。

As I continued to scour the internet for more information,

在我继续在网上搜索时，

I began to connect the dots.

一切明朗了起来。

From what I could see,

我发现，

there was a severe lack of climate resources

以伊朗本土语言波斯语撰写的

available in Farsi, Iran's native language.

气候变化资料， 严重匮乏。

Now, I was still determined to educate my relatives,

现在，我依旧决心去教育我的亲戚们，

so I decided to work with my mom to translate climate resources into Farsi

于是我决定与我母亲一起 将气候变化资料翻译成波斯语，

so I could teach my aunts and uncles

这样我就可以教我的叔叔阿姨们

about how climate-change-induced disasters were impacting millions of Iranians.

去理解气候变化带来的灾难 是如何影响百万伊朗人民的。

As I watched my relatives read my translations,

在我看着亲戚们阅读我的翻译时

I had never been happier to see fear plastered all over their faces --

他们脸上的恐惧 使我前所未有地愉悦，

(Laughter)

（笑声）

because reading my translations had succeeded in convincing them

因为我的翻译 成功地让他们相信

that climate change was a real and pressing threat.

气候变化是一个真实存在的威胁。

Now, my story is anecdotal.

我的故事是个轶闻，

But the fact that the vast majority of scientific research

但对于大多气候变化的研究

is only available in English

都只有英语

is a big problem when it comes to climate change ...

是一个很大的问题，

(Applause)

（掌声）

because most people in the world don't speak English.

因为世界上大部分人不会英语。

In fact, 75 percent of them do not speak English at all.

事实上，百分之七十五的人 一点也不会英语

Yet, according to a 2012 study on Scopus,

然而根据世界最大的同行评审 学术期刊数据库

the world's largest database for peer-reviewed journals,

Scopus上2012的一个研究

80 percent of articles are written entirely in English.

百分之八十的文章全篇用英文撰写。

Even the United Nations' IPCC report,

即使是在这个世界上

widely regarded as one of the most renowned pieces of climate literature

著名的学术机构之一，

in the world,

联合国IPCC的报告

is only officially available in the six UN languages:

官方也只提供六种联合国语言：

Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

阿拉伯语、中文、英语、 法语、俄语和西班牙语。

But these are languages that account for less than half

但是这些语言的使用者

of the world's speaking population.

不及全世界一半的人口。

Meaning, the majority of people on our planet

这说明全球大部分的人

are unable to understand the documents and agreements

无法理解这些 由世界最高政治团体

being issued by the world's highest international political body.

发布的文件和协议。

This lack of easily accessible documents and resources

由于难以取得文件与资料，

leads to misinformation and low public interest

对如气候变化 这样的问题，

around tackling issues such as climate change.

人们会被误导 并降低兴趣。

In fact, just six years ago,

实际上， 仅在六年前，

40 percent of adults in the world had never heard of climate change.

世界上百分之40的成年人 从未听说过气候变化。

Let me repeat that.

我重复一遍。

Two out of five adults had never heard of climate change.

每五个成年人中就有两个 从未听说过气候变化。

When looking at specific regions where this problem lies,

当我们观察一些 特定的地区时，

we can see that multiple studies have found, in Africa,

看得到，多项研究发现，在非洲

there was a severe lack of climate education and curriculum

严重缺乏以非洲土著 和当地语言提供的

available in Africa’s Indigenous and local languages.

气候教育与课程。

This lack of information only hurts those who need access to it the most.

信息的缺乏会伤害那些 最需要获取信息的人。

In countries such as Japan and the Philippines,

在日本和菲律宾等国，

climate change has worsened typhoons and disrupted agricultural industries.

气候变化加剧了台风， 扰乱了农业产业。

In these and the other 10 countries worst impacted by climate change,

在这些国家和其他10个 受气候变化影响最严重的国家，

only one, Canada, is a majority English-speaking.

只有一个国家，即加拿大， 是大部分讲英语的国家。

Languages remain a significant barrier

语言仍然是一个重大障碍

to the global transfer of scientific knowledge --

在科学知识的全球转移中——

be it through the press, through schools

无论是通过媒体还是通过学校

or through political processes.

或者通过政治程序。

In an effort to close the climate translation gap,

为了缩小气候问题翻译的鸿沟，

I decided to start Climate Cardinals,

我决定创办“红雀 （Climate Cardinals）”，

and international youth-led nonprofit

这个国际青年领导的非营利组织，

working to make climate education more accessible

努力使气候教育更易理解，

to those who don't speak English.

那些不会说英语的人。

We work with over 8,000 bilingual student volunteers

我们与8000多名 双语学生志愿者合作，

who translate climate information in exchange for community service hours.

他们翻译气候信息 以换取社区服务时间。

In just over a year,

在仅仅一年多的时间里，

we've translated hundreds of thousands of words of climate information

我们已经把数十万字的气候信息

into over 100 languages,

翻译成了100多种语言。

including Yoruba, Somali, Swahili and Gujarati.

其中包括约鲁巴语、索马里语、 斯瓦希里语和古吉拉特语。

If a ragtag group of teenagers that congregate through social media

如果一群通过社交媒体 聚集在一起的青少年

can do this work,

可以完成这项任务，

imagine the impact that a concentrated effort

想象一下集中政府、科学家 和政策制定者的力量

by governments, scientists and policymakers would have.

所能产生的影响。

Groups of people

一群又一群

that are being disproportionately affected by climate change

受不成比的气候变化影响的人们

deserve to have access to the resources they need

有权获得他们需要的资源

to make sense of these disasters that are destroying their communities.

来理解这些摧毁他们社区的灾难。

(Cheers and applause)

（欢呼声与掌声）

The more people are informed about the climate crisis,

更多的人了解气候危机，

the greater chance we have to coordinate

我们就有更大的机会协调集体努力，

collective efforts in protection of the future of our planet.

保护我们地球的未来。

Because every single person in the world,

因为世界上的每一个人，

every single person in this room,

这个房间里的每个人，

has the power to further climate action.

都有能力采取进一步的气候行动。

So we must engage people from every country,

所以我们必须让各国人民参与进来，

young and old,

不论老少，

to join the fight for climate justice.

来共同加入气候正义的斗争。

English cannot be the barrier to entry.

英语不能成为加入斗争的障碍。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Cheers and applause)

（欢呼声与掌声）