The technology of storytelling | Joe Sabia

翻译人员: Chunxiang Qian 校对人员: Angelia King

Ladies and gentlemen, gather around.

先生们女士们 大家都围坐过来

I would love to share with you a story.

让我来给你们讲个故事

Once upon a time

很久很久以前

in 19th century Germany,

19世纪的德国

there was the book.

有本书

Now during this time,

那时候

the book was the king of storytelling.

这是故事书中的王者

It was venerable.

故事书很珍贵

It was ubiquitous.

但又无处不在

But it was a little bit boring.

又有点无趣

Because in its 400 years of existence,

因为在有故事书的四百年里

storytellers never evolved the book

讲故事的人们从来没有

as a storytelling device.

改良故事书作为辅助设备

But then one author arrived,

后来有个作家

and he changed the game forever.

他永远地改写了历史

(Music)

（音乐）

His name was Lothar,

他叫罗萨

Lothar Meggendorfer.

罗萨･梅根多尔弗尔

Lothar Meggendorfer put his foot down,

罗萨･梅根多尔弗尔下了决心

and he said, "Genug ist genug!"

他说：“我受够了！”

He grabbed his pen,

他抓起笔

he snatched his scissors.

抄起剪刀

This man refused to fold to the conventions of normalcy

他决意不走寻常路

and just decided to fold.

他折起了纸

History would know Lothar Meggendorfer

历史上的罗萨･梅根多尔弗尔

as -- who else? --

作为什么人被记载下来？

the world's first true inventor

世界上第一个

of the children's pop-up book.

为孩子发明立体书的人

(Music)

（音乐）

For this delight and for this wonder,

人们享受着

people rejoiced.

这喜悦和惊奇

(Cheering)

（欢呼）

They were happy because the story survived,

他们很高兴故事保存下来

and that the world would keep on spinning.

世界继续转动

Lothar Meggendorfer wasn't the first

罗萨･梅根多尔弗尔不是第一个

to evolve the way a story was told,

改进讲故事方法的人

and he certainly wasn't the last.

也不会是最后一个

Whether storytellers realized it or not,

不管讲故事的人是否意识到

they were channeling Meggendorfer's spirit

当他们

when they moved opera to vaudville,

从歌剧到杂技

radio news to radio theater,

从电台新闻到电台剧院

film to film in motion

从影像到电影

to film in sound, color, 3D,

到有声电影，彩色电影和3D电影

on VHS and on DVD.

从家用录像到DVD 他们都是在传承梅根多尔弗尔的精神

There seemed to be no cure for this Meggendorferitis.

没有什么能阻止梅根多尔弗尔的精神

And things got a lot more fun when the Internet came around.

互联网的问世则带来了更多的乐趣

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Because, not only could people broadcast their stories throughout the world,

因为人们不但可以向世界讲述他们的故事

but they could do so

而且可以

using what seemed to be an infinite amount of devices.

利用各种各样的设备来讲故事

For example, one company

比如 有个公司

would tell a story of love

通过它的搜索引擎

through its very own search engine.

讲述一个爱情故事

One Taiwanese production studio

一个台湾工作室

would interpret American politics in 3D.

把美国政治做成3D动画

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And one man would tell the stories of his father

有个人通过一个叫做推特的平台

by using a platform called Twitter

讲述他父亲的故事

to communicate the excrement his father would gesticulate.

分享他父亲说的无用废话

And after all this, everyone paused;

在有了这一切之后 人们停下脚步

they took a step back.

回望过去

They realized that, in 6,000 years of storytelling,

他们意识到 在六千年讲故事的历史中

they've gone from depicting hunting on cave walls

他们从在洞穴墙壁上画狩猎图

to depicting Shakespeare on Facebook walls.

到在脸书的涂鸦墙上诠释莎士比亚

And this was a cause for celebration.

这是让我们庆祝的原因

The art of storytelling has remained unchanged.

讲故事的艺术没有改变

And for the most part, the stories are recycled.

大部分故事流传下来

But the way that humans tell the stories

但是人们讲故事的方法

has always evolved

已经通过不断创新

with pure, consistent novelty.

不停地改进

And they remembered a man,

人们会记住一个人

one amazing German,

一个伟大的德国人

every time a new storytelling device

每一次一个新的讲故事的设备问世

popped up next.

都会想起他

And for that,

由此

the audience --

观众们

the lovely, beautiful audience --

可爱美丽的观众们

would live happily ever after.

也从此永远幸福快乐地生活在一起

(Applause)

（掌声）