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

譯者: Sydney Lei 審譯者: Helen Chang

At just 12 years old,

我在年僅 12 歲時親眼目睹

I witnessed the devastating impact pollution was having on Iran,

環境污染對我父母的家鄉，伊朗，

my parents' home country.

帶來的毀滅性禍害。

On one of my summer visits,

有一個暑假，我回了鄉，

I witnessed smog so heavy it completely blanketed the air,

而我親眼看見那濃厚的霧霾 籠罩着大氣，

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

煙霧遮蓋着天上的星星。

I decided to read more about climate change in Iran,

我決定加深 對伊朗氣候變化問題的了解，

and I became increasingly alarmed,

而我越來越關注此事，

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

尤其是當我發現

were rising more than twice the global average.

中東的氣溫正在猛烈上升， 上升率超於全球平均的兩倍。

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

我決定帶着這資訊面對我的親戚。

But I was shocked when they informed me

然而，他們的回覆使我無比震驚。

that they knew almost nothing about climate change.

他們告訴我，他們對氣候變化 幾乎沒有任何認知。

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

就這樣，我開始研究 伊朗缺乏對氣候變化的教育一事，

and I found a study that read

並且發現了一篇報道，

only five percent of Iranian students

報道論述：只有5%的伊朗學生

could properly explain the greenhouse gas effect.

能正確地解釋溫室氣體效應的因由。

As I continued to scour the internet for more information,

我繼續在網上搜尋更多的資訊，

I began to connect the dots.

並開始把各重點連繫起來。

From what I could see,

據我的觀察顯示，

there was a severe lack of climate resources

波斯語，伊朗的官方語言，

available in Farsi, Iran's native language.

嚴重缺乏有關氣候的資料。

Now, I was still determined to educate my relatives,

為了教育我的親戚，

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

我決定與母親合力 把氣候相關的資料翻譯成波斯語，

so I could teach my aunts and uncles

希望能夠增進我的叔叔姨姨，

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

對於伊朗氣候危機的影響的認知。

As I watched my relatives read my translations,

看着我的親戚們閱讀我的譯文，

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

看着他們恐懼的眼神， 我從來沒有如此快樂過。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

because reading my translations had succeeded in convincing them

因為通過閱讀我的譯文， 他們終於被我説服了：

that climate change was a real and pressing threat.

氣候變化是個真實的、緊急的危機。

Now, my story is anecdotal.

我的故事只是個小軼事。

But the fact that the vast majority of scientific research

然而，眾大部份的科學研究項目

is only available in English

只提供英語版的內容，

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

當談到氣候變化一事， 這是個重大的問題……

(Applause)

（掌聲）

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

因為世界上的絕大部份人不會說英語。

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

事實上，世界上75%的人 完全不懂說英語。

Yet, according to a 2012 study on Scopus,

但是Scopus, 全球最大的 同齡評審期刊資料庫，

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

在 2012 年的一項考查指出，

80 percent of articles are written entirely in English.

他們八成的文章 是完完全全用英語寫的。

Even the United Nations' IPCC report,

就連世界上

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

最著名的氣候文獻之一，

in the world,

聯合國的 IPCC 報告，

is only officially available in the six UN languages:

也只被官方譯成了六種聯合國語言：

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

阿拉伯語、中文、英語、法語、 俄語及西班牙語。

But these are languages that account for less than half

不過，說這六種語言的人 只佔了世界人口

of the world's speaking population.

少於一半的數量。

Meaning, the majority of people on our planet

這意味着地球上的大部份人

are unable to understand the documents and agreements

無法看明白世界的最高 國際政治機構

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

所發佈的文件及協議。

This lack of easily accessible documents and resources

這些易於掌握的文件、資源的不足，

leads to misinformation and low public interest

造成了資訊的誤傳，

以及減低了公眾對氣候保育的興趣。

around tackling issues such as climate change.

In fact, just six years ago,

其實，僅僅六年前，

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

世界上40%的成年人 從來沒有聽過「氣候變化」一詞。

Let me repeat that.

我再重複一次。

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

五分之二的成年人 從沒有聽過「氣候變化」。

When looking at specific regions where this problem lies,

若我們仔細看着這問題的所在地，

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

我們可見，多項研究已發現

非洲嚴重缺乏

there was a severe lack of climate education and curriculum

一些被譯成本土語言的 氣候教育資源及課程。

available in Africa’s Indigenous and local languages.

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

這資訊的不足，往往只會對一些 最有需要的人造成最大的影響。

In countries such as Japan and the Philippines,

氣候變化在日本、菲律賓等國家，

climate change has worsened typhoons and disrupted agricultural industries.

惡化了颱風的狀況， 擾亂了農業產業。

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

在這十二個最被氣候變化 影響的國家當中，

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

只有一個：加拿大， 是個以英語為主要語言的國家。

Languages remain a significant barrier

語言至今仍是個重大的屏障，

to the global transfer of scientific knowledge --

阻隔着全球科學知識的傳授—

be it through the press, through schools

不論是通過媒體、通過學校，

or through political processes.

或是通過政治程序。

In an effort to close the climate translation gap,

為了縮少語言障礙 為氣候行動帶來的缺口，

I decided to start Climate Cardinals,

我決定開創「Climate Cardinals」，

and international youth-led nonprofit

「Climate Cardinals」是一個國際、 青年主導的非營利組織，

working to make climate education more accessible

我們立志把氣候行動的教育，

to those who don't speak English.

擴展到不懂英語的社群。

We work with over 8,000 bilingual student volunteers

我們的團隊有着超過8000個 雙語學生義工，

who translate climate information in exchange for community service hours.

他們合力把氣候資訊翻譯成不同語言， 以換來社區服務時數。

In just over a year,

在僅僅一年的時間，

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

我們成功翻譯了成千上萬的氣候資訊，

into over 100 languages,

被翻譯的語言超過100個，

including Yoruba, Somali, Swahili and Gujarati.

包括約魯巴語、索馬里語、 斯瓦希里语，及古吉拉特語。

If a ragtag group of teenagers that congregate through social media

如果就連一群衣衫不整、 聚集在社交媒體的年輕人

can do this work,

也有能力作出如此貢獻，

imagine the impact that a concentrated effort

試想想各國政府、科學家 及政策制定者集合起來的影響力，

by governments, scientists and policymakers would have.

會多麼宏大。

Groups of people

這些

that are being disproportionately affected by climate change

被氣候變化影響深遠的群眾，

deserve to have access to the resources they need

絕對有權利使用到他們需要的資源，

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

以助他們理解這些 正在摧毁他們家園的災難。

(Cheers and applause)

（掌聲）

The more people are informed about the climate crisis,

認識氣候危機的人越多，

the greater chance we have to coordinate

我們集合的力量就越大，

collective efforts in protection of the future of our planet.

共同保護我們家園的未來。

Because every single person in the world,

因為世界上的每一個人，

every single person in this room,

這房間內的每一個人，

has the power to further climate action.

也有能力去推動氣候行動。

So we must engage people from every country,

因此，我們要把世界各地的人 團結在一起，

young and old,

不論老幼，

to join the fight for climate justice.

一起去爭取氣候正義。

English cannot be the barrier to entry.

我們不能把「懂英語」當成入場券。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Cheers and applause)

(掌聲）