The technology of storytelling | Joe Sabia

譯者: Ana Choi 審譯者: Kuo-Yuan Cheng

Ladies and gentlemen, gather around.

先生女士們，大家圍過來吧。

I would love to share with you a story.

我很想與大家分享一個故事。

Once upon a time

曾幾何時,

in 19th century Germany,

在19世紀的德國，

there was the book.

有的是書本。

Now during this time,

在這期間，

the book was the king of storytelling.

書本是講故事的首要力量。

It was venerable.

它是可敬的。

It was ubiquitous.

它是無處不在。

But it was a little bit boring.

但它是有點沉悶。

Because in its 400 years of existence,

因為在其400年的存在，

storytellers never evolved the book

說書人永遠不會將書本進化到

as a storytelling device.

成為一個講故事的設備。

But then one author arrived,

但一個作者來臨，

and he changed the game forever.

他永遠地改變了遊戲的方式。

(Music)

（音樂）

His name was Lothar,

他的名字是Lothar,

Lothar Meggendorfer.

Lothar Meggendorfer。

Lothar Meggendorfer put his foot down,

Lothar Meggendorfer斬釘截鐵地

and he said, "Genug ist genug!"

說，「Genug IST genug！」(夠了!)

He grabbed his pen,

他一把抓住他的筆，

he snatched his scissors.

搶着了剪刀。

This man refused to fold to the conventions of normalcy

這名男子拒絕屈折於正常的慣例，

and just decided to fold.

他決定對折。

History would know Lothar Meggendorfer

歷史認識Lothar Meggendorfer

as -- who else? --

作為 -- 還有誰呢？ --

the world's first true inventor

當然為世界上第一個真正的發明人，

of the children's pop-up book.

兒童立體彈出的書。

(Music)

（音樂）

For this delight and for this wonder,

對於這個奇蹟的喜悅，

people rejoiced.

人民歡欣鼓舞。

(Cheering)

（啦啦隊）

They were happy because the story survived,

他們很高興因為故事的存活，

and that the world would keep on spinning.

和世界將繼續轉動。

Lothar Meggendorfer wasn't the first

Lothar Meggendorfer不是第一個

to evolve the way a story was told,

率先發展說故事方式的人，

and he certainly wasn't the last.

他肯定不是最後的一個。

Whether storytellers realized it or not,

無論說故事人辦到與否，

they were channeling Meggendorfer's spirit

他們都在引導 Meggendorfer的精神，

when they moved opera to vaudville,

當他們移動歌劇到歌舞雜耍表演，

radio news to radio theater,

無線電台新聞到電台戲劇，

film to film in motion

膠片到電影，

to film in sound, color, 3D,

到有聲,有色 到3D,

on VHS and on DVD.

到VHS和DVD。

There seemed to be no cure for this Meggendorferitis.

似乎脫離不了Meggendorferitis本色。

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

在上網時代來臨時,事情變得更加有趣了。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

因為，人們不僅可以在世界各地播出他們的故事，

but they could do so

但他們更加可以

using what seemed to be an infinite amount of devices.

用似乎無限量的設備地這樣做。

For example, one company

例如，一間公司，

would tell a story of love

通過其自己的搜索引擎

through its very own search engine.

訴說著愛情故事。

One Taiwanese production studio

一個台灣製作工作室

would interpret American politics in 3D.

用3D動畫來解釋美國政治。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And one man would tell the stories of his father

另外有一個人會轉述他父親的故事，

by using a platform called Twitter

通過使用Twitter的平台，

to communicate the excrement his father would gesticulate.

溝通他父親會說出的垃圾。

And after all this, everyone paused;

而在這一切之後，每個人都停下來;

they took a step back.

向後退了一步。

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

他們意識到，在6000年的說書，

they've gone from depicting hunting on cave walls

他們已經從洞穴牆壁上描繪狩獵

to depicting Shakespeare on Facebook walls.

到去在Facebook描繪莎士比亞。

And this was a cause for celebration.

這是值得慶祝的。

The art of storytelling has remained unchanged.

講故事的藝術一直保持不變。

And for the most part, the stories are recycled.

而大部分的故事都被循環再用。

But the way that humans tell the stories

但人類講故事的方式，

has always evolved

一直一致清澈地,

with pure, consistent novelty.

新奇地演變。

And they remembered a man,

它們紀念了一個人，

one amazing German,

一個了不起的德國人，

every time a new storytelling device

每次一個新的講故事設備

popped up next.

彈出來。

And for that,

因此,

the audience --

觀眾 --

the lovely, beautiful audience --

可愛的，美麗的觀眾

would live happily ever after.

能從此過著幸福快樂的生活。

(Applause)

(掌聲)