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語音識別说庭，是人工智能技術之一纸泄，將標志著人類社會的又一進步∥笏悖可是妒茬，我們也不得不害怕担锤，如果一個機器人能聽懂人話，懂得人的思維和情感乍钻，他是否也不再會是一臺機器肛循？如果機器再也不是純粹的理性铭腕，西部世界是否已不再遙遠？

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Now we are talking

Vioce technology is making computers less daunting and more accessible.

Any sufficiently advanced technology, noted Arthur C. Clarke, a British science-fiction writer, is indistinguishable from magic. The fast-emerging technology of voice computing proves his point. Using it is just like casting a spell: say a few words into the air, and a nearby device can grant your wish.

daunt：來源于拉丁文多糠，domitare累舷，意思就是to lessen the courage of，也就是嚇到熬丧，氣餒笋粟。當然如果平常大家在閱讀的時候有一些單詞不認識，也可以通過對邏輯關系的簡單判斷來降低其對我們閱讀的障礙呢析蝴，比如這里如果daunting不認識害捕，也并不會影響到大家對此處含義的理解，因為and前后并列闷畸，and后面more accessible其實和less daunting方向上差不多尝盼。

advanced：先進的

indistinguishable from：與……沒什么不同（與……相同）

fast-emerging：迅速崛起的，在這個日新月異的時代佑菩，很多新生產業(yè)都可以用這個詞形容，大家可以多加應用殿漠。

casting a spell：念個咒語赴精，美好的事情就會發(fā)生的感覺。

grant your wish ：實現愿望绞幌。grant蕾哟，這個詞并不難，是授予莲蜘、準許的意思谭确，但是它是一個很正式的用法，在外交辭令以及國際商務合同用語中經常出現票渠，比allow高級逐哈。

Please do grant me a favour.

你就行個方便吧！ （帶有撒嬌妝效果最好嘍）问顷。

Take sth for granted 把……當做理所當然:

She takes his love for granted. 她把他的愛當作是理所當然的

文章開篇小標題是：語音技術讓計算機不那么令人生畏昂秃，且更容易接近了。

為了增加趣味性杜窄，文章一開始通過英國的一個科幻小說家說過的話引入本文的核心話題肠骆，當然如果大家的記憶并沒有變得模糊，就會記得我們之前一篇文章against happiness跟大家講過一種方法叫做引用觀點羞芍，通過引用很牛逼的人的觀點來彰顯自己的觀點的正確性哗戈，或者借用很牛逼的人之口說出自己的觀點都是可以很好的提升文章的比格郊艘，增加自己觀點的可信度的荷科。

第一段說任何足夠先進的技術就像魔法唯咬。快速興起的語音技術就證明了他的說法畏浆。使用這種語音技術就像是念咒語胆胰，你說出指令，附近的智能設備就能夠實現你的愿望刻获。

The Amazon Echo, a voice-driven cylindrical computer that sits on a table top and answers to the name Alexa, can call up music tracks and radio stations, tell jokes, answer trivia questions and control smart appliances; even before Christmas it was already resident in about 4% of American households. Voice assistants are proliferating in smartphones, too: Apple's Siri handles over 2bn commands a week, and 20% of Google searches on Android-powered handsets in America are input by voice. Dictating e-mails and text messages now works reliably enough to be useful. Why type when you can talk?

Amazon Echo：一個語音控制設備

track：這個詞意思比較寬泛蜀涨，可以表示道路路徑，另外在本文中其意思是唱片或者CD上面的一首歌曲蝎毡，其實這兩種意思之間還是有一些聯系的厚柳，大家可以想象一下那種老式的唱片機，在播放音樂的時候沐兵，唱片會旋轉别垮，唱片針就像是在上面劃出了一道路徑吧~

resident in（居住于），擬人化用法

proliferating：增生就是proliferating扎谎。惡性腫瘤的蔓延之類的我們都說proliferating碳想。

dictate：口述，聽寫

這一段列舉了一個語音控制系統(tǒng)毁靶，它能做許多事胧奔，并且已經有4%的家庭在使用了。語音助手同樣也在智能手機上廣泛應用预吆。能給你讀email能替你發(fā)短信龙填。

哇塞，光BB不動手啡浊，這不是我們夢想的生活嘛觅够！

This is a huge shift. Simple though it may seem, voice has the power to transform computing, by providing a natural means of interaction. Windows, icons and menus, and then touchscreens, were welcomed as more intuitive ways to deal with computers than entering complex keyboard commands. But being able to talk to computers abolishes the need for the abstraction of a “user interface” at all. Just as mobile phones were more than existing phones without wires, and cars were more than carriages without horses, so computers without screens and keyboards have the potential to be more useful, powerful and ubiquitous than people can imagine today.

sb has the power to do sth：某人有能力作某事

icons：圖標

user interface：簡稱UI，廣義上是指用戶可以和計算機進行交互的硬件或軟件巷嚣，狹義上就是指軟件中可見的外觀及其底層與用戶交互部分（也就是平常我們用一些軟件的時候可以點來點去操作的部分）喘先。

just as···so：反應快的同學應該很快就能夠看出，just as后面其實是在舉例廷粒，為了引出或者說佐證so之后的觀點窘拯。

intuitive：直覺的，直觀的

語音技術看起來簡單坝茎，其實能耐大著呢涤姊！你們看電腦上這些窗口、圖標嗤放、菜單思喊，以及后來出現的觸摸屏，其實他們都在做一件事次酌，就是更直觀地讓人與機器互動恨课。但是直接跟電腦說話舆乔，這簡直是革命啊剂公！這個東西一旦發(fā)展起來希俩，什么UI都不需要了啊纲辽！比如說智能手機遠遠不止是無線電話颜武，汽車遠遠不止是不靠馬拉的車，未來這種靠語音的電腦將會牛逼的超乎想象巴虾稹鳞上！

這么一說是不是感覺好像追不上時代發(fā)展的潮流了……

Voice will not wholly replace other forms of input and output. Sometimes it will remain more convenient to converse with a machine by typing rather than talking (Amazon is said to be working on an Echo device with a built-in screen). But voice is destined to account for a growing share of people's interactions with the technology around them, from washing machines that tell you how much of the cycle they have left to virtual assistants in corporate call-centres. However, to reach its full potential, the technology requires further breakthroughs-and a resolution of the tricky questions it raises around the trade-off between convenience and privacy.

wholly：詞根是whole，類似的表達就是completely吊档，意為完全的

be destined to：命中注定要做……因块。Doomed也表示“注定了……”，但是注意doomed往往傾向于說不好的事情籍铁，比如： This time we really doomed.

這一次我們真的完蛋了涡上。

further breakthroughs：長遠的突破

trade-off：注意它作名詞用，意為權衡拒名，協(xié)調吩愧，交易，這個詞匯在經濟類新聞中較長出現增显，比如the trade-off between inflation and unemployment雁佳，就是在通貨膨脹與失業(yè)率之間求得平衡。

resolution：還有分辨率的意思同云，手機的分辨率是多少多少糖权，其實就是the resolution is……。

語音并不會完全取代其他形式的輸入和輸出吧炸站，但是語音注定了是未來星澳。但是要實現語音技術的全部潛能還需要未來的技術突破，還要解決便利和隱私的平衡問題旱易。

Alexa, what is deep learning?

Computer-dictation systems have been around for years. But they were unreliable and required lengthy training to learn a specific user's voice. Computers' new ability to recognise almost anyone's speech dependably without training is the latest manifestation of the power of “deep learning”, an artificial-intelligence technique in which a software system is trained using millions of examples, usually culled from the internet. Thanks to deep learning, machines now nearly equal humans in transcription accuracy, computerized translation systems are improving rapidly and text-to-speech systems are becoming less robotic and more natural-sounding. Computers are, in short, getting much better at handling natural language in all its forms.

lengthy：長期的

manifestation：顯示禁偎，表現

artificial-intelligence：AI，人工智能

cull：揀出

小標題問“Alexa”什么是深度學習阀坏，那么其實內心肯定堅信Alexa是可以回答這個問題的吧如暖，而Alexa其實就是代表了現在的語音智能，也就是說現在的語音智能已經掌握了deep learning忌堂。

看盒至，其實讀文章的時候，不要單處的看到一個單詞或者是看到一個句子，作者在寫每一句話的時候都是有自己的行文目的枷遂，我們一起看一看這一部分說的是不是與我們一開始思考的是一樣的呢寝蹈？

這一段一開始說語音識別其實已經出現多年了，但是以前沒有現在這么好用登淘，為什么呢？計算機無需訓練即能識別幾乎任何人的語言是深度學習力量的最新體現封字，深度思考是一種人工智能技術黔州，這一技術用通常來自互聯網的數百萬個范例來訓練某一系統(tǒng)。最后就是指出計算機經過這樣的深度學習之后阔籽，其處理各種形式的自然語言時的表現大幅提升流妻。我們都聽說過2016年10月18日，中國著名相聲演員羅永浩發(fā)布了自己的錘子T2手機笆制，在發(fā)布會上他大大的吹了一波科大訊飛的語音輸入法绅这，導致科大訊飛的股票暴漲。其實這家公司玩的就是voice computing在辆。

Although deep learning means that machines can recognise speech more reliably and talk in a less stilted manner, they still don't understand the meaning of language. That is the most difficult aspect of the problem and, if voice-driven computing is truly to flourish, one that must be overcome. Computers must be able to understand context in order to maintain a coherent conversation about something, rather than just responding to simple, one-off voice commands, as they mostly do today (“Hey, Siri, set a timer for ten minutes”). Researchers in universities and at companies large and small are working on this very problem, building “bots” that can hold more elaborate conversations about more complex tasks, from retrieving information to advising on mortgages to making travel arrangements. (Amazon is offering a $1m prize for a bot that can converse “coherently and engagingly” for 20 minutes.)

one-off event：一次性活動证薇。

this very problem：這里面的very表示強調，相當于specific匆篓，特指剛剛提到的問題浑度。

bots：其實就是robot的簡寫。

盡管深度學習意味著機器可以更加可靠的識別語言鸦概，但是它們還是無法理解語言的意思箩张。而理解語言的意思恰恰是最難的部分，如果語音技術要真正獲得大成果窗市，這個問題必須被攻克先慷。要進行連貫的對話，電腦需要能夠理解上下文咨察。而不是僅僅回應簡單的一次性活動（現在的語音系統(tǒng)只能做一次性活動论熙，比方Siri）。很多研究者都在鉆研這一問題摄狱，亞馬遜為能開發(fā)出能夠連貫生動地談話20分鐘的機器人赴肚，懸賞100萬美元。

當然這100萬肯定不好賺二蓝，關注過人工智能的同學可能了解微軟有個聊天機器人叫小冰誉券，2016年3月份，微軟推出了小冰的英文版本名字叫tay刊愚。不過踊跟，tay這家伙在發(fā)布24小時之內，微軟就不得不出面干預，關停了tay并且發(fā)布聲明稱tay現在需要作一些調整商玫。什么原因呢箕憾，tay發(fā)布之后，一大群的網友都跑來和tay聊天拳昌，經過網友們不懈的“訓練和調教”袭异，她不但學會了滿嘴臟話，還發(fā)表了種族主義評論和煽動性的政治觀點炬藤。三觀非常不端正御铃。比如：還有人教tay學習川普大叔的各種奇葩政策。Tay學會了說沈矿；we are going to build a wall上真， and Mexico is going to pay for it. 你說這種破壞世界和平的話怎么敢說的呢！微軟真是怕怕的羹膳。

When spells replace spelling

Consumers and regulators also have a role to play in determining how voice computing develops. Even in its current, relatively primitive form, the technology poses a dilemma: voice-driven systems are most useful when they are personalised, and are granted wide access to sources of data such as calendars, e-mails and other sensitive information. That raises privacy and security concerns.

spells和spelling：題目用了一個詞的兩個意思來雙關睡互。Spell做動詞表拼寫，做名詞表咒語陵像。只有動詞能加ing就珠。所以這里是：用咒語代替拼寫。

Even in its current= at this moment或者at present醒颖，這個用法大家可以多多學習嗓违。

primative= primary，初級的图贸，基礎的蹂季。

pose，raises都是差不多的動詞疏日，表示提出偿洁。

dilemma：窘迫境地。這個單詞源自希臘語“雙重假定”的意思沟优，其實也就是左右為難十分窘迫的意思涕滋。

對于任何一個新的產品來說，消費者和監(jiān)管機構也扮演這一定的角色挠阁。在目前這種相對初級的階段這個技術已經面臨窘迫境地宾肺。至于這個窘迫境地到底是什么呢？這種語音系統(tǒng)想要發(fā)揮最大的作用侵俗，就得個人化并獲得準許訪問各種數據锨用，這肯定就會涉及到隱私安全問題。

To further complicate matters, many voice-driven devices are always listening, waiting to be activated. Some people are already concerned about the implications of internet-connected micro-phones listening in every room and from every smartphone. Not all audio is sent to the cloud-devices wait for a trigger phrase (“Alexa”, “OK, Google”, “Hey, Cortana”, or “Hey, Siri”) before they start relaying the user's voice to the servers that actually handle the requests-but when it comes to storing audio, it is unclear who keeps what and when.

When it comes to……：當談到……

看后面隘谣，哎呀增拥，頭疼，還有更復雜的問題。這些設備都在時刻傾聽著等待被啟動對吧掌栅，那么設想秩仆，你的房間裝了很多這樣的設備，那些聯網的麥克風將會有什么樣的影響猾封。并非所有的聲音都傳到了云端澄耍，在開始將用戶的語音傳到真正處理用戶指令的服務器之前，云端設備在等待一句觸發(fā)指令晌缘。誰在何時記錄了什么齐莲，我們并不清楚。

Police investigating a murder in Arkansas, which may have been overheard by an Amazon Echo, have asked the company for access to any audio that might have been captured. Amazon has refused to co-operate, arguing (with the backing of privacy advocates) that the legal status of such requests is unclear. The situation is analogous to Apple's refusal in2016 to help FBI investigators unlock a terrorist's iPhone; both cases highlight the need for rules that specify when and what intrusions into personal privacy are justified in the interests of security.

后面這段其實就是一個實例支撐枚钓，調查謀殺案的警察覺得echo可能無意中聽到了兇案信息，但是亞馬遜拒絕提供瑟押，這與蘋果之前拒絕幫助FBI調查員解鎖一名恐怖分子的iphone比較類似搀捷。兩期案件都強調了需要制定法規(guī)明確什么時候為了保證公眾安全，能夠以何種方式介入個人隱私多望。這的確是一個很重要的問題嫩舟，未來一定需要更完善的法律來管控這種信息入口。

但是最近維基解密爆出CIA監(jiān)視監(jiān)聽各種智能設備怀偷，所以為何FBI說自己不能解鎖iphone家厌？

Consumers will adopt voice computing even if such issues remain unresolved. In many situations voice is far more convenient and natural than any other means of communication. Uniquely, it can also be used while doing something else (driving, working out or walking down the street). It can extend the power of computing to people unable, for one reason or another, to use screens and key-boards. And it could have a dramatic impact not just on computing, but on the use of language itself Computerised simultaneous translation could render the need to speak a foreign language irrelevant for many people; and in a world where machines can talk, minor languages may be more likely to survive. The arrival of the touchscreen was the last big shift in the way humans interact with computers. The leap to speech matters more.

雖然有上述種種的不便，但是消費者仍然選擇語音識別機器椎工，畢竟說話更方便些嘛饭于，很簡單的，開車健身或者走在路上使用维蒙，肯定是更為方便的掰吕，另外也可以惠澤不能夠用觸摸屏和鍵盤的障礙人士。還有其他領域的應用颅痊，比如計算機同聲傳譯（這個還有待考證）殖熟，目前的確出了很多實時語音翻譯的軟件設備等等，但是完全代替譯員在國家重大場合上的傳譯作用還未可知斑响，未來或許有一天能夠實現菱属，到時候人工智能也會更加的先進，也許小語種的譯者更容易幸存下來舰罚，也許機器就能夠完全替代人了纽门。

其實語音智能識別技術說到底就是一種人工智能。人工智能果然是這個時代最熱的話題营罢。

我們不知道人工智能的未來到底是統(tǒng)治人類還是更好的為人類服務膜毁，但我們確定的是人工智能技術的極大發(fā)展一定會對社會產生極大的改變。但我們沒法阻止這種進步，那么只能擁抱變化瘟滨，努力把自己變成更牛逼的人才了候醒。

如果有同學對人工智能也有興趣，想要深度了解未來整個社會的商業(yè)生態(tài)會怎樣被人工智能所改造杂瘸，可以點擊閱讀原文倒淫，來聽霞姐在一塊聽聽平臺上關于人工智能發(fā)展之路的分享。

英文原文：

http://econ.st/2iL7HZL

講解：霞姐 / Tiassa / 魔力邪苡瘢花

編排 / 校對：魔力械型粒花

版權歸魔力學院所有，鼓勵轉發(fā)运翼，轉載也可

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