英語(yǔ)視頻暢談歐美人文風(fēng)情106：日光節(jié)約時(shí)間

　　Every year some countries move their clocks forward in the spring only to move them back in the autumn. To the vast majority of the world who doesn't participate in this odd clock fiddling, it seems a baffling thing to do. So what's the reason behind it?

　　有些國(guó)家每年在春天時(shí)要將時(shí)鐘調(diào)快，就是為了在秋天時(shí)調(diào)回來(lái)。對(duì)世界上絕大多數(shù)沒有參與這奇怪的竄改時(shí)間活動(dòng)的國(guó)家來(lái)說(shuō)，這似乎是一件令人困惑的事。所以它背后的原因是什么?

　　The original idea, proposed by George Hudson, was to give people more sunlight in the summer. Of course, it's important to note that changing a clock doesn't actually make more sunlight. That's not how physics works.

　　原先的概念，是由George Hudson提出的，為的是要讓人們?cè)谙奶鞎r(shí)享受更多日光。當(dāng)然，有一點(diǎn)很重要的是，調(diào)了時(shí)鐘實(shí)際上不會(huì)制造更多陽(yáng)光。這不是物理學(xué)運(yùn)作的方式。

　　But, by moving the clocks forward an hour, compared to all other human activity, the sun will seem to both rise and set later. The time when the clocks are moved forward is called Daylight Saving Time, and the rest of the year is called Standard Time.

　　但是，把時(shí)鐘調(diào)快一個(gè)鐘頭，相對(duì)于人類的其他活動(dòng)，太陽(yáng)似乎能晚點(diǎn)升起也晚點(diǎn)下山。時(shí)鐘調(diào)快的那一個(gè)小時(shí)叫做“日光節(jié)約時(shí)間”，一年中剩下的時(shí)間則叫做“標(biāo)準(zhǔn)時(shí)間”。

　　This switch effectively gives people more time to enjoy the sunshine and nice summer weather after work. Hudson, in particular, wanted more sunlight so he could spend more time adding to his insect collection.

　　這樣的轉(zhuǎn)換有效地讓人們下班后能享受更多陽(yáng)光和宜人的夏日氣候。Hudson特別想要更多陽(yáng)光，這樣他就能有更多時(shí)間增加他的昆蟲標(biāo)本收藏。

　　When winter is coming, the clocks move back, presumably because people don't want to go outside anymore. But, winter doesn't have this effect on everyone. If you live in a tropical place like Hawaii, you really don't have to worry about seasons, because they pretty much don't happen.

　　當(dāng)冬天來(lái)臨，時(shí)鐘就調(diào)回來(lái)，推測(cè)是因?yàn)槿藗冊(cè)僖膊幌氲酵忸^去了。但是，冬天不是在每個(gè)人身上都有這種效果。如果你住在像是夏威夷的熱帶地區(qū)，你實(shí)在不必?fù)?dān)心季節(jié)變換，因?yàn)榧竟?jié)變換大多不會(huì)發(fā)生。

　　Every day, all year, it's sunny and beautiful, so Christmas is just as good of a day to hit the beach as any other. And so, Hawaii is one of two states in the Union that ignore Daylight Saving Time.

　　整年的每一天，都是晴朗的美好天氣，所以圣誕節(jié)就像其它日子一樣都很適合到海邊。所以，夏威夷是美國(guó)聯(lián)邦內(nèi)無(wú)視日光節(jié)約時(shí)間的兩個(gè)州之一。

　　But, the further you travel from the equator in either direction, the more the seasons assert themselves, and you get colder and darker winters, making summer time much more valuable to the locals. So it's no surprise that the further a country is from the equator, the more likely it uses Daylight Saving Time.

　　但，不論哪個(gè)方向，你離赤道越遠(yuǎn)，四季就越加明顯，你的冬天會(huì)更寒冷、更陰暗，讓夏季光陰對(duì)當(dāng)?shù)厝藖?lái)說(shuō)更加珍貴。所以不意外的，距離赤道越遠(yuǎn)的國(guó)家，越有可能會(huì)使用日光節(jié)約時(shí)間。

　　Hudson proposed his idea in Wellington in 1895, but it wasn't well received, and it took until 1916 for Germany to be the first country to put it into practice.

　　1895年時(shí)Hudson在威靈頓提出了他的想法，但并不受好評(píng)，直到1916年德國(guó)才成為第一個(gè)實(shí)行的國(guó)家。雖然超級(jí)勤奮的德國(guó)人關(guān)心的不是在舒適的夏日午后來(lái)抓抓蝴蝶，而是關(guān)心要節(jié)省煤炭供給戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)機(jī)器使用。

　　Though, the uber-industrious Germans were less concerned with catching butterflies on a fine summer evening than they were with saving coal to feed the war machine.

　　德國(guó)人認(rèn)為日光節(jié)約時(shí)間可以節(jié)省能源。理由是它能鼓勵(lì)人們?cè)谙奶鞎r(shí)待在戶外久一點(diǎn)，因此能少用人工照明。

　　The Germans thought Daylight Saving Time would conserve energy. The reasoning goes that it encourages people to stay out later in the summer and thus use less artificial lighting.

　　這聽起來(lái)很合邏輯，在一百年前嚴(yán)格管制的社會(huì)也許行得通，但它在現(xiàn)代世界也可行嗎?結(jié)果很意外地是個(gè)很難回答的問題。

　　This sounds logical, and it may have worked in the more regimented society of a hundred years ago, but does it still work in the modern world? That turns out to be a surprisingly difficult question to answer.

　　拿人類最偉大的發(fā)明：冷氣作為例子。這個(gè)神奇的涼爽盒子讓世界上一些若無(wú)冷氣不宜居住的區(qū)域變成蠻適合居住的所在。但是，將熱氣從家里抽出并不便宜，而且打開一臺(tái)冷氣機(jī)等同于使用數(shù)打鎢絲燈泡。

　　For example, take mankind's greatest invention: Air Conditioning. The magic box of cool that makes otherwise uninhabitable sections of the world quite tolerable places to live. But, pumping heat out of your house isn't cheap, and turning on one air conditioner is the same as running dozens of Tungsten light bulbs.

　　如果人們有更多陽(yáng)光，卻不出門使用，日光節(jié)約時(shí)間實(shí)際上可能會(huì)耗費(fèi)電力，而不是節(jié)省。這在像是鳳凰城的地方特別正確，那里平均夏日高溫是華氏一百零七度(約攝氏四十一度)，最高記錄是一百二十二度(約攝氏五十度)。

　　If people get more sunshine, but don't use it to go outside, then Daylight Saving Time might actually cost electricity, not save it. This is particularly true in a place like Phoenix, where the Average Summer High is a hundred and seven degrees, and the record is a hundred and twenty-two.

　　如果你建議一名亞利桑那州居民在夏天調(diào)時(shí)鐘來(lái)得到更多陽(yáng)光，他們會(huì)當(dāng)著你的面大笑。太陽(yáng)和更貴的電費(fèi)帳單不是他們想要的，這也是為什么亞利桑那州是第二個(gè)從未調(diào)整時(shí)鐘的州。

　　If you suggest to an Arizonian to change their clocks in the summer to get more sunshine, they'll laugh in your face. Sun and higher electricity bills are not what they want, which is why Arizona is the second state that never changes their clocks.

　　另一個(gè)試著研究日光節(jié)約時(shí)間的問題是科技和用電的急劇變化?？萍歼M(jìn)步、進(jìn)步、再進(jìn)步，越來(lái)越多的電力就用在不是燈泡的東西上。

　　Another problem with trying to study Daylight Saving Time is rapid changes in technology and electrical use. As technology gets better and better and better, more electricity is dedicated to things that aren't light bulbs.

　　而室外炎熱、汗流浹背、充滿蚊子的白晝魅力，可不比科技娛樂以及空調(diào)舒適的室內(nèi)來(lái)的有吸引力。

　　And the lure of a hot, sweaty, mosquito-filled day outside is less appealing than technological entertainments and climate-controlled comfort inside.

　　還有已經(jīng)留存一世紀(jì)沒有變化、能源效能奇低的鎢絲燈泡，正讓路給CFL和LED節(jié)能燈，大大地減少需要照亮一間房的能源量。

　　Also the horrifically energy inefficient Tungsten light bulbs that have remained unchanged for a century are giving way to CFLs and LEDs, greatly reducing the amount of energy required to light a room.

　　所以，即便假設(shè)日光節(jié)約時(shí)間是有效的，可能每過一年效果就會(huì)差一點(diǎn)。

　　So, even assuming that Daylight Saving Time is effective, it's probably less effective with every passing year.

　　最后的結(jié)果是，雖然有些研究表示日光節(jié)約時(shí)間耗費(fèi)更多電力，有些則說(shuō)節(jié)省電力，他們都同意的一件事是效果大?。翰皇前俜种膊皇前俜种前俜种簧踔粮?，在美國(guó)，結(jié)果每戶約是四美元。

　　The bottom line is while some studies say DST costs more electricity, and others say it saves electricity, the one thing they agree on is the effect size: not twenty percent or ten percent but one percent or less, which, in the United States, works out to be about four dollars per household.

　　一整年省下或是多付四美元的電費(fèi)不管怎樣實(shí)在都不是一件大事。所以現(xiàn)在問題變成：一年調(diào)兩次時(shí)鐘這麻煩值得嗎?

　　Four dollars saved or spent on electricity over an entire year is not really a huge deal either way. So the question now becomes: is the hassle of switching the clocks twice a year worth it?

　　最明顯的麻煩來(lái)自于睡眠剝奪，一個(gè)西方世界已經(jīng)非常普遍的反思，日光節(jié)約時(shí)間讓它更加糟糕。

　　The most obvious trouble comes from sleep deprivation, an already too common reflection in the western world that DST makes measurably worse.

　　透過時(shí)間追蹤軟體，我們可以實(shí)際看到人們?cè)谡{(diào)完時(shí)鐘后的那個(gè)禮拜是比較沒生產(chǎn)力的。這帶來(lái)了巨大的相關(guān)成本。

　　With time-tracking software we can actually see that people are less productive the week after the clock changes. This comes with huge associated costs.

　　讓情況更糟的是，大部分國(guó)家?guī)ё吡诵瞧谝辉缟弦恍r(shí)的睡眠時(shí)間。睡眠剝奪可能會(huì)導(dǎo)致心臟病和自殺，而在日光節(jié)約時(shí)間內(nèi)的周一，兩者發(fā)生的機(jī)會(huì)都比平常更高。

　　To make things worse, most countries take away that hour of sleep on a Monday morning. Sleep deprivation can lead to heart attacks and suicides, and the Daylight

　　其他麻煩則來(lái)自于跨時(shí)區(qū)會(huì)議的時(shí)間安排。比方說(shuō)你試著要在紐約、倫敦和悉尼間安排一場(chǎng)三方會(huì)議，在最佳的情況之下也不是件容易做的事，但當(dāng)他們?cè)谌展夤?jié)約時(shí)間應(yīng)該何時(shí)開始和結(jié)束沒有取得一致，就變得格外困難了。

　　Saving Time Monday has a higher than normal spike in both.

　　在春天，悉尼比倫敦快十一個(gè)小時(shí)，而紐約慢五個(gè)小時(shí)。但接著紐約是第一個(gè)進(jìn)入日光節(jié)約時(shí)間，并把時(shí)鐘調(diào)快一小時(shí)的。兩周后倫敦做了相同的事。再過一周，悉尼，在世界的另外一端，離開日光節(jié)約時(shí)間，并將時(shí)鐘調(diào)慢一小時(shí)。

　　Other troubles come from scheduling meetings across time zones. Let's say that you're trying to plan a three-way conference between New York, London and Sydney, not an easy thing to do under the best of circumstances, but made extra difficult when they don't agree on when Daylight Saving Time should start and end.

　　所以在這三周的時(shí)間，紐約比倫敦晚了五小時(shí)，然后晚四小時(shí)，又再次晚五小時(shí)。而悉尼要不就是比倫敦早了十一、十、或九個(gè)小時(shí)，要不就是早紐約十六、十五或十四小時(shí)。這整件瘋狂的事在六個(gè)月之后又會(huì)反轉(zhuǎn)過來(lái)再次發(fā)生。

　　In the spring, Sydney is eleven hours ahead of London, and New York is five hours behind. But then New York is the first to enter Daylight Saving Time and moves its clock forward an hour. Two weeks later London does the same. In one more week, Sydney, being on the opposite side of the world, leaves Daylight Saving Time and moves its clock back an hour.

　　如果回到黑暗時(shí)期，這可能不是那么重要，但在現(xiàn)代相互連結(jié)的世界，國(guó)際會(huì)議的安排每天都會(huì)發(fā)生幾千次。持續(xù)變換、不一致的時(shí)區(qū)不會(huì)幫上網(wǎng)友們?nèi)魏蚊Α?/p>

　　So in the space of three weeks, New York is five hours behind London, then four hours and then five hours again. And Sydney is either eleven, ten or nine hours from

　　而且，許多國(guó)家在自己境內(nèi)甚至也沒有就日光節(jié)約時(shí)間取得一致。

　　London, and sixteen, fifteen or fourteen hours from New York. And this whole crazy thing happens again in reverse six months later.

　　巴西使用日光節(jié)約時(shí)間，但只有你住在南部才會(huì)用到。加拿大也有，但Saskatchewan省沒有。大部分的澳洲人使用日光節(jié)約時(shí)間，但西澳、北領(lǐng)地或昆士蘭則沒有。

　　Back in the dark ages, this might not have mattered so much, but in the modern, interconnected world, planning international meetings happens thousands and thousands of times daily. Shifting and inconsistent time zones isn't doing Netizens any favors.

　　還有，當(dāng)然，美國(guó)的確有使用日光節(jié)約時(shí)間，除非你住在波多黎各、維京群島、美屬薩摩亞、關(guān)島、北馬利安納群島，或是...先前提過的，夏威夷和亞利桑那州。但亞利桑那州自己境內(nèi)也不一致。

　　And, countries aren't even consistent about Daylight Saving Time within their own borders.

　　雖然亞利桑那州無(wú)視日光節(jié)約時(shí)間，但境內(nèi)的Navaho Nation卻遵循著它。而Navaho Nation內(nèi)的Hopi原住民保留區(qū)，就像亞利桑那州一樣無(wú)視日光節(jié)約時(shí)間。

　　Brazil has Daylight Saving Time, but only if you live in the south. Canada has it too, but not Saskatchewan. Most of Oz does DST, but not Western Australia, The Northern Territory or Queensland.

　　更深入點(diǎn)，在Hopi 保留區(qū)里有Navaho Nation的另一部分，遵循日光節(jié)約時(shí)間。最后，在Navaho Nation內(nèi)另外一部分的Hopi保留區(qū)則沒有遵循它。所以開車開過這綿延百里的土地，技術(shù)上會(huì)需要七次時(shí)間變換，這很瘋狂。

　　And, of course, the United States does have Daylight Saving Time, unless you live in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marianas Islands or...as mentioned before, Hawaii and Arizona. But Arizona isn't even consistent within itself.

　　盡管這是個(gè)不正常的當(dāng)?shù)毓质拢@是一張地圖，從他們繁復(fù)的豐功偉業(yè)之中，展示出不同的日光節(jié)約和時(shí)區(qū)規(guī)范。這真是亂七八糟，當(dāng)國(guó)家修改法律時(shí)也需要持續(xù)更新。這就是為什么不意外的，甚至連我們的數(shù)位小工具有時(shí)也跟不上時(shí)間變換。

　　While Arizona ignores Daylight Saving Time, the Navaho Nation inside of Arizona follows it. Inside of the Navaho Nation is the Hopi Reservation, which like Arizona, ignores daylight saving time.

　　所以來(lái)復(fù)習(xí)一下：日光節(jié)約時(shí)間在夏天下班后給你更多陽(yáng)光，要看你住在哪里，可能是好處也可能不是。可能也可能不會(huì)節(jié)省能源。

　　Going deeper, inside of the Hopi Reservation is another part of the Navaho Nation, which does follow Daylight Saving Time. And finally, there is also part of the Hopi Reservation elsewhere in the Navaho Nation which doesn't. So driving across this hundred-mile stretch would technically necessitate seven clock changes, which is insane.

　　但有件事是確定的：它必定將原本應(yīng)該要簡(jiǎn)單、能掌握時(shí)間的事情變得相當(dāng)復(fù)雜，這就是為什么當(dāng)要調(diào)整時(shí)鐘的時(shí)候，總是有我們?cè)摬辉撨@么做的爭(zhēng)論。

　　While this is an unusual local oddity, here is a map showing the different daylight saving and time zone rules in all their complicated glory. It's a huge mess, and constantly needs updating as countries change their laws. Which is why it shouldn't be surprising that even our digital gadgets can't keep the time straight occasionally.

　　So to review: Daylight Saving Time gives more sunlight in the summer after work, which depending on where you live, might be in advantage or not. And it may or may not save electricity.

　　But one thing is for sure: it's guaranteed to make something that should be simple, keeping track of time, quite complicated, which is why when it comes time to change the clocks, there's always a debate about whether or not we should.