智能项圈助你听懂猫语

 Cat lovers of the world, rejoice! You finally have the chance to understand what your pet is saying thanks to a smart collar that can interpret feline¹ meows and translate it into human speech. Aptly named "Catterbox", the collar supposedly has a digital sensor² that detects meows, and uses a special program to decipher the meaning behind them.

全世界的铲屎官们，欢呼吧！托智能项圈的福，你们终于有机会听懂自己的宠物在说什么了。这款项圈可以把猫语翻译成人话，叫作“猫语匣子”可谓名副其实，里面应该装着一个探测猫叫的数字传感器，通过特殊程序破译其中的意义。

Developed by London ad agency adam&eveDDB, for Temptations cat treats, the invention comes preloaded with a dictionary of cat purrs, meows, and several other sounds to make the interpretation³ as accurate as possible. "We're fascinated by cats, so we set out on a mission to get to know them better," said Pete Simmons, global brand director of Temptations.

这款猫语项圈是由伦敦adam&eveDDB广告公司给猫零食品牌Temptations研发的，里面预置了猫语词典，包括呜呜叫、喵喵叫和其它一些语音，使翻译尽可能准确。Temptations公司全球品牌总监皮特?西蒙斯说：“我们为猫着迷，所以我们进行此项任务来更好地了解它们。”

铲屎官的福音：智能项圈助你听懂猫语

The promo video for the device claims that Catterbox, the world's first talking cat collar, is designed to finally help humans understand the meaning of meows. "Cats are often perceived as quite hard to get to know, independent pets, so we set up The Temptations Lab to find innovative⁴ ways to inject even more fun into a cat and owner's relationship," said Richard Brim, executive creative director of adam&eveDDB.

这个小发明的宣传视频称猫语匣子是世界上第一款会说话的猫项圈，借助它，人们终于可以理解猫叫的意义。adam&eveDDB公司执行创意总监理查德?布里姆说：“人们通常认为猫很难懂，而且非常独立，所以我们设立了The Temptation实验室，探索创新方法，给猫和主人的关系注入更多乐趣。

"Studies show they only meow in order to communicate with humans," the video adds. "So we set out on a mission to get to know them better. By analysing different cat noises, we've designed a digital sensor that detects a cat's meow and uses a unique program to turn it into a human voice."

视频中还讲，“研究表明，猫为了和人交流才会叫。所以我们进行此项任务来更好地了解它们。通过分析猫的不同叫声，我们设计出一个可以探测猫叫的数字传感器，用特别的程序把猫叫转化成人声。”

So by using the collar, owners can speak to their cats and expect a meaningful response – well, about as meaningful as a cat’s meows can get. The sassy responses are delivered in a British accent, in a voice of the owner's choice, selected through a smartphone app paired with the collar. A few sample responses are demonstrated on the company's YouTube channel – they are quite hilarious⁵, but obviously not very convincing.

因此，通过这款项圈，猫奴们可以和喵星人对话，期待着有意义的回应——嗯，猫叫有多少意义就差不多能传达出多少意义。这种时髦的应答装置发出的声音是英式英语，主人可以通过与项圈连接的智能手机应用自己选择嗓音。这个公司的YouTube网页上列着几个应答的示例，非常搞笑，但显然并不能令人信服。

In all probability, Catterbox is just a tongue-in-cheek albeit⁶ very clever marketing⁷ gimmick⁸. If you really want to learn the meaning of cat meows, you're better off keeping an eye on "Meowsic" (short for "Melody in Human-Cat Communication"), a Swedish study carried out over the next five years.

猫语匣子十有八九只是个唬人的玩意，尽管市场营销做得非常巧妙。如果你真的想要了解猫语的意义，你最好关注一下Meowsic（“人猫对话旋律”的缩写），这是瑞典的一项研究，五年之后才能得出结果。

Vocabulary

feline: 猫科的；猫科动物

decipher: 破译

sassy: 时髦的

gimmick: 花招

1 feline   

adj.猫科的

参考例句：

• As a result,humans have learned to respect feline independence.结果是人们已经学会尊重猫的独立性。
• The awakening was almost feline in its stealthiness.这种醒觉，简直和猫的脚步一样地轻悄。

2 sensor   

n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官）

参考例句：

• The temperature sensor is enclosed in a protective well.温度传感器密封在保护套管中。
• He plugged the sensor into a outlet.他把传感器插进电源插座。

3 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

4 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

5 hilarious   

adj.充满笑声的，欢闹的；[反]depressed

参考例句：

• The party got quite hilarious after they brought more wine.在他们又拿来更多的酒之后，派对变得更加热闹起来。
• We stop laughing because the show was so hilarious.我们笑个不停，因为那个节目太搞笑了。

6 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

7 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

8 gimmick   

n.(为引人注意而搞的)小革新，小发明

参考例句：

• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。
• It is just a public relations gimmick.这只不过是一种公关伎俩。