逐字逐句带你读懂《黑暗森林》英文版(第4章-2)
Ringier groaned and nodded, then shook his head with a sigh. “But what do you want Hubble II to see? You’ve got to be aware that it won’t be able to see the Trisolaran planet.”
林格哼着点点头，然后又叹息着摇摇头，“可是你们希望用哈勃二号看到什么呢？你肯定知道它根本不可能观察到三体行星。”
Fitzroy said with a sigh, “It’s worse than that. The public thinks that it will be able to see the Trisolaran Fleet.”
斐兹罗叹口气说：“现在更糟的是，公众甚至认为哈勃二号能看到三体舰队。”
“Great,” Ringier said. Though his face was indistinct in the darkness, Fitzroy could sense the schadenfreude in Ringier’s expression, which made Fitzroy as uncomfortable as the acrid odor that now wafted over from the launch platform and filled the air.
“哦？很好。”林格说，他的脸在夜色中模糊不清，但斐兹罗能感觉到他幸灾乐祸的表情，这像空气中正在充满的某种刺鼻的味道一样使他难受，这味道是风从发射架那边吹过来的。
“Doctor, you ought to know the consequences.”
“博士，你应该知道这事的后果。”
“If the public has placed its hope in Hubble II, then they probably won’t believe the enemy really exists until they have seen the Trisolaran Fleet with their own eyes.”
“如果公众对哈勃二号抱有这样的期望，那他们很可能要等到亲眼看见三体舰队的照片后才真正相信敌人的存在！”
“And you find this acceptable?”
“你认为这很好？”
“You’ve explained it to the public, right?”
“你们没有向公众解释过吗？”
“Of course we’ve explained it! We’ve held four press conferences, and I’ve repeatedly explained that although Hubble II is orders of magnitude more powerful than the largest telescopes currently available, there’s no way it can detect the Trisolaran Fleet. It’s too small! Detecting a planet in another star system from our Solar System is like detecting a mosquito on a lamp on the East Coast from the West Coast, but the Trisolaran Fleet is only as big as the bacteria on one of that mosquito’s legs. How much clearer can I be?”
“当然解释过！为此开了四次记者招待会，我反复说明：虽然哈勃二号空间望远镜的观察能力是现有的最大望远镜的几十倍，但它绝对不可能看到三体舰队。它们太小了！从太阳系观测宇宙中另一颗恒星的卫星，就像从美国西海岸观察东海岸一盏台灯旁的一只蚊子，而三体舰队只有蚊子腿上的细菌那么大。我把事情说得够清楚了吧？”
“That’s pretty clear.”
“够清楚了。”
“But what else can we do? The public will believe whatever it wants. I’ve been in this job for a while now, and I haven’t seen any major space project that they haven’t misinterpreted.”
“但公众就愿意那么想，我们有什么办法？我在这个位置已经时间不短了，还没看到有哪一项重大的太空计划没被他们想歪的。”
“I said long ago that the military has lost all credibility as far as space projects are concerned.”
“我早说过，在太空计划方面，军方已经失去了基本的信誉。”
“But they’re willing to believe you. Don’t they call you a second Carl Sagan? You’ve made a mint off those popular cosmology books of yours. Give us a hand. That’s what the military wants, and now I’m formally passing on their request.”
“但他们愿意相信你，他们不是称你为第二个卡尔·萨根吗？你那几本宇宙学科普书可赚了不少钱，请出来帮帮忙吧，这是军方的意思，我正式转达了。”
“Is this a private negotiation of terms?”
“我们是不是私下里谈谈条件？”
“There aren’t any terms! It’s your duty as an American. As a citizen of Earth.”
“没什么条件！你是在尽一个美国公民，不，地球公民的责任。”
“Assign me a bit more observational time. I don’t need much. Bump me up to twenty percent, okay?”
“把分配给我的观测时间再多一些，要求不高，比例提到五分之一怎么样？”
“You’re doing quite well at twelve point five percent right now, and no one can say if those allotments can be guaranteed in the future.”
“现在的八分之一比例已经不错了，谁也不知道以后能不能保证这个比例。”
Fitzroy waved a hand in the direction of the launch pad, where the dissipating smoke left by the rocket smeared a dirty patch across the night sky. Illuminated by the launch pad lights, it looked like a milk stain on a pair of jeans. The odor had grown more unpleasant. The rocket’s first stage was fueled by liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen and shouldn’t have had that odor, so something nearby had probably been burnt by the stream of flames diverted by the launch pad. Fitzroy said, “I’m telling you, all of this is definitely going to get worse.”
斐兹罗挥手指指发射架方向的远方，火箭留下的烟雾正在散开，在夜空中涂出脏兮兮的一片，被地面发射架上的灯光一照，像牛仔裤上的奶渍，那股子难闻的味道更重了。火箭首级使用液氢和液氧燃料，应该不会有味道，可能是焰流把发射架下导流槽附近的什么东西烧了，斐兹罗接着说，“我告诉你，这一切肯定会越来越糟的。”
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groan：
v.呻吟;叹息;哼哼;发出似呻吟的声音
n.呻吟声;叹息声;哼哼声;嘎吱声
indistinct： adj.模糊的;模糊不清的;不清楚的
schadenfreude： n.幸灾乐祸
<来自德语>
schaden = harm freude = pleasure
pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune
{参考知乎链接https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/149300733}
acrid： adj.(气、味)辛辣的;难闻的;刺激的
odor： n.气味;臭味;名声
waft：
v.飘荡;吹拂;使飘荡
n.一阵，一股(在空气中飘荡的味或烟)
misinterpret： vt.曲解;误解;误释
credibility： n.可靠性;可信性
mint：
n.造币厂;薄荷;薄荷糖;铸币厂;大量的钱
vt.铸(币);铸造(硬币)
adj.完美的;新造的
make a mint off sth. = make a lot of money form ...
negotiation： n.谈判;磋商;协商
bump：
v.碰撞;(无意地)碰，撞;(尤指身体部位)碰上，撞上;颠簸行进
n.凸块;碰撞(声);撞击(声);肿块(常因击打所致);隆起;轻微撞车事故
adv.突然地;扑通一声
allotment： n.配给;分配量;份额;分配
dissipate： v.消散;驱散;(使)消失;挥霍;浪费;消磨(时间、金钱等)
smear：
v.弄脏;诽谤，诋毁;（用油性或稀软物质）胡乱涂抹;弄上油污;把（字迹、图画等）蹭得模糊不清;<美俚>打垮，击败;<美俚>贿赂;把…制成涂片;被擦模糊
n.污迹;污渍;污点;黏稠物，涂抹物;（显微镜的）涂片
adj.诽谤的，诋毁的
patch：
n.色斑;斑点;(与周围不同的)小块，小片;补丁
vt.打补丁;缝补;修补
stain：
n.(名声上的)污点;污渍;染色剂;着色剂
v.(被)玷污;留下污渍;给…染色(或着色);玷污，败坏(名声)
divert： vt.使转向;使绕道;转移
