周艳霞
海词积累
1.incredibly(Para. 1) adv.难以置信地
2.cringey(Para. 2) adj.尴尬的
3.inevitably(Para. 3) adv.不可避免地
4.bizarre(Para. 3) adj.怪诞的;异乎寻常的
5.mock(Para. 3) v.嘲笑;(模仿)嘲弄
6.saturate(Para. 4) v.使湿透;浸透;使充满
7.niche(Para. 5) n.市场定位
8.compilation(Para. 5) n.(书、光盘等的)汇编;选辑
9.fandom(Para. 5) n.粉丝圈
10.furry(Para. 5) adj.有毛皮覆蓋的
11.avenue(Para. 7) n.大街;途径
预读思考
1.The phrase “go viral” is frequently used in CE and life. What does it mean in the text?
2.What situation is Ticktock likely to be faced with according to the word“cringey”in the title?
3.What makes TikTok be popular with the masses in your eyes?Is there a better way to share our experience and feelings apart from TikTok?Why?
Over the past several months, TikTok videos have begun to go viral beyond the platform, attracting millions of views on Twitter and Instagram. It is incredibly addictive.
Earlier this month, a thread of “cringey” TikTok videos went viral on Twitter. In one video, a man wearing a Walmart vest dances with abandon to Rihanna's S&M in front of a Confederate flag in his bedroom.
But most adults using the App aren't trying to go viral: They're making TikTok videos because it's fun. In a world where everyone's content inevitably begins to look the same, TikTok videos feel bizarre and new. It's an App full of people posting strange content to the Internet with zero self?鄄awareness or shame. That's easy to mock, but it's also what may lead to TikTok's success.
For any platform to become mainstream it must first become less cool. It must reach the confused parents, the people who don't quite know when the camera is recording, or the ones who get a little too personal. And while the Internet is hating or making rude edits, TikTok is saturated with locals having a great time.
To succeed, a platform also needs to welcome niche communities. TikTok is home to groups of cosplayers, new parents, nurses, cops and more. Some of the most popular TikTok cringe compilations and Twitter threads mock these people, but users in these communities say it's the Internet bullies who don't get it. “If you're abnormal in any way, kids will come on and make fun of you. Anyone in a fandom that's anything outside of the norm will get disturbed,” said Natalia Mitchell, a college student who identifies as a furry.
And besides, TikTok stars may get the final laugh. As viral cringe compilations continue to spread, more people are becoming aware of the App and downloading it, and many do love what they find.
“TikTok is not only an App, it's an experience. It's an avenue to a different world,” Hardik Rajgor, a writer in India, recently explained in a piece defending the App. “It's not populated only by your friends, people like you, or those belonging to the same economic, social, and cultural environment as you... On TikTok, there's place for everyone, and that is its beauty.”
——From:The Atlantic
文本探究
海外版抖音TikTok于2017年5月上線海外,至今覆盖全球150多个国家和地区,月活跃用户数已突破5亿。然而,“出海”的抖音想成为主流平台,依然面临着不小的挑战。今天《大西洋》月刊的下半篇新闻主要探讨了面向海外市场的 App 所共同面临的问题,也解释了为何疯狂洗脑的抖音虽然让人犯“尴尬癌”,却依然深受大众喜爱,令全世界各地的“抖友”们无法自拔。
探究视角1:篇章结构
本文是一篇说明文,篇章结构如下:
探究视角2:语言学习
Ⅰ.文本填空
1.Over the past several months, TikTok videos
________ (begin)to go viral beyond the platform, ________ (attract)millions of views on Twitter and Instagram. It is incredibly addictive.
2.In one video, a man wearing a Walmart vest dances ________(尽情地)to Rihanna's S&M in front of a Confederate flag in his bedroom.
3.For any platform to ________ (成为主流)it must first become less cool.
4.TikTok ________ (是……的家园)groups of cosplayers, new parents, nurses, cops and more.5.If you're abnormal in any way, kids will come on and ________(嘲笑)you.
6.Anyone in a fandom that's anything outside of the norm will ________ (被打扰).
7.As viral cringe compilations continue to spread, more people ________ (意识到)the App and downloading it.
8.And besides, TikTok stars may ________ (笑到最后).
Ⅱ.写作推荐
1.while“尽管”,引导让步状语从句
And while the Internet is hating or making rude edits, TikTok is saturated with locals having a great time.而在抖音上,不管网民们对于那些恶意剪辑是深恶痛绝还是乐在其中,它俨然已充斥着乐此不疲的当地用户。
本句中while引导的是一个让步状语从句,常放在主句之前。
例句仿写:尽管Tom并不完美,但我非常欣赏他。
__________________
2.do“确实”,用于强调
As viral cringe compilations continue to spread, more people are becoming aware of the App and downloading it, and many do love what they find.随着洗脑尴尬视频持续蔓延,更多的人开始意识到这款应用的存在并下载,也有很多人确实喜欢他们所发现的东西。
助动词do常放在肯定句中的实义动词前,用来加强句子的语气,意为“确实;的确”,后接动词原形。也可放在祈使句前,意为“千万;一定”。
Do come on time tomorrow morning.明天早晨一定要按时来。
例句仿写:我确实很喜欢它的颜色和风格。
__________________
探究视角3:趣谈Ticktock
Ticktock一词是抖音的官方称呼,这一翻译十分巧妙,因为Ticktock一词是一个拟声词,用来形容钟表指针走动的声音,“滴答滴答滴答”,将抖音视频的名字取为Ticktock,非常朗朗上口,而且读起来非常具有节奏感。
探究视角4:文化知识
蕾哈娜(Rihanna),全名罗比恩·蕾哈娜·芬缇(Robyn Rihanna Fenty),1988年2月20日出生于巴巴多斯圣迈克尔区,在美国发展的巴巴多斯籍女歌手、演员、模特。
2005年8月发行首张音乐专辑Music of the Sun,从此开始歌唱事业生涯。2008年在第50届格莱美奖上入围“年度制作”和“年度歌曲”在内的六项提名,凭借歌曲Umbrella获得“最佳饶舌/演唱合作”奖。2011年被巴巴多斯政府授予“旅游大使”称号,巴巴多斯政府也将每年的2月20日定为“蕾哈娜日”。2012年主演的科幻战争电影《超级战舰》上映;同年11月19日发行第七张专辑Unapologetic,获得2013公告牌排行榜最佳R&B艺人与最佳R&B专辑奖,专辑歌曲Diamonds获得最佳R&B单曲奖。2016年发行第八张专辑Anti。截至2016年,蕾哈娜在美国公告牌榜上拥有14首冠军单曲,获得2010年最佳艺人奖,也是蝉联多座格莱美、全英音乐和MTV音乐大奖,并两次获得MTV年度录影带大奖的女歌手。2018年4月,入选《时代周刊》2018年全球最具影响力人物榜单。
参考译译文
海外版抖音的征途
在过去的几个月里,抖音视频在它自身的平台之外开始疯狂流行起来,并在Twitter和 Instagram 上累计收获了数百万的播放量。它太让人上瘾了。
本月初,一连串“尴尬”抖音视频在Twitter上走红。其中一个视频里,一名穿着沃尔玛背心的男子在卧室里的美利坚邦联旗前,随着蕾哈娜的S&M热舞。
但是,大多数使用这个 App 的成年人并没有想要走红——他们制作抖音视频是出于好玩。在一个所有人的内容都难免开始变得雷同的世界里,抖音视频让人感觉奇特又新鲜。这个 App 充斥着在互联网上发布奇特内容的人,而这些人毫无自知之明和羞耻之心。虽然这一点容易被人嘲笑,但它可能也是抖音成功的原因。
任何一个平台要成为主流,首先得变得不那么酷。它需要触及这些受众:不明所以的家长们、那些都不知相机何时开始录像的人或者那些过于展现隐私的人。而在抖音上,不管网民们对于那些恶意剪辑是深恶痛绝还是乐在其中,它俨然已充斥着乐此不疲的当地用户。
为了取得成功,平台还需要迎合小众圈子。抖音对于这些群体来说是个归属的港湾:cosplay扮装者、新晋父母、护士、警察,等等。一些最火的抖音尴尬合集和Twitter话题嘲弄模仿他们,但这些小众圈子里的人会说,是这些网络霸凌者不懂他们。一位自称为兽迷的大學生纳塔莉娅·米切尔说:“只要你在任何方面有不寻常,孩子们就会上前取笑你。任何非主流事物的粉丝都会被骚扰。”
而真正笑到最后的可能是抖音网红们。随着洗脑尴尬视频持续蔓延,更多的人开始意识到这款应用的存在并下载,也有很多人确实喜欢他们所发现的东西。
印度作家哈迪克·拉戈尔最近在一篇为抖音正名的报道中对此进行了解释:“抖音不仅仅是一款应用,也是一种体验。这是条通向一个不同世界的大道。它里面不仅有你的朋友,与你相似的人,或是那些与你来自相同的经济、社会和文化环境的人……在抖音上,每个人都有自己的一席之地,这就是它的美丽之处。”