Part A :

Good afternoon, everyone!

大家下午好!

This is the first seminar in preparation for our archaeological fieldwork in Namibia,

这是在纳米比亚野外考古的第一次研讨会：

We are fantastically lucky to have received partial research funding for this trip from our institute, so I shall expect 200% attention and participation from you all.

我们非常幸运收到我院部分研究经费，所以我期待200％的关注和你们的参与。

First in this seminar, I'm going to give a brief introduction to contemporary research on rock art, and in the second part I'm going to give you some do's and don'ts for our fieldwork trip in April— so please listen very carefully.

在本次研讨会上，我将简要介绍对岩石的当代艺术研究，并在第二部分，我要给你一些我们在四月实地考察旅行时应该做的和不应该做的，请仔细听我说。

I'm first going to focus on the interpretation of rock art in Namibia, we are very fortunate to be going to an area where you can find some of the most important sites in the entire world.

我首先要把重点放在纳米比亚的岩石艺术的解释上。我们很幸运，能去一个你可以在全世界找到一些最重要的考察点的地区。

And I hope to show you how easy it is for everyone to make mistakes in looking at cultures which are different from our own- the first and most important lesson we have to learn.

我希望能向你展示，对于看不同于我们自己的文化的时候，每个人都是多么容易犯错误，这是我们必须要学习的第一课也是最重要的一课。

In Namibia there are both paintings and engraving-that's where the surface of the rock is cut out.

在纳米比亚，在岩石的切面，既有绘画和雕刻。

Many of the engravings show footprints of animals and most scholars used to think that the purpose of these was simple and obvious.

许多的版画展示动物的脚印，大多数学者认为目的是显而易见的：

This rock art was like a school book with picture to teach children about tracks which tracks belonged to which animal-giraffe, lion and so on.

这岩石艺术就像一个学校的书里的图片教孩子们关于：脚印跟踪，这些脚印分别属于哪个动物，如长颈鹿，狮子等等。

But there were some mysteries.

但也有一些未解之谜。

First, when you look at a typical Namibian painting or engraving, you see the tracks are repeated, there are dozens of tracks for the same animal.

首先，当你看一个典型的纳米比亚绘画或雕刻，你看到有及时对相同动物的脚印重复出现。如果壁画的目的是教给孩子跟踪脚印，

You'd expect just one clear illustration if the reason-the aim-was to teach tracking.

你希望有一个更明确的相关说明。

Now there were two more problems, why are some of the engraving of animals very accurate as you'd expect-all clearly identifiable-and others quite unrealistic.

现在还有更多的问题。为什么有些动物很准确，正如你所期望的，一切清晰可辨，其他的确是很不切实际的插图吗?

And another mystery-some of these unrealistic animals-that's in the engravings- seem to be half human.

另一个谜是在版画中有一些不切实际的动物，似乎半人的。

Some, for example, have got human faces.

例如，有人的面孔。

Many researchers now think that these were pictures the wise men engraved of themselves.

许多研究人员现在认为，这些照片是聪明人自己雕刻的。

They believed they could use magic to control the animals they had drawn, so the hunters could then catch them for food.

他们相信他们可以用魔法来控制他们所画的动物，所以猎人们可以捕捉到食物。

This shows you some of the dangers of coming from one culture to another, as we'll be doing, without understanding it fully.

这展现出你有杜撰从一种文化到另一种危险，因为没有完全理解它就去猜测了。

Scholars imagined that children looked at rock art pictures to learn to track-just because they themselves had learnt skills from pictures, many researchers now believe that rock art had a much more complex purpose, and we'll talk more about it next week.

学者们猜测孩子们通过看岩石艺术图片来学习，只是因为他们自己通过图画中来学习：许多研究人员现在认为，岩石艺术有更复杂的目的。我们将在下周再谈!

Part B :

Now before I invite you to join in a discussion in this second part of the seminar,I'd like to make some very important points about our fieldwork-and in fact any field trip to look at rock art.

现在，在我邀请你们参加这次研讨会的第二次次讨论之前，我想给我们的实地调查做一些非常重要的提示，事实上在岩石艺术方面的任何实地考察都是非常重要的。

We're going to a number of sites, and we won't always be together.

我们要去一个站点，我们不会一直在一起。

The single largest problem faced by people who manage the sites is-yes, I'm sure you've guessed-damage caused by visitors, even though it's usually unintentional.

管理站点的人面临的最大问题是：是的，当然，你已经猜到了，旅客造成的损坏，即使是无意的。

Whenever, you do go to a site, don't forget you can learn many things from observing at a distance instead of walking all over it.

当你去一个站点的时候，不要忘记你可以通过观察学到很多东西，而不是错过它。

This can really help to reduce visitor pressure.

这确实有助于减少游客压力。

People often say, "Well, there's only two of us and just this one time", but maybe thousands of people are saying the same thing.

人们常说，“啊，我们只有2个人，一生只有这一次”，但也许成千上万的人都在说同样的事情。

And then some basic rules to guide you-we'll have our own camp near a village, but remember never to camp on a site if you go on your own.

然后有一些基本的规则来指导你一我们将在一个村庄附近有我们自己的营地，但记住如果你自己去站点上露营。

It may be disrespectful to the people of that culture, and certainly don't make fires, however romantic it may seem,

这可能会对这种文化的人产生不尊重，尽管看起来很浪漫也千万不要生火。

It's really dangerous in dry areas, and you can easily burn priceless undiscovered material by doing so.

在干燥的地区生火很危险，这样做很容易吧还没有发现的无价的材料点着。

So, how are we going to enjoy the rock art on our field trip?

那么，我们如何去享受我们通过的实地旅行参观的岩石艺术呢?

By looking at it, drawing it and photographing it-NEVER by touching it or even tracing it.

我们可以通过观察它，画它并拍摄它一永远不要触摸它，甚至复印它。

Rock art is fragile and precious.

岩石艺术是脆弱的和珍贵的。

Remember that climbing on rocks and in caves can destroy in a moment what has lasted for centuries.

记住，在岩石和洞穴的攀登，可以在一个时刻破坏持续了几个世纪的壁画。

So no heroics in Namibia, please.

所以在纳米比亚没有豪言壮语，请!

Try to be extra careful and help others to be too.

尽量多加小心，帮助别人。

And lastly please don't even move rocks or branches to take photographs- you should leave the site intact-I'm sure I can rely on you to do that.

最后，请不要移动岩石或树枝来拍照一你应该保持站点的完整一我相信你们会这样做。

Well, that's about all I want to say before today's first discussion, but if you have any question please ask them now-and don't forget you'll find some fascinating information about world-wide sites on the Internet.

好吧，在今天的第一次讨论之前，这就是我想说的，但如果你有任何问题，请现在问我，不要忘记你会在互联网上发现一些有趣的信息。

Right, first question then?

好的，第一个问题是吗?