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You may not want to admit it, but at one time in your life, you've talked to an animal.
尽管你可能并不想承认，但你肯定在某个时刻和动物交流过。
Maybe it was letting a dog know it was a good dog or asking a cat where it's been.
也许是让某只狗狗知道它很乖，也许是问某只猫它去了哪里；
Maybe you gave words of encouragement to an elephant or scolded a sheep.
也许是对某头大象说的一些鼓励的话；也许是责骂某只山羊（暗指替罪羊）的话。
Whichever animal it was you talked to, one thing is for sure; it probably didn't talk back.
无论你是同哪种动物说的话，有一件事是肯定的：它可能并没有回你的话。
But what if it could?
但如果它能回呢，那会怎么样呢？
Scientists are working on ways to not only understand what animals are saying,
科学家们正在研究如何听懂动物说的话，
but to one day talk back, forever changing the way we think about them.
以及如何让动物回应人的话，而这一进展将永远改变我们对动物的看法。
So, how close are we to talking with animals?
那么，我们距离和动物交谈到底还有多远呢？
Okay, I know what you're all saying, animals do "talk", just not with words.
好吧，我知道你们在说什么，你们想说动物本来就会“说话”，只不过不是用语言而已。
They make noises, they have facial expressions and body language.
它们会弄出声响，它们有面部表情，还有肢体语言。
But, this isn't exactly what we're talking about.
但这并不是我们真正想说的。
I think it's important to distinguish between what we call communication and language.
我想，我们有必要区分一下什么是沟通以及什么是语言。
Communication is the more general term
沟通是更常用的一个术语，
and it really refers to this exchanging of signals, sharing and exchanging messages or signals in a meaningful way.
它指的是信号的交换，指的是以有意义的方式共享和交换消息或信号的行为。
And language is a word that is fraught with interpretations and involved in many debates,
语言则是一个充满诠释并被反复辩论的词，
whether other animals have language or they're communicating.
辩论的主题要么是其他动物到底有没有语言，要么是它们到底有没有在交流。
Well the truth is that we suppose that animals have language,
事实上，我们以为动物是有语言的，
but in a lot of cases, we have to actually prove this experimentally.
但很多情况下，我们必须通过实验来证明这一点。
No one has yet proven that an animal or a species has language,
目前还没有人证明了除人以外的其他动物也有语言，
partly because the idea of what constitutes a language hasn't really been established.
部分原因在于，我们还没有真正确立哪些才算语言的要素。
But in the broad sense, language should be a distinct and organized pattern of communication,
不过，从广义上讲，语言应该是一种独特而有组织的交流模式，
with a near infinite number of combinations, that has been learned and used voluntarily, not in a reactionary or instinctual manner.
具有近无限种组合，而且使用者对语言的学习和使用都是自愿的，而不是反应式的或者本能式的。
When your dog barks when a squirrel runs past, this is a predictable and instinctual response, so we don't consider it language.
松鼠经过时狗狗会叫，这是一种可以预测的本能式反应，因而我们并不将其算作语言。
But there have been studies that have shown some do communicate in a very complex manner that show traits of language.
不过也有研究表明，有些动物的确能以非常复杂，且具有语言的某些特征的方式进行沟通。
Now we just have to figure out how to decipher what they're saying.
现在我们只要弄清楚如何破译他们所说的内容就行了。
I think the possibility of us having a Rosetta Stone with an animal is very real.
我觉得，破解某种动物的语言的罗塞塔石碑（通向古埃及文明的钥匙）确有可能存在。
What we have to do is we have to do the experiments to determine the context in which animal signals are given.
我们要做的就是通过实验来确定动物给出交流信号的语境。
That context is going to give us the Rosetta Stone.
这一语境就能给我们提供破解动物语言的罗塞塔石碑。
And that's exactly what's happening.
事实也的确如此。
Dr Con Slobodchikoff has been studying prairie dog calls because within those high-pitched chirps, they actually are saying a lot.
Con Slobodchikoff博士一直在研究草原土拨鼠的叫声，因为在那些高亢的唧唧声中，它们其实表达了很多信息。
They are able to tell each other what the species of predator is, and the alarm calls are given in response to a predator.
它们能够通过叫声告诉同类捕猎者的种类，它们的警报声和捕猎者的类型是对应的。
The prairie dogs tell each other whether the predator is a red-tailed hawk, is a coyote, is a domestic dog, or is a human.
它们能告诉对方捕食者是红尾鹰，还是土狼，是家养的狗还是人。
They can describe the physical features of the predator.
他们还能描述捕食者的物理特征。
So with humans, they can tell each other about the color of clothes that the person is wearing,
如果捕食者是人，它们能够告诉同伴这个人衣服的颜色，
about the general size and shape of the person, something about the speed of travel of the person.
他的大致体型和身高，大致就是跟这个人的行动速度有关的信息。
Combining years of recorded prairie dog alarms with AI technology, he may one day be able to create a prairie dog to English translator.
通过AI技术比对他多年来记录的土拨鼠的警报声，他或许能够在将来创造出一只能够翻译英语的土拨鼠来。
Unfortunately, determining that animals have language is a difficult process.
不幸的是，确定动物有语言十分的艰难。
It's not an easy one.
这不是一件容易的事。
It takes a lot of effort and time, and it takes a certain amount of money.
因为需要花费很多的精力和时间，还有金钱。
One of the main obstacles that slows us down from communicating with other species is that we don't have a shared code.
阻碍我们与其他物种进行沟通的主要障碍之一是我们没有共享的语言代码。
While Dr Slobodchikoff is trying to use prairie dog language as the shared code,
虽然Slobodchikoff博士在尝试用土拨鼠的“语言”作为共享代码，
others are looking to create a new code, one that can hopefully bridge the gap between humans and animals.
其他人则在试着创造一种新的代码，一种有望弥合人与动物之间的差异的代码。
We've now created a four by eight foot touchscreen,
我们现在已经开发了一个四乘八英尺的触摸屏，
an interactive underwater touchscreen for dolphins that will allow them again choice and control
这是一个能再次给海豚选择控制机会的交互式水下触摸屏，
and it will allow us to try to understand what the kinds of signals they're using and their own interests, more about their cognitive abilities.
这个触摸屏能够给我们一个机会，去了解海豚使用的是什么类型的信号，了解它们的兴趣这些更加关乎它们的认知能力的东西。
Dr. Reiss and her team will observe the dolphin's choices
莱斯博士和她的团队将观察海豚的选择，
and compare that to their vocalizations and mannerisms with the hope of decoding some parts of the dolphin's speech,
将其与他们的发声和习惯进行比较，希望能够解码海豚语言的部分内容，
again, to create a Rosetta Stone to help translate and hopefully one day talk to dolphins using their language.
并创造出一块能够帮助人类翻译海豚语言，顺利的话，用海豚的语言同海豚交流的罗塞塔石碑。
