precise clockwork dance

19:37 Jan 28, 2021
English to Chinese translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Linguistics
English term or phrase: precise clockwork dance
This precise clockwork dance that happens when people speak to each other is what N.J. Enfield, a professor of linguistics at the University of Sydney, calls the “conversation machine.” In his book How We Talk, he examines how conversational minutiae—filler words like “um” and “mm-hmm,” and pauses that are longer than 200 milliseconds—grease the wheels of this machine. In fact, he argues, these little “traffic signals” to some degree define human communication. I hopped into the conversation machine with Enfield for a very meta chat about the big impacts of tiny words and pauses on human interaction.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/12/the-secr...

求教“precise clockwork dance”和“conversation machine”在文中怎么翻译,意译到什么程度比较好呢
YU TONG MIAO
Canada
Local time: 20:42


Summary of answers provided
5精确的、有规律的舞曲
Teplocteur
4精準流暢的交談
pkchan
3精确如时钟的共舞
Zibow Retailleau


  

Answers


15 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
精确如时钟的共舞


Explanation:
原文看来有许多比喻,这里不妨直译。因此,conversation machine也建议直接译为“谈话机器”。

Zibow Retailleau
Mauritius
Local time: 04:42
Native speaker of: Chinese
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15 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
精确的、有规律的舞曲


Explanation:
precise clockwork dance
精确的、有规律的舞曲

英语语言学里认为人类语言的规律性音步类似于音乐中有规律的节拍,所以该教授把filler words与停顿同音乐作类比。

conversation machine
对话机器

这些filler words与停顿影响着人类对话机器中的其他元素(如:词素、意群、语气、语调等),而filler words与停顿就像“the wheels of this machine”的润滑油。

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Note added at 16 hrs (2021-01-29 11:40:38 GMT)
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更正:conversation machine 谈话机器

Teplocteur
Local time: 08:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Chinese
PRO pts in category: 8
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4 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
精準流暢的交談


Explanation:
or: 精準如常的對談

pkchan
United States
Local time: 20:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in ChineseChinese
PRO pts in category: 28
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