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In 1956, during a diplomatic reception in Moscow, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev told Western Bloc ambassadors, "My vas pokhoronim!"
1956年，赫魯曉夫在莫斯科接見西方諸國大使時如此說道："My vas pokhoronim！"
His interpreter rendered that into English as, "We will bury you!"
譯員把這句話翻譯成“我要埋葬你們！”
This statement sent shockwaves through the Western world,
這句話引起西方世界的一片嘩然，
heightening the tension between the Soviet Union and the US who were in the thick of the Cold War.
美俄本就處在冷戰白熱化階段，如此一來局勢更為緊張。
Some believe this incident alone set East/West relations back a decade.
有人認為僅此次事件就讓美俄關系倒退10年。
As it turns out, Khrushchev's remark was translated a bit too literally.
后來人們發現，這句話的翻譯太拘泥于原文。
Given the context, his words should have been rendered as, "We will live to see you buried,"
結合上下文，這句話應該譯成“我們會親眼看著你們被埋葬”，
meaning that Communism would outlast Capitalism, a less threatening comment.
意思是共產主義會比資本主義長久，這樣一來威脅意味就沒有那么強烈。
Though the intended meaning was eventually clarified,
雖然赫魯曉夫這句話的本意最終得以澄清，
the initial impact of Khrushchev's apparent words put the world on a path that could have led to nuclear armageddon.
但最初字面意思所造成的影響，險些導致世界核武器大決戰。
So now, given the complexities of language and cultural exchange, how does this sort of thing not happen all the time?
既然語言和文化交流如此復雜，那為何此類事件沒有經常發生？
Much of the answer lies with the skill and training of interpreters to overcome language barriers.
答案在于譯員經受訓練并運用技巧克服語言障礙。
For most of history, interpretation was mainly done consecutively, with speakers and interpreters making pauses to allow each other to speak.
古往今來，翻譯是以交替傳譯為主，演講者和譯員時不時停下來讓對方發言。
But after the advent of radio technology, a new simultaneous interpretations system was developed in the wake of World War II.
無線電技術誕生后，前所未有的同傳體系在二戰中建立起來。
