单身五年的 Emily 其实一直排斥交友软体,宁可继续保持单身也不愿意使用,直到有天 Cathy 告诉她使用交友软体的好处,她才决定试试看…
Emily: I really can’t get into these online dating apps, Cathy.
Emily: 我真的不能接受交友软体,Cathy。
Cathy: How come? It’s a good way to meet new people!
Cathy: 为何?这是一个可以认识更多人的好方法啊!
Emily: Yeah, but the people on there are never anything like their profile when you meet them in real life.
Emily: 但我觉得你真的跟他们碰了面就会发现他们跟个人资料上的他们一点都不像。
Cathy: Yeah, you’ve got to be careful about getting catfished.
Cathy: 是啊,要小心被 catfished。
Emily: Catfished?
Emily: Catfished?
Cathy: It’s when someone creates a fake profile to seduce people on the Internet.
Cathy: 就是当有人用假帐号在网路上吸引人。
Emily: Yikes. Has it ever happened to you?
Emily: 好恶,你遇过这种事吗?
Cathy: Remember that 6-foot bodybuilder I told you I had matched with?
Cathy: 你还记得那个我被配对到的那个两百公分的健身狂吗?
Emily: Uhuh…
Emily: 痾…
Cathy: Turns out “he” was actually a 63-year-old Peruvian woman.
Cathy: 结果「他」却是一个六十三岁的秘鲁女生。
Emily: Gees.
Emily: 天啊。
Cathy: Tell me about it. You could maybe try some of the paid apps. A lot of them require some sort of verification. Actually, I know one that’s perfect for you!
Cathy: 这还用说。你或许可以试试看一些付费的软体。许多都需要认证。事实上我还知道一个挺适合你的!
Emily: Really? Which one?
Emily: 真的吗?哪一个?
Cathy: this one. (showing on the smartphone)
Cathy: 这一个。 (在手机上指出)
Emily: I’m looking for a serious relationship rather than a casual one. Do you think I can find one on this app?
Emily: 但是我现在在找的是一段认真的关系,而不是玩玩的感情,你觉得我可以在这个 app 上找到吗?
Cathy: You’ll never know if you don’t try! You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
Cathy: 你如果不试的话怎么知道呢。如果你不尝试的话你就错过所有机会了。
哇,听起来网路交友软体上好像很容易遇到爱情骗子耶!
先让我们来复习一下单字吧!
dating app (n.) 线上交友软体
你有使用交友软体吗?你知道「交友软体」的英文应该怎么说吗? 「交友」的英文是 dating,从 date (约会) 这个字衍伸而来,而 app 是名词,表示手机「应用程式」,为 application 的缩写,记得正确念法是把它读成一个字 /ˈæp/ 。
Have you ever used any dating apps?
你有尝试过交友软体吗?
catfish (v.) 进行网路交友诈骗
catfish 原为名词,「鲶鱼」之意,这个字后来也作为动词,表示在社群网路平台,创建假帐号与身分,对不知情的网友进行诈骗,较常在交友软体上发生。此外也可当名词,表示进行网路交友诈骗者。
I think you’ve probably been catfished. That random guy looks too good to be true.
我觉得你可能被骗了,因为那个不知道从哪来的男生看起来也太不真实了。
serious relationship (n.) 认真的感情
谈恋爱的形式百百种,有些人是以交朋友的心态进入一段感情,有些人则是以长远的感情做打算,而如果你目前是想找一个认真的对象而交往的话,你就可以说: I’m looking for a serious relationship.。 serious 是形容词,表示「严肃的;认真的」,而 relationship 则是可数名词,为「关系」。
I hope I can find someone who also wants a serious relationship.
我希望我可以找到一个也追求认真感情的对象。
casual (adj.) 轻松的;随意的
serious 的相反词为 casual,而 casual relationship 意指两人在进入关系之前都已达成共识,希望以较轻松的心态面对一段感情,不给彼此承诺。而通常处于这类型感情状态的人比较不会想安定下来,「安定下来」可以用动词片语 settle down 表示。
Dave is in an open casual relationship because he doesn’t want to settle down.
Dave 现在跟女生处于轻松交友的关系,因为他还不想定下来。
在几个月之后 Cathy 问起 Emily 用交友软体的状况…
Cathy: Hey Emily, how is it going with the online dating app? have you found your Mr. Right yet?
Cathy: 嘿 Emily,你最近用交友软体怎么样?你找到你的白马王子了吗?
Emily: Don’t bring it up…
Emily: 别提了…
Cathy: What happened?
Cathy: 发生什么事?
Emily: The first one I met online kept ghosting me. And the second one keeps reading my messages but not replying.
Emily: 我第一个遇到的对象在我们讲完第一次电话就消失了,而第二个一直已读不回。
Cathy: What!?
Cathy: 什么! ?
Emily: And the latest guy I’ve been chatting with is really nice, and we have a really great time talking to each other on the phone. But when I asked him out, he stood me up. Do you think I’ve been benched?
Emily: 而且最近和我有在聊天的那个男生人很好,聊天也聊得很开心。但当我邀他出去的时候,他居然放我鸽子,你觉得我有被冷冻了吗?
Cathy: Come on! Don’t lose hope; maybe he’s just dealing with some stuff.
Cathy: 不要这样!不要失去信心,也许他有急事要处理。
Emily: I hope you’re right.
Emily: 我希望。
ghost (v.) (网路聊天) 搞消失
ghost 这个字的原意是「鬼」,而若用在网路交友它则可以做为动词,表示像鬼一样「搞消失」喔!
I can’t figure out what he is all about. He keeps ghosting me.
我无法理解他在想什么,他就一直搞消失。
read one’s message and not reply 已读不回
要表示已读不回很简单,就照中文的字面去翻译,「阅读」为 read,「回覆」则为 reply,用法如下例句所示。
I don’t think Jack likes me because he just reads my messages and never replies.
我觉得 Jack 不喜欢我,因为他总是已读不回。
bench (v.) 使坐冷板凳;冷冻
如果你在网路上认识一个聊天聊的很来的朋友,但是当要约见面时总是约不出来或是放你鸽子,这种状况就是 bench,这时你可能就会问: Am I benched?。 bench 这个字当名词时大家都知道它的意思,为「板凳」,作为动词时则常用在球场上的「使坐冷板凳之意」,也就是不让球员上场的情况,用在交友方面则表示「冷冻」某人,被加入黑名单之类的意思。
I think I’ve been benched by Cathy.
我觉得我被 Cathy 冷冻了。