这里是美国之音慢速英语词汇掌故节目。
On this show, we explore the origin and uses of common expressions in American English.
在这个节目中，我们探讨美式英语常见表达的起源和用法。
Today, we talk about some words that began life in the military.
今天，我们来谈谈始于军旅生活的一些词汇。
In the United States, Veterans Day is a national holiday held on November 11. On that day in 1918, all sides in World War I stopped fighting. Americans originally called this holiday Armistice Day. The name changed to Veterans Day in 1954.
美国的退伍军人节是11月11日举行的一项全国性节日。在1918年的这一天，第一次世界大战所有交战方都停止了战斗。美国人最初称这个节日为停战日，1954年改为了退伍军人节。
A Veteran's Day kind of veteran is a current or former member of the armed services. However, "veteran" also describes civilians.
退伍军人节这个名称中间的veteran（老兵）是指部队的现任或前任成员。然而，veteran这个单词也被用于描述平民。
A veteran is someone who has a lot of experience in a particular activity, skill or job. The opposite of a veteran is a novice or a beginner.
Veteran（老鸟）是指在某项特定活动、技能或工作上具有丰富经验的人。老鸟(veteran)的反义词就是新手（novice,beginner)。
But let's get back to military veterans.
但是让我们回到老兵。
People in the military like to use acronyms. An acronym is a word formed from the first letters of each word in a phrase.
军人喜欢使用缩略词。首字母缩略词是指用短语中每个单词的首字母组成的单词。
For example, the acronym NATO stands for "North Atlantic Treaty Organization." But now people just call it "NATO."
例如，NATO这个缩略词代表North Atlantic Treaty Organization（北大西洋公约组织，简称北约）。但是人们现在就直接叫它NATO（北约）。
Some other military acronyms have crossed over into civilian language.
一些其它军事缩略语已经渗入了平民语言中。
Radar, for example, is short for "RAdio Detecting and Ranging." Radar is a device that sends out radio waves for finding the position and speed of a moving object such as a spy plane. This war term first came into use in 1941.
例如Radar（雷达）是RAdio Detecting and Ranging（无线电探测和测距）的缩写。雷达是一种发射无线电波寻找类似间谍飞机等移动物体位置和速度的装置。这个战争术语于1941年开始使用。
We use "radar" in a couple useful expressions.
我们在一些常用短语中都用到了radar这个单词。
To fall off the radar means to disappear.
To fall off the radar意思是消失了。
For example, let's say I am too busy to play the ukulele. When a friend asks if I've been playing, I can say, "Playing the ukulele has kind of fallen off my radar. I'm just too busy these days."
例如，我们假设我太忙，没时间弹尤克里里（ukulele，一种夏威夷常见的四弦琴）。当有朋友问我有没有在弹奏时，我就可以说，“好久没弹尤克里里了，我这些天太忙了。”
The opposite of that is to be on someone's radar. When something is on your radar you are thinking about it or considering it.
这句短语的反义词就是to be on someone's radar。我们说something is on your radar，意思是说你正在考虑某事。
For example, let's say I have moved to a new city. I have a new job and a new apartment. Then, someone asks me if I have joined a ukulele group yet. I answer, "Not yet. But it is on my radar."
例如，我们假设我搬到了一个新的城市，找到了一份新工作，住进了一间新公寓。然后有人问我，是否加入了什么尤克里里乐队。我就会回答，“还没有呢，但我正在考虑这事。”
In other words, I am actively looking for one.
换句话说，我正在积极寻找一家尤克里里乐队。
But let's leave the ukulele and go back to war. If you are pilot of a spy plane, you want to fly under the enemy's radar. This way they will not detect you on their radar screens.
不说尤克里里了，让我们回到战争中。如果你是间谍飞机的飞行员，你希望敌人的雷达发现不到你（you want to fly under the enemy's radar），这样他们就没法在雷达屏幕上看到你。
And that is how we use this expression in everyday conversation. When you fly under the radar you want to be invisible -- unseen, undetected. You disappear.
我们在日常对话中就是这样使用这句表达。When you fly under the radar，你希望自己隐形、让别人看不见，发现不了。你消失不见了。
If you disappear from a battle in a war, you are MIA. This acronym stands for "missing in action."
如果你在战斗中失踪了，你就是MIA，这个缩略语是指missing in action（在行动中失踪）。
In civilian use, MIA often refers to a person dropping out of an activity. For example, if I miss a lot of ukulele practices my band mates might describe me as MIA.
在民用语言中，MIA通常是指某人退出某项活动。例如，如果我错过了很多尤克里里的排练，我的乐队同伴就会称我是MIA。
AWOL is a very different kind of military disappearance. "AWOL" stands for "absence without official leave." This means a soldier is missing from duty without permission. A solider found guilty of an AWOL charge can suffer serious punishment.
AWOL是一种非常不同的军事失踪。AWOL是指absence without official leave（擅离职守）。这意味着战士擅离职守。被判犯有AWOL罪名的士兵会受到严重的惩罚。
In civilian life, it has a similar meaning. AWOL means you were supposed to be somewhere but were not. For example, if my friend offered to help at my ukulele concert but did not show up, she is AWOL.
在平民生活中它也有类似含义。AWOL是指你应该在某处，但是并没有在。例如，如果我朋友答应在我的尤克里里音乐会上帮忙，但是却没有来，她就是AWOL。
Military people have great acronyms to describe a situation that has gone terribly wrong.
军人有很多缩略语来描述某种极其严重的情况。
FUBAR means something severely disorganized, damaged or ruined. Some say it stands for "fouled up beyond all repair." Other say it stands for "fouled up beyond all recognition."
FUBAR是指某样东西严重损坏。有人称它代表fouled up beyond all repair（烂到无从修复），也有人说它代表fouled up beyond all recognition(烂到面目全非)。
SNAFU has a similar meaning. This acronym stands for "situation normal: all fouled up." In other words, things are not going well, as usual.
SNAFU也有类似含义。这个缩略语是指situation normal: all fouled up（不出意外都搞砸了）。换句话说就是和往常一样进展不顺。
We should note, the soldier who invented these acronyms may not originally have used the word "fouled." They may have used a more offensive word that means the same thing. But that word is just not VOA Learning English style.
我们应该注意到，发明这些缩略语的士兵最初并非使用fouled这个单词。他们可能使用了一个意思相近但是更难听的单词（51VOA注：他们用的是F开头的那句脏话，哈哈）。但是那个单词可不是美国之音慢速英语的风格。
I'm Anna Matteo.
我是安娜·马特奥。
I am not MIA or AWOL. I am reporting for duty from Washington, D.C.
我可没有战斗中失踪或是擅离职守，我在华盛顿特区尽职报道呢。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利，未经授权请勿转载，违者必究！)