They are the new favourite toy of the rich and famous, but it seems the likes of Lauren Goodger, Brooklyn Beckham and Rochelle Humes will no longer be able to use one to glide along the street.
懸浮滑板是富人和名人們的新歡，勞倫·古杰（Lauren Goodger）、布魯克林·貝克漢姆（Brooklyn Beckham）和羅謝爾·休謨（Rochelle Humes）都對它喜愛有加，但是現在看來，他們再也不能踩著懸浮滑板在大街上滑來滑去了。

That’s because prosecutors have revealed that futuristic 'hoverboards' - also known as self-balancing scooters - are illegal to ride on public roads or pavements in Britain.
這是因為據檢察官透露，在英國的公路或人行道上使用這種未來派的“懸浮滑板”（也稱為自平衡滑板車）是違法的。

The ￡400 vehicles, which feature a platform with a wheel on each side, can only be used on private property because they are too dangerous to ride in public, the Crown Prosecution Service says.
英國皇家檢察署（Crown Prosecution Service，CPS）表示，懸浮滑板只能在私人財產的土地上使用，因為在公共場所使用太危險了。這種滑板價值400英鎊，有一個平臺，兩側各有一個輪子。

The scooters, which are also known as ‘segways’, have become increasingly popular with actors and footballers over the past year - with many stars seen riding them both in public and at home.
在過去的一年里，這種也被稱為賽格威平衡車的滑板車越來越受到演員和足球運動員的歡迎，很多明星經常在公開場合或家里玩這種滑板。

The CPS guidance was originally issued for Segways, which include a handlebar and are also not permitted on roads - but the Metropolitan Police said that it also covers hoverboards.
CPS的指南最初是針對賽格威（Segway）平衡車發布的。這種平衡車還有一個把手，也不允許上路，但是倫敦警察廳（Metropolitan Police）稱，這一規定也適用于懸浮滑板。

It is an offence under section 72 of the Highway Act 1835 to ride them on the pavement in England and Wales - and, north of the border, under section 129(5) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984.
根據1835年頒布的《高速公路法案》第72條，在英格蘭和威爾士的人行道上使用滑板車是違法的，而在英國北部邊界的蘇格蘭這一行為也是非法的，違反的是1984年頒布的《蘇格蘭公路法》第129條第五款的規定。

Meanwhile it is also illegal to ride them on a public road because they are not approved by the European or British test schemes for road-legal vehicles.
同時，在公路上腳踏滑板車出行也是違法的，因為它們沒有通過歐洲或者英國的公路合法行駛工具準入測試。

CPS guidance states: ‘You can only ride an unregistered self-balancing scooter on land which is private property and with the landowner's permission.
CPS發布的指南規定：“未經登記的自平衡滑板車僅可在私人財產的土地上使用并需獲得土地所有人許可?！?/span>

'The Department for Transport would advise that appropriate safety clothing should be worn at all times.’
“英國交通部（Department for Transport）建議使用滑板車時穿著適當的防護服裝。”

Simon Benson, from hoverboard distributor Ghetto Gadgets, claimed that the legal clarification could boost the vehicles' profile and lead to them becoming even more popular.
懸浮滑板經銷商Ghetto Gadgets的西蒙·本森（Simon Benson）稱，這項明文規定會提升懸浮滑板的形象，使其更受歡迎。

'Clearly customers need to take advice, but millennials are not going to take kindly to the authorities using a law that pre-dates the penny-farthing to tell them what they can or can’t do on the streets of Britain.'
“顧客當然需要遵循建議，但是當局援引比古董自行車還久遠的法律來告訴千禧一代在英國大街上什么能做什么不能做，這些年輕人可不會買賬?！?/span>

魯比·洛斯(圖左)和珍奈莉·伊凡斯（圖右）

The boards are also becoming massively popular in the US, with hundreds of different products now available in response to huge demand following their use by the likes of actor Jamie Foxx and singer Justin Bieber.
懸浮滑板在美國也掀起了一股熱潮，演員杰米·?？怂梗?/span>Jamie Foxx）和歌手賈斯汀·比伯（Justin Bieber）等人都是懸浮滑板的擁躉，從而帶動了巨大的市場需求，成百上千種懸浮滑板產品琳瑯滿目。

American stars such as Kendall Jenner are being sent free samples of the boards by companies scrambling for market share and using celebrity endorsement to raise awareness of their products in a crowded marketplace.
懸浮滑板公司向肯達爾·詹娜（Kendall Jenner）這樣的美國明星發放免費樣車，以在競爭激烈的市場中爭奪更多的份額、利用名人效應提高本公司產品的知名度。

The 19-year-old model posted on Instagram about how she was using the PhunkeeDuck board, and it got more than one million likes - sending demand through the roof.
這名19歲的模特在Instagram上貼出一張照片，展示了她是如何使用PhunkeeDuck滑板車的，獲得了一百多萬個贊，大大推高了市場需求。

There has also been a dispute between makers of the IO Hawk and PhunkeeDuck hoverboards over who invented the vehicle in the first place.
懸浮滑板生產商IO Hawk和PhunkeeDuck之間也就究竟誰最先發明了懸浮滑板而發生爭端。

Last month Wal-Mart announced that it would be stocking the vehicle from November, saying that it expects it to be a big seller for Christmas.
上個月，沃爾瑪宣布將從11月起儲備懸浮滑板，表示沃爾瑪預計懸浮滑板將在圣誕節大賣。

The law on using hoverboards in the US is not entirely clear, but 45 states are said to permit 'electric personal assistive mobility devices' - including Segways - on public rights of way.
懸浮滑板的相關法規在美國并不完全明確，但是據說有45個州依據公眾通行權，允許“電動個人輔助移動設備”上路，包括賽格威。

Among the other products companies are using in an attempt to corner the market are the Hovertrax, Cyboard and Future Foot.
試圖壟斷懸浮滑板商品市場的公司推出的產品還有Hovertrax，Cyboard和Future Foot。

The CPS advice comes after a teenager was beaten in the face and robbed by four men for his ￡300 hoverboard in Enfield, north London - the first case of its kind in the capital.
CPS發布這項指南前，一個少年在倫敦北部的恩菲爾德（Enfield）被四個男人打傷面部，價值300英鎊的懸浮滑板也被搶走了，這在倫敦是首例。

Police said the 18-year-old victim was riding the hoverboard when a car stopped in front of him and the gang surrounded him, before one of the attackers hit him and stole the vehicle.
警方表示，這名受害者18歲，當時他正在街上踩著滑板車滑行，一輛車停在他前面，一群人下來圍住了他，之后一個人襲擊了他并偷走了他的車。

USrapper Wiz Khalifa, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, was handcuffed by customs officials in August after refusing to get off his hoverboard at Los Angeles Airport in California.
美國說唱歌手維茲·卡利法（Wiz Khalifa），本名卡梅倫·吉布里爾·托馬茲（Cameron Jibril Thomaz），8月份時因為在加州的洛杉磯機場拒絕從懸浮滑板上下來，被海關官員銬上了手銬。

Vocabulary

hoverboard：懸浮滑板

penny-farthing：前輪大后輪小的自行車(盛行于1870～1890 年間)

handcuff：用手銬銬住

英文來源：每日郵報

譯者：李朗

審校&編輯：劉明