作者 王逢鑫

選自《英語世界》2015年第11期

“效應”的原義是“物理的或化學的作用所產生的效果”，也可泛指“某個人物的言行或某種事物的發生和發展在社會上所引起的反應或效果”。英語的對應詞是effect。自然界和人間社會存在各式各樣的效應。其中“溫室效應” （green-house effect）是我們最常見的一種大氣保溫效應，與地球變暖（global warming）有關。例如：

1. The term “greenhouse effect” has two common meanings. There is a natural greenhouse effect that keeps the Earth’s climate warm and habitable. There is also a man-made greenhouse effect, which is the enhancement of Earth’s natural greenhouse effect by the addition of greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels (mainly petroleum, coal, and natural gas).
“溫室效應”這個詞有兩個基本意思：一個是使地球氣候保持溫暖和適宜居住的自然溫室效應；另一個是人為溫室效應，即由于燃燒化石燃料（主要是石油、煤和天然氣）造成溫室氣體增多而導致的地球自然溫室效應增強。

2. Earth’s natural greenhouse effect is critical to supporting life. But human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests, have intensified the natural greenhouse effect, causing global warming.
地球的自然溫室效應對維持生命是至關緊要的，但是人類活動，主要是燃燒化石燃料和砍伐森林，已加劇了這種自然溫室效應，引起全球變暖。

與我們生存環境密切相關的另一種自然效應是“城市熱島效應”（urban heat island effect）。例如：

3. Temperatures are often a few degrees higher in cities than they are in their surrounding rural areas. This temperature discrepancy is the result of a bizarre phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect. As the name implies, the effect turns cities into islands of heat.
城市溫度常常比周圍農村高出幾度。這種溫差是一種叫做“城市熱島效應”的奇異現象造成的。正如其名所示，這種效應使城市變成熱島。

4. According to the latest statistics from the China Meteorological Administration, about one-fourth of the temperature rise caused by climate warming can be blamed on the urban heat island effect. This effect is adding to our woes.
根據中國氣象局的最新統計，在氣候變暖引起的氣溫上升中，大約有1/4是城市熱島效應造成的。這種熱島效應正在給我們增添麻煩。

美國數學與氣象學家愛德華·諾頓·羅倫茲（Edward Norton Lorenz）發現的“蝴蝶效應”（butterfly effect）也與自然氣象有關。例如：

5. A few occasional flaps of the wings of a butterfly in a South American tropical rain forest in the Amazon Basin may cause a tornado in Texas, the United States two weeks later. This is because the movement of the wings of the butterfly will bring about changes in the air system around it, and also cause weak air flow, which will lead to relevant changes in the air and other systems around it. This will cause a series of chain reactions, and eventually lead to significant changes in other systems.
亞馬孫盆地的南美熱帶雨林中的一只蝴蝶，偶爾扇動了幾下翅膀，兩周后在美國得克薩斯州可能引起一場龍卷風。這是因為蝴蝶翅膀的運動會導致其身邊的空氣系統發生變化，并產生微弱氣流，而微弱氣流又會引起它四周空氣或其他系統產生相應的變化，由此引起一系列連鎖反應，最終導致其他系統的極大變化。

“蝴蝶效應”作為一種自然現象，也出現在文藝作品中。美國歌手戴維·赫爾南德斯（David Hernandez）的The Butterfly Effect 一詩開頭有這樣的詩句

If a butterfly flapping its wings in Beijing

could cause a hurricane off the coast of Florida,

so could a deck of cards shuffled at a picnic.

假如北京的一只蝴蝶扇動雙翅

能讓佛羅里達海岸外刮起一場颶風，

野餐時洗一副紙牌也能掀起颶風。

“鯰魚效應”（catfish effect）是以動物行為產生的效應，比喻社會競爭現象。例如：

6. In Norway, live sardines are several times more expensive than frozen ones, and are valued for better texture and flavor. It was said that only one ship could bring live sardine home, and the shipmaster kept his method a secret. After he died, people found that there was one catfish in his tank. The catfish keeps swimming, and the sardines try to avoid this predator. This increased level of activity keeps the sardines active instead of becoming sedentary.
在挪威，鮮活的沙丁魚比冰凍的貴好幾倍，而且因其更好的口感和質地受人青睞。據說，以前僅有一條船能把鮮活的沙丁魚運回家來，但是那位船長將他的方法保密。他去世后，人們發現他的貯水箱里有一條活鯰魚。這條鯰魚一直游來游去，而那些沙丁魚則試圖躲開食肉的鯰魚。活動量增加使得沙丁魚活躍，而不是變得不愛游動。

“鯰魚效應”指的是鼓勵競爭，常用于人力資源管理。例如：

Catfish effect is a term used in human resource management to describe how groups are motivated by the addition of a strong competitor. Actions for actively applying the catfish effect in an organization are called catfish management. This is a method used to motivate a team so that each member feels strong competition, thus keeping up the competitiveness of the whole team.
“鯰魚效應”是一個用于人力資源管理的術語，描述群體如何因增加有力的競爭對手而受到激勵。在一個組織內積極應用鯰魚效應而做出的行動，被稱作“鯰魚式”管理。這是一種用于激勵團隊的方法，使每位成員感到激烈的競爭，從而保持整個團隊的競爭力。

“名人效應”（celebrity effect）是現在常見的一種社會現象。例如：

7. Celebrity effect means using a famous person’s image to sell products or services by focusing on the person’s money, popularity or fame.
“名人效應”是通過聚焦名人的財富、知名度或聲譽來利用名人形象銷售產品或服務。

?Although many brand managers favour the use of celebrities in advertisements, others worry that celebrities may overshadow their brands. So celebrity effect can be positive or negative.
許多品牌經理喜愛在廣告中利用名人，另一些人則擔憂名人會給他們的品牌蒙上陰影。因此名人效應可能是正面的，也可能是負面的。

“光環效應”（halo effect）與名人相關，也是常見的一種社會現象。例如：

8. The halo effect of celebrities gives people a cloak of generalized trustworthiness which extends well-beyond their industry or expertise. The halo effect works both in positive and negative directions.
名人“光環效應”給人們一層對籠統的可信賴性的模糊認識，大大超越了名人的勤奮與學識。“光環”效在正面和負面雙向產生作用。

“馬太效應”（Matthew effect）屬于社會學領域，與人的聲譽和地位相關。例如：

In sociology, the Matthew effect is the phenomenon where “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer”. In both its original and typical usage it is meant metaphorically to refer to issues of fame or status, but it may also be used literally to refer to cumulative advantage of economic capital.
在社會學中，“馬太效應”指“富人越富，窮人越窮”的現象。在其本原和通常的用法中，喻指聲譽和地位的問題，但是它在字面上也可用來指經濟資本的累積優勢。

（來源：《英語世界》，編輯：Helen）