Many black-faced spoonbills fly to the coastal areas of Tainan for winter every year, attracting many bird-watchers. On Tuesday morning last week, Chen Kuo-chung, the chairman of the Chenghsi Community Development Association of Tainan’s Annan District, spotted a black-faced spoonbill at his fish farm. Intrigued by the band around the bird’s leg, Chen consulted a friend, who is a member of the Taiwan Black-faced Spoonbill Conservation Association, and learned that the bird was numbered “T18,” which was tagged in 1999 in Tainan. The bird is therefore estimated to be as old as 24 years of age. Chiu Jen-wu, chairman of Tainan Ecological Conservation Society, said that a sighting of T18 was reported in Tainan in January this year. In November, the bird was again seen wintering in the Black-faced Spoonbill Reserve in Tainan’s Cigu Distric. Last Tuesday was the third time this year that T18 has been spotted and recorded. Chiu said that black-faced spoonbills migrate between their breeding place and winter habitats each year, and have to cope with many difficult challenges and harsh environments. It is very rare that a bird lives to 24 years old and T18 is currently the oldest black-faced spoonbill recorded in Taiwan, said Chiu. Chiu added that a series of activities for the 2021 Black-faced Spoonbill Conservation Season are currently ongoing and encouraged bird lovers to grasp the opportunity to visit Tainan and learn more about the ecology of the black-faced spoonbill. (Translated by Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times) 每年冬季有不少黑面琵鷺飛抵台南沿海地區度冬，吸引不少賞鳥人潮。 安南區城西社區發展協會理事長陳國忠今天上週二上午在自家魚塭發現一隻黑面琵鷺，因為繫有腳環，覺得相當特別，經詢問黑面琵鷺保育學會的友人後，得知是一九九九年在台南繫放的黑琵T18，推估這隻一九九九年繫放的黑琵已高齡二十四歲。 台南市生態保育學會理事長邱仁武表示，T18曾於今年一月在台南被通報發現，十一月在七股黑面琵鷺保護區又被通報發現來台度冬，上週二是今年第三次通報發現。 邱仁武說，黑面琵鷺每年往返於繁殖地及度冬棲地，面臨許多環境挑戰，要活到二十四歲相當不容易，T18則是台灣目前記錄到年齡最大的黑面琵鷺。 他說，二○二一黑面琵鷺保育季系列活動持續中，喜愛賞鳥的民眾可把握機會到台南一遊，進一步了解黑面琵鷺生態。 （中央社）
The World Night View Summit took place on Friday last week, hosted by the Yakei Convention and Visitors Bureau in Nagasaki, Japan. With a decade since the previous one, the international summit selects three new spectacular night vistas from around the world. Last Friday’s summit saw the establishment of a new “World Night View Heritage” certification, with the Taiwan Lantern Festival selected as one of 10 heritage night vistas. The summit was attended by 150 representatives from the tourism industries of 10 countries, including Japan, Taiwan, Spain, Monaco and Hungry. The “World Night View Heritage” certification was established to recognize places or events with beautiful night views. In addition to the Taiwan Lantern Festival, the certification was also awarded to nine other nightscapes outside of Japan, including Gellert Hill in Hungary and the historic ruins of Ayutthaya in Thailand. Taiwan Tourism Interchange Association consultant Chiang Ming-ching told attendees of the summit that the Taiwan Lantern Festival is Taiwan’s largest celebratory event. Chiang said that the 2019 Taiwan Lantern Festival, which was held in Pingtung County, featured thousands of brightly-colored decorative lanterns which studded the night-time sky with beautiful illuminations. Chiang explained that the lantern festivals were originally held on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar year to celebrate the end of the Spring Festival. People traditionally let off firecrackers and fireworks to bring good luck and avoid calamity, said Chiang. During the1990s, temples across Taiwan began to combine their individual decorative lanterns displays in a single location, forming lantern festivals. The displays gradually increased in scale and began to feature innovative “main lantern” designs, said Chiang. (CNA, translated by Edward Jones) 由日本一般社團法人「夜景觀光」主辦的世界夜景峰會上週五在長崎市舉行，時隔十年選出世界新三大夜景，也新設世界夜景遺產，包括台灣燈會在內十處入選。 這場世界夜景高峰會有日本及海外國家包括台灣、西班牙、摩納哥、匈牙利等十國的觀光相關人士約一百五十人出席。 主辦單位特別創設認定夜景美的景點或活動之「世界夜景遺產」，結果台灣燈會、匈牙利布達佩斯的蓋勒特山丘、泰國大城的古蹟遺址夜景等日本以外的十處入選。 台灣旅遊交流協會顧問江明清在世界夜景高峰會上，以屏東的台灣燈會舉例說明指出，台灣燈會是台灣規模最大的慶典活動，有好幾千個色彩豔麗的花燈裝飾，將夜空點綴得璀璨亮麗。原本燈會是在農曆正月十五日滿月、也就是元宵節的慶祝活動，民眾會施放爆竹、煙火趨吉避凶，一九九○年代各寺廟開始將花燈集中於一處，形成燈會，後來燈會規模擴大，主燈設計極富巧思。 （中央社）
B: You know, you’re right. It was all about the journey. It’s been a great trip. A: We’ve seen all kinds of scenery, from craggy coastlines to tranquil fishing ports to wonderful vistas in the mountains. B: So now we can just sit back and enjoy this beautiful scenery as the sun goes down. A: We can’t stay too long. This might be the symbolic end to the trip, but we still have to ride down from the mountain, and the light is fading fast. B: 你知道嗎，你說的沒錯，重要的是過程。這趟旅程真的很棒。 A: 我們看遍了各種景色，從崎嶇陡峭的海岸，到安靜的漁港，還有山間的美麗景色。 B: 那我們現在就可以好好坐下來，享受夕陽美景。 A: 我們不能待太久啦。這雖然是象徵性的終點，可是我們還得要騎下山，天色很快就要暗了。 (Paul Cooper, Taipei Times ／台北時報林俐凱譯) Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
B: I can see why you liked resting in the quiet fishing harbor, but I much preferred the bustling port we biked through on the third day. A: I wasn’t so keen on that. B: I know you weren’t. You were paying so much attention to the boats, you rode straight into the railings and fell headfirst into the water. A: It wasn’t funny. I could have really hurt myself. B: 我可以理解你為什麼喜歡待在那個安靜的漁港，可是我比較喜歡第三天行程我們騎車經過的那個熱鬧的港口。 A: 我不太喜歡那裡。 B: 我知道你不喜歡。你一直在看船，結果撞到欄杆，倒栽蔥跌到水裡。 A: 這一點都不好笑。我可能會受重傷欸。 (Paul Cooper, Taipei Times ／台北時報林俐凱譯) Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
A: One memorable moment for me was when we got lost and chanced upon that old fishing harbor. B: That was strange, wasn’t it? One minute we were riding along busy main roads, and then we took a wrong turning and ended up in a tranquil harbor, with not a single soul in sight. A: It was like a place that time forgot. I wish we could have just stayed there. A: 對我來說很難忘的是，那個我們迷路以後無意間走到的老漁港。 B: 真是不可思議，對吧？上一分鐘我們還騎在交通繁忙的主要道路上，然後我們轉錯彎，就到了一個靜悄悄的海港，半個人都沒有。 A: 就像是到了一個被時間遺忘的地方。真希望我們能就這樣待在那裡。 (Paul Cooper, Taipei Times ／台北時報林俐凱譯) Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
The 58th Golden Horse Awards will take place at the National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall on Saturday. “Drifting” is currently leading the nominees with 12 nods, closely followed by “The Soul,” “The Falls” and “Till We Meet Again” with 11 nods each. All the four movies, along with “American Girl,” are nominated for the prestigious Best Feature Film. The Golden Horses are also known as the Oscars of the Chinese world. This year, nominees for Best Leading Actor include Cheng Jen-shuo, Chang Chen, Roy Chiu, Francis Ng and Kai Ko; nominees for Best Leading Actress include Chen Shiang-chyi, Alyssa Chia, Gingle Wang, Karena Lam and Caitlin Fang. Veteran Taiwanese actor Lung Shao-hua, who died at the age of 68 in September, has also been nominated for Best Supporting Actor. The award show will be hosted by Golden Horse-winning actor Austin Lin, and it will be broadcast live on Taiwan’s TTV, as well as at myVideo and Line Today online. (Eddy Chang, Taipei Times) 第五十八屆金馬獎頒獎典禮週六將在國父紀念館登場，《濁水漂流》強勢入圍多達十二項，是本屆大贏家。緊追在後的是︰《緝魂》、《瀑布》、《月老》，各入圍十一項，四部電影均提名最佳劇情片獎，另一部獲提名的則是《美國女孩》。 金馬獎向來被視為華人世界的奧斯卡金像獎！而今年入圍最佳男主角獎的有︰鄭人碩、張震、邱澤、吳鎮宇、柯震東；至於入圍最佳女主角獎的則有︰陳湘琪、賈靜雯、王淨、林嘉欣、方郁婷。資深演員龍劭華亦入圍最佳男配角獎，他在九月時因病去世，享年六十八歲。 本屆頒獎典禮將由金馬獎最佳男配角得主林柏宏主持，台視實況轉播，並在網路影音平台myVideo和Line Today同步播出。 （台北時報張聖恩〉
A: What was your favorite day of the trip? B: I really enjoyed riding along the north coast. It was so blowy, the wind was churning up the sea. A: I remember. The waves were crashing against the shore. B: That was tough going. We’d been told that we would have a tailwind, but it felt like we were riding against the wind for most of the time. A: 哪一天的行程你最喜歡呢？ B: 我好喜歡沿著北海岸騎車。風好大，把海吹得不停翻攪。 A: 我記得。海浪打在岸上。 B: 不過這段路還蠻難騎的。人家跟我們說這段路是順風，可是騎起來感覺大部分是逆風。 (Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱譯) Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
Someone shared a story in the “Venting Commune 2” Facebook group, saying how her father was very fond of their pet dog Cheechee and told her every day to remember to feed and walk the dog. One time she asked her father “How come you don’t care about me?” but he came back with a surprisingly unconcerned answer, so she joked “I guess the dog is your real child.” When she posted this interesting story online, it attracted quite a lot of people to join the discussion. The girl wrote that because her mother was not at home that day, her father reminded her: “Remember to feed Cheechee and take her for a walk.” She retorted by asking her father: “Don’t you worry whether I will have anything to eat? Why are you only worried that Cheechee might not get any food?” She was a bit shocked when her father said: “You can fix it yourself — no need to ask me.” After hearing that, the girl felt a bit frustrated, so she muttered to herself: “It looks like this dog is your real child, so we might as well break off our relations.” After reading her post and seeing a photo of Cheechee, other people left comments expressing various opinions. Some said things like “Cheechee says “Now you know who’s boss!” and “That’s his precious doggie grandchild.” Others made humorous remarks like “Actually Cheechee brought you home in his mouth — Now it’s time for you to return the favor,” “In future Cheechee will get all the property and you will just be a servant” and “Dad says ‘We can break off relations if you like, but before you go, remember to feed Cheechee and take Cheechee for a walk.’” (Translated by Julian Clegg, Taipei Times) 一名網友在臉書社團「爆怨２公社」分享，她父親特別寵愛家犬「奇奇」，某日父親特別交代她記得餵狗吃飯與散步，未料這名網友反問父親「怎麼都不關心我？」卻得到意外冷靜的回答，她笑說「看來這隻狗才是親生的」，並將這則趣事發文，引起許多網友討論。 這名網友寫道，由於母親當日不在家，父親特別交代她，「奇奇妳要記得餵她，要帶她去散步」。這名網友接著反問父親「都不用擔心我有沒有吃嗎？你為什麼都只擔心奇奇有沒有吃？」未料父親竟說「妳自己會處理，不用找我」；這名網友聽完感到無奈，自我揶揄地說「看來這隻狗才是親生的，我們斷絕關係」。 網友看到發文和奇奇的照片後，紛紛留言表達不同看法，有人說「奇奇表示：現在妳知道誰是老大吧！」、「那是寶貝狗孫子」，還有網友笑說「其實你是奇奇叼回來的，到你報恩的時候了」、「以後財產歸奇奇，你只是幫傭」、「父表示：要斷絕關係可以，記得先餵奇奇還有帶奇奇去散步」。 （自由時報）
A: That’s it? This is the wonderful view you have been promising me? B: That’s it. The Torii gate of the Gaoshi Shrine: the official end to our 700km, week-long bike trip from the northern tip of the island to the south. A: It’s a bit of an anti-climax. We’ve come all this way, and we’ve been riding uphill since this morning. I’m exhausted. B: The most important thing is not the destination, it’s the journey. A: 就這樣喔？這就是你跟我說的無敵美景嗎？ B: 這就是了。高士神社的鳥居。我們為期一週、從台灣北端到南端一共七百公里長的自行車之旅，正式到達終點。 A: 這有點雷大雨小，令人大失所望。我們大老遠跑來，而且從今天早上到現在騎的都是上坡路耶。我累死了。 B: 重要的不是目的地，而是過程。 (Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱譯) Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
The metaverse is a virtual universe that blends aspects of digital technologies including video-conferencing, games like Minecraft or Roblox, cryptocurrencies, email, virtual reality, social media and live-streaming. Quite how these pieces will fit together is a work in progress, but some tech giants already see it as the future of human communication and interaction. It’s “the next frontier,” Mark Zuckerberg said when he changed his company’s name from Facebook Inc. to Meta Platforms Inc. What will it look like? It may be easier to grasp the concept by first saying what it isn’t: It’s not a single product, it’s not a game, and it’s not being created by one company. Rather, it’s akin to a 3D World Wide Web, where businesses, information and communication tools are immersive and interoperable. In a way it’s a digital facsimile of how we live in the physical world. Just as you might create a document in Microsoft Word and send it via Gmail to a colleague to read on an iPad, items in the metaverse should be able to move across an ecosystem of competing products, holding their value and function. An original piece of digital art bought as a non-fungible token, or NFT, from Company A, say, should be displayable on the virtual wall of a house in a game made by Company B. The metaverse won’t reach its full potential — millions of people accessing and living in the virtual world anywhere, at any time — without ultrafast Internet. That’s why mobile carriers around the world are spending billions of dollars to build 5G networks. The rise of the metaverse also presents a tangle of legal and regulatory issues to be resolved. Some of the thorniest issues around the metaverse revolve around users’ personal data and privacy rights. (Bloomberg and Reuters) 「元宇宙」是虛擬的世界，融合了數位技術諸方面，包括視訊會議、Minecraft或Roblox等遊戲、加密貨幣、電子郵件、虛擬實境、社群媒體與網路直播。要如何把這些東西組合起來，各方仍在努力，但一些科技巨頭已將元宇宙視為人類溝通與互動的未來。這是「下一個新領域」，馬克‧祖克柏在將其公司名稱由「臉書」更改為「元平台」時說道。 元宇宙會是什麼樣子？要理解這個概念，或許先說明它不是什麼比較容易：它不是單一產品，不是一種遊戲，也不是由一家公司所創建的。相反地，它像是三度空間的全球資訊網，其中的商家、訊息與通訊工具，是沉浸式、可互操作的。 它有點像是我們現實世界生活方式的數位複製品。正如您可以在Microsoft Word中建立文件，並透過Gmail發送出去，讓同事可以在iPad上閱讀一樣，元宇宙中的物件應能夠在競爭對手產品的生態系統中移動，而保留其價值與功能。例如，從A公司購買的作為非同質化代幣（或稱NFT）的原創數位藝術作品，應該可以在B公司製作的遊戲中顯示在虛擬屋牆上。 若沒有超高速網路，元宇宙將無法發揮其全部潛力，讓數百萬人隨時隨地存取及生活在虛擬世界中。這就是為什麼世界各地的電信業者要花費數十億美元來建設5G網路。 元宇宙的興起也帶來一連串法律與監管問題，有待解決。與元宇宙相關的一些最棘手問題，主要是跟用戶個資與隱私權有關。 （台北時報林俐凱編譯）
New Taipei City Education Bureau is to hold 30 junior high school student aptitude events, providing 2,500 free places on a program designed to help students understand their individual aptitudes and interests, so that they can find a suitable future vocation and reach their full potential. Students who register to participate in the event will also be entered into a prize draw. New Taipei City Education Department Commissioner Chang Ming-wen says it is important that students explore different careers and choose a vocation that suits their particular skill set and personality. Teachers and parents can help students to try out a diverse range of vocations and understand their own aptitude, interests and abilities, Chang says. Teachers and parents can gather relevant information for discussion with their children, so that they can together plan out a suitable career path to understand what type of college or vocational discipline is most suitable, and use the information gained as a reference when considering further education choices, he adds. The department says it has held a range of events to promote student aptitude since 2013, including talks, field practice and tours, internships and taster courses, so that students and parents can both gain a deeper understanding of technical and vocational education. This year, the department is using online tours to introduce students to the unique aspects of each vocational discipline and is also promoting seven hands-on taster courses. After registration, an information pack will be mailed to the address provided, allowing students and parents to work through the materials at home together, enhancing parent-child interaction. Huang Yi-ting, a teacher at Yifang Elementary School, says she is a parent of a third-grade junior high-school student, and this year participated in an aptitude course organized by Jui-Fang Industrial High School. Huang says the course was extremely practical and helped
A: May I ask, after I send the parcel, will I be able to track it? B: Sure. If you go to the post office Web site inquiry page and enter the reference number, and you will be able to check its progress. A: What’s the reference number? B: It’s a series of numbers on the sender’s copy of the waybill, under the barcode, starting with the letter E, 13 digits long in total. A: 請問包裹寄出以後，可以追蹤嗎？ B: 可以呀。你到郵局網站的查詢網頁，輸入郵件編號，就可以查詢它的處理進度。 A: 郵件編號是什麼啊？ B: 就是寄件收執聯上的一串號碼，在條碼底下，英文字母 E 開頭，一共十三碼。 (Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱) Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
A: Excuse me, how long will this airmail parcel take to arrive? B: It usually takes 10 to 15 days, but recently, due to the pandemic, many flights have been cancelled, so the shipping times will be considerably longer. It’s not possible to confirm when it will reach the destination. A: Heavens, in two weeks’ time, my friend will be off on a business trip, so the parcel absolutely must arrive before then. B: Alternatively, you could send it by express mail instead, this way it will be loaded onto the airplane quicker, and the arrival time is typically four to five days, although at the moment this is still subject to delays. A: So how much will it cost to mail it by express? B: It will be NT1,260. Sending it by the ordinary parcel service will be NT$1,105. A: 請問這航空包裹大概多久會寄到呢？ B: 一般是十到十五天，但是最近因為疫情的關係，很多航班都取消了，所以郵遞時間會大幅延誤，實際到達日期沒辦法確定。 A: 天哪，可是再過兩個禮拜，我朋友就要出差了，包裹一定要在這之前寄到才行。 B: 不然你可以改寄國際快捷，這是能讓它最快搭上飛機的方法，寄達時間一般是四到五天，不過現在也是有延誤的情況。 A: 那寄快捷要多少錢啊？ B: 一千兩百六十元。寄普通包裹的話是一千一百零五元。 (Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱) Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
A: Hi! I’d like to send an international parcel. I’ve already filled out the waybill. B: You also need to fill out a commercial invoice, the forms are over there. You have to write out in detail the list of contents, quantity of items and unit price of what’s inside the package, because that information is required by Customs. A: OK. Oh, right, I haven’t written the dimensions on the waybill because I don’t have a tape measure, so I couldn’t measure the length, width and height of the parcel. I don’t know how much it weighs, either. B: No problem, I’ll fill it in for you. Please put the parcel on the scales. A: 您好！我要寄國際包裹。託運單已經填好了。 B: 你還需要填商業發票，單子在那邊。裡面裝的物品、數量、單價這些都要詳細填寫，因為海關要看。 A: OK。對了，託運單上我沒有填包裹的尺寸，因為我沒有皮尺，沒辦法量它的長、寬、高。我也不知道它的重量。 B: 沒關係，我幫你填。麻煩你把包裹放在磅秤上。 (Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱) Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
Singer Crowd Lu is set to stage a concert at the Kaohsiung Music Center on Saturday, becoming the first artist to put on a solo concert at the venue since its opening on Oct. 31. The 5,500-capacity center by the Port of Kaohsiung is a new landmark for pop music in southern Taiwan. Lu also achieved a personal milestone last year by winning not only multiple Golden Melody Awards for music but also a Golden Bell Award for TV and a Golden Horse Award for a movie. To allow more fans to participate in the concert, the show will be streamed online, with tickets for the online version priced at NT$289 (US$10.4) each. Meanwhile, as the Taipei Arena finally reopened after Taiwan relaxed various restrictions for the COVID-19 pandemic, Lu, along with artists such as Greeny Wu, E.SO and boyband 831, performed for PChome’s 1111 concert on Wednesday last week. (Eddy Chang, Taipei Times) 歌手盧廣仲週六將在高雄流行音樂中心開唱，成為高流十月三十一日正式開幕以來，首位在此舉辦售票個人演唱會的藝人。位於高雄港旁的高流可容納五千五百名觀眾，可說是南台灣流行樂的新地標。 盧廣仲在去年更達成集滿「三金」的個人里程碑，不只得過音樂金曲獎，還得到電視金鐘獎及電影金馬獎殊榮。為了讓更多粉絲參與他的高流演唱會，這次演出將在網路上同步進行，線上票價則一律兩百八十九元（約十‧四美元）。 而在台灣鬆綁多項防疫規定後，台北小巨蛋終於解封，首場演唱會「雙11 PChome來了」上週三登場，特別邀請盧廣仲及吳青峰、瘦子、八三夭等多組藝人唱翻小巨蛋。 （台北時報張聖恩〉
A: I’d like to send a laptop overseas to a friend, since computers are less expensive in Taiwan. B: But doesn’t the laptop have a lithium battery? I don’t think you can send lithium batteries, because they might explode in the airplane and compromise flight safety. A: So how about sending it by sea, and forget about sending it by airmail? B: Shipping by sea is much less expensive than sending by air, but it’s really slow, and will take many months to get there. A: 我想要寄一台筆電到國外給我朋友，因為在台灣買電腦比較便宜。 B: 可是筆電裡面有鋰電池吧？鋰電池好像不能寄，因為在飛機上可能會爆炸、影響飛安。 A: 那寄海運總可以吧？就不用搭飛機了。 B: 海運也會比航空便宜很多，不過很慢，要好幾個月才會寄到。 (Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱)
Habits can vary a lot from north to south, but the most important thing is to respect one another. Someone used the PTT bulletin board system to share an experience about how a friend took his northern girlfriend back to his home in south Taiwan for a family meal, but to his surprise, as soon as his girlfriend saw newspaper being used as a tablecloth, she complained that it was “really gross.” The couple then got into an argument over it. The person wrote a post on PTT’s “Gossiping” board under the heading “Do northerners think that spreading newspaper to eat off is unhygienic?” He said that the previous week a friend had taken his northern girlfriend home for a meal. The man’s mother prepared a big spread of tasty food for their guest, but unexpectedly the girlfriend thought that covering the table with newspaper was unhygienic, on the grounds that it smelled of ink and no one knew whether anyone had taken the newspaper to read in the toilet. The boyfriend disagreed. He thought that spreading newspaper was very convenient because you could just drop bones on it, then wrap them up in it and throw them away after your meal instead of having to wipe the table. This difference of opinions got the young couple into a fight. The original poster was puzzled by the whole thing and asked, “Don’t northerners spread newspaper at mealtime?” After the post appeared, it became a topic of heated debate. Most people agreed that using newspaper as a tablecloth is not very hygienic. As someone said, “When you hold a newspaper, your hands will be blackened by the ink, so it is really not a good idea.” Other comments included: “It is ugly and dirty.” “At least use leaflets. Newspaper is thin and absorbs
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