【精英翻譯】的部落格

神秘的51區 Area 51

精英翻譯社轉自: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0054/344424/web/

In the middle of the Nevada desert, tucked between a former nuclear test site and an Air Force base, is a remote piece of land known as Area 51. The US government has never officially recognized the existence of Area 51, and until recently, it did not appear on maps of the region. It is not possible to walk or drive into the site, and for many decades, planes could not fly overhead. Given the mystery surrounding Area 51, it is not surprising that rumors and stories about it—the strangest involving aliens and spaceships—have flourished over the years.

在內華達沙漠的中部，介於前核武測試場與空軍基地之間的偏遠地區，就是知名的「51 區」。美國政府從未正式承認51 區的存在，直到近期之前，51 區都未出現於此範圍地圖上。你根本不可能步行或開車進入該區，數十年來，飛機均禁止飛越51 區的領空。51 區如此神祕，也難怪謠言與傳說四起。這麼多年來，51 區不斷傳出最為精彩怪誕的外星人與飛碟故事。

Some details are known about Area 51. The base was built in the mid-1950s and contains a mix of buildings, landing strips, and parking ramps. During the Cold War, the US government built and tested experimental aircraft there, including the U2 spy plane and the F-117 fighter jet. The testing of military aircraft and weapons continues today, along with the site's status as a top-secret base.

51 區著名的背景資料顯示該基地是於1950年代中期所建，內有各種建物、軍機起降跑道與停機坪。冷戰期間，美國政府在此建造與測試概念機，包括U2 偵察機和F-117 戰鬥機。軍機和武器試驗至今從未間斷，此基地「最高機密」的稱號亦流傳到現在。

Rumors about alien visitors and spaceships at Area 51 are understandable. Some of the new planes tested here have had unusual shapes, lights, and flight patterns. Stories about frozen aliens in a large underground complex there are related to rumors about a spaceship crashing in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947; and the existence of underground facilities at Area 51 has since been confirmed. The strangest rumors—involving secret treaties between the US government and aliens that supposedly allowed the aliens to kidnap local citizens and grind them up for food—are a little harder to explain.

51 區之所以會有外星訪客與飛碟事件的傳聞，其實可想而知。受測的某些新型戰機擁有非比尋常的外型、照明燈與飛航模式。大型地下基地藏有冷凍外星人遺體的故事，源自於1947 年某架太空船墜落於新墨西哥州羅斯威爾的謠言。況且經過證實，51 區的確設有地下基地。最怪誕且難以解釋的傳言，就是美國政府與外星人之間簽訂的保密條約。據說美國政府允許外星人綁架當地居民並研磨為食用粉末。

Curiosity about Area 51 is unlikely to fade anytime soon. The base has been featured in numerous movies, books, and TV shows, as well as on websites. Although former employees have recently been allowed to talk about some of the aircraft they tested, people who have theories are still insisting that alien spacecraft were worked on there. No solid evidence of these spaceships has ever been presented, however. In the meantime, visitors continue to flock to the Nevada desert from around the globe in the hope of seeing something out of this world.

大家對51 區產生的好奇心恐怕沒那麼快退燒。眾多電影、書籍、電視節目和網站都以此基地為主題。雖然前任員工近期獲得許可，能公開談論他們過去在51 區測試的部分軍機，陰謀論者仍堅信他們在研究外星人飛碟，只不過至今仍無確鑿的飛碟證據。同時，來自世界各地的遊客紛紛湧入內華達沙漠，為的就是希望能一睹可能與「外太空」有關的任何事物。