《中英對照讀新聞》Nepal’s first robot waiter is ready for orders－尼泊爾首位機器人服務生準備好接單

尼泊爾新創科技公司Paaila執行長比奈‧勞特，帶領25名工程師親手打造機器人。（法新社檔案照）

◎孫宇青

"Please enjoy your meal," says Nepal’s first robot waiter, Ginger, as she delivers a plate of steaming dumplings to a table of hungry customers.

「請享用您的餐點。」尼泊爾第一位機器人服務生「小薑」，將一盤熱呼呼的水餃，端給一桌飢腸轆轆的客人時如此說道。

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Nepal is better known for its soaring mountain peaks than technological prowess, but Local start-up Paaila Technology is seeking to change that.

比起卓越的科技實力，尼泊爾更為人所知的是高聳的山峰，但本土新創科技公司Paaila渴望改變現狀。

They programmed Ginger, a 1.5 meter tall robot, to understand both English and Nepali. Named after a common ingredient in Nepali cuisine, Ginger can even crack jokes like Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa.

他們將1.5公尺高的機器人小薑設計成可以理解英語和尼泊爾語。小薑之名來自尼泊爾料理中常見的食材，且它像蘋果通訊產品的語音助理Siri或亞馬遜的Alexa一樣，甚至還能說笑話。

25 young engineers, 27-years-old CEO Binay Raut included, built the robot by hand from scratch. Now three Gingers work at a restaurant in the capital Kathmandu.

27歲執行長比奈‧勞特在內的25名年輕工程師，從零開始以手工打造這組機器人。現在，有3位小薑在首都加德滿都一家餐廳服務。

Ginger, who is able to sense movement and obstacles, deftly navigates the crowded restaurant carrying trays laden with food. Customers order via a touch screen menu fitted into the tables, and Ginger is called to the kitchen when dishes are ready.

可以察覺到動作和障礙的小薑，端著擺滿食物的餐盤，靈巧地在擁擠的餐廳內移動。顧客透過安裝在桌面的觸控螢幕菜單來點餐，當餐點做好後，小薑就會被叫去廚房取餐。

《新聞辭典》

prowess：名詞，卓越能力。例句：She showed great prowess at acting in the enigmatic movie.（她在這部費解的電影裡，展現非凡演技。）

crack：動詞，口語用法，說（笑話）。例句：By cracking a joke at the start, the host brought the party to life.（主持人在開場時說笑話，讓氣氛活絡起來。）

from scratch：慣用片語，從零開始。例句：He decided to start from scratch after going bankrupt.（他在破產後決定從零再出發。）

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