對我說謊試試

By Aleks Krotosk

Every day in train stations， hotel 1）lobbies， advertising 2）bureaus and singles bars， people are saying one thing and meaning another. Sample phrases like “cheap taxi”， “beautiful well-3）apportioned suite”， “this product will make you happy”and “you are the woman or man of my dreams”， can have 4）dire consequences， both financial and emotional if the inner and outer dialogues are in 5）stark contrast to one another. And so I propose a permanent device worn 6）discreetly under the hairline or hat that is attached to the 7）olfactory nerves. It 8）emits an unpleasant 9）farmyard scent， 10）detectable only to the wearer， if a person she or he is speaking with is being economical with the truth. The system will serve two purposes. First， it will enlighten the wearer that the other person is not to be trusted， thus saving time， money and hardship in the future. Secondly， by only alerting the wearer of the 11）incongruities， she or he is 12）empowered to make his or her own decision about how to proceed. After all， there are some situations， like family reunions and weddings， in which it may be inappropriate to raise the issue.

每天，在火車站、酒店大堂、廣告局和單身酒吧，人們總是言不由衷。類似的話有：“便宜的出租車”，“富麗堂皇、優雅舒適的套房”，“這件商品物有所值”，以及“你是我的女神或男神”。這些話如果里外明顯不一致，就會給人們在經濟上和精神上帶來可怕的影響。所以我提議發明一個能夠連接到人嗅覺神經的設備，將它小心地固定到人們的發線或者帽子下。這個設備能散發出一股難聞的農場味，只有安裝這一設備的人才能識別出跟他交談的人是否說實話。這個系統將達到兩個目的。首先，它會告知裝有設備的人對方不值得信賴，以此為將來進一步的交往節省了時間、金錢和努力。其次，通過提醒人們與對方交談的不適當性，能夠使人們自主地決定如何控制事態的發展。畢竟，總有諸如家庭聚會、婚禮的場合，有些話題是不適宜提起的。