7 Famous Explorers Whose Discoveries Changed the World改變世界的七位著名探險家

卡羅琳·雷德蒙

The story of human exploration is as old as the story of civilisation， and many of the stories of these explorers have become legends over the cen-turies. From Christopher Columbus to Marco Polo， lets take a look at these celebrated explorers who made groundbreaking discoveries across the globe.

人類探險的歷史與人類文明發(fā)展的歷史一樣久，幾個世紀以來，這些探險家的許多故事已經(jīng)成為傳奇。從克里斯托弗·哥倫布到馬可·波羅，讓我們來了解世界各地有開創(chuàng)性發(fā)現(xiàn)的著名探險家。

Marco Polo （1254–1324）

馬可·波羅（1254—1324）

Marco Polo was a Venetian explorer known for the book The Travels of Marco Polo， which describes his voyage to and experiences in Asia. Polo traveled extensively with his family， journeying from Europe to Asia from 1271 to 1295， remaining in China for 17 of those years. As the years wore on， Polo rose through the ranks， serving as governor of a Chinese city. Later， Kublai Khan appointed him as an official of the Privy Council. At one point， he was the tax inspector in the city of Yanzhou.

馬可·波羅是一位威尼斯探險家，以《馬可·波羅游記》著稱，這本書描寫了他東行亞洲的見聞。自1271年至1295年，馬可·波羅攜全家從歐洲一路行至亞洲，游歷各地，其中有17年在中國居留。歲月如梭，馬可·波羅步步高升，在中國一座城市擔任地方官，之后忽必烈大汗任命他為樞密院官員。還有一段時間，他在兗州任稅務督察。

Around 1292， he left China， acting as consort along the way to a Mongol princess who was being sent to Persia1. In the centuries since his death， Polo has received the recognition that failed to come his way during his lifetime. So much of what he claimed to have seen has been verified by researchers， academics and other explorers. Even if his accounts came from other travelers he met along the way， Polos story has inspired countless other adventurers to set off and see the world.

馬可·波羅在1292年左右離開了中國，護送要去波斯成婚的一位蒙古公主。在馬可·波羅逝后的幾個世紀里，他得到了生前沒能得到的認可。研究人員、學者和其他探險家們證實了馬可·波羅著述中自稱看到的很多事物。即使他的記述來自沿途所遇其他旅人，他的故事還是激勵了無數(shù)探險家開啟探索世界之旅。

Zheng He （c. 1371–1433）

鄭和（約1371—1433）

Known as the Three-Jewel Eunuch Admiral， Zheng He was Chinas greatest explorer. Commanding the worlds mightiest fleet of 300 ships and as many as 30，000 troops， Admiral Zheng made 7 epic voyages to southeast Asia， south Asia， the Middle East and Africa between 1405 and 1433. Setting sail aboard his “treasure ships2”， he would exchange valuable goods such as gold， porcelain and silk for ivory， myrrh3 and even Chinas first giraffe. The voyages helped spread Chinas culture and influence throughout Southeast Asia， Arabia， and eastern Africa.

鄭和是中國最偉大的探險家，世稱“三寶太監(jiān)”海軍統(tǒng)帥。1405年到1433年間，鄭和率領當時世界上最強大的艦隊——海船300艘，水師人數(shù)多達3萬——完成了七下西洋的航海壯舉，航行至東南亞、南亞、中東和非洲。鄭和登上“寶船”揚帆起航，沿途用黃金、瓷器和絲綢等貴重物品交換象牙、沒藥，乃至中國的第一只長頸鹿。這七次遠航在東南亞、阿拉伯和東非傳播了中國文化，增強了中國在這些地區(qū)的影響力。

Christopher Columbus （1451–1506）

克里斯托弗·哥倫布（1451—1506）

Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator. Columbus first went to sea as a teenager， participating in several trading voyages in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. One such voyage， to the island of Khios， in modern-day Greece， brought him the closest he would ever come to Asia.

克里斯托弗·哥倫布是意大利探險家、航海家，他在十幾歲時第一次出海，參與了幾次地中海、愛琴海貿易航行，其中有一次到了希俄斯島（在如今的希臘），這是他離亞洲最近的一次。

In 1492， he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain in the Santa Maria， with the Pinta and the Ni?a ships alongside， hoping to find a new route to India.

1492年，為找到去印度的新航線，哥倫布乘“圣瑪利亞”號從西班牙出發(fā)橫渡大西洋，隨行的還有“平塔”號和“尼尼亞”號。

Between 1492 and 1504， he made a total of four voyages to the Caribbean and South America and has been credited—and blamed—for opening up the Americas to European colonization. Columbus probably died of severe arthritis following an infection on May 20， 1506， still believing he had discovered a shorter route to Asia4.

1492年至1504年間，他總共四次遠航至加勒比海和南美洲，并因在美洲開啟歐洲人殖民活動而毀譽參半。1506年5月20日，哥倫布疑死于之前一次感染所致的嚴重關節(jié)炎，他至死都還認為自己發(fā)現(xiàn)的是通往亞洲的較短航線。

Amerigo Vespucci （1454–1512）

阿美利哥·韋斯普奇（1454—1512）

America was named after Amerigo Vespucci， a Florentine navigator and explorer who played a prominent role in exploring the New World.

美洲是以佛羅倫薩航海家、探險家阿美利哥·韋斯普奇的名字命名的，他在探索新大陸的過程中發(fā)揮了重要作用。

On May 10， 1497， Vespucci embarked on his first voyage， departing from Cadiz with a fleet of Spanish ships. In May 1499， sailing under the Spanish flag， Vespucci embarked on his next expedition， as a navigator under the command of Alonzo de Ojeda. Crossing the equator， they traveled to the coast of what is now Guyana， where it is believed that Vespucci left Ojeda and went on to explore the coast of Brazil. During this journey， Vespucci is said to have discovered the Amazon River and Cape St. Augustine.

1497年5月10日，韋斯普奇隨一支西班牙船隊駛離加的斯，開始了他的第一次航行。1499年5月，韋斯普奇在西班牙人阿隆索·德·奧赫達率領的探險隊擔任領航員，又一次啟航。他們穿過赤道，到了如今的圭亞那海岸。據(jù)信，韋斯普奇在這里和奧赫達分道揚鑣，繼續(xù)前往巴西海岸考察。據(jù)說在此次航行中，韋斯普奇發(fā)現(xiàn)了亞馬孫河和圣奧古斯丁角。

On his third and most successful voyage， he discovered present-day Rio de Janeiro and Rio de la Plata. Believing he had discovered a new continent， he called South America the New World. In 1507， America was named after him. He died of malaria in Seville， Spain， on February 22， 1512.

韋斯普奇第三次航行是最成功的一次，發(fā)現(xiàn)了如今的里約熱內盧和拉普拉塔河。他認為自己發(fā)現(xiàn)了一片新大陸，便把南美洲命名為New World（新世界）。1507年，美洲以他的名字命名，1512年2月22日，韋斯普奇在西班牙塞維利亞去世，死于瘧疾。

Ferdinand Magellan （1480–1521）

斐迪南·麥哲倫（1480—1521）

While in the service of Spain， Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan led the first European voyage of discovery to circumnavigate the globe. As a boy， Magellan studied mapmaking and navigation. In 1505， when Magellan was in his mid-20s， he joined a Portuguese fleet that was sailing to East Africa. By 1509， he found himself at the Battle of Diu5， in which the Portuguese destroyed Egyptian ships in the Arabian Sea. Two years later， he explored Malacca， located in present-day Malaysia， and participated in the conquest of Malaccas port.

葡萄牙探險家斐迪南·麥哲倫為西班牙效力期間，率領歐洲探險隊進行了首次環(huán)球航行。麥哲倫從小就學習了地圖制作和航海術。1505年，也就是麥哲倫25歲那年，他加入了一支前往東非的葡萄牙艦隊。1509年，麥哲倫參加了第烏海戰(zhàn)，此戰(zhàn)中葡萄牙人在阿拉伯海摧毀了埃及的船隊。兩年過后，麥哲倫考察了位于今天馬來西亞的馬六甲海峽，并參與了攻占馬六甲港口的戰(zhàn)斗。

In 1519， with the support of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V， Magellan set out to find a better route to the Spice Islands. In March 1521， Magellans fleet reached Homonhom Island on the edge of the Philippines with less than 150 of the 270 men who started the expedition. Magellan traded with Rajah Humabon， the island king， and a bond was quickly formed. The Spanish crew soon became involved in a war between Humabon and another rival leader and Magellan was killed in battle on April 27， 1521.

1519年，在神圣羅馬帝國皇帝查理五世的支持下，麥哲倫開始探尋通往香料群島的更佳路徑。1521年3月，麥哲倫的艦隊到了菲律賓邊界的霍蒙洪島，遠航開始時艦隊共270人，這時只剩不到150人。麥哲倫與島國國王拉賈·胡馬邦進行交易，并快速建立了聯(lián)系。不久，西班牙船隊卷入胡馬邦和另一個敵對部落酋長之間的戰(zhàn)爭，麥哲倫于1521年4月27日在戰(zhàn)斗中被殺死。

Sir Walter Raleigh （1552–1618）

沃爾特·雷利爵士（1552—1618）

Sir Walter Raleigh was an English explorer， soldier and writer. At age 17， he fought with the French Huguenots and later studied at Oxford. He was knighted in 1585， and within two years became Captain of the Queens Guard.

沃爾特·雷利爵士是英國的探險家、士兵和作家。他17歲時與法國胡格諾派教徒并肩作戰(zhàn)，后進入牛津大學學習。1585年，沃爾特獲封爵位，兩年內成為女王宮廷衛(wèi)隊的隊長。

An early supporter of colonizing North America， Raleigh sought to establish a colony， but the queen forbid him to leave her service. Between 1585 and 1588， he invested in a number of expeditions across the Atlantic， attempting to establish a colony near Roanoke， on the coast of what is now North Carolina， and name it “Virginia” in honor of the virgin queen， Elizabeth. Accused of treason by King James I， Raleigh was imprisoned and eventually put to death.

雷利是北美殖民的早期支持者，他試圖在北美建立殖民地，但女王不許他離職。1585年到1588年，雷利投資了許多跨大西洋的探險行動，試圖在羅阿諾克島（在如今的北卡羅來納州海岸）附近建立殖民地，并將其命名為Virginia（弗吉尼亞），以此向童貞女王伊麗莎白致敬。國王詹姆斯一世指控雷利叛國，將其監(jiān)禁并最終處死。

James Cook （1728–1779）

詹姆斯·庫克（1728—1779）

James Cook was a naval captain， navigator and explorer. After serving as an apprentice， Cook eventually joined the British Navy and， at age 29， was promoted to ships master. During the Seven Years War （1756–1763）， he commanded a captured ship for the Royal Navy. In 1768， he took command of the first scientific expedition to the Pacific.

詹姆斯·庫克是一位海軍上校、航海家和探險家。完成見習學徒訓練后，庫克最終加入英國海軍，29歲時晉升船長。七年戰(zhàn)爭（1756—1763）期間，他擔任了英國皇家海軍俘獲的某艘船只的航海長。1768年，他率領遠航隊第一次南下太平洋進行科學考察。

In 1770， on his ship the HMB Endeavour， Cook charted New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. This area has since been credited as one of the worlds most dangerous areas to navigate. He later disproved the existence of Terra Australis6， a fabled southern continent. Cooks voyages helped guide generations of explorers and provided the first accurate map of the Pacific.

1770年，庫克在“奮進”號上繪制了新西蘭和澳大利亞大堡礁的海圖。從那時起，該地區(qū)被認為是世界上最危險的航行區(qū)域之一。庫克后來還指出傳說中的“南方大陸”并不存在。庫克的幾次遠航給數(shù)代探險家指引了方向，他還繪制出首張精準的太平洋海圖。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）

1 1291年，馬可·波羅一家為護送元朝的闊闊真公主出嫁伊利汗國，從泉州啟航出海，之后返回歐洲。? 2寶船是鄭和船隊中最大的海船，也是鄭和船隊中的主體。鄭和寶船用于裝運寶物，有明朝皇帝賞賜給西洋各國的禮品，也有西洋各國進貢明朝皇帝的珍品，還有鄭和船隊在海外通過貿易交換得來的物品。? 3 myrrh沒藥（具有強烈氣味的黏稠褐色物質，用于制香水和香）。

4哥倫布和他的航隊原本是要開辟歐洲到亞洲新航線，但由于一系列計算錯誤，他橫渡大西洋到達美洲后，卻以為到了亞洲，并將當?shù)厝嗣麨橛〉诎踩耍↖ndians）。

5指1509年2月2日至3日發(fā)生在印度第烏的一場爭奪香料貿易權的海戰(zhàn)。參戰(zhàn)一方是葡萄牙，另一方是埃及馬木魯克蘇丹國、卡利卡特（南印度邦國，印度最大的香料中心）扎莫林和古吉拉特蘇丹的聯(lián)合艦隊。

6 〈拉丁語〉指未知的南方大陸（Terra Australis Incognita），15世紀至18世紀時于歐洲地圖上出現(xiàn)的假想大陸。