Have you ever visited a foreign country where you didn’t understand a word of the local language?
你有没有这样的经历，去一个国家旅游，但却不懂他们的语言
It really is a strange and disorientating experience.
回想一下可能那种经历非常奇怪。
Everyday tasks such as buying tickets, reading a menu or finding a particular type of store are fraught with difficulties when everything is written in an unfamiliar and seemingly incomprehensible language.
试想如果你在一个异国他乡，如果连一点他们的语言都看不懂，甚至想买个火车票或者去饭馆吃饭都不行，真是很恐怖啊。
Without the aid of the written word we have to resort to scanning our surroundings for recognisable symbols: a Coca Cola sign, a “No Smoking” sticker or a picture of a bus on a timetable.
如果实在没有看得懂的词语的话，我们可能就要依靠看图标来理解意思了。比如看禁止吸烟的标志或者是可乐的标志。
And even that doesn’t always work successfully.
其实就连这些有时都不奏效。
Twice, in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, I wandered into shoe shops while trying to locate a pharmacy merely because the stores had large green crosses jutting out from above their doors (a sure sign of a pharmacy back in the UK).
有两次，我在布达佩斯的匈牙利首都。本来试图找到一家药店，却误入鞋店，仅仅是因为看到商店门口有大片绿色的十字架。（这种标志在英国意味着药店）。
But imagine if your purpose there was for more than just tourism. In fact, imagine if you had to navigate local bureaucracy in order to obtain medical treatment, to register to vote or to apply for a job, all in a written language that means as much to you as Hungarian means to me.
这实在可笑，更不用说我只是单纯旅游，如果你还要做点事情的话会是更难。想象一下，如果你不得不去拜访当地官僚以获得医疗救治，或者你要进行选民登记或申请工作，意味着你会遇到比我在匈牙利时的麻烦更大。
Well, for millions of people worldwide, that’s the reality of their everyday lives.
这听上去耸人听闻，其实是很多人都会遇到的难题。
The problem of illiteracy
基本读写能力的重要性
An estimated 774 million people over the age of 15 across the globe cannot read or write in their mother tongue. Often, but not always, these people are from poor or isolated communities and their existing social problems are compounded by a lack of literacy.
估计在全球范围内有7.74亿人在15岁以上却不识字。通常情况下，这些人都是来自贫困或边远地区，他们的问题来源于没有基本的读写能力。
Basic literacy is something that the majority of us take for granted. From firing off a quick text message to looking up information online, we’re so accustomed to using these skills that we rarely register just how much they impact our everyday lives.
基本读写能力是什么，我们大多数人都没有思考过。其实这囊括我们发短信和上网搜索讯息。犹豫我们太习惯于使用这些技能，所以很少回去考虑他们所代表的含义。更没有意识到他们到底有多少影响我们的日常生活。
In fact, consider what you need to learn a second language. The ability to read a textbook, to translate a word into your mother tongue and to make notes on how to use a certain form... all of these skills only exist because you had the benefit of literacy as a starting point.
考虑一下，当你准备学一门外语。你之所以能够用教科书学习，用字典查生词，对照你母语翻译来记忆，都是基于你本身已经有很好的读写能力，换句话说你有了基本的学习能力。
Without the foundation of being able to read and write in our native language, these basic methods of learning would be impossible.
如果你没有基本的读写能力，你不可能做到学习这些知识。
But the benefits of literacy extend far beyond communicating by text or learning a second language. In many developing countries, growing up illiterate means being practically condemned to a life of poverty, inequality and poor health.
但识字的好处远远超出了文本通信或学习第二语言。在许多发展中国家，长大了不识字的几乎被注定一生贫困，拥有不平等待遇和健康状况不佳的生活。
Why does literacy matter so much?
为什么基本读写能力非常重要？
Literacy is not just about the ease of communication that comes with reading and writing. It’s actually deeply entwined with development issues such as poverty, healthcare and equal rights.
掌握基本读写能力不只是方便沟通和阅读写作，它实际上有关深层次发展问题，如贫困问题，医疗保健和平等的权利等问题。
Let’s take a look at some of the most important benefits of literacy:
让我们看一下识字带来的一些最直接的好处。
Employment
找工作
Perhaps the most obvious benefit of basic literacy is the increased ability to find secure and well-paid employment. Literate individuals enjoy a far wider range of career choices and are more likely to pursue routes to equal pay and fairer working conditions for themselves and their families.
也许拥有读写能力最明显的好处是找到安全和薪水不错的工作。有文化的人享受更广泛的职业选择，而且更可能寻求到公平的工作环境，从而为自己和家庭奋斗。
Lowered crime
降低犯罪率
The risk of young adults and adolescents becoming involved in crime is dramatically reduced if they have literacy skills. These skills not only provide them with a greater chance of finding employment and lifting themselves out of poverty, but they also are a way of engaging more with their communities.
拥有基本读写能力会明显降低年轻人的犯罪率。这些技能不仅为他们提供找到工作的机会，还可以提升他们摆脱贫困的几率，让他们更好地融入进社会。
Health
健康
Access to healthcare is an issue that is indelibly linked to literacy rates. Basic advice on issues such as hygiene, sanitation and disease awareness is often imparted in written form, meaning it’s unobtainable for those who struggle with reading. Literacy also makes a big difference in people’s abilities to access medical treatment.
人们的识字率会影响到他们求医能力。比如关于自我卫生，环境卫生和对疾病的认识等问题，通常都是以书面形式来被人们所理解的，这意味着识字不多的人就缺少途径来接触这些医学建议或是接触医疗设备，因为他们读不懂说明。
Gender equality
性别平等
Women who can read and write are more likely to demand equal treatment, more capable of utilising their voting rights and stand a much greater chance of achieving both financial and social independence.
读写能力的提高意味着女性在社会角色上的迈进，更能够提高他们的投票权，实现他们在金融领域和社会独立方面发展的更大机遇。
International Literacy Day 2016
2016年国际扫盲日
International Literacy Day dates all the way back to 1965 and will be held this year on Thursday, September 8th. The event aims to address development issues by encouraging the spread of literacy to some of the poorest communities around the world.
国际扫盲日的历史可以一直追溯到1965年，今年将于9月8号周四举行。该活动旨在通过鼓励知识传播到世界各地最贫困的社区来解决发展问题。
Organised by the World Literacy Foundation, it encourages members of the public to get involved in projects and fundraisers intended to reduce illiteracy as much as possible.
国际扫盲日由世界扫盲基金会举办，意在鼓励市民参与到为减少社会文盲而组织的募捐活动中来。
This year’s campaign is called “The Sky’s the Limit,” and aims to eliminate the digital divide for students in the developing world.
今年的活动被称为“天空的极限”，目的在于消除发展中国家学生的识字障碍。
The Foundation hopes to achieve this goal by providing solar-powered tablets to schools in isolated areas, meaning they can access books, learning resources and training tools for teachers, even without a reliable electricity supply.
该基金会希望对偏远地区的学校提供太阳能供电平板电脑等设备，这意味着贫困学生可以有机会接触到书籍，学习资源，这将即使在没有电的情况下也可以奏效。
What can you do to help?
你可以做点什么？
The World Literacy Foundation suggests numerous ways ordinary members of the public can make a real difference to literacy rates around the world. This could be from organising an awareness raising event to booking a speaker from the World Literacy Foundation.
世界扫盲基金会提出多种方式帮助普通市民掌握基本读写能力。这包括组织活动来提高大家对于认字的重要性的认知，或是请世界扫盲基金会的代表来做宣传讲演。
Let’s take a look at some of these in more detail:
让我们来看看其中的一些更详细的介绍：
Volunteer
志愿者
For those who really want to throw themselves into the issue of worldwide literacy, the World Literacy Foundation is keen to enlist the help of volunteers to join their team.
对于那些真的想投身全球扫盲问题的人，世界扫盲基金会希望招募他们进来志愿者的队伍，来为人们服务。
The position is a great way to gain invaluable skills within the nonprofit sector while contributing to their mission of promoting global literacy and education.
这是从非盈利机构学习宝贵的技能的绝佳机会，同时促进全球扫盲问题教育的推广。
Find out more here。
点击这里查看
Campaign
征集活动
There are countless ways you could campaign on behalf of the World Literacy Foundation including hosting a book club, running a marathon or organising an awareness raising event at your place of work or school.
有无数的方法可以使你参与竞选，来代表世界扫盲基金会主办做活动，这包括运营读书俱乐部，组织跑马拉松活动，或是参与进学校有关增进扫盲活动影响力的活动中来。
Anyone with a great idea can submit it to the Foundation via the link above.
大家在此只要有想法，请通过上面的链接提交给基金会。
Book a speaker or event
预定演讲或是活动
If raising awareness is something you’re particularly keen on, then booking a speaker from the World Literacy Foundation may be for you.
如果你特别热衷于提高世界扫盲活动的影响率，那么你可与参与到邀请世界扫盲基金会的演讲活动中来。
The Foundation has a dedicated team that is available for organised events at schools, workplaces or conferences to speak about why literacy is so important.
该基金会有一个专门的团队，可能会在在学校或会议组织的活动中来为大家谈谈为什么基本读写能力是非常重要的。
To enquire, follow the link above.
来电咨询，按照上面的链接。
Image Sources
Hero Image by Monica H. (CC BY 2.0)
