宏浩翻譯有限公司

◎周虹汶

Google hastily removed an April Fools’ Day feature on Friday that allowed Gmail users to send emails and not see the replies, after the joke fell very flat with some people.

谷歌週五急急忙忙地移除一項允許谷歌電子郵件使用者寄信且看不到回覆的愚人節功能，在這個玩笑對某些人而言徹底失敗後。

The prank, called "Mic Drop," gave users the option of sending emails through a special send button that - if the person replied - did not show the response. Users could ignore the feature, but some apparently clicked in error on the special button instead of the usual button.

這個叫做「丟麥」的惡作劇，讓使用者得以選擇透過一個特別的傳送鍵發出電子郵件——如果對方回應，不會秀出回信。使用者可以忽略這項功能，但有些人顯然誤按這個特別鍵，而非平常按鍵。

The feature included a humorous animated GIF of a "Minion."

該功能包括了一個「小小兵」滑稽動畫圖片。

"Well, it looks like we pranked ourselves this year. Due to a bug, the Mic Drop feature inadvertently caused more headaches than laughs," Google said in a Gmail blog post after its help forum filled with complaints.

其求助論壇充斥抱怨後，谷歌在谷歌電子郵件部落格一篇文章內說道：「嗯，看來我們今年好像整到我們自己。因為一項系統缺陷，『丟麥』功能無意間引來頭痛多於笑聲。」

"We’re truly sorry. The feature has been turned off. If you are still seeing it, please reload your Gmail page."

「我們真心抱歉。該功能已關閉。如果您仍看見它，請重新載入您的谷歌電子郵件頁面。」

The Gmail blog said the initial idea was to allow users to "have the last word on any email."

谷歌電子郵件部落格說，最初想法是讓使用者「在任何一封電子郵件都是我說了算。」

Some users found the prank not at all funny.

但有些使用者覺得，這個惡作劇一點都不好笑。

Gmail user and writer Allan Pashby said that because he unknowingly used the Mic Drop feature, he is now unemployed.

谷歌電子郵件使用者暨作家亞倫．帕什比說，因在不知情狀況下用了「丟麥」功能，他目前失業中。

"There were corrections that needed to be made on my articles and I never received her replies. My boss took offense to the Mic Drop animation and assumed that I didn’t reply to her because I thought her input was petty," wrote Pashby on Gmail’s help forum. （Reuters）

帕什比在谷歌電子郵件求助論壇中寫道：「我的文章裡有需要修正之處，而我一直沒收到她的回覆。我的老闆被「丟麥」動畫惹腦，還猜我沒回信是因覺得她的修正太瑣碎。」（路透）

新聞辭典

fall flat：片語動詞，指未產生預期效果、完全失敗。例句：The event will fall flat without her.（沒了她，這場活動將黯然失色。）

have the last word：片語動詞，指最終決定。例句：Women will have the last word.（女人說了算。）

take offense：片語動詞，指被惹惱、生氣。例句：I’m sorry you took offense at my words.（我很抱歉我的話讓您生氣了。）