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VOA常速英语2019--The Language of Air Travel

时间:2019-05-19 08:54:08

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Believe it or not – Aviation1 English is one of the most in-demand forms of English around the world. Why? Because English is the language of the skies.

The International Civil Aviation Organization is a specialized2 agency of the United Nations. In 2003, the organization set a deadline of March 2008 for pilots and air traffic controllers at international airports to pass English proficiency3 exams. A high level knowledge of English continues to be required in international aviation today.

Some form of Aviation English is commonly used by many people working in the industry. But pilots and air traffic controllers must also learn a special form of English to communicate with each other by radio and -- more recently -- by computer. This coded language is a combination of technical terms and plain English. For example, the term “Roger” means “message received” and “Wilco” means “I will comply4.” The good news is that there are only around 300 such terms.

Aviation English differs from Standard English in a few other important ways. For example, it typically avoids question forms and negative forms. There is also almost no use of modal verbs, such as the word “can.” And, since this language is made of short, direct commands and responses, subject pronouns, such as “you” and “I,” are not used.

Few pilots know this specialized language better than Clarence “Clyde” Romero.

A native of New York City, he worked as a pilot for 38 years before retiring in 2015. He began his career in the U.S. Air Force, first as a pilot then a flight instructor5. Later, he became a commercial airline pilot and captain with Piedmont Airlines, followed by U.S. Airways6 and American Airlines.

Clyde Romero now lives in Atlanta, Georgia. He joins us by phone to tell us about aviation communication and some of his experiences as an active pilot.

Mr. Romero – thanks so much for speaking with us today.

CLYDE ROMERO: No problem.

AB: Can you start by telling us a little bit about the language of pilots and air traffic controllers?

CLYDE ROMERO: OK, there’s a phonetic7 alphabet that you have to be familiar with. So, in other words, you never say “a” over the radio, you say, “Alpha.” You never say “z” over the radio, you say “Zulu.” So, you have to be familiar with the phonetic alphabet, so that if you have to spell something out, that’s how you spell it.

You’re very specific when you say numbers and when you speak because you have to make sure the other person really understands it. You would say “niner” instead of “nine,” and then, if you had to say “19,” you don’t say “19” over the radio, you say “Roger that. It’s one-nine.”

AB: OK, great. So the alphabet is phonetic and numbers are said individually. Give us an example of a message or communication between a pilot and air traffic controller.

CLYDE ROMERO: I’ll give you an example. You could be on a gate, saying, “Roger. This is American Airlines 551, requesting pushback, Delta8 21, LaGuardia.” So he [the air traffic controller] knows what flight number you are, what gate you’re at, you want a pushback, and you’re going to LaGuardia [Airport].

AB: OK. So, there is a lot of information in very few words. Could you give examples of where English language challenges may play out on the job?

CLYDE ROMERO: The biggest challenge that people who are -- where English is not their primary language -- is that, in the aviation field, people tend to talk fast. And, unless you have the ear for it, you’ll miss a lot. Even people who English is their normal language, we’ll have people say, “Say again,” and that’s a normal term that pilots use all the time. So, if you can imagine somebody where English is not their primary language and people are talking fast, you can see how things could get missed.?

And, where this is really important is during emergencies."

AB: So, given the speed and technical nature of the language, do you have any suggestions or encouragement for non-native English speakers who are interested in the field?

CLYDE ROMERO: Aviation terms and phrases is a language unto itself.

I would recommend that they listen to air traffic control people. They have numerous places where you can listen in on the radio and how they talk and how they interact9. And, it’s like anything else. It’s a foreign language. So, how do you learn a foreign language? You start hearing it and you start mimicking10 it, and then you learn about it.

AB: Great! Now – every job has humorous moments. Are there any humorous stories that involved miscommunication from your time as an airline pilot?

CLYDE ROMERO: Yeah, well, I’ll give you a story. We were going into L.A. – Los Angeles. And there’s an arrival called the La Jolla Arrival. But, when you look at it, it’s spelled with a J – it’s spelled J-O-L-L-A. Okay, so, we’re going into L.A. and I’m flying the airplane and the other guy [pilot] is on the radios and he’s never been into L.A. and we’re on the La Jolla Arrival.

But he said, “Well, we’re on the La-JOLL-a Arrival.” Well, air traffic control said, “Well, out here in California, we say our Js like Hs. You’re on the La-HOY-a arrival.”

So, I picked up the radio and said, “Oh, really? So it’s Hanuary, Hune and Huly out here?” So after I said that, naturally, I’m not the only one on the radio. There’s Delta, American, Eastern – everybody else. And they said, 'Wow, American, you got him good there, didn’t you?' So that’s a true story."

AB: Now that’s a good one! So, when you speak to air traffic control, all of the other airlines can hear your radio talking.

CLYDE ROMERO: Yeah, when you’re on center frequency, there could be as many as two or three hundred airplanes on that same frequency, so you’re hearing everybody talk along with yourself. So what that does to you, it builds situation awareness11 around you [about] what's going on.

AB: Just out of curiosity, how many messages might you hear in one minute?

CLYDE ROMERO: In one minute, probably 50. If it’s busy, it could be more than that. And a lot of times you don’t have the time to respond. If they say, “American 785, turn right, heading 250, break. Delta 521, descend12 and maintain 2000 feet. Eastern 521 you’re clear to approach runway 13 LaGuardia, break.” And that’s what you hear. That’s exactly how fast they will talk. And you will not have time to respond. Any of the big airports, 95 percent of the time, you will not have a chance to respond. You will just do it."

AB: Mr. Romero, thanks again for speaking with us.

CLYDE ROMERO: OK, great. I’m glad I could be of assistance.

I’m Alice Bryant.

Helpful Words and Terms

air traffic control (ATC) – a system through which workers on the ground give instructions by radio to aircraft pilots 

altitude – n. the height of something (such as an airplane) above sea level 

arrival – n. the act of coming to or reaching an airport 

break – a term used to note separation between parts of a message ?

cabin – n. the part of an airplane where the passengers sit 

center frequency – n. the central radio communications used by pilots and air traffic controllers 

clearance13 – n. official permission for a pilot or airplane to do something 

crew – n. the group of people who operate an airplane, train or ship 

gate –? n. refers to the place (inside or outside an airport) for departure or arrival 

land – v. to return (an aircraft) to the ground after a flight 

mayday – a distress14 signal, preferably spoken three times; a word used to call for help when an airplane is in danger 

over – a term used in radio communications to show that a message is complete 

pushback – n. the movement of an airplane from a parking spot, usually with help from a specialized ground vehicle 

runway – n. a long strip of ground where aircraft take off and land 

Roger – means: “I have received all of your last message” 

say again – means: “Repeat all, or the following part, of your last message” 

stand by – means: “Please wait” 

takeoff – n. the moment when an aircraft leaves the ground and begins to fly 

taxiing – n. movement of an airplane at low speed on wheels along the ground 

Wilco – means: “I will comply”


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1 aviation aviation     
n.航空,航空学,飞机制造业
参考例句:
  • Ten years ago,they began to develop the aviation. 十年前,他们开始发展航空工业。
  • Pilots of large aircraft are masters of aviation.大型飞行器的驾驶员是航空学方面的专家。
2 specialized Chuzwe     
adj.专门的,专业化的
参考例句:
  • There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
  • These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。
3 proficiency m1LzU     
n.精通,熟练,精练
参考例句:
  • He plied his trade and gained proficiency in it.他勤习手艺,技术渐渐达到了十分娴熟的地步。
  • How do you think of your proficiency in written and spoken English?你认为你的书面英语和口语熟练程度如何?
4 comply Opxzw     
v.遵照,照做,应允,顺从,服从
参考例句:
  • She was told to pay the fine,but refused to comply.她被通知交纳罚款,但她拒不服从。
  • Candidates must comply strictly with these instructions.候选人必须严格遵守这些指示。
5 instructor D6GxY     
n.指导者,教员,教练
参考例句:
  • The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
  • The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。
6 AIRWAYS 5a794ea66d6229951550b106ef7caa7a     
航空公司
参考例句:
  • The giant jets that increasingly dominate the world's airways. 越来越称雄于世界航线的巨型喷气机。
  • At one point the company bought from Nippon Airways a 727 jet. 有一次公司从日本航空公司买了一架727型喷气机。
7 phonetic tAcyH     
adj.语言的,语言上的,表示语音的
参考例句:
  • Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。
  • English phonetic teaching is an important teaching step in elementary stages.语音教学是英语基础阶段重要的教学环节。
8 delta gxvxZ     
n.(流的)角洲
参考例句:
  • He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
  • The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔,形成了一个三角洲。
9 interact w5Ix9     
vi.相互作用,相互影响,互通信息
参考例句:
  • All things are interrelated and interact on each other.一切事物互相联系并相互作用。
  • The policeman advised the criminal to interact with the police.警察劝罪犯与警方合作。
10 mimicking ac830827d20b6bf079d24a8a6d4a02ed     
v.(尤指为了逗乐而)模仿( mimic的现在分词 );酷似
参考例句:
  • She's always mimicking the teachers. 她总喜欢模仿老师的言谈举止。
  • The boy made us all laugh by mimicking the teacher's voice. 这男孩模仿老师的声音,逗得我们大家都笑了。 来自辞典例句
11 awareness 4yWzdW     
n.意识,觉悟,懂事,明智
参考例句:
  • There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
  • Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。
12 descend descend     
vt./vi.传下来,下来,下降
参考例句:
  • I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
  • We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。
13 clearance swFzGa     
n.净空;许可(证);清算;清除,清理
参考例句:
  • There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.两堵墙之间只有十厘米的空隙。
  • The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一办好离港手续立刻启航了。
14 distress 3llzX     
n.苦恼,痛苦,不舒适;不幸;vt.使悲痛
参考例句:
  • Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
  • Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

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