2018年接近尾聲，各大詞典紛紛發布年度詞匯。日前詞典網站Dictionary.com宣布2018年度詞匯是misinformation（虛假信息）。該網站的語言學專家還解釋了為什么選擇misinformation，而不是disinformation，以及這兩個詞之間的區別。

Dictionary.com announced 'misinformation' as its word of the year for 2018 on Monday.

本周一，詞典網站Dictionary.com宣布，2018年度詞匯是misinformation（虛假信息）。

The word is defined as, 'false information that is spread, regardless of whether there is intent to mislead.'

這個詞的定義是：“散播出來的虛假信息，不論散播者有沒有誤導的動機”。

'Our #WordOfTheYear2018 isn't just any word. It's a call to action,' the Twitter account for the site posted on Monday.

該網站的推特賬號周一發推稱：“我們的2018年度詞匯不只是一個詞，還是喚起行動的號召。”

本月早些時候，牛津辭典將toxic（有毒）選為年度詞匯。

Dictionary.com總部位于美國奧克蘭，該網站常駐語言學家簡·所羅門說，他們有意選擇了misinformation而不是disinformation，這兩者之間的區別在于意圖。

Disinformation is 'deliberately misleading' others but misinformation is often when people believe what they are sharing is true.

Disinformation是“故意誤導”他人，而misinformation通常指人們相信自己分享的信息是真的。

'The rampant spread of misinformation is really providing new challenges for navigating life in 2018,' Solomon told The Associated Press ahead of the word of the year announcement.

在宣布年度詞匯之前，所羅門告訴美聯社說：“Misinformation（虛假信息）的肆意傳播事實上為2018年指引人生航向提供了新挑戰。”

'Misinformation has been around for a long time, but over the last decade or so the rise of social media has really, really changed how information is shared.

“Misinformation這個詞很久以前就存在了，但過去十年間社交媒體的興起真正改變了信息分享的方式。”

'We believe that understanding the concept of misinformation is vital to identifying misinformation as we encounter it in the wild, and that could ultimately help curb its impact.'

“我們認為理解misinformation的概念對于在繁雜的信息中識別虛假信息至關重要，最終有助于抑制虛假信息的影響力。”

'Disinformation would have also been a really, really interesting word of the year this year, but our choice of misinformation was very intentional,' Solomon said. 'You can still be a good person with no nefarious agenda and still spread misinformation.

所羅門說：“Disinformation本來也是一個非常有趣的年度詞匯候選詞，但我們選擇misinformation是有深意的。你可能是一個沒有邪惡動機的好人，但依然會散播虛假信息。”

The word was chosen in part to help answer the question of whether disinformation or misinformation have been at play when it comes to the year's most prominent conspiracy theories.

這個詞被選中，一部分原因是為了回答一個問題：在今年最著名的陰謀論中，發揮作用的是disinformation還是misinformation。

Solomon cited claims that the students in the Parkland school shooting were crisis actors and that Caravan migrants were funded by 'rich liberals' as two popular cases of misinformation by some, this year.

所羅門表示，曾有人聲稱美國帕克蘭校園槍擊案的學生是危機演員，大篷車移民是受自由黨富人資助的，這是misinformation在今年的兩個最受關注的例子。

In studying searches on the site that trended this year, Dictionary noticed 'our relationship with truth is something that came up again and again,' she said.

所羅門說，在研究今年流行的網站搜索詞時，Dictionary.com注意到“我們和真相的關系在這些搜索詞中反復出現。”

For example, the word 'mainstream' popped up a lot, spiking in January as the term 'mainstream media,' or MSM, grew to gargantuan proportions, wielded as an insult by some on the political right.

例如，mainstream（主流）一詞出現多次，mainstream media（主流媒體，縮寫MSM）的搜索量在一月份大增，當時該詞被某些政界右翼人士用于侮辱。

Other words swirling around the same problem included a lookup surge in February for 'white lie' after Hope Hicks, then White House communications director, admitted to telling a few for President Donald Trump.

其他相關詞匯還包括二月份搜索量大增的white lie（善意的謊言），在那之前白宮通訊主管霍普·希克斯承認曾為特朗普總統說過幾個善意的謊言。

Misinformation, Solomon said, 'frames what we've all been through in the last 12 months.'

所羅門說，misinformation“構造了過去一年來我們都經歷過的事情”。

In that vein, the site with 90 million monthly users has busied itself adding new word entries for 'filter bubble,' 'fake news,' 'post-fact,' 'post-truth' and 'homophily,' among others.

該網站的9000萬每月活躍用戶一直在添加類似的新詞條，比如filter bubble（過濾氣泡）、fake news（假新聞）、post-fact（后事實）、post-truth（后真相）和homophily（同質性）。

The company's runners-up for the prize include 'representation,' driven by the popularity of the movies 'Black Panther' and 'Crazy Rich Asians,' along with wins during the US midterm elections for Muslim women, Native Americans and LGBTQ candidates.

競爭該網站年度詞匯的詞還包括representation（代表），該詞被提名是因為電影《黑豹》和《摘金奇緣》大熱，也因為美國中期選舉中穆斯林女性、美國原住民和性少數群體候選人的勝利。

Another was 'self-made' after a Forbes cover story calling Kylie Jenner a "self-made" billionaire'.

另一個被提名的詞是self-made（白手起家），因為《福布斯》雜志的封面故事將凱莉·詹娜稱為“白手起家的億萬富翁”。

Dictionary.com chose 'complicit' as last year's word of the year. In 2016, it was 'xenophobia.'

Dictionary.com去年的年度詞匯是complicit（同謀）。前年的年度詞匯是xenophobia（仇外）。

英文來源：每日郵報

編譯：丹妮