Hello and welcome.

你好，欢迎光临。

My name's Heather McCallum and I'm one of the potters who work here at Edelman Pottery.

我叫希瑟・麦卡勒姆，是在埃德尔曼陶器厂工作的陶工之一。

Before we go into the workshop, I just want to say a bit about the craft of pottery.

在我们进入工作室之前，我想简单介绍一下陶器的制作工艺。

Then we'll have a look at the equipment, and you can try making a pot of your own.

然后我们会看看设备，你可以试着自己制作一个陶罐。

Like many people, I'm sure you know that pottery as an art form is tens of thousands of years old, and we know this because it stands the test of time.

和许多人一样，我相信你们都知道陶器作为一种艺术形式已经有数万年的历史，我们之所以知道这一点，是因为它经受住了时间的考验。

Things like baskets and pictures don't survive in the earth in the same way that pots do.

像篮子和画作这样的东西，不会像陶器那样在地球上保存下来。

And even if ancient pots are found in small pieces, they still provide a lot of information about the past.

即使古代陶器只是以小块碎片的形式被发现，它们仍然提供了大量关于过去的信息。

There's no doubt that pottery has given archaeologists a fascinating insight into how ancient humans lived.

毫无疑问，陶器为考古学家提供了关于古代人类生活方式的有趣见解。

The shape of an artefact may have been lost, but archaeologists can tell whether the pots were for, say, storage or cooking by examining the impressions on the clay, the scratches from tools; and the clay itself can reveal where the pots came from.

人工制品的形状可能已经遗失，但考古学家可以通过检查陶土上的痕迹、工具的刮痕来判断这些陶罐是用于储存还是烹饪；而陶土本身也能揭示这些陶罐的来源。

When I ask people why they want to take a pottery class with me, they sometimes talk about these things.

当我问人们为什么想和我一起上陶器课时，他们有时会谈论这些事情。

Like our ancestors, they hope that something they create will also last longer than they do, that their work – whether it is good or not – might say something about humanity many years after their death.

就像我们的祖先一样，他们希望自己创造的东西也能比他们存在的时间更长，希望他们的作品 —— 无论是好是坏 —— 能在他们去世多年后对人类有所启发。

Of course, you will all have your own reasons for coming here.

当然，你们来这里都有自己的理由。

As far as I'm concerned, what I love most is the concentration you need to make a good pot.

就我而言，我最喜欢的是制作好锅所需的专注力。

That focus takes you away from the stresses of everyday life.

这种专注能让你远离日常生活的压力。

If you're elderly, it's also good exercise for hands and wrists and helps with arthritis and, of course, it's a fun activity for children because it's so messy!

如果你是老年人，这也是一项有益于手和手腕的锻炼，有助于治疗关节炎。当然，对孩子们来说，这也是一项有趣的活动，因为它实在是太乱了！

Here at Edelman Pottery, we show you some of the basic pottery techniques so that you can use these to create whatever you wish – a gift for a friend, perhaps.

在埃德尔曼陶艺，我们向您展示一些基本的陶艺技巧，这样您就可以用它们创造任何您想要的东西 —— 也许是送给朋友的礼物。

Like nearly everyone who comes here, I'm sure this is the first time you will have tried the art, so we'll keep things simple today.

和几乎所有来到这里的人一样，我相信这是你第一次尝试这门艺术，所以今天我们会保持简单。

Now, before we move on, can I just say a word about what you're wearing.

现在，在我们继续之前，我能说一下你穿的是什么吗？

As we said in our email, please remove any watches, necklaces, etc. and put them somewhere safe.

正如我们在邮件中所说，请摘下任何手表、项链等物品，并将它们放在安全的地方。

If you have long hair, do tie it back now.

如果你有长发，现在就把它扎起来。

We'll provide aprons later, but I trust your clothes are old but comfortable – not your favourite T-shirt or jeans!

我们稍后会提供围裙，但我相信你的衣服虽然旧了，但很舒服 —— 不是你最喜欢的 T 恤或牛仔裤！