日本理发店推出“云理发”服务

近日，日本一理发店推出一项名为Telecut的免费服务，理发师通过视频会议软件为顾客提供远程指导，顾客只需自己准备好相关工具即可实现自助理发。

无注释原文：

A cut above: Tokyo barber launches 'telecut' service as COVID-19 hits business

Japan Times

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted many services and events to go virtual in Japan, leading to the advent of online classes, online nomikai (drinking parties) and even online hostess bars.

But online haircuts?

Not a chance, you might say, but one barbershop in Tokyo is trying to make the impossible possible.

In what may be an industry first, Mr. Brothers Cut Club, whose flagship store is located in the fashion mecca of Harajuku, has launched what it calls a “telecut” service, in which its barbers will offer customers self-haircut tutorials in real time via the Zoom video-conferencing app.

“We figured many people are getting annoyed at how their hair keeps growing while they’re staying at home,” said Saito Kon, one of the Mr. Brothers barbers.

“But the only option they have at the moment is either to risk infection by venturing outside to get a haircut, or to do nothing as their hair keeps growing.”

So the barbershop decided to offer a temporary solution to that problem.

Customers interested in the telecut service need to prepare a simple collection of necessary paraphernalia themselves, such as scissors, clippers, a garbage bag and a portable mirror. There are two service options — one for parents trying to trim the hair of their children, and the other for adults looking to cut their own hair. English-speaking staff are also available, too.

Mr. Brothers admits the telecut initiative is more of a “quick-fix” measure, unlikely to blossom into a viable business model. No matter how adept barbers have become at online tutorials, “We can’t really guarantee that customers can get the perfect, high-quality haircut they would look for at barbershops,” Kon said.

“The best we can do is teach them how not to mess up,” he said, adding that the initiative boils down to him and his colleagues trying to “make a social contribution.”

The service is free of charge.

But the project also reflects a message that barbers at Mr. Brothers want to get across to men nationwide who are growing increasingly indifferent to self-grooming as they go out less and less.

“I know many guys are taking perfunctory care of how they look during this stay-at-home period, but we hope this initiative will make them stay motivated about their appearance,” Kon said.

Like many barbershops and beauty salons across the nation, Mr. Brothers has not been immune to the economic fallout of the pandemic.

“Customers have halved from the period before COVID,” Kon said with a sigh. “Not that there’s much we can do about it. We just need to hang tough.”

- ◆ -

含注释全文：

A cut above: Tokyo barber launches 'telecut' service as COVID-19 hits business

Japan Times

The COVID-19 pandemic haspromptedmany services and events to go virtual in Japan, leading tothe advent ofonline classes, online nomikai (drinking parties) and even onlinehostess bars.

COVID-19的流行，促使日本许多服务和活动走向虚拟化，导致在线课堂、在线饮酒会甚至在线招待酒吧的出现。

a cut above

表示“高…一等，比…强些；超出（能力等）；比…地位高”，英文解释为“better than other people or things”举个：

She thinks she'sa cut aboveher neighbours.

她觉得自己比邻居们高出一等。

All of his books are good, but this one isa cut above(the rest).

他的书都很好，但这本略胜一筹。

电影《成为简·奥斯汀》（Becoming Jane）中就有一句台词：I think that you, Miss Austen, consider yourselfa cut abovethecompany. 我觉得奥斯汀小姐您自认为高人一等。

注：

台词中的company有小伙伴可能会以为是「公司」的含义，这里其实是熟词僻义，表示「作伴；陪伴；同伴」（the fact of being with a person or people, or the person or people you are with），举个：

I didn't realizeyou had company(= were with someone/people).

我不知道你这儿有人。

cut作动词和名词都有「理发」的含义，作名词时，表示“理发；发型”（an act of cutting sb's hair; the style in which it is cut），举个：

Your hair could do with a cut (= it is too long).

你该理发了。

所以这里的a cut above可以理解为「双关」，除了指理发的含义，还可以表示这个理发店推出的这种免费服务较为机智，都称得上a cut above.

提到cut顺便补充下「buzz cut」这个表达，表示：圆寸，寸头发型（a style of cutting the hair in which all the hair is cut very short, close to the skin of the head）举个：

He seemed even bigger than before, and he hasa buzz cutnow.

他好像比以前更胖了，而且现在还剪了个寸头。

对了，Lorde有一首歌就叫《Buzzcut Season》：

prompt

作动词，表示“促使；导致；激起”，英文解释为“to make sb decide to do sth; to cause sth to happen”举个：

His speechprompted an angry outburstfrom a man in the crowd.

他的讲话激起了人群中一男子的愤怒。

the advent of

表示“（事件、发明或人物的）出现，来临，到来”，英文解释为“the fact of an event happening, an invention being made, or a person arriving”举个：

Life was transformed bythe advent ofthe smartphone.

智能手机的出现使人类生活发生了翻天覆地的变化。

再来个电影《X战警：第一战》（X-Men: First Class）中的例句：

The advent ofthe nuclear age may have accelerated the mutation process.

核时代的到来可能会加快突变过程。

But online haircuts?

但是，网上理发？

Not a chance, you might say, but one barbershop in Tokyo is trying tomake the impossible possible.

你可能会说，不可能，但东京的一家理发店正在尝试着将不可能的事情变成可能。

not a chance

表示“不可能，绝不会，想都别想”，英文解释为“there is no possibility”举个：

I won't go,not a chance.

我不会去的，没门！

▲ not a chance

In what may bean industry first, Mr. Brothers Cut Club, whose flagship store is located inthe fashion meccaof Harajuku, has launched what it calls a “telecut” service, in which its barbers will offer customers self-haircut tutorials in real time via the Zoom video-conferencing app.

位于时尚圣地原宿的旗舰店"Mr.Brothers Cut Club"可能是业界首创，该店推出了所谓的"远程理发"服务，其理发师将通过Zoom视频会议应用程序为顾客提供实时的自我理发教程。

mecca /mk/

表示“热门地方”，英文解释为“a place that many people like to visit, especially for a particular reason”举个：

The coast isa meccafor tourists.

沿海一带是旅游的热门景点。

“We figured many people are getting annoyed at how their hair keeps growing while they’re staying at home,” said Saito Kon, one of the Mr. Brothers barbers.

"我们猜到很多人呆在家时会苦恼于自己的头发一直长长，"Mr.Brothers理发师之一Saito Kon说。

“But the only option they have at the moment is either to risk infection byventuringoutside to get a haircut, or to do nothing as their hair keeps growing.”

"但他们目前唯一的选择是，要么冒着感染的风险到外面去理发，要么就是在头发不断生长的情况下什么都不做。"

venture

表示“冒险去（某处）”，英文解释为“If you venture somewhere, you go somewhere that might be dangerous.”举个：

People are afraid toventureout for fear of sniper attacks.

人们不敢冒险外出，害怕狙击手的袭击。

So the barbershop decided to offer a temporary solution to that problem.

于是，理发店决定为这个问题提供一个临时的解决方案。

Customers interested in the telecut service need to prepare a simple collection of necessaryparaphernaliathemselves, such as scissors, clippers, a garbage bag and a portable mirror. There are two service options — one for parents trying totrim the hairof their children, and the other for adults looking tocut their own hair.English-speaking staff are also available, too.

对远程理发服务感兴趣的顾客，需要自己准备一些简单的必备用具，比如剪刀、推子、垃圾袋和一面便携式镜子等。这里有两种服务方式，一种是为想给孩子修剪头发的家长提供服务，另一种是为想自己理发的成年人提供服务。这里也有会说英语的工作人员。

paraphernalia

paraphernalia /prfnel/ 表示“（尤指某活动所需的）装备，大量用品，私人物品”，英文解释为“a large number of objects or personal possessions, especially the equipment that you need for a particular activity”，如：skiing paraphernalia 滑雪装备。

trim

trim /trm/ 表示“修剪；修整”，英文解释为“to make sth neater, smaller, better, etc., by cutting parts from it”，如：to trim your hair 理发，to trim a hedge (back) 修剪树篱。

Mr. Brothers admits the telecut initiative is more of a “quick-fix” measure, unlikely toblossomintoa viable business model. No matter how adept barbers have become at online tutorials, “We can’t really guarantee that customers can get the perfect, high-quality haircut they would look for at barbershops,” Kon said.

Mr. Brothers承认，远程理发的举措更多的是一种"应急"措施，不太可能发展成为一种可行的商业模式。无论理发师们在网上教程上变得多么娴熟，"我们不能真正保证顾客能得到他们在理发店里寻找的完美的、高质量的理发，"Kon说。

quick fix

表示“（不完善的）应急解决办法；权宜之计”，英文解释为“If you refer to a quick fix to a problem, you mean a way of solving a problem that is easy but temporary or inadequate.”举个：

People are still looking forthe quick fix.

人们仍然在寻找应急的方法。

blossom

表示“（人）变得更有魅力（或更成功、更自信）；（好的感觉或关系）深入发展，增强”，英文解释为“When people blossom, they become more attractive, successful, or confident, and when good feelings or relationships blossom, they develop and become stronger.”举个：

She is suddenlyblossominginto a very attractive woman.

她突然出落成了一位很有魅力的女子。

“The best we can do isteach them how not to mess up,” he said, adding that the initiativeboils down tohim and his colleagues trying to “make a social contribution.”

他说，"我们能做的最好的事情就是教他们如何不出错，"他补充说，这一举措归结为他和他的同事们都在努力"为社会做贡献"。

boil down to

表示“（形势或问题）主要原因在于，归结为”，英文解释为“If a situation or problem boils down to something, that is the main reason for it.”举个：

The problemboils down toone thing - lack of money.

问题归结为一点——缺钱。

The service is free of charge.

这项服务是免费的。

But the project also reflects a message that barbers at Mr. Brothers want to get across to men nationwide who are growing increasingly indifferent toself-groomingas they go out less and less.

grooming

self-grooming自我打理/打扮，grooming表示“打扮；装束；刷洗；（给动物）梳毛”，英文解释为“the things that you do to keep your clothes and hair clean and neat, or to keep an animal's fur or hair clean”举个：

You should always pay attention topersonal grooming.

你应随时注意个人仪容。

“I know many guys aretakingperfunctorycare of how they look during this stay-at-home period, but we hope this initiative will make them stay motivated about their appearance,” Kon said.

"我知道很多男士在这段宅在家里的时间里，对自己的外貌都是敷衍了事，但我们希望这一举措能让他们对自己的外貌保持积极的态度。"Kon说。

perfunctory

perfunctory /pfktr/ 表示“草率的；马虎的；敷衍的”，英文解释为“done quickly, without taking care or interest”举个：

His smile wasperfunctory.

他的笑容很敷衍。

Like manybarbershopsandbeauty salonsacross the nation, Mr. Brothers has not been immune to the economic fallout of the pandemic.

和全国许多理发店和美容院一样，Mr. Brothers理发店也没能幸免于经济上的冲击。

理发店

这里提到两个词：

barbershop表示“理发店”，英文解释为“a shop where a barber works”；

salon表示“（提供服务的）厅，院，室，店；（尤指）美容院，美发厅，时装店”，英文解释为“a shop where you can get a particular service, especially connected with beauty or fashion”，如：a beauty salon 美容院，a hairdressing/hair salon 美发厅。

“Customers have halved from the period before COVID,” Kon said with a sigh. “Not that there’s much we can do about it. We just need tohang tough.”

hang tough

表示“坚持到底，顽强不屈；立场坚定，毫不妥协”，英文解释为“to not change your actions or opinions although other people try to make you do this”举个：

He ishanging toughon the hostage crisis.

他在处理人质危机时毫不妥协。

电影《小丑回魂》（It）中的台词：Hang tough, new kid on the block.

补充：

此处the new kid on the block指的是「刚上路的新手，初来乍到者」（someone who is new in a place or organization and has many things to learn about it）举个：

Realizing I wasthe new kid on the blockin this job, I was determined to prove myself.

意识到自己在这份工作上还是个新手之后，我下定决心要证明自己的能力。

注：本文中文译文为机器翻译，仅供参考。

author：LearnAndRecord