聯合翻譯有限公司/聯合翻譯社

With California in the grip of drought, farmers throughout the state are using a mysterious and some say foolhardy tool for locating underground water： dowsers, or water witches.

苦於加州久旱不雨，該州各地農民啟用一種神秘、也有人說是有勇無謀的工具，尋找地下水源：水源占卜師，或稱水巫師。

Practitioners of dowsing use rudimentary tools — usually copper sticks or wooden “divining rods” that resemble large wishbones — and what they describe as a natural energy to find water or minerals underground.

水源占卜的從業者使用簡陋的工具—通常是銅棍或木製的「占卜棒」，長得像大一號的鳥類胸叉骨—以及他們所謂的自然能量，去尋找地下水源或礦物。

While both state and federal water scientists disapprove of dowsing, California “witchers” are busy as farmers seek to drill more groundwater wells because of the state’s record drought that persists despite recent rain.

雖然該州與聯邦水源科學家都不認同水源占卜，但由於加州雖然近來有雨，破紀錄的乾旱仍然持續，農人們尋求鑽鑿出更多地下水源，因此「水巫師們」還是很忙。

The nation’s fourth-largest winemaker, Bronco Wine, says it uses dowsers on its 40,000 acres of California vineyards, and dozens of smaller farmers and homeowners looking for wells on their property also pay for dowsers.

全美國第4大酒廠「布朗克葡萄酒」說，它利用水源占卜師搜尋4萬英畝的加州葡萄園，幾十個小農與民宅屋主也付費請水源占卜師在他們的地產上找水。

新聞辭典

in the grip of：片語，受限於…、受…所支配。例句：Britain is in the grip of an obesity epidemic, with just 35% people taking regular exercise.（英國只有35%人口有運動習慣，肥胖問題嚴重。）

foolhardy：形容詞，有勇無謀的、蠻幹的。例句：They were very foolhardy to jump off the bus while it was still moving.（公車還沒停他們就跳下車，實在莽撞。）

divine：動詞，占卜、預言。例句：The fortuneteller divined what would happen next year.（算命師預測來年發生的事情。）

聯合翻譯 引用自 自由時報 http://iservice.ltn.com.tw/Service/english/english.php?engno=766891&day=2014-04-01