A telegram was a short written message sent quickly over long distance by telegraph — an electrical wire system — long before phones and email were in every home. You went to the post office or telegraph office, wrote your message, and paid by the word. Then the office sent it as electrical signals, and at the other end someone wrote it out and a person carried the paper to the door.

A telegram一份電報 was曾經是 a short written message一則簡短的書面訊息， sent quickly很快地 over long distance送到很遠的地方， by telegraph透過電報——也就是 an electrical wire system一種電線系統——， long before在很久以前， phones and email電話和電子郵件 were in every home還沒普及到家家戶戶的時候。 You你 went to the post office or telegraph office會去郵局或電報局， wrote your message寫下你的訊息， and然後 paid by the word按字數付費。 Then接著 the office局裡 sent it as electrical signals會把它轉成電子訊號送出去， and而 at the other end在另一端 someone wrote it out有人會把它寫下來 and而且 a person carried the paper to the door會有人把這張紙送到家門口。

Because you paid for every word, telegrams had a famous style: all the small words thrown away. 'ARRIVING TAIPEI SUNDAY MORNING. MOTHER ILL. SEND MONEY.' No 'I am', no 'the', often the word STOP instead of a full stop, because punctuation was hard to send.

Because you paid for every word因為每個字都要付錢， telegrams電報 had a famous style因此有個很有名的風格： all the small words thrown away就是把所有的小字都省掉。 'ARRIVING TAIPEI SUNDAY MORNING. MOTHER ILL. SEND MONEY.'「星期天早上抵達台北。母親病了。寄錢來。」 No 'I am'沒有「I am」這種說法、 no 'the'也沒有「the」、 often常常 the word STOP用 STOP 這個字 instead of a full stop代替句號， because punctuation was hard to send因為標點符號很難傳送。

English speakers still call this clipped style 'telegraphic'.

English speakers還是有人 still call this clipped style仍然把這種精簡的風格 'telegraphic'叫做「telegraphic」（電報式的）。

Telegrams carried the biggest news of people's lives — a birth, a death, a soldier not coming home — so in old films and novels a telegram arriving at the door is a moment of fear or great joy. That feeling still sits inside the word.

Telegrams電報 carried the biggest news of people's lives承載著人們生命中最重大的消息—— a birth出生、 a death死亡、 a soldier not coming home士兵沒有回家——， so所以 in old films and novels在老電影和小說裡， a telegram arriving at the door電報送到家門口 is a moment of fear or great joy往往是恐懼或狂喜的一刻。 That feeling這種感覺 still sits inside the word依然留在這個詞裡面。

In most countries the service is now dead; it ended in the US in 2006 and in India in 2013. So today the word is history, or a picture from an old story. There is a rare verb too — 'she telegrammed him the news' — but even when telegrams existed, 'to wire someone' was the more common way to say it.

In most countries在大部分國家， the service is now dead這項服務現在已經停止了； it ended結束的時間 in the US in 2006是美國在2006年， and而 in India in 2013印度則是2013年。 So所以 today今天 the word is history這個詞已經成了歷史， or或者 a picture from an old story是老故事裡的一個畫面。 There is a rare verb too還有一個罕見的動詞用法—— 'she telegrammed him the news'像「she telegrammed him the news」（她用電報通知他這個消息）—— but但是 even when telegrams existed即使在電報還存在的年代， 'to wire someone'「to wire someone」（打電報給某人） was the more common way to say it才是更常見的說法。

One warning for young learners: Telegram is now much better known as a phone messaging app. The app was named after the old thing, and its logo is a paper plane — a message flying far. Same word, completely different object.

One warning for young learners給年輕學習者的一個提醒： Telegram這個「Telegram」 is now much better known as現在更常被當成 a phone messaging app一款手機通訊軟體。 The app這款軟體 was named after the old thing是用這個舊事物命名的， and而 its logo is a paper plane它的圖示是一架紙飛機—— a message flying far象徵一則飛向遠方的訊息。 Same word相同的詞， completely different object卻是完全不同的東西。