Voicemail is the system that answers your phone when you cannot, and lets the caller record a spoken message for you to hear later. The word covers both halves of that: the system itself ('Our office has voicemail'), and one individual message ('You have three voicemails').

Voicemail是 the system that answers your phone when you cannot當你沒辦法接電話時幫你接聽的系統, and而且 lets the caller record a spoken message for you to hear later讓打來的人錄一段話留言、讓你之後再聽. The word這個字 covers both halves of that涵蓋這兩個意思: the system itself系統本身 ('Our office has voicemail')（像Our office has voicemail）, and還有 one individual message單一一則留言 ('You have three voicemails')（像You have three voicemails）

It is normally uncountable when you mean the service — 'leave a message on my voicemail', 'check your voicemail' — but people freely count the messages, and 'three voicemails' is completely normal English now, whatever older dictionaries say. It also works as a verb, mostly in American English: 'I voicemailed him about it.' That sounds casual and a bit business-y.

It它 is normally uncountable when you mean the service當你指的是這個服務的時候通常是不可數名詞 — 'leave a message on my voicemail'像leave a message on my voicemail, 'check your voicemail'check your voicemail — but但 people freely count the messages大家會很自然地把留言當成可數的東西算, and而且 'three voicemails' is completely normal English nowthree voicemails這種說法現在完全正常, whatever older dictionaries say不管比較舊的字典怎麼說. It它 also works as a verb也可以當動詞用, mostly in American English主要是美式英語: 'I voicemailed him about it.'像I voicemailed him about it這樣. That這 sounds casual and a bit business-y聽起來很隨性、又帶點商務感

Worth knowing how it has changed. Voicemail was very important in the 1990s and 2000s, when it was often the only way to reach someone who was out.

Worth knowing值得知道的是 how it has changed它是怎麼改變的. Voicemail in the 1990s and 2000sVoicemail在1990和2000年代 was very important非常重要, when那時候 it was often the only way to reach someone who was out它常常是聯絡不在的人唯一的辦法

Today many people, especially younger people, never listen to their voicemail at all — they see the missed call, and text back instead. Some people even record a greeting saying 'don't leave a message, just text me'. So if you leave a voicemail for a friend, you may be waiting a long time.

Today現在 many people, especially younger people很多人尤其是年輕人, never listen to their voicemail at all根本完全不聽語音信箱 — they see the missed call他們看到未接來電, and就 text back instead直接傳訊息回覆. Some people有些人 even甚至 record a greeting saying 'don't leave a message, just text me'會錄一段問候語說「不要留言，直接傳訊息給我」. So所以 if you leave a voicemail for a friend如果你留言給朋友, you may be waiting a long time你可能要等很久

For a company, a doctor's office, or a landlord, it still works perfectly well. One older word for the same idea, still used for the machine on a desk: answering machine (答錄機).

For a company, a doctor's office, or a landlord對公司、診所或房東來說, it還是 still works perfectly well很管用. One older word for the same idea同一個概念還有一個比較舊的說法, still used for the machine on a desk現在還用來指桌上的那台機器: answering machine (答錄機)answering machine（答錄機）