A shortwave radio might seem like ancient technology these days. 
今天看来短波收音机像是一种古老的技术产品。

But for some people, it remains their only link to the wider world.
但对一些人而言，短波收音机仍是他们同宽广的世界联系的唯一途径。

Ears to Our World is an organization based in the United States. 
“倾听我们的世界”（ETOW）是家总部位于美国的组织。

It provides shortwave radios to schools and communities in some of the poorest areas of the world.
他们向世界上一些最贫穷地区的学校和社区提供短波收音机。

The radio is small, about the size of a book, and self-powered. 
这种收音机跟书本差不多大，体积很小，且自供电。

Users turn a crank. 
使用时要转动一个曲柄。

Winding it for two minutes provides about 40 minutes of listening time.
将曲柄转上两分钟可以听上40分钟的时间。

Ears to Our World is supported by private donations and partners including Eton, the company that makes the Eton Grundig radios.
“倾听我们的世界”得到私人捐赠和包括伊顿公司在内的合作伙伴的支持，伊顿公司生产伊顿根德牌收音机。

Thomas Witherspoon started Ears to Our World in 2008.
“倾听我们的世界”于2008年成立，创办人为托马斯·威瑟斯庞。

"Our radios are going to people who have no other source of international news and information. 
我们的收音机给的是那些没有别的国际新闻信息来源的人。

It's hard for them to learn new languages and be connected to the bigger world.
这些人学习新的语言，跟范围宽广的外部世界保持联系都很困难。

"In fact, in a lot of these communities, the feedback we get is before they had their radio, most of their news and information came word of mouth, from other people. 
“实际上，我们从那里的许多社区得到的反馈是，没有收音机的时候，他们大多数新闻信息都是从其他人那里听来的，听其他人亲口说的。

So this way they're getting more accurate information. 
而有了收音机后，他们得到了更多确切的信息。

And teachers use this information in the classroom to enhance a student's learning ability about the world around them."
教师则在课堂上用这些信息来增进学生对周围世界的学习能力。

Ears to Our World works with local organizations to get the radios to where they are needed most. 
“倾听我们的世界”跟当地机构合作，将收音机分配给需求最为迫切的地区。

Mr. Witherspoon says the radios are now in 11 communities, most of them in Africa.
他表示，目前有11个社区得到了收音机，其中大部分分布在非洲。

He says many of these communities are unable to get information any other way.
他称其中许多社区无法以其它方式获得信息。

"We take our radios to parts of the world that lack access to the Internet, to a national power grid of any sort. 
我们把收音机分配给那些不能上网，也没有任何形式的国家电网的地方。

We're talking about places maybe in South Sudan that are very, very remote. 
我们指的也许是苏丹南部那些非常非常偏远的地方。

No one in the community or the village has power in their homes."
当地社区或村子里没一家通电。

Thomas Witherspoon says information is the most important tool to improve the lives of poor people.
托马斯·威瑟斯庞称，信息是改善穷人生活最重要的工具。

"In this economy, information is sort of the lifeline for all of us to function and get along. 
如今这种经济中信息可是说是我们所有人开展工作、继续生活的生命线。

Especially if you're living in a place where you have no information, information is your way out of poverty."
特别是如果你生活在一个得不到信息的地方时，信息就是你脱贫的途径。

The self-powered radios are also useful in emergencies. 
这种自供电式收音机在紧急事件中也能派上用场。

Teachers in Haiti used them to get information after last year's earthquake.
去年海地发生地震后，教师们就用这种收音机获取信息。

Mr. Witherspoon says Ears to Our World has sent out about 1,200 radios. 
威瑟斯庞表示他们已派送了大约1200个收音机。

More than half have gone to earthquake victims, mostly in Haiti. 
超过一半都给了地震灾民，其中大部分灾民都来自海地。

About 500 have gone to individual teachers and schools.
送给教师个人与学校的收音机约为500个。

More recently, Ears to Our World worked to bring the radios to children with vision problems in Belize.
最近，“倾听我们的世界”又将收音机带给伯利兹有视力障碍的儿童。

"Having a radio that they can control and listen to, and search around on, it just opens a world of information to them."
托马斯·威瑟斯庞说：“有了一个可以调控、倾听、任意换台的收音机，这些孩子打开了一个信息世界。