The small yellow creatures live to be henchmen, trusted followers of the most villainous villain they can find.

這些黃色的小生物為世界上最壞的惡棍服務，也是惡棍們值得信賴的隨從。

That's why they serve anti-hero extraordinaire Gru.

這就是為什麼他們為反派的大壞蛋格魯服務。

Minions have a unique look, but what's even more unique is their language.

小小兵們有一個獨特的外觀，但更獨特的是他們的語言。

On the surface, it sounds like they're speaking complete gibberish, but if you listen closely, it's really an intricate and nuanced vocabulary.

表面上聽起來他們完全在胡言亂語，但如果你仔細聽，這些詞彙其實精巧複雜。

Very nuanced.

非常精細。

Here's what it all means.

我們來一探究竟。

"Minionese", as it's known, is a constructed language created by "Despicable Me" co-directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud.

「小小兵語」，是由《神偷奶爸》的導演 Pierre Coffin 和 Chris Renaud 創造出的一種人工語言。

While it may sound like incoherent babbling, the practically indistinguishable words are actually a handcrafted dialect specifically designed for the Minions.

雖然聽起來像是在語無倫次地牙牙學語，其實這些幾乎無法辨認的字詞是一個精心為小小兵打造的語言。

What?

什麼？

Argh! What did I say?

吼！我說什麼了？

Minionese is a combination of several real languages, including French, Italian, Spanish, Hindi, and Japanese, among others.

小小兵語是幾種真實語言的組合，包括法語、義大利語、西班牙語、印地語和日語等。

One example of how these words are blended together to create the jumbled language comes from "Despicable Me 2".

我們可以在《神偷奶爸 2》看到這些詞彙如何混合在一起形成小小兵這種雜亂無章的語言。

Uh... poulet tikka masala?

Uh... poulet tikka masala? （小小兵語）

Masala?

Masala?（小小兵語）

The phrase he uses there is a combination of French and Hindi that describes the popular Indian-style chicken dish.

這裡使用的短語是法語和印地語的結合，用來形容一道受歡迎的印度風格雞肉菜餚。

A lot of what Minions say consists of silly-sounding words strung together from various different languages with some actual gibberish thrown in.

小小兵們說的很多話都是由各種聽起來很傻的詞，加入不同的語言，再加上與一些無意義的聲音組合而成的。

So, no matter where you are in the world, you probably recognize something that comes out of the Minions' mouths.

所以，無論你在世界哪個地方，你可能都可以辨識出一些從小小兵口中說出來的話。

Thank you.

謝謝你。

It's not inconceivable that the Minions would know so many languages,

小小兵們能懂這麼多語言其實不難理解，

considering their origin movie, the aptly-titled "Minions", established that they've been traveling the world since the beginning of time in search of the perfect villain to serve.

正如其前傳電影《小小兵》的內容，小小兵的角色設定是：他們為了尋找完美的反派來服務，因此一直在周遊列國。

Why wouldn't they speak multiple dialects?

他們為什麼不說多種語言呢？

In addition to all the foreign languages the Minions use to express themselves, English is also in there, loud and clear.

除了小小兵們用來表達自己的所有外國語言裡，英語可以在其中聽到，響亮而清晰。

In fact, "banana" is one of the Minions' favorite words.

事實上，「香蕉 」是小小兵們最喜歡的詞之一。

Banana.

香蕉。

Banana!

香蕉！

There's usually a recognizable word or two thrown in every few sentences when Minions talk, which allows English-speaking viewers to feel as though they're following along.

當小小兵說話的時候，通常每隔幾句話就會出現一兩個可識別的詞，這讓講英語的觀眾感覺好像可以了解他們在說什麼。

Minions...

小小兵...

But that feeling of "Ah, I understood that!" isn't just for American audiences.

但不只有美國觀眾會有那種 「啊，我明白了！」的感受。

The filmmakers make sure the movies are dubbed so particular words and phrases still stand out.

電影製作人確保電影配入不同的聲音，以便特定的單詞和短語仍突出。

That means that people all around the world can also have that "a-ha" moment when they watch the movie in their own languages.

這意味著，世界各地的人們用他們自己的語言觀看這部電影時，都可以有那種「啊哈」的時刻。

There's more to Minionese than just words.

小小兵語不僅僅只是字詞。

Like any other language, there's tone, body language, gestures, and expressions, among other things, that help convey a message.

就像其他語言一樣，它有語氣、身體語言、手勢和表情，別的東西就先不提，這有助於傳達訊息。

When a Minion is happy, he may squeal, smile, and excitedly jump up and down.

當小小兵高興時，他可能會尖叫、微笑和興奮地跳起來。

When he's annoyed, he may mumble, cross his arms, and roll his eyes.

當他惱怒時，他可能會喃喃自語、交叉手臂和翻白眼。

These are all pretty universal symbols of communication, so even the youngest kids in the audience can pick up on a Minion's feelings without trying too hard.

這些都是相當普遍的溝通符號，所以即使觀眾中最幼小的孩子，都可以不費吹灰之力就體會到小小兵的感受。

Also, context is very important in the "Minions" movies, as it helps make the language easier to understand.

此外，在《小小兵》電影中，上下文是非常重要的，因為它能助語言更容易理解。

An example is when the Minions run to an ice cream truck, chanting "gelato" in "Despicable Me 2".

一個例子是在《神偷奶爸 2》中，當小小兵們跑向一輛冰淇淋車時，他們高喊著「冰淇淋」。（註：gelato 指義式冰淇淋；ice cream 指美式冰淇淋）

Gelato!

冰淇淋！

Gelato... gelato... gelato.

冰淇淋...冰淇淋...冰淇淋。

That's Italian for "ice cream", and it's also the kind of word that probably sounds like gibberish to young ears, especially since the Minions kind of mispronounce it, but it totally fits in context.

這是意大利語的「冰淇淋」，同時在小朋友耳朵裡聽起來也像是胡言亂語，尤其小小兵們的發音有點錯誤，但它完全符合上下文。

As simple as it may seem, this helps you know what's going on without needing to fully understand what's being said.

就像看起來的那麼簡單，這幫助你在不需要完全聽懂他們在講什麼的情況下，仍知道發生了什麼事。

Phonetics also comes into play.

語音學也發揮了作用。

Humans are wired to understand a word if it sounds similar to a word they're already familiar with.

人類莫名的能理解一些和自己熟悉的聲音相像的聲音。

When Gru orders some of his Minions to replace a toy unicorn for Agnes, the Minionese word they use rhymes with toy and conveys that they understand their mission.

當格魯命令他的一些奴才（小小兵）為 Agnes 更換一個玩具獨角獸時，他們所用的小小兵語和 toy（玩具）這個字押韻，並表達他們懂他們的任務。

Papoy?

Papoy？（小小兵語）

No, no, no, no, no. Papoy.

不不不不不。Papoy。

Ah, papoy!

啊，papoy！

There may be thousands of Minions, but for the most part, only one man voices them ⏤ Pierre Coffin, who also co-directed several of the movies.

電影裡有數以千計隻小小兵，但大部分都只有一個人為他們配音 —— Pierre Coffin，他同時也共同執導了幾部電影。

While Coffin and fellow director Chris Renaud both created the Minions' language and contributed voices to the characters at first, Coffin quickly became the go-to guy.

雖然 Coffin 和同為導演的 Chris Renaud 都創造了小小兵的語言，並都在一開始為他們配音，Coffin 很快就成為了天選之人。

By the time "Minions" came out, he was the sole voice of the creatures.

到了《小小兵》推出時，他是這些生物的唯一配音員。

Coffin didn't originally intend to take on such a big role outside of directing.

Coffin 原本並不打算在導演之外承擔如此大的角色。

But the ball quickly started rolling when, during the early stages of the original film's production, he made a test voice-over to demonstrate how the Minions should sound,

不過他很快就開始動工了，在原電影製作的早期階段，他做了一個測試性配音，以演示小小兵們的聲音應該長怎樣，

and the producers immediately handed the job over to him.

然後製作人便立即將此工作交付給他。

The rest, of course, is Minion history.

當然，剩下的劇情大家都知道了。

If things had gone differently, however, Coffin may not have had the chance to develop the Minions' bizarre language because the Minions weren't always supposed to be so cute.

如果不是這樣發展，Coffin 可能就沒有機會可以發展出小小兵獨特怪異的語言了，因為小小兵並不是一開始就設定得這麼可愛。

In fact, during the early stages of the first film, they were supposed to be big, ugly brutes.

事實上，在第一部電影的初期階段，他們應該是又大又醜的野蠻生物。

Coffin told "The Guardian", "We quickly realized that they were very unappealing and made Gru a totally unsympathetic anti-hero."

Coffin 告訴《衛報》，「我們很快意識到，他們非常不討人喜歡，也使格魯成為一個完全沒有同情心的反派英雄。」

"To make him charming, we had this idea that he'd know all of his little helpers by their forenames, even though there were hundreds, and suddenly, Gru was sympathetic."

「為了使他更有魅力，我們有這樣的想法：他知道他全部小幫手的名字，儘管有幾百個名字，就這樣，格魯突然就有了同情心。」

"And from that first scene, we knew the Minions gave the other characters counter-balance, had great comedic potential, and were super cute."

「從第一個場景開始，我們就知道小小兵平衡了其他角色、有很大的喜劇潛力而且超級可愛。」

Alright, every ⏤ go, go, go to bed.

好啦，你們——去吧，去吧，去睡覺。

Thanks for watching.

謝謝你的觀看。

Click the links in our video to watch more from Netflix Film Club.

點擊我們影片的連結，在 Netflix Film Club 觀看更多內容。

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest exclusive videos.

訂閱我們的 Youtube 頻道，以獲得最新的獨家影片。

Plus, hit the bell so you don’t miss a single one.

還有，打開小鈴鐺，你就不會錯過任何一個影片喔。