雙語暢銷書《艾倫圖靈傳》第8章:水銀延時線(99)
In 1941 a direct appeal had worked wonders, but by 1947 the war might as well have never been. And talk of 'planning staff' for the universal machine was almost as unreal as it would have been in 1936.
As it happened, the new recruit, Donald Davies, who came from atomic research, had been studying the abstract universal machine of Computable Numbers, rather annoying Alan by finding mistakes of detail in its construction.
新招募的戴維斯，來自原子研究所，他學習了《可計算數》中的通用機器，並且發現了一些建造方面的細節錯誤，這讓圖靈感到很不耐煩。Alan had also given a talk on the ACE at the NPL which Rupert Morcom attended.
圖靈在國家物理實驗室做了一場關於ACE的演講，拉普特·默卡前來參加。
The unhappy fact was that after eleven years there was still nothing but paper plans, a paper machine and paper programs, abstruse and insubstantial as the 'satisfactory numbers' he had tried to explain at the Clock House in 1936.
已經11年過去了，通用機仍然是紙上談兵，與1936年圖靈在鍾屋給他看的相比，沒有任何新的東西能拿出來。He had given his all, and had nothing to show for it but paper.
圖靈已經傾盡所能，但卻什麼都沒有造出來。But the wheels of 1939, that once had seemed to be turning in his direction, were now revolving backwards.
1939年，歷史的車輪似乎一度駛入了他的軌道，但現在卻又脫軌了。In the summer of 1946 Alan had made contact again with James Atkins, who came to visit at Teddington.
1946年夏天，圖靈重逢了詹姆斯·阿特金斯，他是來特丁頓旅遊的。He asked Alan what he had done, and Alan replied 'Can't you guess?' But James could only guess that it was to do with the atomic bomb.
他問圖靈做了什麼，圖靈反問"你猜？"，詹姆斯猜他做了與原子彈有關的工作。After the passage of nine years, they found that there was nothing that they could truly say or do.
闊別9年之後，這兩位故人已經沒有什麼實質的內容可聊了。When James went, he left something behind, and returning after a few minutes caught Alan sitting in his bed-sitter with a particularly acute look of misery.
詹姆斯走時，忘了一些東西，幾分鐘後他回來拿，正碰見圖靈坐在臥室裏，臉上帶着極度扭曲的表情。Alan had mentioned The Cloven Pine to James, and in early 1947 Fred Clayton himself got in touch again. Alan replied on 30 May
圖靈給詹姆斯講了《邪惡之鬆》。1947年初，圖靈與弗雷德·克萊頓也重新聯繫上了。5月30日，圖靈給弗雷德回信：I was very glad to hear from you again, and should very much enjoy teaming up with you again for another sailing holiday.
很高興聽到你的消息，我很盼望再跟你一起去航海度假。
