際數學日
Message from Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the Occasion of the International Day of Mathematics
教科文組織總幹事奧德蕾·阿祖萊國際數學日致辭
14 March 2020
2020年3月14 日
“Nisaba, woman sparkling with joy/righteous woman, scribe, lady who knows everything (...) a 1-rod reed and a measuring rope of lapis lazuli/a yardstick, and a writing board which gives wisdom/Nisaba generously bestowed them on you”.
“尼薩巴，閃爍著喜悅的女神/真正的書寫女神，無所不知的女神（……）以一把標尺、一根閃亮的量繩/一根準繩和一塊書寫板，傳授智慧/尼薩巴以慷慨之手將它們贈送予你”。
Thus, at the beginning of the second millennium BCE, the scribes of Nippur spoke of the gift of mathematics bestowed by the goddess Nisaba, making her the female figurehead of a burgeoning science.
在公元前兩千紀初，尼普爾的書吏們就是這樣談到數學乃尼薩巴女神所賜之物，尼薩巴由此成為這門新興學科的女性守護神。
On this first International Day of Mathematics, we are celebrating a universal history, which began in Palaeolithic Africa more than 20,000 years ago and has continued relentlessly ever since.
值此第一個國際數學日，讓我們紀念人類共有的一段歷史，它誕生於20000多年前舊石器時代的非洲，之後在世界範圍綿延至今。
All the great mathematicians, both men and women, have contributed to this history. Now, at a time when too few girls and women are drawn to the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, this Day is an opportunity to celebrate them, from Hypatia in Greek Antiquity to the mathematicians who won our L’ORÉALUNESCO Prize “For Women in Science”, such as Ingrid Daubechies and Claire Voisin in 2019, and Maryam Mirzakhani, who passed away in 2017. Winner of the Prize in 2014, Maryam Mirzakhani is still the only woman mathematician to have received the Fields Medal, out of 60 recipients. By making these women role models for girls all over the world, UNESCO is fighting against stereotypes and is committed to ensuring that mathematics receives all the energy it needs to fulfil its role for our societies.
所有偉大的數學家，無論男性和女性，都為這段歷史作出了貢獻。當今時代，有志投身科學、技術、工程和數學事業的女童和婦女為數甚少，為此我們以國際數學日為契機，禮讚從古希臘的希帕提婭到獲得歐萊雅—聯合國教科文組織婦女與科學獎的女數學家，如2019年的獲獎者英格麗·多貝西和克萊爾·瓦贊，以及2017年去世的瑪麗安·米爾札哈尼。2014年的獲獎者瑪麗安·米爾札哈尼還是60名菲爾茲獎得主中唯一的一位女數學家。通過將這些女性科學家樹立為世界各地女孩的榜樣，教科文組織致力於破除陳規俗見，努力使數學汲取所需的一切能量，充分發揮其服務於社會的作用。
The images of the yardstick and measuring rope remind us of the real effectiveness of this science, which was developed between the most tangible problems and the greatest abstraction.
標尺和量繩的形象，提醒我們這門科學多麼簡練高效，數學正是在最具體的問題和最高的抽象之間發展而來。
Mathematics, with its many technical applications, now underpins all areas of our lives. Together with algorithms, mathematics is at the heart of the development of artificial intelligence and technological disruption. That is why it is of key importance for countries’ development.
數學，以及它的許多技術應用，影響到我們今日生活的各個領域。數學與算法，是人工智能發展和技術變革的核心。因此，數學對國家發展至關重要。
With its educational programmes and through its regional centres dedicated to mathematics in Hanoi and Accra, its Chairs in Benin, Nigeria and Palestine, and the programmes in Asia, Africa and America of the International Centre for Pure and Applied Mathematics (ICPAM) in Nice, UNESCO is committed, on a daily basis, to enabling access to mathematics education and research in developing countries.
教科文組織通過其教育計劃，並通過設在河內和阿克拉的地區數學中心、設在貝寧、尼日利亞和巴勒斯坦的教席，以及設在尼斯的國際理論數學和應用數學中心在亞洲、非洲和美洲的計劃，致力於持續不斷地推動發展中國家的數學教育和研究。
Some countries have recently declared mathematics to be “in crisis”, being rejected by students who consider the subject to be boring. This Day is all about remembering what mathematics is for, and in particular how it can be the basis of innovation for sustainable development. We must recognize that mathematics, even in its most theoretical aspects, really concerns all of us.
有一些國家最近宣佈數學陷入“危機”，因為有學生厭倦數學，覺得這門學科枯燥無聊。開展國際數學日紀念活動，正是為了讓人們瞭解數學有什麼用途，特別是它如何成為可持續發展創新的基礎。我們必須認識到，數學，哪怕是其理論性最強的方面，也與我們每個人密切相關。
As an ideal and indispensable tool for understanding the world and building our future, mathematics is a gift of never-ending generosity: we still have so much to explore.
作為理解世界和建設未來不可或缺的理想工具，數學是一份慷慨無比的天賜之物，尚待我們無盡探索。
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