Whenever we picture the stereotypical pirate, he’s usually wearing a long coat or striped shirt, is bearing acutlass, and is sporting an eye patch. While the first two are easily explainedas being appropriate for the period, the eye patch is an anomaly that seemsmore like a modern add-on to give the customary costume a unique touch.
我们脑海中典型的海盗通常穿着长外套或条纹衬衫，拿着弯刀，戴着眼罩。虽然前两个很容易理解为适应这个时期，但眼罩是一个反常现象，似乎更像是为了给习惯的服装一个独特的触感的现代附加物。
The truth is, however, that the eyepatch was part of pirate garb, but that leaves the question as to why. It’s unlikely that so many pirates lost an eye to warrant it becoming synonymous with piracy. While it’s probable that many pirates were covering a damaged eye, there is another plausible reason that may explain why the eye patch was so prevalent out at sea.
然而事实是眼罩是海盗装束的一部分，但这就留下了为什么的问题。这么多的海盗失去了一只眼睛，这不太可能成为海盗的代名词，但很可能是许多海盗遮住了受损的眼睛，但是还有另外一个原因可以解释为什么眼罩在海上如此普遍。
The popularity of patches
补丁的流行
Buy any Halloween pirate costume and there is a very good chance an eye patch is going to be included. While it’s a staple of the iconic getup, back in the days of piracy, the eye patch was believed to have had a clear purpose.
购买任何万圣节海盗服装都会包括一个眼罩在内。在盗版盛行的年代，眼罩是标志性服装的主要部分，但人们相信它有明确的用途。
Living with a bounty on your head and enemies at every turn, pirates needed to be ready for anything. Whether day ornight, if a rival ship came too close or they happened upon a settlement worth sacking, pirates had to be ready. Come night fall, adjusting to the shift from light to dark was essential to pillaging and plundering. To prevent the nightfrom impeding their vision, pirates allegedly used eye patches so that they would always have one eye well-adjusted to the dark.
依靠悬赏金生存的海盗需要准备好任何事情。无论白天还是晚上，如果敌对船只靠得太近，或者他们碰巧发现了一个值得洗劫的定居点，海盗们必须做好准备。到了夜幕降临的时候，适应从明到暗的转变对于抢劫和掠夺是至关重要的。 据称，为了防止夜晚妨碍他们的视力，海盗们使用了眼罩，这样他们的一只眼睛可以很好地适应黑暗。
The importance of night vision
夜视的重要性
According to "Scientific American," it can take the human eye up to 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness. For pirates, those 30 minutes could be the difference between being left on the ocean floor and getting a jump on incoming opposing flags.
根据《科学美国人》的说法，人类的眼睛需要30分钟才能适应黑暗。对于海盗来说，这30分钟的时间可能是他们被留在海底的时间，也可能是他们被对方旗帜击中的时间。
Piracy doesn’t follow a set clock, andships were constantly moving through the night. In the event of a confrontation, it was vital that pirates could see. On starless and moonless nights, the sea could be pitch-black. Pirates who kept one eye in the dark had an advantage over those who didn’t.
海盗行为并不遵循一个固定的时钟，船只在夜间不停地移动。在发生冲突的情况下，海盗能看到是至关重要的。在没有星星和月亮的夜晚，大海可能是漆黑一片。在黑暗中保持一只眼睛的海盗更有优势有优势。
Is it plausible?
这合理吗？
The issue determining whether or not this reasoning is accurate is that there are no historical records to offer confirmation. There may be no evidence or pirate artifacts that support thistheory, but there are real-world applications that at least give reason to believe this theory.
这种推理是否准确的关键在于没有历史记录可以证实。也许没有证据支持这个理论，但是现实世界中的情况至少给了我们相信这个理论的理由。
The team behind the"MythBusters" TV show put this idea to the test in their 2007 pirate special. Known for taking the necessary steps to create a controlled environment and mimic the original conditions, the team set up a dark room and sent in light-adjusted eyes. In the dark maze, they stumbled and had adifficult time making it to the exit.
“流言终结者”电视节目的团队在2007年的海盗特辑中对这个想法进行了测试。 该团队以采取必要步骤创造可控环境和模拟原始条件而著称，他们设置了一个黑暗的房间，并通过光线调节给眼睛发送信号。在黑暗的迷宫里，他们跌跌撞撞，艰难地走到出口。
A second dark room served as a maze foreyes that were covered for 30 minutes. This room was completed in significantly less time.
第二个作为迷宫的小黑屋持续了三十分钟，这个房间完成的时间要短的多。
