Neil: Hello, this is Real English from BBC Learning English, I’m Neil.

Jean: And I’m Jean. Hello.

Neil: In Real English, we look at words and phrases that you might not find in your dictionary.

Jean: 英语是一种十分程式化的语言，所以了解现实生活中人们经常使用的固定表达和俚语自然就很有用了。

Neil: Today’s phrase is snail¹ mail.

Jean: Snail mail, 蜗牛邮件。What is this Neil, a special postal² service for snails³? Sounds amazing!

Neil: No Jean, it’s nothing like that but it is slower than email.

Jean: OK 原来这个所谓的“蜗牛邮件”snail mail, 故名思意，就是比电子邮件 email 要慢上许多的邮寄邮件。Is snail mail just the ordinary way of sending a letter?

Neil: That’s exactly right. Listen to this.

Example

A: You know there’s something seriously wrong with my email account at the moment, and you know what that means don’t you?

B: What, you’re going to have to send an ordinary letter to someone through the post?

A: Yes, I’m going to have to use snail mail – what a bore.

B: Oh snail mail I remember that.

Jean: 这段对话中说话的第二个人他说他还能记得这种“蜗牛邮件”，意思是说这种邮寄的邮件比起电子邮件来说已经是太过时了。

Neil: So when you’re email account isn’t working life slows down.

Jean: It certainly does.

Neil: Let’s hear that conversation again.

Example

A: You know there’s something seriously wrong with my email account at the moment, and you know what that means don’t you?

B: What, you’re going to have to send an ordinary letter to someone through the post?

A: Yes, I’m going to have to use snail mail – what a bore.

B: Oh snail mail I remember that.

Jean: 所谓的“蜗牛邮件”是形容一般邮寄的信件的速度非常之慢，像蜗牛一样慢吞吞的。而在英语当中，“蜗牛”这个词 snail 和邮件mail是押韵的，所以说起来也很顺口 snail mail.

Neil: So Jean, which do you prefer email or snail mail?

Jean: I think it has to be email – it’s just so fast.

Neil: But it is nice to get a package through the letterbox isn’t it?

Jean: True. 好了，我们今天的《地道英语》节目就到这里了，time to send some snail mail I think.

Neil: Bye for now.