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snail mail 蜗牛信笺？

“蜗牛信笺”是用传统的邮递方式传送的信件，而不是用email，电报或者其他电子方式。之所以被叫做“蜗牛”是因为它的速度很慢，好像蜗牛一般。“蜗牛信笺”（平信）一般至少要花上两到三天才能到达目的地，而email则可以即时发送瞬时到达。

“Snail mail" is a term used to refer to mail that is sent in the traditional way — through the postal service — rather than by email, fax, or other electronic means of communication. It is called "snail mail" because it can be very slow, as is a snail. Snail mail generally takes 2 or 3 days to go from origin to destination, if not many more, whereas email can be sent instantly.

使用email，信息可以直接由一方的邮箱传送到对方的邮件地址。Email不只有文字，还包含照片或者其他的电子文件，比如歌曲，或者链接。现如今西方很多人都很频繁得使用email，所以“蜗牛信笺”对写信来说是过时了，但传递包裹，或者其他需要签名的法律文书时还是使用邮寄。

With email, a message is sent directly from a user's mail program to another person's email address. Though many email messages simply contain words, they may also include photos or other digital files, such as songs, or links to websites. Since most people in Western society now use email on a regular basis, snail mail has gone out of fashion for simple letters, though it is still necessary for sending packages, or legal documents that require signatures.

虽然现在说“蜗牛信笺”过时了，但它在全球范围内却有很长的历史。世界上最古老的邮政系统产生于公元前1700年的古代波斯和中国。这些早期的邮政系统一般依靠骑马的“信使”一个城市一个城市传递，很多信笺是送往官府或者皇室的。

Though snail mail seems to have gone out of style for many uses today, it has a long history all over the world. The first postal systems in the world originated in Persia and China, and date back to possibly as early as 1700 BC in Persia. These early mail systems all relied upon messengers who rode horses from town to town, and most mail was delivered to government officials or royals.

如今，“蜗牛信笺”通过公共或者私有的邮政系统都可以发送，也可以跨过发送。在美国，全美邮政系统是比较常见的发送平信或者包裹的机构，其他私有的货运公司也经常被在线的零售商委托来运送货品。用普通的邮政系统，个人须往信封或者包裹上贴的邮票。平信邮票的多少取决于包裹的重量和是否是国际信笺等因素。

Today, snail mail is sent through both public and private services, and can be delivered internationally. In the United States, the US Postal Service is the most common method of delivery for a snail mail letter or package, though private carriers are frequently used by online retailers to ship their goods. Under the postal service method, individuals pay for the service by pasting stamps on their letter or package, which are equivalent to a specific amount of money. The price to send snail mail varies depending on the package's weight and whether or not it is traveling internationally.

直到20世纪90年代，手写的“蜗牛信笺”还是很常见的。很多人珍藏着许多来自朋友和爱人的信笺，许多作家，艺术家以及名人的手写信笺也被编撰成书出版。随着用email沟通越来越便利，“蜗牛信笺”在私人之间使用已不多。但是，“邮寄”仍然是两地间传递大件货品时的唯一方法。虽然老的邮政系统这些年来经过很多变化，但是依然很有效。

Until the 1990s, it was very common to send personal letters using snail mail. Many people have stored collections of letters from friends and loved ones, and the personal snail mail correspondence of many writers, artists, and other celebrities have been compiled into books. With the advent of email communication, snail mail is used much less frequently for personal letters; however, snail mail is still the only method for sending larger packages from one place to another. Although its uses have changed over the years, it is still a valuable system.

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