Emoji are being adopted at a faster rate than any other 'language' - and eight in 10 of us now use the colourful symbols to communicate.
与其他任何“语言”相比，表情符号的采用速度要快得多，现在80%的人在使用多种多样的表情符号进行交流。
To plot this popularity, a linguistics professor has conducted the first 'Emoji IQ' study looking at how the pictures are used and by whom.
为了证明表情符号的流行度，一位语言学教授进行了一项名为“表情符号智商”的研究，旨在探寻是什么人，在如何使用这类表情图片，这类研究尚属首次。
And she has created an online test to determine how well you know your 'confused' face from your 'angry' face to determine if you're an emoji master.
语言学教授创建了一个在线测试，看受测者是否能区分“困惑”的表情及“愤怒”的表情，以确定受测者是否是一位表情符号达人。
The test contains 10 questions that ask users to identify the meaning of certain symbols, and how they would write sentences using emoji.
测试包含10个问题，皆在让受试者识别某些表情符号的含义以及如何运用表情符号编写句子。
At the end of the test they are given a percentage score - rather than an IQ score as the test's name suggests - and the aim is to be an Emoji Master with a perfect score.
每个受试者在测试结束时会得到一个百分比的分数，这个数字和测试题目所示的那种智商分数不一样，拿到高分的人会成为“表情符号达人”。
According to the study, four in 10 people send messages made up entirely of emoji and 18 to 25-year-olds find it easier to express emotions using the symbols.
根据这项研究，40%的受试者可以完全通过表情符号传递信息，研究还发现18—25岁的年轻人更容易使用这些符号表达感情。
More than half of this group admitted emoji has improved their ability to interact with others.
超过一半以上的受试者承认表情符号提高了他们与别人交往的能力。
But for the over 40s the language is lost in translation.
但是，对40岁以上的人来说，用表情符号表达信息有点困难。
More than half (54 per cent) admitted to being confused about what the symbols mean, while a third claimed to have avoided using emoji in text, instant messaging and apps because they lacked the confidence to use them appropriately.
一半以上的人（占54%）表示弄不清表情符号表示的意思，三分之一的人称他们不会在文本、短信及应用程序中使用这些表情符号，因为他们不确定是否会运用得当。
TalkTalk Mobile teamed up with Vyv Evans, linguistics professor at Bangor University to launch the study and improve understanding of emoji with the 'Emoji IQ' tutorial.
TalkTalk Mobile公司与班戈大学的语言学教授Vyv Evans合作进行了这项“表情符号智商”测试的研究，帮助理解表情符号的意义。
'Emoji is the fastest growing form of language ever based on its incredible adoption rate and speed of evolution,' said Professor Evans.
Evans教授说道：“表情符号使用率高、发展速度快，成为了有史以来发展速度最快的语言形式。”
'As a visual language emoji has already far eclipsed hieroglyphics, its ancient Egyptian precursor which took centuries to develop.'
“作为一种视觉语言，表情符号的发展速度已经远远超过了古埃及人的象形文字，后者的发展经历了几百年时间。”
The most popular emoji, according to the study, is the 'smiley face' followed by the 'crying with laughter face'. The 'See no evil monkey' rounded off the top 10.
研究显示，最为流行的表情符号是“笑脸”，然后是“哭笑不得”，“非礼勿视的猴子”表情流行度也位列前十。
'Given the utility and added value provided by emoji, their usage is expected to increase exponentially across all age and cultural groups,' continued Professor Evans.
“鉴于表情符号极具实用性，富含附加效果，表情符号的使用有望在所有年龄层及文化群体之间成几何级数增加，”Evans教授继续说道。
'Unlike natural languages such as English, emoji is almost universally recognisable because it exploits the visual representation system.
“由于表情符号利用了视觉表现系统，所以与英语这样的自然语言不同，表情符号几乎是普遍公认的。”
'Emoji won't replace traditional languages but it will increasingly be used to enhance them.
“表情符号不会替代传统的语言，但是表情符号的广泛使用会增强传统语言效果。”
'I think it's conceivable that emoji will increasingly be used to complement digital versions of written works.
“我认为表情符号将越来越多地被用于文学作品数字版的补充。”
'For instance, the inclusion of emoji to help convey meaning in abridged versions of Shakespeare could help bring those great stories to life for a whole new generation.'
“例如，在莎士比亚著作删节版中加入表情符号来表达含义，可以使这些著作更加贴近生活，有利于新一代对名著的理解。”
Instagram recently similarly studied the use of the symbols on its app to try to establish the context of many popular, and more obscure, emoji.
近期，Instagram也研究了表情符号在其应用程序中的使用情况，试图创造一些更流行、更高明的表情符号的文本编写模式。
It discovered emoji often have a shared meaning regardless of where in the world you are, and in some cases, are replacing internet slang completely.
研究发现，不论你身在何处，表情符号通常都可以实现意义共享。在某些情况下，可以完全替代网络俚语。
According to Instagram, almost 40 per cent of text comments on the app now contain emoji.
Instagram研究表示，现在近40%的应用程序文本中包含表情符号。
Researchers discovered that emoji are replacing internet slang.
研究人员还发现，表情符号正在代替着网络俚语。
For example, 'omg' - slang for 'oh my god' - has been replaced with the 'face screaming with fear' emoji.
例如，“我的上帝“（OMG）已被“带着恐惧的尖叫表情”所替代。
While 'lol', and 'lmao' - laugh my ass off - is being replaced by the 'face with tears of joy' emoji.
而“大声笑”（lol）或“笑死我了”（lmao）已被“笑哭了”的表情所替代。
The love heart has replaced kisses on comments, and the 'thumbs' up emoji is a catch-all for good luck, good job, fingers crossed, impressed and proud.
评论中“红心”已替代了“吻”，“竖起大拇指”则表示好运、干得好、求好运、钦佩和自豪。
The research also revealed that the 'person raising both hands in celebration' emoji is more commonly used in place of words relating to waiting and stopping.
研究还表明，“欢庆时举起两只手”这一表情符号多用于表示等待或停止。
'Women with bunny ears' is typically used to represent sisters, and the 'dancing lady' is used for birthday-related posts.
“带有兔耳朵的女性”通常表示姐妹，“跳舞小姐”则用于与生日相关的帖子。
TOP EMOJI FACTS
关于表情符号
The first emoji was created in 1999 by a team working on Japanese mobile phone provider i-mode's messaging features.
第一个表情符号创于1999年，是日本手机运营商 i-mode的一个研究消息传递的团队设计的。
Originally meaning 'pictograph', the word emoji literally means 'picture' (e) and 'character' (moji).
原意为“象形图画”，这个表情符号的字面意思是“图画”“符号”。
There are 722 different emoji characters currently available in the standard Unicode set shared by most platforms.
目前有722种不同的表情符号，很多平台可以共享标准的表情符号编码。
The word 'emoji' was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013.
“emoji”一词于2013年被收录进牛津英语词典。
In April 2015, Andy Murray posted a wedding day tweet which described the day in emoji.
2015年4月，英国网球运动员安迪·穆雷（Andy Murray）在贴子上运用表情符号记录了他结婚的这一天。
There will 2 billion smartphone users by 2016 according to eMarketer; 41.5 billion messages and 6 billion emoticons are sent daily according to Swyft Media, a London-based firm that makes emoji for brands.
据总部位于伦敦的 Swyft Media公司统计，到2016年将有20亿的智能手机用户；人们每天将发送415亿条短信和60亿表情符号。该公司把表情符号打造成了商标。
Vocabulary
emoji 表情符号
eclipse 使……黯然失色；超过
hieroglyphics 象形文字
precursor 先驱
emoticon 表情符号