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有位听众来信提问：在谈论旅行时，“plan、itinerary、schedule” 和 “timetable” 这几个词有什么区别。虽然它们都和 “安排、计划” 有关，含义也有一定重叠，但使用重点并不相同。“Plan” 是最宽泛的说法，可以指 “任何事情的计划”；“schedule” 侧重于时间上的安排和日程；“itinerary” 特指 “旅行录像或行程安排”；而 “timetable” 通常指 “公交车、火车等公共交通工具的时刻表”，也可以指 “学校的课程表”。听节目，一起来学习这几个与旅行相关的常用词语之间的区别。

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（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Phil
Hey Buli, you look like you're planning something.

Buli
Well, I'm trying to work out a plan for next summer. I want to go on holiday, but I can't take much time off, so I'm going to be on a tight schedule.

Phil
Yeah, as it gets closer to winter, I'm gonna start thinking about what I can do next summer as well.

Buli
And we are not the only ones! Let's hear a question from one of our listeners.

Question
最近在办旅游签证，需要提交各种各样的文件。其中我发现 “itinerary” 和 “travel plan” 竟然不是一回事。请问跟别人说自己的 “旅游计划” 的时候，“itinerary”、“schedule”、“plan” 和 “timetable” 这四个单词有什么区别吗？

Buli
欢迎收听 “你问我答” 节目。本期节目要回答的听众问题提到了四个和 “旅行计划” 有关的单词。

OK, so we've got some related words. I think the biggest difference is probably how specific they are.

Phil
Maybe we can put them in action to give a better idea of how they are used. For example, Buli, you said that you are making a travel plan. Do you know where you want to go?

Buli
Well, I need to see which country I can get to easily. Then I can work out a proper itinerary.

Phil
Well, if you get the bus, it can be really cheap. Just make sure you check the timetable to see how long it takes. It can be quite slow.

Buli
Well, I did say that I was on a tight schedule, so I think I'll just look for a cheap flight, but thanks.

你正在收听的是 BBC 英语教学制作的 “你问我答” 节目。在本期节目中，我和 Phil 正在辨析四个在旅行规划中常见的单词 “itinerary”、“schedule”、“plan” 和 “timetable”。

We just used a few of the words in our conversation. Now, let's go through them.

Phil
Yeah, so, some of this is about how specific words are, so let's look at 'plan', which isn't specific at all. You can have a plan for absolutely anything – including travel. We can use it in lots of different situations. It's just something where you say or think about what you want to do and how you want to do it.

Buli
是的。虽然 Phil 刚才提到，这四个单词之间的区别主要在于它们具体包含旅行计划中的哪些信息，但 “plan” 这个单词却一点也不具体。“Plan” 的意思是 “计划”。简单来说，不只是旅行，只要是针对某件事去想自己要做什么，以及大致上打算怎么去做，都可以叫做 “plan”。另外，“plan” 既可以作名词，也可以作动词。作动词时，它表示 “计划，打算”，也就是思考计划的过程。

Phil
Right, let's get more specific. A schedule /ˈskɛˌdʒul/ or schedule /ˈʃɛdʒuːl/ is all about time. It says what you're going to do and when you're going to do it. And it means we have expressions like 'a tight schedule' where you don't have any spare time or 'on schedule' which means by the time planned. Also, like 'plan', schedule is both a noun and a verb – if you schedule something, you plan when to do it.

Buli
没错，在描述行程安排时，单词 “schedule /ˈʃɛdʒuːl/” 或者 “schedule /ˈskɛˌdʒul/” 更强调每一步的具体时间，什么时候要做什么。我们可以用 “a tight schedule” 来表示 “安排得很紧凑的日程表”，也可以用 “on schedule” 来表示某件事 “按计划时间准时进行”。

Phil
In American English, a 'schedule' can be the document that tells you when buses or trains arrive, and it usually looks like a table. However, in British English, that's called a 'timetable', and a timetable is a table that tells you when things happen, usually public transport or lessons in a school or college.

Buli
So, we can say that 'schedule' and 'timetable' have quite similar meanings as nouns.

单词 “schedule” 和 “timetable” 都可以指 “用表格的方式列出公交车或火车等公共交通到达和出发时间的时刻表”。只不过 “timetable” 在英式英语中更常用，而美式英语则往往使用 “schedule”。

除了交通工具的 “时刻表”，“timetable” 还可以指 “其它写有比较严格的日程安排的表格”，比如工作安排的 “日程表” 或者学校里的 “课程表”。

Phil
So, I said this was about how specific words are. And a schedule is a kind of plan – but focused on times. Well, an itinerary is a kind of schedule but focused on places. Your itinerary is almost always a list of places that you will go during a trip. So, if you book a trip through a travel agent, then they will give you an itinerary showing you where you are going.

Buli
Yes. 跟侧重时间安排的 “schedule” 和 “timetable” 比起来，“itinerary（行程单）” 则侧重于路线和地点。它通常会列有你在一次旅行中要去的各个地方。比如，如果你通过 “travel agent（旅行社）” 预订一整套旅游行程，那么旅行社通常会给你提供一份 “itinerary”，上面会详细地列出旅游路线都会途径哪些城市、景点，甚至餐饮和住宿的地点。

不过，需要注意的是，有些人可能会习惯用 “plan” 或 “schedule” 来称呼 “itinerary”。虽然这样说也没有错，但我们依然需要注意这几个词各自强调的重点，以及在办理签证或者向旅行社索要行程单时具体需要旅行计划中的哪些信息。

Phil
So, as a recap – a plan can be anything, a schedule has times, an itinerary has places and a timetable is for buses, trains or classes.

Buli
希望本期节目能帮助大家区分 “itinerary”、“schedule”、“plan” 和 “timetable” 这四个可以表示 “旅行计划” 的单词。如果你也有类似的英语问题，也欢迎你来信和我们分享。

Phil
Remember, if you have a question that you'd like us to answer, you can email us too at: questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk

Buli
你还可以通过微博向我们提问。我们的微博账号是 “BBC英语教学”。Bye!

Phil
Bye!