“我的电脑可能出问题了。我输入密码的时候明明输的是数字，怎么显示的全是星星啊？”当IT部门的员工接到这样的技术求助信息时，他们一定很崩溃吧？好吧，这个例子可能有些极端。不过，据说大部分IT员工处理的都是人为因素导致的故障。

A carbon-based error refers to a problem with a computer or a program that is caused by the user rather than the machine. All life on earth depends on carbon, which forms the molecular bonds that make life possible. Therefore, to say that an error is carbon-based is another way of saying it was caused by a computer's human user. Carbon-based errors are a common problem for IT professionals, particularly when it comes to inexperienced users.

Carbon-based error指因为用户的原因而导致的计算机或者程序错误，即“人为故障”。地球上所有的生命都是在碳元素的基础上发展而来的，它是构成生命分子链的基本元素。因此，当我们说某个错误或故障是carbon-based，其实就是说这个故障是人为导致的。很多IT员工面对的都是人为错误，尤其当电脑使用者为新手的时候。

This slang term is most frequently used by IT professionals and other tech-savvy individuals who are always being called upon to fix errors that have nothing to do with the technology.

最常使用carbon-based error这个说法的自然就是IT专业人士和其他技术大拿们了，因为这些人经常被叫去处理一些跟技术一点关系都没有的故障。

相关阅读

办公室的“技术达人” alpha geek

Newbie 新手/菜鸟

（中国日报网英语点津 Helen）

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