Audiotape is a long, thin band of magnetic material used to record sound. For years this was how people stored voices, music, and radio: the sound became a pattern on the tape, and a machine could play it back. The tape often lived inside a plastic cassette, which English speakers also loosely call a tape.

Audiotape is a long, thin band of magnetic materialAudiotape 是一種長條、薄薄的磁性材料，used to record sound用來錄音。For years this was how people stored voices, music, and radio多年來人們就是這樣保存人聲、音樂和廣播：the sound became a pattern on the tape聲音變成磁帶上的訊號，and a machine could play it back機器就能把它播放出來。The tape often lived inside a plastic cassette這種磁帶通常裝在塑膠卡匣裡，which English speakers also loosely call a tape英語使用者也常籠統地稱它為 tape。

You can use audiotape as a noun for that material, and also as a verb meaning to record sound onto it. The word feels a little old now, because so much sound lives as computer files instead.

You can use audiotape as a noun for that materialAudiotape 可以當名詞指那種材料，and also as a verb meaning to record sound onto it也可以當動詞，意思是把聲音錄到上面。The word feels a little old now這個詞現在聽起來有點老舊了，because so much sound lives as computer files instead因為現在大部分聲音都變成電腦檔案了。

People still say tape when they mean any recording (“Did you tape the meeting?”), even if no real tape was used — that is a stretch from the older object. Videotape is a sister idea for pictures plus sound; audiotape is sound only.

People still say tape when they mean any recording人們還是會用 tape 這個詞來指任何錄音（"Did you tape the meeting?""Did you tape the meeting?" 你錄下會議了嗎？），even if no real tape was used即使根本沒用到真正的磁帶——that is a stretch from the older object這是從那個舊物件延伸出來的用法。Videotape is a sister idea for pictures plus soundVideotape 是它的姊妹詞，指影像加聲音；audiotape is sound onlyaudiotape 則只是聲音。