A computer screen — literally a video display terminal. It comes from the days when a screen was not part of a personal computer at all: one big machine sat somewhere in the building, and each worker had a terminal, a screen and keyboard connected to it, with no real computing power of its own.

A computer screen電腦螢幕——literally a video display terminal字面上是 video display terminal（視訊顯示終端機）。It comes from the days它源自那個年代 when a screen was not part of a personal computer at all那時螢幕根本不是個人電腦的一部分：one big machine sat somewhere in the building大樓裡某處擺著一台大型主機，and each worker had a terminal每個員工有一台終端機，a screen and keyboard connected to it一個連接到主機的螢幕和鍵盤，with no real computing power of its own本身沒有真正的運算能力。

VDT was the American office word for that screen, and you meet it mostly in safety and health writing from the 1980s and 1990s — rules about eye strain, about how long a worker may sit at a VDT, about lighting and screen glare. Taiwanese students sometimes meet it in exactly that place, in old workplace-safety texts.

VDT was the American office word for that screenVDT 是美國辦公室對那種螢幕的說法，and you meet it mostly in safety and health writing你多半會在安全與健康相關文件裡遇到它 from the 1980s and 1990s來自1980、1990年代——rules about eye strain關於眼睛疲勞的規定，about how long a worker may sit at a VDT關於員工能坐在 VDT 前多久，about lighting and screen glare關於燈光和螢幕反光。Taiwanese students有時候台灣學生 sometimes meet it in exactly that place就是在那種地方遇到它，in old workplace-safety texts在老舊的職業安全文件裡。

It is dead in everyday speech now; nobody points at a laptop and says VDT. Say screen, or monitor if you mean the box on the desk.

It is dead in everyday speech now它在日常口語裡已經死了；nobody points at a laptop and says VDT沒有人會指著筆電說 VDT。Say screen說 screen 就好，or monitor if you mean the box on the desk如果你是指桌上那個機殼就說 monitor。

Its British twin is VDU, and the two words mean the same thing — VDT was more common in the United States, VDU in Britain. Say it letter by letter: vee-dee-tee.

Its British twin它的英式雙胞胎 is VDU是 VDU，and the two words mean the same thing兩個字意思一樣——VDT was more common in the United StatesVDT 在美國比較常見，VDU in BritainVDU 在英國比較常見。Say it letter by letter一個字母一個字母唸：vee-dee-teevee-dee-tee。