informant
/ɪnˈfɔːmənt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈfɔːrmənt/ (ame, ipa) · /in-ˈfȯr-mənt/ (ame, mw)
informant — 名詞
- informantsingular
- informantsplural
1. a person who tells facts or details to someone who needs them, such as in an off
資訊提供者
應要求提供資訊的人
a person who tells facts or details to someone who needs them, such as in an office, a government department, or a daily situation where information is requested
The tour guide acted as an informant, pointing out historic buildings along the river.
那位導遊擔任資訊提供者，指出河邊的歷史建築。
informant + as [role]
When Mei arrived in Taipei, a helpful informant at the station gave her a city map and bus schedule.
Mei 抵達台北時，車站一位樂於幫忙的資訊提供者給了她地圖和公車時刻表。
Local informants told the travel writers which restaurants served the freshest seafood.
當地資訊提供者告訴旅遊作家哪些餐廳的海鮮最新鮮。
Grace worked as an informant for the visitor center, answering tourist questions about hiking trails.
Grace 在遊客中心擔任資訊提供者，回答遊客關於登山步道的問題。
The office manager asked each department to name one informant who would share updates at the weekly meeting.
辦公室經理要求每個部門指定一位資訊提供者，在週會上分享最新消息。
文法句型
informant + for [organization/person]
informant + at [place]
用法筆記
This sense is neutral and describes any person who gives facts when asked. It does NOT carry the criminal or secret connotation of sense 2.
常見錯誤
2. a person who secretly passes knowledge about illegal or suspicious activity to l
線人
秘密向警方提供情報的人
a person who secretly passes knowledge about illegal or suspicious activity to law enforcement, intelligence agencies, or news organizations, often in return for payment, immunity, or protection
The FBI's confidential informant wore a hidden microphone inside the smuggling ring.
聯邦調查局的機密線人身上藏了隱藏式麥克風，潛入走私集團內部。
confidential informant (key legal collocation)
After receiving death threats, the informant was moved to a safe house by the police.
收到死亡威脅後，那名線人被警方轉移到安全屋。
No one in the office suspected that Elena was the informant who had leaked the documents to the newspaper.
辦公室裡沒有人懷疑 Elena 就是那個把文件洩漏給報社的線人。
The drug dealer searched desperately for the informant who had told police about his operation.
毒販拼命尋找那個向警方舉報他販毒的線人。
Prosecutors refused to reveal the informant's name, citing safety concerns and the risk of revenge.
檢察官拒絕透露線人的姓名，理由是安全顧慮及報復風險。
- informer
more negative and informal; often suggests the person is betraying a group they belong to
- whistleblower
someone who exposes wrongdoing from inside an organization, often publicly and for ethical reasons, not secretly for payment
- mole
an informant who works inside an organization for a long time, typically in intelligence contexts
- source
the preferred term in journalism; can be anonymous and does not imply payment or criminality
- target
the person or group being investigated, opposite of the informant who provides information about them
文法句型
confidential informant
police informant
informant + for [police/FBI]
act as an informant + on [person/group]
用法筆記
In formal legal settings, the term 'confidential informant' (often abbreviated CI) is standard. In journalism, 'source' is more common than 'informant' to describe someone who provides information to reporters.
常見錯誤
3. a person who shares their personal knowledge, experiences, or language skills wi
研究對象
為學術研究提供資料的人
a person who shares their personal knowledge, experiences, or language skills with a researcher to help with an academic study, particularly in fields such as linguistics, anthropology, or sociology
For her linguistics thesis, Thandiwe interviewed five native informants from a small mountain village.
為了她的語言學論文，Thandiwe 訪問了五位來自小山村的本土研究對象。
native informant (research context)
Each informant in the anthropology study described how their grandparents grew rice fifty years ago.
人類學研究中的每位研究對象都描述了祖父母五十年前種稻的方式。
The researchers paid each informant the equivalent of a day's wages for a two-hour interview.
研究人員支付每位研究對象相當於一天薪資的報酬，換取兩小時的訪談。
Arjun was chosen as an informant because he spoke three local dialects fluently.
Arjun 因為能流利使用三種地方方言，被選為研究對象。
The study's informants came from six different age groups, giving the data a wide range of perspectives.
這項研究的對象來自六個不同年齡層，使資料涵蓋多元觀點。
- participant
the most common term in modern research ethics; implies active consent and involvement
- consultant
preferred in linguistic fieldwork; highlights the person's expertise in their own language
- respondent
used in survey research; suggests a person who answers prepared questions rather than sharing open-ended knowledge
文法句型
native informant
research informant
informant + in [study/survey]
用法筆記
In modern anthropology and linguistics, many researchers prefer the terms 'consultant' or 'participant' instead of 'informant', because 'informant' can carry unwanted associations with police investigations (sense 2).