指人造的、具有歷史或文化意義的物件，或在特定過程中產生的非自然結果。
考古/歷史文物
EN: An object made by humans, especially one of historical or cultural interest.
翻譯: 由人類製造的物品，尤指具有歷史或文化意義者，如考古挖掘出的工具、器皿等。
科技/數位產物
EN: A digital or technological object or byproduct, often unintended.
翻譯: 數位或科技過程中的產物或副產品，常為非預期結果，如影像壓縮產生的失真、軟體錯誤等。
實驗/測量誤差
EN: A spurious result or distortion caused by the experimental or observational process itself.
翻譯: 在實驗、觀測或測量過程中，因方法或工具本身所導致的虛假結果或失真現象。
文化/社會產物
EN: A product of human conception or agency, reflecting a particular culture or society.
翻譯: 人類觀念或行為的產物，反映特定文化或社會的現象、制度或習慣。
小提醒：注意：在科技與學術領域中，'artifact' 常指『非自然的、由人為過程產生的（常為負面）結果』，與中文『文物』的正面文化意涵不完全相同。
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Artifact" from YouTube Videos
Nathan Wolfe: What's left to explore?
TED
“At first we thought that perhaps this was artifact.”
1. a simple object made by humans in the past, especially one of historical interest
（尤指具有歷史價值的）人造物品，人工製品
The museum displayed ancient artifacts from the Roman Empire.
博物館展出了來自羅馬帝國的古代文物。
Archaeologists discovered stone artifacts at the dig site.
考古學家在挖掘現場發現了石製器物。
2. something observed in a scientific investigation or experiment that is not naturally present but occurs as a result of the process
（科學研究或實驗中因過程而產生的）人為現象，假象
The strange band on the MRI scan was determined to be an imaging artifact.
核磁共振掃描上的奇怪條紋被確定為影像假象。
The spike in the data was an artifact of the measurement tool, not a real signal.
數據中的尖峰是測量工具造成的人為現象，並非真實訊號。
3. a product of human art and workmanship
人工製品，工藝品
The vase was a beautiful artifact of the local pottery tradition.
這個花瓶是當地陶藝傳統的一件精美工藝品。
He collects cultural artifacts from his travels around the world.
他收集來自世界各地旅行的文化工藝品。
4. an unwanted or unintended alteration in data or a visual representation, introduced by the technology used
（科技造成的）資料或視覺瑕疵，失真
The compression algorithm caused artifacts in the digital image.
壓縮演算法導致數位影像出現失真瑕疵。
Low-quality audio files often have audible artifacts.
低品質的音訊檔案通常有可聽見的失真。
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| artifact + of + [time/place/culture] | 來自（某時間/地點/文化）的文物 | This vase is a valuable **artifact of** the Ming dynasty. (這個花瓶是明朝的珍貴文物。) |
| discover/uncover + an artifact | 發現/挖掘出文物 | Archaeologists **discovered an artifact** buried deep in the tomb. (考古學家在墓穴深處發現了一件文物。) |
| ancient/historical/cultural + artifact | 古代/歷史/文化文物 | The museum's collection includes many **ancient artifacts**. (博物館的收藏包含許多古代文物。) |
| preserve/conserve + an artifact | 保存/保護文物 | It is crucial to **preserve these artifacts** for future generations. (為後代子孫保存這些文物至關重要。) |
| artifact + from + [source] | 來自（某來源）的文物 | They examined an **artifact from** the shipwreck. (他們檢查了一件來自沉船的文物。) |
| digital/software artifact | 數位/軟體產物 | The glitch was caused by a **software artifact** in the code. (這個故障是由程式碼中的軟體產物引起的。) |
對比例句： EN: The software bug was an artifact of the rushed update process. 翻譯: 這個軟體錯誤是倉促更新過程產生的 artifact。
EN:The museum carefully preserved the ancient artefact.
翻譯:博物館精心保存了這件古老的 artefact。
在台灣的語境中，兩種拼法皆可見，但為求一致性，單一文件內應擇一使用。
artifact vs artefact
兩者皆指人造物品，尤指具歷史或文化意義者。'Artifact' 為美式拼法，'artefact' 為英式拼法，意義完全相同。
artifact vs relic
'Artifact' 泛指任何人造古物或工具；'relic' 特指與特定歷史人物、事件或宗教相關的遺物，常帶有神聖或紀念色彩。
artifact vs object
'Object' 是最通用的詞，指任何具體的物體；'artifact' 特指具有歷史、文化或考古價值的人造物品。
在對話中，當引述或轉述他人對某個具體物品的稱呼時，常會用到 artifact。 EN: He kept calling his old baseball glove "a precious artifact." 翻譯: 他一直把他那隻舊棒球手套稱為「一件珍貴的 artifact」。
EN:My history professor would look at any old tool and say, "Now that's a historical artifact."
翻譯:我的歷史教授看到任何舊工具都會說：「這可是件歷史 artifact。」
用 artifact 來誇張地形容一件普通但對個人有特殊意義的舊物，帶有幽默或強調的語氣。 EN: Don't just throw that away! It's a family artifact! 翻譯: 別就那樣丟掉！那可是件家族 artifact！
EN:Be careful with my first smartphone—it's basically a tech artifact now.
翻譯:小心對待我的第一支智慧型手機——它現在基本上算是科技 artifact 了。
在思考或解釋時，將 artifact 作為一個具體的例子插入，用以說明「舊物」或「遺留物」的概念。 EN: We found all sorts of things in the attic, you know, like an artifact... from my grandparents' era. 翻譯: 我們在閣樓找到各種東西，你知道，就像一件 artifact... 來自祖父母那個時代的。
EN:The system has this weird quirk, a leftover artifact from the last update.
翻譯:這系統有個奇怪的毛病，是上次更新留下的一個 artifact。
正式寫作注意：在學術或正式文件中，"artifact" 通常指考古文物或科學實驗中的人工產物，定義精確。上述口語中的誇張或泛指用法應避免在正式寫作中使用，以免造成概念混淆。
cultural artifact
noun + artifact
文化器物；文化遺物
historical artifact
adjective + artifact
歷史文物；歷史遺物
digital artifact
adjective + artifact
數位產物；數位遺留物
artifact of the past
artifact + prepositional phrase
過去的遺物；舊時代的產物
preserve an artifact
verb + artifact
保存文物；保護遺物
rare artifact
adjective + artifact
稀有文物；罕見遺物
uncover an artifact
verb + artifact
發掘文物；發現遺物
×This artifact is very old, maybe from last century.
✓This artifact is very old, maybe from a thousand years ago.
The word 'artifact' typically refers to objects from ancient or prehistoric times, not merely decades old. Using it for recent objects is semantically incorrect.
×I found an interesting artifact about the war in the library.
✓I found an interesting document (or book) about the war in the library.
'Artifact' primarily refers to a physical object, especially one made by human hands. Written records like books or documents are not typically called artifacts unless they are ancient physical manuscripts.
×The software has a small artifact that causes it to crash.
✓The software has a small bug (or glitch) that causes it to crash.
In everyday computing, 'bug' or 'glitch' is used for software errors. 'Artifact' in a technical context refers to unwanted visual or audio distortions in digital media (e.g., compression artifacts in an image), not general program faults.
×She collects cultural artifacts from different countries, like recipes and songs.
✓She studies cultural artifacts from different countries, like pottery and textiles. (Or: She studies cultural elements/traditions...)
While recipes and songs are part of cultural heritage, they are intangible. 'Artifact' strongly implies a tangible, physical object. For intangible cultural items, terms like 'cultural heritage,' 'tradition,' or 'element' are more appropriate.
×There are many historical artifacts in this city.
✓There are many historical sites (or monuments) in this city.
'Artifacts' are portable objects. Buildings, ruins, or entire sites are not called artifacts. Use 'historical sites,' 'monuments,' or 'relics' (which can include structures) instead.