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名人教英文:「鬼拍后脑杓」之余

名人教英文:「鬼拍后脑杓」之余

「新闻自由是捍卫自我审查的最有效方法」——吓?传媒的自我审查(conducting self-censorship)肯定是坏事,怎会去捍卫?看,一些日常夸啦啦的话,讲得多了,耳熟能详至似是而非,出了大错也不会自觉。

出问题的,是政府的官方新闻稿,有电视新闻报道照读如仪;但新闻稿的英文版,却是好端端的﹕a free press is the most effective safeguard against self-censorship……也即是说,中文漏译了当中against的意思。

safeguard=捍卫
safeguard against=抵御

这番出错,不管是「鬼拍后脑杓」(a freudian slip,漏嘴说了心底话),还是无心之失(an honest mistake),只见因为一个小小的介词,就闹了大大的笑话。
也曾见过一篇政党的新闻稿,原意是争取民主,fight for democracy,但英文版不知怎地打漏for字,变成fight democracy,「打击民主」,好得人惊。

fight crime=打击犯罪
fight graft=打击贪污=fight corruption

留意fight这款用法,意思是fight against,但可以不用against这个字。
掉过头来,有一个字discriminate,解做歧视之际,后面永远跟着against。

i feel i am being discriminated 错
i feel i am being discriminated against 对
中文的歧视,已带敌对的意思,译做英文就会容易漏了against。
the job market still discriminated women 错
the job market still discriminated against women 对
但歧视作名词用,在discrimination后面,除非讲明受排斥的对象,不然不用加against。
this is a case of discrimination 对
this is a case of discrimination against new immigrants 对

除了要记得discriminate against,还有dispose of(丢掉、舍弃、去除),一样容易出错。

大家或会先联想到disposable这个字,所谓「一次性」的东西,包括餐具、手套、尿片、剃刀等等,用完即弃。

弃掉了﹕i disposed it 错
i disposed of it 对

the subject has been disposed of,目标已经除掉。如果是一个杀手说这样的话,即是他的行动成功。

a dictator who disposes of all his enemies, real or imagined,一个除掉所有敌人——不管真假——的独裁者。