征服英語 - 古德明
不守規矩 - 古德明
During the Boer War of 1881, a duel took place between a Highlander and a Boer.
Both British and Boers were well under cover, but the Highlander in question, Sandy MacDonald by name, persisted in rising and taking a potshot, then immediately sinking to the ground again. One of the Boers pursued the same tactics. As Sandy rose once more to fire, he received a bullet through his hand, and in his surprise gave a loud yell.
"Serve you right, Sandy. You were told not to show yourself," an officer lying nearby said.
"Nae doot, sir, nae doot," groaned Sandy; "but hoo did I ken he was gaun to fire oot o' his turn?"*
一八八一年波爾戰爭期間，一個蘇格蘭高地人和一個波爾人開槍決鬥。
當時英、波雙方軍人，都藏身掩護處，但上述那個叫桑迪．麥克唐納的蘇格蘭人，總是要站起來，隨意開一槍，隨卽伏下。一個波爾人也是如此。桑迪再一次站起來準備開槍，一隻手給子彈洞穿。他愕然大叫一聲。
他身邊一個軍官說：「桑迪，這是活該。早就叫你要掩護身體。」
桑迪呻吟着說：「不錯，不錯，但誰知道還未輪到他，他就開槍？」
*這是蘇格蘭英語，等於：No doubt, sir, no doubt, but how did I know he was going to fire out of his turn?
再談guidelines - 古德明
問：貴欄把clinical guidelines譯做「臨牀守則」，鍾尚志教授認為應改為「臨牀指引」，先生同意嗎？
答：拙欄《臨牀守則》一文例句是「What are the clinical guidelines for cases like this?遇上這樣的情況，須遵守什麼臨牀指示？」而在同一篇文字之中，我還把guidelines譯做「準則」，沒有固定譯法。事實上，guidelines一字，意思頗為含糊，所以英語學者Martin Manser Good English Guide（英語指南）一書說：Some people object to the increasing use of the plural noun "guidelines" in place of "advice", "policy", "instructions", "rules", etc（Advice「建議」、policy「政策」、instructions「指示」、rules「規則」等字，日見被guidelines這個複數名詞取代，有人頗為不滿。）Guidelines的確實意思，往往要看上下文才能決定，而拙文例句是沒有上下文的。
鍾教授在香港非典型肺炎大疫期間，直言點破當局謊言，是我尊敬的寥寥幾位大學教授之一。但他顯然忽略了guidelines一字可以有多個意思，而專以治療疾病的臨牀「指引」為例，說「守則是規矩，踰越了就是違規；指引卻是指導性的，主診醫生可因應病人的情況酌情處理」。這不但給拙文的clinical guidelines加了上下文，也把「守則」二字解釋得太硬。《禮記．內則》篇講的是閨內守則，其一云：「四十始仕（男子四十歲可以做官），方物出謀發慮（決事須揆情度理），道合則服從（合乎道義則可），不可則去（否則就辭職）。」做官有如行醫，一切都要「酌情處理」。而中文從來不會說什麼「閨內指引」。
During the Boer War of 1881, a duel took place between a Highlander and a Boer.
Both British and Boers were well under cover, but the Highlander in question, Sandy MacDonald by name, persisted in rising and taking a potshot, then immediately sinking to the ground again. One of the Boers pursued the same tactics. As Sandy rose once more to fire, he received a bullet through his hand, and in his surprise gave a loud yell.
"Serve you right, Sandy. You were told not to show yourself," an officer lying nearby said.
"Nae doot, sir, nae doot," groaned Sandy; "but hoo did I ken he was gaun to fire oot o' his turn?"*
一八八一年波爾戰爭期間，一個蘇格蘭高地人和一個波爾人開槍決鬥。
當時英、波雙方軍人，都藏身掩護處，但上述那個叫桑迪．麥克唐納的蘇格蘭人，總是要站起來，隨意開一槍，隨卽伏下。一個波爾人也是如此。桑迪再一次站起來準備開槍，一隻手給子彈洞穿。他愕然大叫一聲。
他身邊一個軍官說：「桑迪，這是活該。早就叫你要掩護身體。」
桑迪呻吟着說：「不錯，不錯，但誰知道還未輪到他，他就開槍？」
*這是蘇格蘭英語，等於：No doubt, sir, no doubt, but how did I know he was going to fire out of his turn?
再談guidelines - 古德明
問：貴欄把clinical guidelines譯做「臨牀守則」，鍾尚志教授認為應改為「臨牀指引」，先生同意嗎？
答：拙欄《臨牀守則》一文例句是「What are the clinical guidelines for cases like this?遇上這樣的情況，須遵守什麼臨牀指示？」而在同一篇文字之中，我還把guidelines譯做「準則」，沒有固定譯法。事實上，guidelines一字，意思頗為含糊，所以英語學者Martin Manser Good English Guide（英語指南）一書說：Some people object to the increasing use of the plural noun "guidelines" in place of "advice", "policy", "instructions", "rules", etc（Advice「建議」、policy「政策」、instructions「指示」、rules「規則」等字，日見被guidelines這個複數名詞取代，有人頗為不滿。）Guidelines的確實意思，往往要看上下文才能決定，而拙文例句是沒有上下文的。
鍾教授在香港非典型肺炎大疫期間，直言點破當局謊言，是我尊敬的寥寥幾位大學教授之一。但他顯然忽略了guidelines一字可以有多個意思，而專以治療疾病的臨牀「指引」為例，說「守則是規矩，踰越了就是違規；指引卻是指導性的，主診醫生可因應病人的情況酌情處理」。這不但給拙文的clinical guidelines加了上下文，也把「守則」二字解釋得太硬。《禮記．內則》篇講的是閨內守則，其一云：「四十始仕（男子四十歲可以做官），方物出謀發慮（決事須揆情度理），道合則服從（合乎道義則可），不可則去（否則就辭職）。」做官有如行醫，一切都要「酌情處理」。而中文從來不會說什麼「閨內指引」。
还没人赞这篇日记
