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09/04/2013
他有「前科」
「前科」一詞，驟聽之下似乎跟作奸犯科肯定有關連，即犯過事、有案底。翻譯做英文，許多人就會不加思索覺得應該係a criminal record。Record，紀錄，既然有紀錄，即是之前做過。「他有前科」：He has a criminal record.
He has to withdraw his candidacy in the election because of a criminal record he got when he was 19. 因為19 歲時的前科，他要退出選舉。
For young people, a criminal record should not be a life sentence. 年輕人縱有前科，不應等於要終生受罰。
留意a life sentence 是終身監禁，但這裏的sentence，更重的意思是「懲罰」。
如果有得揀，我會譯做「終生烙印」㖭！
問題是，如果說的前科，根本與犯罪無關，假設有個姿態舉止誇張的女子（英文可叫drama queen、「戲劇王后」）又在哭鬧了，有旁人說：別理她，她有前科！
意思是，這個場面可不是第一次了。用英文講，可以是：
Never mind the drama queen. This is not the first time!
大家都可能聽過，It is not the first time後面往往會加and it won’t be the last。
It is not the first time, and it won’t be the last. 「這不是第一次，也（將）不會是最後一次。」這句話用來形容一件事即使有點不尋常，到底仍屬普通，大家不必大驚小怪。
許多隨口講的前科，儘管意思仍然傾向負面， 但有時候也是無傷大雅、比較harmless的。譬如說，聽說某人在辦離婚，但這人之前已離過一次婚，即有「前科」；又或者懷疑某人偷吃了蛋糕，因為他之前曾給人捉到（caught in the act）偷吃蛋糕，有過「前科」。這類前科，全部可統稱一句：
He has a prior. 他有前科。
Prior 解「之前的、預先的」。變成名詞這個用法，集中在北美洲，等於他們口語的「前科」，一樣有criminal conviction（案底）的意思。
He is clean. He has no priors. 他乾淨企理，沒有前科。