名人教英文 – Funky 與sexy

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08/03/2011

名人教英文 – Funky 與sexy 毛孟靜

英文難,中文又何嘗容易,常舉的一個例子,是「不怕辣、辣不怕、怕不辣」,看逐層提升的一份吃的豪氣。學英文,也一樣,我們不怕英文,但就「怕不英文」,擔心說的英文不是好英文。

「胸有成竹」,不可直譯There is a bamboo across the chest, 說confident、confidence(信心)就好。但一些常用句,若不加思索中譯英,一樣會錯得很,像: 「他們很難明白」,寫成They are difficult to understand,就大大地錯了,意思變了「他們令人難以明白」。原本是說他們要明白一件事有困難,困難的,是這件事,不是這些人: It is difficult for them to understand。

面對英文,卻又不要矯枉過正,擔心過龍。有中學生來問: Are you playing me? ( 你在玩我?)這句話是不是Chinglish?不是。

Play、玩耍,中英文一樣,有你「玩」我、他給「耍」了的用法。

So you are saying that receptionist was playing me?你是說那個接待員之前在耍我?掉過頭來,一些常見英文字因為發音怪怪,意思又不清楚,會不放心用。一個得意例子是funky,會有人誤會funky 是粗口,即是taboo(禁忌)。不不,這字可以隨意用、隨口講:

This is funky。

Funky,老一代的第一個聯想,是70 年代的重金屬音樂、funky music,以及那段歲月通身blink blink(閃閃)的時裝;由30 多年前走過來,今日仍解好玩、前衛、打破傳統、獨特等等的意思。

一本偵探小說裏頭,有說犯罪證據文件平白失了蹤的兩句對白:

「No file, no evidence.」

「Okay, this’s getting funky.」這個funky,解「饒有興味的」,interesting、sexy 之謂。Sexy, 跟性無關, 是形容striking ( 突出的)、枝葉豐富的、帶點曲折的,總的來說,就是「有料到」。

「有料到」的新聞故事,常叫a sexy story。 新聞寫作一句金句, 就是keep it short and sexy,簡稱KISS。 不夠料?Sex it up……

 

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