問:貴欄說「我曾任學生會長」英文可譯做I have been president of the Students' Union,而「自述履歷,也可以用have
been說過去擔任的職位」。但是,我的英文老師卻說:「『曾任』一事既已過去,又和現在無關,就應用過去式;用現在完成式,等於說延續到現在。」先生認為怎樣?
答:讀者那位老師應是誤解了現在完成式用法。我手上有一本履歷寫作指南The Complete Resume Guide,美國Monarch Press出版社一九八零年出版,其中有Geographer(地理學家)履歷寫法示範。範文中,該地理學家表列工作經驗:1970-1972任GS Highen Manufacturing公司Site
Researcher(地基研究員),1972-1974任縣政府Community
Development Specialist(社區發展專家),1974至今,則任兼職教師。除了表列,還有文字說明:For
the past five years, I have taught part-time at Northeastern Junior College. I
have also worked as a community-development specialist and a site researcher(過去五年,僕於東北專科學校任兼職教師。此外,曾任社區發展專家及地基研究員)。上述「曾任」的職位,都是用現在完成式have
worked表達。這和拙文所說的have been,是同一用法。
當然,用過去式動詞也可以,但那多會說明任職年分,例如:For the past five years, I have taught part-time at Northeastern Junior
College. I also worked from 1972 to 1974 as a community development specialist,
and from 1970 to 1972 as a site researcher。