2012年6月21日星期四

古德明: 香港宜居、熟能生巧




問:Hong Kong is a good place to live(香港是個居住的好地方)一語,live之後要不要加in

答:Place這個字之後,假如用「to+原形動詞(infinitive)」或「that / which子句(clause)」,那麼,介系詞(preposition)往往略去。第七版《牛津高階英漢雙解詞典》place條有以下例句:We were looking for a place to eat(我們想找個地方吃東西)。這一句可改寫如下:(1We were looking for a place at which to eat。(2We were looking for a place to eat at。(3We were looking for a place at which we could eat。(4We were looking for a placethat / whichwe could eatat)。(5We were looking for a place where we could eat

讀者示下那一句,同樣可改為Hong Kong is a good place in which to liveHong Kong is a good place to live in。不用介系詞的寫法,較隨便也最常用。

問:「熟能生巧」常見譯做Practice makes perfect,是錯譯吧?改為Fluency leads to sophistication會不會好一點?

答:Practice makes perfect是成語,直譯是「熟練即能完美」,和「熟能生巧」同義。Fluency是「流暢」,sophistication則可解作「精巧」、「老練」、「高雅」、「矯揉造作」、「詭辯」等。Fluency leads to sophistication是什麼意思,恐怕沒有人說得準。

【代郵】啟章先生:「牟」即「求取」,如《韓非子.六反》:「遊居厚養,牟食之民也。」「謀」即「營求」,如《論語.衞靈公》:「君子謀道不謀食。」「牟取私利」或「謀取私利」意思相同,「謀」不必改為「牟」。