問:達文西說:I
have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men
such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder
of men。這一句是什麼意思?
答:看那位讀者的試譯,誤解顯然不少:「我多年前已經戒葷茹素。終有一天,所有人會跟我一樣,眦睚着殺生的屠夫,猶如動物凝視着滅絕人類的劊子手。」
An
early age不是「多年前」,而是「很年輕的時候」;look
upon也不是「眦睚(瞪目怒視)」或「凝視」,而是「(帶某種感情)看」,例如:(1)He fathered a child at the early age of sixteen(他才十六歲,就做了父親)。(2)I looked upon him
with admiration(我仰慕他)。達文西那一句是說:「我年輕時已戒吃肉。總有一天,和我一樣的人,會視『謀殺動物』和今天所謂『謀殺他人』無異。」
問:以下一句,risks是不是應改為risk?──That is promising,
because it potentially provides a means to anticipate where the greatest
tsunami risks lie。
答:這一句是說:「這令人鼓舞,因為最大的海嘯危險,或可藉此預知。」「最大的海嘯危險不止一個」,所以risks不可改為risk。「最」之後的名詞,不一定是單數形式,例如:He is one of the three tallest boys in
the school(他是這家學校最高的三個男學生之一)。