問:旅遊時,請人家為我們拍縱向或橫向相片,英文應怎樣說?又沖洗底片,除了develop一字,有沒有其他說法?
答:縱向相片和橫向相片,英文叫vertical photograph以及horizontal
photograph。請人家給你拍縱向或橫向照片,英文可以說:Could you take a vertical / horizontal photo of
us?另一說法是:Could
you take a photo of us? Please hold the camera vertically / horizontally(可不可以給我們拍張照片?請縱向/橫向拿相機)。
至於沖洗底片,一般是用develop一字,但process也頗常用,例如:Where can we have this spool developed / processed?(這捲軟片,可以在哪裏沖洗?)《牛津高階英漢雙解詞典》以下一句的processed,改為developed也可以:I sent three rolls of film away to be processed(我送了三捲軟片去沖洗)。
問:見學生上課打瞌睡,着他們去廁所「洗洗面,提提神」,英文可不可以說Go wash your face?
答:說go wash your face是沒有錯的,例如:Go
wash your face with cold water to keep yourself awake(去用冷水洗洗面,以免入睡)。不過,較好的說法是Go splash your face with cold water(去用冷水澆澆面)。另一說法是:Go
throw / splash some cold water on your face。
古德明: 手段骯髒、並非如此
問:以下兩句,是什麼意思?──(1)DAB supporters get down and dirty in a
Shamshuipo clean-up。(2)It is
not the case that everyone confirmed to be infected with H7N9 is clustered in
one small area with the same source of exposure。
答:第一句較難明白的,應是down and dirty這成語。Down and dirty多是指處事使用卑污手段,但也可以指「邋遢的」,例如:(1)Leung Chun-ying's
election campaign got down and dirty when he told lies upon lies(梁振英競選期間,不斷說謊,手段十分骯髒)。(2)He lives in a down and
dirty street(他居住的街道很邋遢)。讀者說的第一句,down and dirty當然是取第二個意思,但顯然有心使人想到第一個意思,以吸引讀者。全句意思是:「民建聯支持者不避骯髒,到深水埗大掃除。」
至於第二句,那位讀者說不明白It is not the case五字。按case是「情況」或「事實」,例如:(1)They say they love China, but that is not the case(他們說愛中國,事實卻不是這樣)。(2)He is said to be very
learned, but if that is the case, why can't he answer so simple a question?(據說他很有學問,要是如此,為什麼那樣簡單的問題,他都不能回答?)讀者說的第二句,意思就是:「證實染上H7N9禽流感者,並不是人人都擠在一個小小的地方,暴露在同一環境之下。」