tian xin 于 2000/04/05 19:50:12 发表在 汉英
Wed Mar 29 00:33:43 2000
Just read an interesting article in Feb 1st issue of "The Australian", titled "Verbs on the run" by Don Watson, in
which he laments over the ruling language which is "clotted with cliches and striving for meaninglessness".
"Commitment" and "enhancement" are the two words he singles out, amongst others, as the worst in the category:
"To say they are commited to something means neither that they believe it (if they do, why not say so?), nor that
they will do it (if they will, why not do so?). It is a standard weasel word, a weed that spread with the fashion for
mission statement, new management theories and sports psychology."
"'Enhance' can mean anything, which is why it's so popular with people who have lost the ability to say what they
mean. once we might have said improve, or illuminate, or accelerate, or lengthen, broaden or make hairier-any one
of hundreds of verbs. Now we say 'enhance'. we enhance our competitiveness, our hair colour, our breasts, our
chances and our brilliant systems. We enhance our defence and our education."
Could some of our COMMITTED experts here find equivalent Chinese weasel words for these two to
ENHANCE our understanding? :) Thanks!
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就在各自语言中烂的程度而言，“致力于”和committed to在伯仲之间
作者：游击队员 - 2000/04/05 23:51:47
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Wed Mar 29 04:05:13 2000
“改进”和“Enhance”差不多烂。
改进竞争力、改进头发颜色、改进胸部、改进教育体制、改进手指活动讷能力、改进小脑机能、改进两岸关系、改进汉英论坛、改进页面友好程度、改进译文、改进香烟品质、改进地下水资源开发状况、改进战机的火控系统、改进飞机的舒适程度、改进校园面貌、改进国民经济。想改进什么，就改进什么。对译员而言，这样的词语是看家法宝，百试不爽，用处很大。
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谢谢！确实改进了我们的理解力。
作者：tian xin - 2000/04/05 23:56:15
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Wed Mar 29 19:23:10 2000
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您这个哪及这个：“上新的台阶”！！！
作者：Last Hermit - 2000/04/05 23:57:17
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Sat Apr 1 08:37:40 2000
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Very interesting article, thank you ;)
作者：xy - 2000/04/05 23:55:09
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Wed Mar 29 04:24:10 2000
I am not a COMMITTED expert and am not able to ENHANCE your understanding. In fact, I hate those two
words which give me a lot of headache in my translation! Nowadays, people, whether in China or in the west, tend
to use complicated words and expressions for otherwise very simple matters, use big words for small things to the
extent of being ridiculous. They don't say drug addicts, they say substance dependent; they use disadvantaged,
marginalized, less privileged, less developed for a simple word" poor". They don't call a spade a spade, they call it
something else, leaving you to do the guess. They may assume they would look more politically correct and more
civilized. Well, I couldn't stand it. Some articles in Chinese make me, a post-graduate, feel like a semi-illiterate. I
simply don't know what they are talking about, I wonder if the author himself knows. I just could not think of any
example off-hand to illustrate it. But I am sure you know what I mean, you must have come across many such
examples. Sometimes, such words and expressions simply drive me crazy!
My turn to be the hard-get-rid-of tail;)
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Thanks for enhancing the understanding of
作者：tian xin - 2000/04/05 23:59:02
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Wed Mar 29 19:17:10 2000
a co-semi-illiterate. Here is an illustration the same author gives, a random example from the Department of
Finance, Australia, in 1995:
Given the within year and the budget time flexibility accorded to the science agencies in the determination of
resources allocation from within their global budget, a multi-parameter approach to maintaining the agencies
budgets in real terms is not appropriate.
And he asks: Can anyone confidently say on first hearing or reading them what these words mean?
But isn't this encouraging for us committed non native speakers?
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是的，所以我经常怀疑……
作者：Last Hermit - 2000/04/06 00:00:34
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Sat Apr 1 07:06:13 2000
是的
所以我经常怀疑
那些将句子断开
成诗的人
是否，
能写出
工整又合乎平仄
的诗
那些
画所谓“抽象画”的人
能否画出
可让一般人看懂的画来
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哈哈，出山了？
作者：xy - 2000/04/06 00:01:57
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Sat Apr 1 07:38:49 2000
您这断句子诗也挺象诗的嘛！您是讽刺本人写过的几首“诗”吧？讽刺的太温柔了:-)。千万别拿那种诗当真，凑趣，好玩而已。“水阔鱼沉”，我第一次还是从您的诗里看到的呢，印象极深，后来才发现是有出处的，对您肃然起敬。
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您还说？明知愚兄年迈力有不逮，怎么不给回头指指路？
作者：Last Hermit - 2000/04/06 00:03:27
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Sat Apr 1 08:14:41 2000
害得我瞎着急，迷路了整整两个星期！
您我都不是诗人，我楼下是指“诗人”－－起码他们号称是！
至于知道“水阔鱼沉”，也没什么大不了，枉论肃然起敬！您比我知道的，一定更多。切勿妄自菲薄。
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您留的那个手机号，怎么拨也拨不通，咱鹤子妹妹估计也在干着急
作者：xy - 2000/04/06 00:04:39
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Sat Apr 1 08:29:17 2000
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Oh. You should dial this in your mind!
作者：Last Hermit - 2000/04/06 00:05:40
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Sat Apr 1 08:34:23 2000
别担心，我已留下路标，相信鹤子贤妹很快会找到的，尽管她有点调皮。
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