寓教于乐
普通话和英语是世界上最广为使用的两种语言,无论是否作为其母语,使用者都为数众多。普通话是十多亿人口的母语,英语则是五亿多人口的母语。但是从地理角度来看,说中文的人主要集中在中国;说英文的人则更广泛地分布于多个国家,无论英语是否为该国官方语言。
自20世纪70年代末中国实行改革开放政策以来,尤其是近10年,使用这两种语言的人们之间的交流互动达到了空前高度。而这种交流最初仅体现在政治领域;到上世纪80年代, 又扩展到贸易、旅游、商业和文化领域,由此构成了中国和英语国家之间跨文化交流的前线。
大多数人都不曾想过要学一门外语;然而,对大部分中国人来说,学习外语势在必行。诚然,中国的英语教育水平在不断提升;我们同时也要看到,只有少数中国人能够将英语 “运用”得如同自己母语(或接近这一水平)般得心应手。
我于2000年11月来到中国学习汉语,但我却几乎没有感受到我周围的人想说英语的愿望!就是在那段时间,我开始听到一些奇奇怪怪的表达,如:“horse horse tiger tiger” 马马虎虎,“people mountain people sea” 人山人海。我所到之处接触的所有人,无论他们学了多久的英语,他们说出口的英语似乎都颇具“中国特色”。就个人而言,我觉得很有趣、很滑稽;但作为一名教育工作者,我想为此做点什么。
那么,中英文结合会怎样呢?其结果就是所谓的“Chinglish” 中式英语——混乱却异想天开的副产品。本书的目的在于两方面:其一,看到这些不地道的差劲翻译和搞笑标志与菜单,能使读者会心一笑;其二,更为重要的是,我们要从中吸取教训,学习如何表达才更地道。作者衷心希望读者能够在本书的轻松幽默中学有所获。
愿诸君好好学习,天天向上。
彭加汉
Laugh and Learn
Mandarin Chinese and English are the two most widely spoken languages on the planet, both in terms of the number of native and non-native speakers. While there are more than one billion native Mandarin speakers and over 500 million native English speakers, Chinese is a geographically more concentrated and isolated language, whereas English is spoken officially and unofficially in more countries than any other language.
Since China's “opening up” policy initiated in the late 1970s, and especially in the last decade, there has been an unparalleled increase in the interaction between these two languages and the people speaking them. While at first, this interaction was only political, by the 1980s, trade, tourism, commerce and culture were at the forefront of this cross-cultural dialogue between China and the English-speaking world.
Most people never bother to learn a second language, but for most Chinese people it is a practical imperative. And while it is true that the quality of English education in China is steadily improving, it is equally important to note that at present, there are still only a handful of Chinese people who can “use” English at native or near-native speaker level.
I came to China in November of 2000 to learn Chinese, but little did I realize that everyone around me wanted to speak English! It was during this time that I started hearing curious phrases like “horse horse tiger tiger” and “people mountain people sea”. Everywhere I went, everyone I talked to, no matter how long they had been studying English, all seemed to speak it with “Chinese characteristics”. On a personal level I found it fun and funny; as an educator, I wanted to do something about it.
So, what happens when you combine Chinese and English? The result is a confusing but humorous byproduct called “Chinglish”. The purpose of this book is twofold: on the one hand, I think it's important to be able to laugh at poor translations and funny signs and menus written by non-native speakers; but it's also important to learn from our mistakes and strive toward expressing ourselves in a more “native” manner. It is the sincere hope of this author that readers will both “laugh and learn” as they go through this work.
I wish you all “good good study, day day up”.
Kirk Kenny