中環「佔領行動」者，不接受英語訪問

中環「佔領行動」者，不接受英語訪問

【批註：對Michael Chugani 諸簡寧的印象不算好──出位囂張，文品不佳。

諸簡寧對香港政治立場鮮明，被挑選出來批評的例子，絕大多數是被歸類為支持建制的人士。被歸類為泛民者的英語水平，他看來相當「寬容」。於是，對他點評不會盡信。而此次的引文，看的不是英語點評，主要是看他如何描述中環「佔領」行動那群人。

諸簡寧頗「欣賞」港式的反政府行為；然而，就在他的「主觀偏好」下，仍忍不住說出對「佔領行動」者「disheartened」的觀察。
大家猜一猜，一群扮前衛、扮與世界同步的年輕人（當中不乏大學生），他們平日可有多看英文新聞及時評？而今天出來「搞示威」的那群年輕人，會不會大部份都是香港「水平次等」一點好事者。即使他們的「身份」是大學生（香港的大學學額過去十多年急速增加了），卻只是當中水平次級的「劣質」學生。

早前傳上的文章已點出：在內地，一些不通英文的所謂自由派才最崇美──即是，是在不讀英文媒體的訊息下崇美；如吳稼祥！！他們微博內的「民主自由」（美國）訊息，大多不是想當然，便是──錯的！！】

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頭條日報 P32  |   港聞  |   又中又英  |   By Michael Chugani 諸簡寧  2011-11-29

I am shocked and disheartened. 

 

I t is disheartening　to always hear people say the standard of English in Hong Kong has dropped. But the truth is that it has. This truth hit home again when I tried to get some participants of the Occupy Central movement to come on my TV show. The movement is an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement, which has produced offshoots all over the world. When I asked several participants of the Occupy Central movement if any would be willing to come on my show, they baulked. They said none of them could speak good enough English to be interviewed on English-language TV.

I was shocked to hear this. The Occupy Central movement is made up mostly of young people, including university students. It disheartened me that this younger generation of people, who represent Hong Kong's future, could not speak English. Hong Kong needs to decide whether it wants to remain a bilingual society. If it wants to remain bilingual it must have new thinking on how English is taught in schools and promoted in the community. To be disheartened means to lose confidence or hope.

To hit home is an idiom that means to become very clear. Many aging women buy expensive creams to make them look young again. The truth has not hit home that this is a waste of money.An offshoot is something that grows or develops from something else, such as a side branch from a plant. To baulk means to hesitate or be unwilling to do something. I baulked when my friend asked me to try dog meat. English is not absolutely necessary for societies to succeed. For example, English is not widely spoken in wealthy societies such as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. But if Hong Kong wants to think of itself as a bilingual society it must work harder. Right now it is a bilingual society only in name. It is cheating itself.

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我經常聽人說，港人英語水平下降，這真叫人失望和沮喪（disheartening），事情確如此。我邀請「佔領中環」運動成員出席我的電視節目時，再一次證明人們說法對的（hit home）。「佔領華爾街」的支派（offshoot）遍佈世界各地，「佔領中環」是其中之一。我問數名「佔領中環」的成員是否願意上我的節目，但他們老大不願（baulked），因沒有一個人能說好英語，應付電視英語頻道的訪問。

我聽到這回覆，感到震驚。「佔領中環」主要成員是年輕人，不乏大學生。這些代表香港未來的年輕人竟不會說英語，真叫我失望和沮喪（disheartening）。港府需要決定，究竟還要不要繼續把香港定位為雙語社會。如果香港仍要做雙語社會，港府必須用新思維提倡英語，以新方法在學校教授英語。Disheartened解失去信心或希望。Hit home是成語，意指變得非常清楚。很多上年紀的女人買名貴面霜，希望回復青春，這其實是浪費金錢，但她們仍未領會（hit home）真相。offshoot解由本體衍生出來的支派，如植物的分枝。Baulk解猶豫或不願去做。朋友叫我吃狗肉，我老大不願意（baulked）。社會要成功，不一定要全民皆說英語，例如在日本、南韓、台灣等富裕社會，英語也並非廣泛應用。但如果香港要定位為雙語社會，港府須在提倡英語上花多些功夫，現在香港只是虛有其名，自欺欺人。

Michael Chugani 諸簡寧

中譯：利以嘉