撰文者: Wayne 發表日期: December 9, 2009 – 3:36 am
最近台北捷運狂打「捷運心 (新) 運動」,試圖提倡國人搭乘捷運時讓座給老弱婦孺,悲哀的是:有活動就必定有標語看板,有標語就必定是中英對照,有對照就必定有文法錯誤,這是不變的法則!有圖為證:
標語非常溫馨,可惜英文寫法值得討論。
Please yield your seat to elderly, pregnant, disabled passengers, or passengers with baby. Let each and every seat be priority seat.
-
Yield your seat to …. passengers. => 座位只有一個 (seat),對口單位卻是複數 (passengers),這種寫法不妥。
-
passengers with baby => baby (嬰兒) 是可數名詞,這句話既沒有使用複數 (babies),又沒有加上不定冠詞 (a),很容易讓人誤會。
中文擺明寫著「抱小孩者」,所以英文應該是 passengers with babies / passengers with infants / passengers with young children / passengers with yong kids。
“passengers with baby” 會讓人誤以為是「孕婦」,這是版主讀到這個標語時的第一個反應。 -
Let each and every seat be priority seat. => 漏了不定冠詞 (a)
以下是版主修正過的英文,僅供網友參考,如有更佳的版本,請隨時賜教。
Please yield your seats to elderly and handicapped passengers, pregnant women, or passengers with young children. Let every seat be reserved for those in need.
© 英語學習網站《天地無用》- 狂飆英語的樂園

