时差N小时 中式英文令老师头痛

Local newspapers jumped on a story this week on the topic of Chinglish. "Chinglish" is not a new word. I heard it for the first time 30 years ago. At times Chinglish can be charming. At the wrong moment, however, Chinglish can annoy readers, and embarrass non-native English speakers.

本周，本地报纸纷纷报道了一个关于中式英文话题的故事。“中式英文”并不是新鲜的词语。我30年前就听说过这个词语。有时候中式英文很迷人。然而在有些场合，中式英文惹人恼怒，并让非英语国家的人士尴尬。

A fellow named Oliver Radtke published "Chinglish: Found in Translation" in 2007. He is particularly interested in the Chinglish he finds on a spate¹ of signs, menus and the like in China. Radtke said recently that Chinglish is "so much more than just incompetent² or incorrect English," but communicates "a certain Chinese way of thinking," and he may be right.

2007年，一位名叫奥利弗·瑞克的人出版了一本名为《中国式英语》的图书。他对中国的许多标志、菜单上出现的中式英语特别感兴趣。近来瑞克说道：中式英语“不仅仅体现了英文水平差，使用错误”，更体现了一种“中式思维”，他也许是对的。

Many English teachers believe that Chinglish may indicate some Chinese sensitivities about nature or human behavior, and charm or a gentle humor may be a pleasant byproduct of those indications. But Chinglish can also be a kick in the pants to anyone who wants to learn English well.

许多英文教师认为中式英文暗示了对自然，对人类行为的敏感性，这种暗示可能会衍生出令人愉悦的品质，例如魅力和幽默。但对于想要学好英语的人来说，中式英语也可以是意想不到的挫折。

One of my students recently wrote: "This poem is point out that her appearance is of look beauty under moonlight." My student's meaning is clear. But I owe it to my students to tell them the truth: bad English is bad English. We can all improve in our second languages, myself included. We'll never do that if native speakers won't tell us when we're wrong.

我的一名学生近日写道：“This poem is point out that her appearance is of look beauty under moonlight.”他的意思一目了然。但我有必要告诉他：糟糕的英语就是糟糕的英语。我们都能提高自己的第二外语水平，包括我在内。如果说母语人士不指出我们的错误，我们永远不会取得进步。

1 spate   

n.泛滥，洪水，突然的一阵

参考例句：

• Police are investigating a spate of burglaries in the area.警察正在调查这一地区发生的大量盗窃案。
• Refugees crossed the border in full spate.难民大量地越过了边境。

2 incompetent   

adj.无能力的，不能胜任的

参考例句：

• He is utterly incompetent at his job.他完全不能胜任他的工作。
• He is incompetent at working with his hands.他动手能力不行。