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2017年11月三笔实务英译汉真题挺有意思的。在英语作为全球通用语言的大背景下，这篇文章还挺应景的。原来母语是英语的人更不擅长使用英语？[吃瓜群众]来看看真题内容吧：

It was just one word in one E-mail, but it triggered huge financial losses for a multinational company. The message, written in English, was sent by a native speaker to a colleague for whom English was a second language. Unsure of the word, the recipient found two contradictory meanings in his dictionary. He acted on the wrong one.

不过是一封邮件里一个小小的词语，就造成了一家跨国公司巨额的财务损失。这封邮件是用英文发的，发邮件的人母语是英语，而收邮件的同事，英语是其第二语言。该同事不确定邮件中一个词语的意思，就去查了字典，发现这个词语有两个恰恰相反的含义，他按错误的那个意思去执行了。

trigger：to make something happen 引发；引起；触发

做名词的时候意思是“触发器；（枪的）扳机”，pull the trigger 表示“开枪”。

He kept his finger on the trigger.

他的手指一直勾着扳机。《牛津词典》

Stress may act as a trigger for these illnesses.

压力也许是引发这些疾病的一个原因。《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

Nuts can trigger off a violent allergic reaction.

坚果可以引起严重的过敏反应。《牛津词典》

be unsure of 不确定

act on: to do something because you have been given information, advice, or orders

按照…行事；依…行事

Then she decided to act on her plan.

然后她决定按计划行事。《VOA Special》

But people are slow to act on the changes.

但人们却迟迟未对变化采取行动。《BBC环球慢速英语》

Months later, senior management investigated why the project had flopped, costing hundreds of thousands of US dollars. It all traced back to this one word. Things spiraled out of control because both parties were thinking the opposite.

数月以后，公司高管来调查项目失败损失数十万美元的原因。最终查到根源就在于这个词语。由于双方的想法南辕北辙，事情变得一发不可收拾。

flop: to be a complete failure 完全失败

It is the public who decide whether a film is a hit or a flop.

决定一部电影是成功还是失败的是公众。

《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

He seemed so sure of his decision, how could he flip-flop so dramatically now?

他似乎对自己的决定非常肯定，现在怎么会戏剧性地改变立场呢？

《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

拓展：flip-flop 突然改变的; (尤指政客）改变立场

out of control 失控的；控制不了的

When such misunderstandings happen, it’s usually the native speakers who are to blame. Ironically, they are worse at delivering their message than people who speak English as a second or third language, according to a communication expert. A lot of native speakers are happy that English has become the world’s global language. They feel they don’t have to spend time learning another language. The non-native speakers, it turns out, speak more purposefully and carefully, typical of someone speaking a second or third language.

当类似的误会产生时，往往要归咎于英语是母语的人。据沟通专家表示，让人出乎意料的一点是，在表述意思的时候，与其他英语作为第二或第三语言的人相比较，英语为母语的人反而更不擅长。英语成为全球通用语言时，很多英语是母语的人都感到兴奋。他们认为自己无需再花时间学习另一门语言。事实证明，英语不是母语的人，尤其是英语是其第二外语，甚至是第三外语的人，他们说英语的时候目的性更强，用词也更为谨慎。

ironically: used for saying that a situation has developed in an unexpected and sometimes humorous way 讽刺地；出乎意料的是；意想不到的是

deliver their message 可以译为“表述意思”，deliver在这里表示“传送；传达；表达”

The question is, can he deliver?

问题是他能履行吗？《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

拓展：

deliver the goods 交货；履行诺言

deliver goods 交货

deliver a speech 发表演讲；发表讲话

Anglophones, on the other hand, often talk too fast for others to follow, and use jokes, slangs and references specific to their own culture. The native English speaker is the only one who might not feel the need to accommodate or adapt to others. With non-native English speakers in the majority worldwide, it’s Anglophones who may need improvement.

而英语是母语的人说话语速太快，别人理解不了，而且会讲一些与自己的文化挂钩的笑话、俚语或是典故。也许只有英语是母语的人认为自己不需要去适应他人。但是，在世界各地，英语不是母语的人居多，所以英语是母语的人需要有所改进。

Anglophone:someone who speaks English as one of their main languages

母语是英语者；以英语为母语的人

reference：a word or phrase that comes from a book or a poem 参考书；引文，这里是指典故，指的是英语为母语的人喜欢引经据典。

Native speakers are often at a disadvantage when English is being used as a common language. It's the native English speakers that have difficulty understanding and making themselves understood. Non-native speakers generally use more limited vocabulary and simpler expressions, without flowery language or slang. Because of that, they understand one another easily.

英语作为一门通用语言时，英语是母语的人往往不占优势，正是他们听不懂别人的意思，也很难让别人听懂他们在说什么。英语不是母语的人一般词汇量有限，使用的表达也更简单，不会说些花里胡哨的话和俚语。正因如此，他们更容易理解对方在说什么。

flowery: flowery language or writing uses many complicated words that are intended to make it more attractive

<贬>(说话或作品)辞藻华丽的

A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.

巧言不如直说。

Then there’s cultural style. When a Brit reacts to a proposal by saying, “That’s interesting,” a fellow Brit might recognize this as an understatement for “that’s rubbish.” But other nationalities would take the word “interesting” at face value. English speakers with no other language often have a lack of awareness about how to speak English internationally.

再来说说文化风格。当一个英国人听到一项建议后说，“真有意思，”另一个英国人可能知道他在委婉地表达“简直是瞎扯淡，”但其他国家的人会按字面意思理解成很有意思。英语是母语的人如果不会说其他语言，他们往往缺少一种意识，即用国际化的英语来表达自己的那种意识。

Brit 英国人[贬], 注意这个词语含有贬义色彩。

understatement: a statement that makes something seem less important, serious, big, etc. than it really is

低调陈述；轻描淡写；含蓄陈述

To say I'm disappointed is an understatement.

说我很失望是很轻的说法。《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

take at face value: 根据外表判断

You shouldn't take anything she says at face value.

她的话你绝对不能只看表面。《牛津词典》

Taken at face value, the figures look very encouraging.

若只看表面，数字很令人鼓舞。《牛津词典》

In Berlin, German staff of a Fortune 500 company were briefed from their Californian HQ via a video link. Despite being competent in English, the Germans gleaned only the gist of what their American project leader said. So among themselves they came up with an agreed version, which might or might not have been what was intended by the Californian staff.

一家总部位于加利福尼亚的世界五百强企业，用视频给他们德国柏林的职员做简报。尽管这些职员精通英语，不过也只能理解美国项目领导人的大致意思。于是，他们自己内部讨论得出了一个版本，这个版本与美国加利福利亚总部要传达的信息是否一致，则是个谜。

Fortune 500 company 世界500强

HQ: headquarter 总部

brief 常常用作形容词表示“简洁的”，在这里用作动词：

brief: to give someone information about a situation, especially officially

给……指示，向……介绍情况; 做简报

glean: to learn small pieces of information by asking questions or watching or listening carefully

收集（资料）

From his own conversation I was able to glean nothing.

从他的谈话里我任何线索也没有获得。《月亮和六便士》

gist: the main or general meaning of 要点；主旨；大意

Too many non-Anglophones, especially Asians and French, are too concerned about not “losing face” and nod approvingly while not getting the message at all. That’s why a former senior international marketing executive at IBM, devised Globish ---a distilled form of English, stripped down to 1,500 words and simple but standard grammar. “It’s not a language, it’s a tool,” he says. Since launching Globish in 2004, he’s sold more than 200,000 Globish textbooks in 18 languages.

特别多英语不是母语的人，尤其是亚洲人和法国人，太害怕没面子，即使根本没听懂，也会点头表示赞同。正因如此，国际商业机器公司（IBM）的前高级市场营销主管制作了一本《全球英语》，总结出了1500个英语词汇，以及简单却标准的语法。他说，“这不是一门语言，而是一种工具。”《全球英语》自2004年发行以来，已经售出了20多万本，涵盖了18个译本。

IBM: 国际商业机器公司（International Business Machines Corporation）。

总公司在纽约州阿蒙克市。1911年托马斯·沃森创立于美国，是全球最大的信息技术和业务解决方案公司。

Globish =global+English 全球英语

distill: to produce a summary that contains only the most important ideas or pieces of information

提取；汇总

“If you can communicate efficiently with limited, simple language, you save time, avoid misinterpretation and you don’t have errors in communication,” he says. When trying to communicate in English with a group of people with varying levels of fluency, it's important to be receptive and adaptable, timing your ears into a whole range of different ways of using English.

他还说，“用少量词的汇、简单的语言进行有效沟通，能够节省时间，避免误会，沟通的时候也不会出错。”在与一群英语能力参差不齐的人沟通时，接受和适应能力尤为重要，需要适时调整听力，以便适应各种各样的英语表达方式。

People who’ve learned other languages are good at doing that, but native speakers of English generally are not very good at adapting to language variation. In meetings, Anglophones tend to speed along at what they consider a normal pace. One recommendation is making the same point in a couple of different ways and asking for acknowledgement or reaction.

对于学过其他外语的人来说，他们很擅长这一点，但对于英语是母语的人来说，他们并不太适应这种多样的语言表达。开会时，他们总是用自己觉得正常的语速说话。对此，有的人建议：用多种方式表达同一个意思，问问对方是否认同，或者看看他们反应如何。

make the point 表达一个观点或者见解

acknowledgement: an act of accepting that sth exists or is true, or that sth is there （对事实、现实、存在的）承认；认可；认同

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