beyond the pale

2020/02/06 04:12:41 網誌分類: 生活

06 Feb

        　　Every time Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor holds a press conference about the new Wuhan coronavirus, she starts by bragging (boasting) about the number of times government officials had met the media on the issue. She gives the exact number of times government officials had held press conferences about the Wuhan virus. Then she and other officials will use about half the time of the press conference bragging about how well the government has handled the virus scare before answering questions from reporters. I watched all the press conferences Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and other officials gave since the coronavirus epidemic began in Wuhan. Not once did they repeat their opening Chinese statements in English.

        　　During the anti-extradition bill protests, the police would always repeat their press conference opening statements in English. That was also the case during the Umbrella Movement. It is beyond the pale that the chief executive and other officials refuse to make opening statements in English as well when everyone is worried sick about the coronavirus. Even worse, only two or three English questions are allowed at these press conferences. Hong Kong people who do not understand Cantonese pay taxes too, so why are they kept in the dark about the Wuhan virus? When a disease affects many people at the same time in a community, it is called an epidemic. When the disease spreads to a whole country or the world it is called a pandemic.

        　　If you are worried sick, it doesn't mean you are actually sick from worrying. It just means you are extremely worried. If something is "beyond the pale", it means it is totally unacceptable. If you are kept in the dark, it means you are not given the full details about something. It is beyond the pale for the chief executive and other officials to not make opening statements in English too at the press conferences. It is also beyond the pale for them to only allow two or three English questions when non-Cantonese speakers are also worried sick about the virus.

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        　　每一次特首林鄭月娥召開關於新型武漢冠狀病毒的記者招待會，她開始時都會吹噓（bragging）政府官員在這一議題上會見了傳媒幾多次。就着政府官員開過關乎武漢病毒的記招的次數，她會舉出準確的數字。然後她以及其他官員在回答記者發問之前，會用記招幾近一半的時間來誇耀（bragging）政府在處理病毒恐慌上做得有多好。自從武漢開始有冠狀病毒疫情（epidemic）以來，林鄭月娥和其他官員舉行的所有記招我都有收看。他們開場的中文發言，一次也沒有用英語複述過。

        　　在反引渡條例修訂示威期間，警方總是會以英文複述他們的中文開場發言。這在雨傘運動期間亦如是。當人人都對那冠狀病毒極其擔憂（worried sick）之際，特首以及其他的官員拒絕以英語作開場發言，是完全不能接受的（beyond the pale）。更甚的是，在這些記招上，只容許二至三條用英語提問的問題。不懂廣東話的香港人也有交稅啊，那為何談到武漢病毒，他們卻要被蒙在鼓裏（kept in the dark）？當社區內有許多人同一時間感染到某一疾病，那就叫做epidemic；當那傳染病疫情已蔓延至全國又或全球，那就叫做pandemic。

        　　若你是worried sick，那不是說你真的因為憂心而生病了，它是指你實在非常擔憂、擔心得要命。若某事是beyond the pale，意即那是社會不容、完全不能接受的。若你被kept in the dark，即是說你被蒙在鼓裏，無從獲得詳盡的資訊。特首以及其他官員在記招上不以英文作開場白，是完全不能接受的（beyond the pale）；非粵語人士對病毒亦同樣擔心得要命（worried sick），席間卻只容許兩、三條英語提問，這也是完全不能接受的（beyond the pale）。mikchug@gmail.com

        中譯：七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

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