To chatter away

2015/03/12 10:14:36 網誌分類: 生活

12 Mar

         L ast week I had dinner with some old Hong Kong friends in a hotel restaurant near Shenzhen. My Hong Kong friends, who live and work on the mainland, suggested we go for a foot massage before dinner. While we were chattering away in English during the massage, I noticed a masseuse listening to us intently. Since my Putonghua is not very good, I could not ask if she knew what we were saying. One of my Hong Kong friends, who can speak excellent Putonghua, asked the masseuse if she understood English. She laughed and replied she was trying hard to learn English. The masseuse told my friend she was taking English lessons for 150 RMB an hour. My friend jokingly told all the masseuses in the room that I was willing to teach them English for free. I jokingly told them I would teach them in return for free foot massages.

         To chatter away means to talk in a relaxed and informal way about unimportant things. Friends often chatter away at parties or while drinking in bars. A masseuse is a woman who is trained to give professional massages. The plural is masseuses. A man who gives professional massages is a masseur. The plural is masseurs. Both words are French in origin. To listen intently means to listen with a lot of attention or to listen very carefully. The masseuse was listening intently to our chattering in English because she wanted to learn English. It surprised me that a masseuse on the mainland would be so interested in learning English that she didn't mind paying 150 RMB an hour to learn.

         The Chinese language is by far the most widely-spoken language in the world. Spanish is next, and English is third. So why does a mainland masseuse, who speaks the most widely-spoken language in the world, want to pay 150 RMB an hour to learn English? People who want to learn English always tell me English can help them in their careers. I have noticed that people on the mainland care more about learning English, and try harder to learn English, than Hong Kong people.

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         上星期我跟一些香港的老朋友，在深圳附近一家酒店的餐廳晚膳。我那些在內地居住和工作的香港朋友，建議我們飯前先去做個足部按摩。我們按摩時一直用英語漫無邊際地交談（chattering away），同時我留意到有一位女按摩師（masseuse）正在專注地（intently）聽着我們談話。由於我的普通話不靈光，我不能問她是否知悉我們在說甚麼。我其中一位能操流利普通話的香港朋友，便問那位女按摩師（masseuse）是否聽得懂英語。她笑了笑，回應說她正在努力地學習英語。那位女按摩師（masseuse）跟我的朋友說，她正在上英語班，盛惠一小時一百五十元人民幣。我的朋友跟所有在房間裏的女按摩師（masseuses）開玩笑說，我願意免費教她們英語。我便又打趣地告訴她們，若有免費足部按摩，我便會教她們英語以作回報。

        　　To chatter away就是不着邊際的閒談着無關痛癢的事。朋友在派對或在酒吧喝酒時，也總會聊個天南地北（chatter away）。Masseuse就是女按摩師，眾數是masseuses；男按摩師則是masseur，眾數是masseurs。這兩個字同樣來自法文。To listen intently就是非常專注或留心地聆聽。那位女按摩師（masseuse）在全神貫注地（intently）聆聽我們以英語閒聊（chattering），因為她想學英語。一位在內地的女按摩師（masseuse）那麼興致勃勃要學英語，甚至不介意付一個小時一百五十元人民幣去學，讓我感到很意外。

         現時來說，漢語是世上最多人說的語言，西班牙語居次，第三是英語。為甚麼一位內地女按摩師（masseuse），能操世上最多人說的語言，卻也會想付一小時一百五十塊錢去學英語？想學英語的人總是跟我說，英語能幫助他們的事業發展。我亦察覺到，內地人比香港人更在乎學習英語，亦更努力地學習英語。mickchug@gmail.com

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

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