catch my attention

2015/12/22 08:41:17 網誌分類: 生活

22 Dec

         A few weeks ago, I took an East Rail train to Lo Wu in the afternoon. Several very young students boarded the train at Tai Po Market. When the train reached Fanling, many more young students boarded. Even more students boarded at the Sheung Shui station. I don’t ordinarily (usually, normally) take much notice of students on MTR trains but the students I saw that day caught my attention. When something catches your attention, it means you take notice of it because it is unusual or interesting. I am sure a naked woman walking in Central would catch the attention of many people. The young students on the East Rail train to Lo Wu caught my attention because they were all speaking in Putonghua.

         I have seen students all speaking in Putonghua on the East Rail many times before but they always catch my attention because they are so different from Hong Kong students. Most Hong Kong students play with their mobile phones or talk quietly with their classmates when they travel on the MTR. Students in the same class are classmates. The young Putonghua-speaking students I often see on the East Rail to Lo Wu are cross-border students. The word “cross-border” is used to describe the movement of people or trade across borders. But “cross-border students” is a Hong Kong expression. It refers to students who were born in Hong Kong to mainland parents. They live on the mainland but cross the border daily to study in Hong Kong schools.

         They always catch my attention when I travel to Lo Wu because they all speak in Putonghua, they are rowdy, and some sit on the floor of the train. The word “rowdy” means very noisy and disorderly. Hong Kong students are seldom rowdy on the MTR. I have seen many Hong Kong passengers stare angrily at the rowdy cross-border students. I often wonder to myself why they choose to speak in Putonghua even though they choose to study in Hong Kong. Should they not choose to speak in Cantonese instead? Studying here also gives them a good opportunity to learn and speak in English.

        * * *

         幾星期前的一個下午，我搭東鐵線去羅湖。有幾名非常年輕學生在大埔墟站上車。當列車到達粉嶺時，更多年輕學生上車，在上水站則有更多學生上車。我平常（ordinarily）在港鐵上不太留意學生，但我當天見到的學生卻引起我注意（caught my attention）。若某事catches your attention，即是說你因為它不平凡或有趣而留意到它。我肯定，一位裸女在中環漫步，必定能惹起許多人的注意（catch the attention）。搭東鐵往羅湖的年輕學生能引起我的注意（caught my attention），因為他們盡都在說普通話。

         我以往曾多次見到學生在東鐵上說普通話，但他們總能吸引我的注意（catch my attention），因為他們跟香港的學生大大不同。大部分的香港學生都自顧自玩手機，又或在搭港鐵時與同學（classmates）輕聲談話。Classmates 就是同班同學。我在往羅湖的東鐵上常常遇見的那些說普通話的年輕學生，都是跨境學童（cross-border students）。Cross-border是用以形容跨境的人或活動。但 cross-border students 卻是個香港習語，泛指內地父母在香港出生的學童。他們住在內地，卻要每天過境到香港的學校就讀。

         我搭車到羅湖時，他們常常能引起我的注意（catch my attention），因為他們人人都在說普通話，他們吵鬧（rowdy），有些更坐在車廂地上。Rowdy 意指吵鬧又欠秩序的。香港學生很少在港鐵上吵鬧（rowdy）。我見過有不少香港乘客向這些吵鬧的跨境學生（cross-border students）怒目而視。我常常自忖，為何他們選擇在香港讀書，卻又執意要說普通話呢？他們不應轉而說廣東話嗎？在這裡讀書，也讓他們有更好的機會去學習和說英語。

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

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