又中又英——beyond the pale

　　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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　　每一次特首林郑月娥召开关于新型武汉冠状病毒的记者招待会，她开始时都会吹嘘（bragging）政府官员在这一议题上会见了传媒几多次。就着政府官员开过关乎武汉病毒的记招的次数，她会举出准确的数字。然后她以及其他官员在回答记者发问之前，会用记招几近一半的时间来夸耀（bragging）政府在处理病毒恐慌上做得有多好。自从武汉开始有冠状病毒疫情（epidemic）以来，林郑月娥和其他官员举行的所有记招我都有收看。他们开场的中文发言，一次也没有用英语复述过。
　　在反引渡条例修订示威期间，警方总是会以英文复述他们的中文开场发言。这在雨伞运动期间亦如是。当人人都对那冠状病毒极其担忧（worried sick）之际，特首以及其他的官员拒绝以英语作开场发言，是完全不能接受的（beyond the pale）。更甚的是，在这些记招上，只容许二至三条用英语提问的问题。不懂广东话的香港人也有交税啊，那为何谈到武汉病毒，他们却要被蒙在鼓里（kept in the dark）？当社区内有许多人同一时间感染到某一疾病，那就叫做epidemic；当那传染病疫情已蔓延至全国又或全球，那就叫做pandemic。
　　若你是worried sick，那不是说你真的因为忧心而生病了，它是指你实在非常担忧、担心得要命。若某事是beyond the pale，意即那是社会不容、完全不能接受的。若你被kept in the dark，即是说你被蒙在鼓里，无从获得详尽的资讯。特首以及其他官员在记招上不以英文作开场白，是完全不能接受的（beyond the pale）；非粤语人士对病毒亦同样担心得要命（worried sick），席间却只容许两、三条英语提问，这也是完全不能接受的（beyond the pale）。[email protected]
中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁