又中又英——“go figure”

　　People whose first language is English rarely mix up common idioms and proverbs. But English is not the first language of most Hong Kong people. That’s why they sometimes mix up common idioms and expressions. There are some American slang expressions that even people from other English-speaking countries don’t understand. A good example is the slang expression “go figure”, which is commonly used in the US. Americans use it when they tell someone a fact but feel the fact is surprising or stupid. For example, if a very expensive restaurant serves tasteless food and the kitchen has rats but the restaurant is always full, you can say “go figure”.
　　Last week, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Edward Yau Tang-wah, mixed up a common English proverb. Over the years I have heard many government officials and politicians make mistakes when using idioms or proverbs. This is understandable because English is not their first language. I point out these mistakes whenever I can so we can all learn from the mistakes. Yau Tang-wah was talking about travel bubbles and local tours when he made the mistake. The expression “travel bubble” is a new expression created because of the coronavirus. It means two places that allow two-way travel without passengers having to quarantine because the coronavirus is under control.
　　When Yau Tang-wah was talking about local tours and other events, he said “where there’s a way, there’s a will”. He got the expression the other way round. It should be “where there’s a will, there’s a way”. This expression means if you are determined about doing something, you can succeed even if what you want to do is very difficult. It is very difficult to give up smoking. But if you are determined or have the will to do it, you will find a way to succeed. What Yau Tang-wah meant was if Hong Kong people are determined to fight the coronavirus and re-open the economy, they will find a way to succeed.
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　　母语是英语的人，很少会混淆了常用的成语和谚语。但英语并非大部份香港人的母语，因此他们有时会搞乱了一些常用的成语和习语。有一些美式俚语说法，即使是其他英语国家的人，也不大明白。一个很好的例子是俚语“go figure”，它在美国很常用到。当美国人要跟人说一个事实，却感到那个事实非常令人吃惊或荒诞的时候，就会用到这个俚语。譬如，若一间非常昂贵的餐厅，食物淡而无味，厨房还有老鼠，那间餐厅却总是满座的，你便可以说“go figure”。
　　上星期，商务及经济发展局局长邱腾华就混淆了一个常用的英文谚语。过去多年来，我听过有许多政府官员和政客，用成语或谚语的时候说错了。这是可以理解的，因为英语并非他们的母语。可以的话我都会指出这些错误，是为了让我们大家都可以从这些错误中学习。邱腾华当时正在讲解旅游气泡（travel bubble）和本地旅游团，就犯了一个习语上的错误。习语“travel bubble”是因为新冠肺炎疫情而衍生出的新词，意即两个地区因为疫情已受控，可容许双向的通行往返，而乘客不必隔离检疫。
　　当邱腾华在讲述本地团和其他活动时，他说：“where there’s a way, there’s a will”；但他把习语的语句颠倒了。正确的习语应是：“where there’s a will, there’s a way”。这个习语的意思是，即使你想做的事困难重重，只要下定决心去做，你也可以成功。要戒烟是很困难的，但若你够坚决，或有足够的意志要去戒烟，那你一定会找到方法成功的。邱腾华的意思是，若香港人都能决心对抗新冠肺炎疫情，重启经济，总能找到方法成功的。
[email protected] 中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁