又中又英——Bygone Era
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
2021-03-25 04:17 HKT
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Last week I witnessed something at a private doctor's clinic that I never thought I would witness in modern-day Hong Kong. It reminded me of a bygone era when an education was a luxury, not something that we now take for granted. What I witnessed made me wonder if it was just a one-off case or if there are many other cases like that. The word“witness”can be used as a verb or a noun. If you witnessed (verb) something, it means you saw something, such as a robbery. A person who saw a robbery is a witness (noun) to the robbery. Witnesses (noun) are sometimes asked to describe in court what they saw.
The expression＂bygone era”means something that belongs to or happened in the distant past. Rickshaws remind me of a bygone era. The expression“take something for granted”used this way means to expect something is always available and you, therefore, don't appreciate its value. A“one-off case”means something that happens only once. What I witnessed at the doctor's clinic was an elderly woman paying her bill after seeing the doctor. The nurse asked her to sign something but she said she did not know how to sign anything. The nurse asked if she could write just a single character but she said she did not know how to write her name.
The kind nurse told her not to worry and gave her a type of ink so she could use her fingerprint as a signature. The nurse then gave her a tissue to clean her finger. I was totally astonished at what I witnessed. I never imagined modern-day Hong Kong still has people who never went to school. But the elderly woman was not embarrassed even though other patients saw she didn’t know how to write. I don’t think what I witnessed was a one-off case because the nurse had a type of ink for fingerprints.
* * * *
上星期我在一间私家诊所目击（witnessed）某事，是我从没想过在今时今日的香港会目睹（witness）的。这令我想起了很久以前的日子（bygone era），那年代可以接受教育是奢侈的，而非像今天我们认为的那么理所当然（take for granted）。我所目睹（witnessed）的事，令我不禁疑惑，到底那是一件一次性的独立案例（one-off case），抑或其实有许多类近的情况。Witness一字可作动词或名词用。若你 witnessed（动词）某事，即指你目击某事，例如一宗抢劫案；那名目睹抢劫案发生的目击者就是该案的 witness（名词）。目击证人（witnesses，名词）有时要被传召上庭，讲述他们所见到的事发经过。
习语“bygone era”是指某件陈年往事，又或事件属于或发生于很久以前的时代。人力车就令我想起了已逝去的旧时代（bygone era）。习语“take something for granted”在这里是指将某事看作理所当然，因此并未懂得欣赏其价值。A“one-off case”是指单单发生一次的特例。我在私家诊所目睹（witnessed）的，是一位婆婆在看医生后缴付诊症费用时，护士着她签署某样文件，但婆婆说她不懂得签署。护士问她可否写个单字，但她说她不懂得写自己的名字。
那位友善的护士着她不用担心，然后给她某种特定的墨盒，让她可以打指模代替签名。护士再给她一张纸巾去抹净手指。我对于自己亲眼目睹（witnessed）的事大感惊奇，我从没想过在今时今日的香港，仍然有人从未上过学。然而，即使其他病人见到婆婆不懂写字，她也毫不感到尴尬。我不认为我所目睹（witnessed）的是偶发性的个别例子（one-off case），因为那位护士有那种专用来打指纹的墨盒。
[email protected]
中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
The expression＂bygone era”means something that belongs to or happened in the distant past. Rickshaws remind me of a bygone era. The expression“take something for granted”used this way means to expect something is always available and you, therefore, don't appreciate its value. A“one-off case”means something that happens only once. What I witnessed at the doctor's clinic was an elderly woman paying her bill after seeing the doctor. The nurse asked her to sign something but she said she did not know how to sign anything. The nurse asked if she could write just a single character but she said she did not know how to write her name.
The kind nurse told her not to worry and gave her a type of ink so she could use her fingerprint as a signature. The nurse then gave her a tissue to clean her finger. I was totally astonished at what I witnessed. I never imagined modern-day Hong Kong still has people who never went to school. But the elderly woman was not embarrassed even though other patients saw she didn’t know how to write. I don’t think what I witnessed was a one-off case because the nurse had a type of ink for fingerprints.
* * * *
上星期我在一间私家诊所目击（witnessed）某事，是我从没想过在今时今日的香港会目睹（witness）的。这令我想起了很久以前的日子（bygone era），那年代可以接受教育是奢侈的，而非像今天我们认为的那么理所当然（take for granted）。我所目睹（witnessed）的事，令我不禁疑惑，到底那是一件一次性的独立案例（one-off case），抑或其实有许多类近的情况。Witness一字可作动词或名词用。若你 witnessed（动词）某事，即指你目击某事，例如一宗抢劫案；那名目睹抢劫案发生的目击者就是该案的 witness（名词）。目击证人（witnesses，名词）有时要被传召上庭，讲述他们所见到的事发经过。
习语“bygone era”是指某件陈年往事，又或事件属于或发生于很久以前的时代。人力车就令我想起了已逝去的旧时代（bygone era）。习语“take something for granted”在这里是指将某事看作理所当然，因此并未懂得欣赏其价值。A“one-off case”是指单单发生一次的特例。我在私家诊所目睹（witnessed）的，是一位婆婆在看医生后缴付诊症费用时，护士着她签署某样文件，但婆婆说她不懂得签署。护士问她可否写个单字，但她说她不懂得写自己的名字。
那位友善的护士着她不用担心，然后给她某种特定的墨盒，让她可以打指模代替签名。护士再给她一张纸巾去抹净手指。我对于自己亲眼目睹（witnessed）的事大感惊奇，我从没想过在今时今日的香港，仍然有人从未上过学。然而，即使其他病人见到婆婆不懂写字，她也毫不感到尴尬。我不认为我所目睹（witnessed）的是偶发性的个别例子（one-off case），因为那位护士有那种专用来打指纹的墨盒。
[email protected]
中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
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