20180201-Michael Chugani 褚簡寧：“brouhaha”
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧：“brouhaha”
2018/02/01 08:41:36
It is an indisputable (undeniable, certain) fact that English is the language of the world. Maybe one day in the very distant future Mandarin will replace English as the world’s language but I cannot see this happening anytime soon (in the near future) or in the long term. Even in China the road signs in big cities, for example, are in Chinese and English. In today’s globalized world, the more languages people speak the more opportunities they will have. It is also an indisputable fact that China’s growing clout (influence, power) in the world has made Mandarin an important language. That’s why I was surprised at the brouhaha caused by students at the Baptist University over a Mandarin test they must take to graduate.
The word “brouhaha” means a noisy and angry reaction to something. Last week, some students caused a brouhaha by storming into (rushing angrily into) and occupying the university’s Language Center for many hours to complain about the Mandarin test. Many students said they did not consider Mandarin to be so important that they must pass a test to graduate. Whether or not Mandarin is important for a person’s career or daily life is for that person to decide. I do not have a strong view on the issue but I believe that the more skills you have the easier it will be for you to compete with others. I have tried unsuccessfully to learn Putonghua because I am always too busy with work to spend enough time learning it.
I rarely read the mainland government-owned Global Times newspaper because I know it only promotes China’s opinion on issues without telling the other side of the story. I prefer to spend my time reading newspapers like the Washington Post and New York Times which give both sides of every issue. Last week, the Global Times criticized the Baptist University students and said Mandarin will eventually become more important than English in Hong Kong. Maybe that will happen one day but when it happens, Hong Kong will no longer be an international city. It will be just another Chinese city and no longer special.
***
英語是世界語言——這是毋庸置疑（indisputable）的事實。或許在非常遙遠的未來的某一天，普通話會取代英語成為世界語言，但我在短期內（anytime soon）甚或長遠而言，都看不見這個可能性；即使在中國內地，譬如是一些大城市的路標已是中英對照。今日在全球一體化的世界，人們懂的語言愈多，機遇便愈多。中國的勢力（clout）正在世界舞台上崛起，令普通話成為重要的語言，這亦是毋庸置疑（indisputable）之事。因此，對於浸會大學學生因着一個必須通過才能畢業的普通話試而引起哄動（brouhaha），我感到頗為意外。
Brouhaha意即對某事作出吵鬧或憤怒的反應。上星期，有些學生怒闖（storming into）並佔領大學的語文中心多個小時，投訴普通話測試，引起了一場騷動（brouhaha）。許多學生說他們不認為普通話是那麼重要，非得通過測試才能畢業。普通話對一個人的職業生涯或個人生活重要與否，留待當事人去決定。我對議題本身並未有很強烈的立場，但你所擁有的技能愈多，跟人競爭時自然愈易取勝。我也曾努力學習普通話，但都是徒勞無功，因為我太忙於工作，不夠時間去學習。
我很少翻閱內地官方的《環球時報》，因為我知道它對於各種議題只會宣揚中國的立場，而隱去另一方的說法；我情願花時間去看《華盛頓郵報》和《紐約時報》，它們在各項議題上也會表述正反雙方的意見。上星期，《環球時報》批評浸大學生，並說普通話在香港最終會比英語更為重要。或許這終有一天會發生吧，但當那日來臨之時，香港已不再是國際城市。它只會變成另一個中國城市，亦再難言獨特了。
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
2018/02/01 08:41:36
It is an indisputable (undeniable, certain) fact that English is the language of the world. Maybe one day in the very distant future Mandarin will replace English as the world’s language but I cannot see this happening anytime soon (in the near future) or in the long term. Even in China the road signs in big cities, for example, are in Chinese and English. In today’s globalized world, the more languages people speak the more opportunities they will have. It is also an indisputable fact that China’s growing clout (influence, power) in the world has made Mandarin an important language. That’s why I was surprised at the brouhaha caused by students at the Baptist University over a Mandarin test they must take to graduate.
The word “brouhaha” means a noisy and angry reaction to something. Last week, some students caused a brouhaha by storming into (rushing angrily into) and occupying the university’s Language Center for many hours to complain about the Mandarin test. Many students said they did not consider Mandarin to be so important that they must pass a test to graduate. Whether or not Mandarin is important for a person’s career or daily life is for that person to decide. I do not have a strong view on the issue but I believe that the more skills you have the easier it will be for you to compete with others. I have tried unsuccessfully to learn Putonghua because I am always too busy with work to spend enough time learning it.
I rarely read the mainland government-owned Global Times newspaper because I know it only promotes China’s opinion on issues without telling the other side of the story. I prefer to spend my time reading newspapers like the Washington Post and New York Times which give both sides of every issue. Last week, the Global Times criticized the Baptist University students and said Mandarin will eventually become more important than English in Hong Kong. Maybe that will happen one day but when it happens, Hong Kong will no longer be an international city. It will be just another Chinese city and no longer special.
***
英語是世界語言——這是毋庸置疑（indisputable）的事實。或許在非常遙遠的未來的某一天，普通話會取代英語成為世界語言，但我在短期內（anytime soon）甚或長遠而言，都看不見這個可能性；即使在中國內地，譬如是一些大城市的路標已是中英對照。今日在全球一體化的世界，人們懂的語言愈多，機遇便愈多。中國的勢力（clout）正在世界舞台上崛起，令普通話成為重要的語言，這亦是毋庸置疑（indisputable）之事。因此，對於浸會大學學生因着一個必須通過才能畢業的普通話試而引起哄動（brouhaha），我感到頗為意外。
Brouhaha意即對某事作出吵鬧或憤怒的反應。上星期，有些學生怒闖（storming into）並佔領大學的語文中心多個小時，投訴普通話測試，引起了一場騷動（brouhaha）。許多學生說他們不認為普通話是那麼重要，非得通過測試才能畢業。普通話對一個人的職業生涯或個人生活重要與否，留待當事人去決定。我對議題本身並未有很強烈的立場，但你所擁有的技能愈多，跟人競爭時自然愈易取勝。我也曾努力學習普通話，但都是徒勞無功，因為我太忙於工作，不夠時間去學習。
我很少翻閱內地官方的《環球時報》，因為我知道它對於各種議題只會宣揚中國的立場，而隱去另一方的說法；我情願花時間去看《華盛頓郵報》和《紐約時報》，它們在各項議題上也會表述正反雙方的意見。上星期，《環球時報》批評浸大學生，並說普通話在香港最終會比英語更為重要。或許這終有一天會發生吧，但當那日來臨之時，香港已不再是國際城市。它只會變成另一個中國城市，亦再難言獨特了。
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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