Michael Chugani 褚簡寧 - living hell｜又中又英
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
2022-12-20 00:00
字體大小
A recent CNN news report struck a chord with me. It said Taiwan is a living hell for pedestrians. I have been in Taipei for two months now. It really is a living hell for pedestrians. If something strikes a chord with you, it means you agree with it. The expression “living hell” means an extremely unpleasant situation. Taiwan is a living hell because roads are full of scooter riders and motorists who ignore traffic lights and rules. Crossing the road even when pedestrians have a green light is like dicing with death. To dice with death means to do something extremely risky.
Even walking on sidewalks for pedestrians is dicing with death because scooter riders suddenly drive up from roads to sidewalks. The sidewalks are full of parked scooters, making it difficult for pedestrians to walk. Now that Taiwan has opened for tourists, many countries have warned their citizens to be extra careful. The Japan government’s website contains the most serious warning. It said developed countries give pedestrians the right of way, but Taiwanese drivers behave as if they always have the right of way. The website pointed out there are far more road accidents and deaths in Taiwan than Japan even though Taiwan’s population is one-fifth that of Japan.
The US, Britain, Australia, and Canada have also warned their citizens about the dangerous situation in Taiwan. When I lived in Hong Kong, I often wrote about drivers not giving right of way to pedestrians, but Taiwan is far worse. Taiwan politicians have demanded that the government increase fines for dangerous driving after the CNN report, but I don’t think drivers will change their dangerous habits.
＊＊＊＊＊
美國有線電視新聞網（CNN）近期一則新聞報道引起了我的共鳴（struck a chord）。它說，行人在台灣真是活受罪（living hell）。我現時在台北已經有兩個月了，它對於行人來說確實是非常煎熬（living hell）。若某事strikes a chord with you，意即你對之深表認同。習語“living hell”是指很煎熬、不適的環境，有如人間地獄一般。台灣是個「活地獄」（living hell），因為道路滿是不理交通燈號和交通規則的機車與汽車司機。即使在行人綠燈時過馬路，仍然像dicing with death——to dice with death是指做某事要冒很大的風險，如同賭命一般。
行人即使走在行人道上，仍然要冒生命危險（dicing with death），因為機車司機會突然由馬路駛上行人道。而在行人道上，則是泊滿了機車，令行人舉步維艱。現在台灣開放給遊客入境，許多國家都警告自己的國民要特別小心。日本政府網站載有最嚴厲的警示，它說，已發展國家都會讓行人有道路優先使用權，然而台灣司機們的行徑，則活像他們總是有道路優先使用權。網站指出，台灣的交通意外及相關的身亡數字遠遠高於日本，即使台灣人口只是日本人口的五分之一。
美國、英國、澳洲和加拿大皆已就台灣的危險道路狀況警告其國民。我在香港居住時，不時寫及司機沒有給予行人優先使用權，但台灣的情況要惡劣得多。在CNN的新聞報道刊出後，台灣政客已要求政府提高危險駕駛的罰款，但我不認為司機們會改變他們的危險駕駛陋習。
中譯：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
Even walking on sidewalks for pedestrians is dicing with death because scooter riders suddenly drive up from roads to sidewalks. The sidewalks are full of parked scooters, making it difficult for pedestrians to walk. Now that Taiwan has opened for tourists, many countries have warned their citizens to be extra careful. The Japan government’s website contains the most serious warning. It said developed countries give pedestrians the right of way, but Taiwanese drivers behave as if they always have the right of way. The website pointed out there are far more road accidents and deaths in Taiwan than Japan even though Taiwan’s population is one-fifth that of Japan.
The US, Britain, Australia, and Canada have also warned their citizens about the dangerous situation in Taiwan. When I lived in Hong Kong, I often wrote about drivers not giving right of way to pedestrians, but Taiwan is far worse. Taiwan politicians have demanded that the government increase fines for dangerous driving after the CNN report, but I don’t think drivers will change their dangerous habits.
＊＊＊＊＊
美國有線電視新聞網（CNN）近期一則新聞報道引起了我的共鳴（struck a chord）。它說，行人在台灣真是活受罪（living hell）。我現時在台北已經有兩個月了，它對於行人來說確實是非常煎熬（living hell）。若某事strikes a chord with you，意即你對之深表認同。習語“living hell”是指很煎熬、不適的環境，有如人間地獄一般。台灣是個「活地獄」（living hell），因為道路滿是不理交通燈號和交通規則的機車與汽車司機。即使在行人綠燈時過馬路，仍然像dicing with death——to dice with death是指做某事要冒很大的風險，如同賭命一般。
行人即使走在行人道上，仍然要冒生命危險（dicing with death），因為機車司機會突然由馬路駛上行人道。而在行人道上，則是泊滿了機車，令行人舉步維艱。現在台灣開放給遊客入境，許多國家都警告自己的國民要特別小心。日本政府網站載有最嚴厲的警示，它說，已發展國家都會讓行人有道路優先使用權，然而台灣司機們的行徑，則活像他們總是有道路優先使用權。網站指出，台灣的交通意外及相關的身亡數字遠遠高於日本，即使台灣人口只是日本人口的五分之一。
美國、英國、澳洲和加拿大皆已就台灣的危險道路狀況警告其國民。我在香港居住時，不時寫及司機沒有給予行人優先使用權，但台灣的情況要惡劣得多。在CNN的新聞報道刊出後，台灣政客已要求政府提高危險駕駛的罰款，但我不認為司機們會改變他們的危險駕駛陋習。
中譯：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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