Michael Chugani 褚簡寧 - Sound like a broken record|又中又英

When John Lee Ka-chiu became chief executive over six months ago, he urged everyone to tell Hong Kong’s good stories to the world. Top government officials have followed suit. Government officials and Executive and Legislative Councillors have repeatedly said they will tell good Hong Kong stories. Such repetition risks sounding like a broken record. People may just tune out. To follow suit means to do the same thing. To sound like a broken record means to say the same thing many times. To tune out means to stop listening or to stop paying attention.

Hong Kong has many good stories. There’s nothing wrong with telling them but there’s no need for officials to repeatedly say they will tell Hong Kong’s good stories. I believe officials should explain these stories to Hong Kong people too instead of just foreigners because many locals don’t know what officials mean by good stories. There are some good Hong Kong stories that only resonate with locals, not foreigners. The word “resonate” used this way means to have a significant effect on people.

A news article I read this week resonated with me. It was about Mo Lee Kai-yin, a dancer with the Mirror boy band who was severely injured during a concert last July when a huge screen fell on him. Doctors said at the time he could be paralyzed from the neck down. The news report I read said his condition has improved so much he was able to go home for a few hours and could walk again. Mo keeps hope alive and Hong Kong doctors are good. This is a good Hong Kong story to tell.
* * * * * * * * * 

當李家超於逾六個月前上任特首時,他力促所有人向世界說好香港故事。政府高官們亦緊跟着做(followed suit),政府官員、行政及立法會議員紛紛重複地說,他們將會說好香港故事。這樣反覆地說完又說,反倒有機會像張壞了的走音唱片(sounding like a broken record),人們只會對其充耳不聞(tune out)。To follow suit是指照着做同樣的事;To sound like a broken record是指一遍又一遍地說同樣的話;to tune out即停止收聽或不再理會。

香港有許多很好的故事。要說香港的好故事本身並無不妥,但官員實在沒有必要重複表示他們會說好香港故事。我認為官員也應該向香港人闡述一下這些故事,而不是單單跟外國人述說,因為許多香港本地人也不知道官員所指的好故事是甚麼意思。一些好的香港故事,只會引起本地人而非外國人的共鳴(resonate)。Resonate在這裏是指對人產生深遠的影響,引起共鳴。

這個星期我讀到一則新聞報道,令我深有共鳴(resonated)。那是關於阿Mo李啟言,他是跟男子組合MIRROR一起演出的一位舞蹈員,於上年七月演唱會期間因為一面大熒幕跌在身上而嚴重受傷。當時醫生說,他可能從此頸部以下完全癱瘓。我讀到的新聞報道指,他的情況改善了很多,得以回家數小時,有望能再次行走。阿Mo讓希望常存,而香港的醫生都很優秀。這就是一個可以訴說的香港好故事了。中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
更多文章