In their recent book, Globally Speaking: Motives for Adopting English Vocabulary in Other Languages, Judith Rosenhouse and Rotem Kowner hail English as 「the lingua franca of the modern world, the common language used for science, international business and for communication」. They report that English is the official language of more than 75 states and territories across the globe and it is the world’s most popular choice of second language.
在新書《全球視角:其他語言使用英語舶來詞的動機》中,朱迪斯•羅森豪斯和洛特姆•科內爾稱英語為「現代世界的通用語,是科學研究、國際商務及交流方面的通用語言」。他們表示,全球超過75個國家和地區將英語作為官方語言;英語是全球最受歡迎的第二語言。
The ascendancy of English as a global language has drastically increased the number of words it now lends to other languages. Whether it is a French news reporter using the words 「kidnapping」 or 「leader」; the development of the Chinese word kafei from the English word coffee; or the near widespread use of 「Internet」, 「computer」, and 「meeting」 in most parts of the world — it is easy to see the drastic influence English now has on other languages.
英語憑藉其世界語言的優勢,大大增加了向其他語言輸出詞彙的數量。無論是法國新聞報導中所使用的「kidnapping(綁架)」或「leader(領導)」,還是漢語中從英文「coffee」音譯過來的「咖啡」一詞,亦或是在全球多數地方普遍使用的「Internet(網絡)」、「computer(電腦)」和「meeting(會議)」,英語對其他語言的巨大影響顯而易見。
In contrast, says Durkin, the number of new borrowed words finding their way into the shared international vocabulary is on a long downward trend. Although English is now borrowing from other languages with a worldwide range, new borrowings into English today tend to cluster much more closely in a few subject areas, especially names of food and drink.
杜爾金表示,相比之下,英語中,稱得上「國際通用」的舶來詞數量卻一直呈遞減趨勢。儘管英語現在仍然大範圍地吸收外來語言,但是這些新舶來詞往往更集中在少數幾個特定的領域,尤以食物和飲料的名字最為明顯。
Unique vocabulary
專有詞彙
Here are a few examples of untranslatable words from other cultures:
以下列舉了一些源自不同文化的不可譯詞:
Waldeinsamkeit (German)
Waldeinsamkeit(德語)
A feeling of solitude, being alone in the woods, and a connectedness to nature. US poet Ralph Waldo Emerson even wrote a whole poem about it.
詞彙含義:這個詞語描繪了一種感覺,一種孤獨的感覺,一種獨處在樹林中並且和大自然產生溝通和共鳴的感覺。美國詩人拉爾夫•瓦爾多•愛默生甚至還寫了一首詩來解釋這種感覺。
Pochemuchka (Russian)
Pochemuchka(俄語)
Someone who asks a lot of questions. We all know a few people like that.
詞彙含義:指那些問很多問題的人,準確地說,是那些問了太多問題的人。我們身邊都會有一些這樣的人。
Sobremesa (Spanish)
Sobremesa (西班牙語)
Spaniards are laid-back and sociable, and this word describes the period of time after a meal when you have food-induced conversations with the people you have shared the meal with.
詞彙含義:西班牙人悠閒自在、善於交際。這個詞語描述的是一段時間。這段時間裡,你要與剛剛一起吃完飯的朋友就剛剛吃過的食物展開熱烈的討論。
Mangata (Swedish)
Mangata(瑞典語)
It means the glimmering, road-like reflection that the moon creates on water.
詞彙含義:這個詞指的是月亮倒映在水面上閃閃發光,宛若小路一樣的倒影。
Depaysement (French)
Depaysement(法語)
The feeling that comes from not being in one’s home country — of being a foreigner, or an immigrant, of being somewhat displaced from your origin.
詞彙含義:身處異國他鄉的感覺,適用於外國人、移民者以及那些從故鄉遷徙的人。
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(編輯:何瑩瑩)