(本文選自《經濟學人》20190601期)
背景介紹：
近日，一檔脫口秀節目——The Kkondae Live（老頑固直播秀）火遍了韓國，節目對Kkondae（充滿優越感的年長者） 進行了討論。Kkondae一詞的流行為我們揭示了韓國年輕人對韓國由來已久的等級制度的不滿與抗爭。
The word for 「condescending old person」 in Korean
一個表示「充滿優越感的年長者」的韓文詞彙
What 」kkondae」 reveals about young South Koreans』 struggle against hierarchy
「kkondae」一詞揭示了韓國年輕人對等級制度的抗爭
Do you feel that nobody around you shares your commitment to work? Do you offer unsolicited advice on the fashion choices or love lives of your younger colleagues? Are you irked when a junior office-mate fails to fetch you coffee?
你是否覺得周圍沒有人像你一樣投身於工作？你是否會不請自來地對年輕同事的時尚選擇或愛情生活提出建議？你是否會因為晚輩同事沒有為你端咖啡而感到生氣？
Beware: you are well into kkondae territory. South Korean youngsters suggest that you engage in quiet reflection to help you overcome your inflated sense of self-importance. You have to earn their respect. You cannot take it for granted just because you are older.
小心：你正在步入 kkondae 之列。韓國的年輕人勸你靜靜地反思，以克服自我膨脹感。你必須贏得他們的尊重，而不能倚老賣老。
Kkondae is a modern word of uncertain origin—perhaps an adaptation of the English word 「condescend」. It means an older person, usually a man, who expects unquestioning obedience from people who are junior.
Kkondae 是一個起源不明的現代詞彙，可能是英文單詞「condescend」的同義詞。它的含義是，一個年長的人（通常是指男性）希望從他的後輩那裡得到絕對的服從。
A kkondae is quick to criticise but will never admit his own mistakes. He retaliates against people who challenge his authority. South Koreans apply the word to everyone from narcissistic bosses to overbearing uncles and corrupt politicians.
Kkondae 喜歡批評別人，但從來不會承認自己的錯誤。Kkondae 會對那些挑戰其權威的人進行報復。韓國人會用這個詞來描述自戀的老闆、蠻橫的叔叔以及貪腐的政客。
There are websites offering tests of kkondae-ness and tips on how to avoid the condition. A television channel recently dedicated a talk show to discussion of it.
一些網站會提供 kkondae-ness 測試，並且還會告訴人們如何避免成為一名 kkondae。最近，一家韓國電視臺甚至專門開辦了一檔脫口秀節目對 kkondae 進行討論。
South Korea is notorious for its suffocating workplace hierarchies based on age, sex and length of service. Many South Koreans are outraged when younger colleagues or relatives fail to use the correct honorific to address them.
韓國以其令人窒息的職場等級制度（一種基於年齡、性別和工齡的制度）而臭名昭著。許多韓國人會因年輕的同事或親戚沒有使用正確的敬語來稱呼他們而感到生氣。
It is difficult for office workers to decline invitations to after-work drinking sessions or weekend hiking expeditions with the boss. During the lunar new year and autumn harvest festivals, women grudgingly spend days cooking and cleaning at their husband’s parents』 homes, with no help from the men.
對於職場人士來說，他們很難拒絕老闆下班後的酒會或周末遠足旅行的邀請。在農曆新年和秋收節期間，婦女們很不情願地花幾天時間在丈夫的父母家做飯和打掃衛生，而她們的丈夫從來不會幫忙。
「I have to help my mother, and my brother just sits there doing nothing,」 says Park Ji-soo, a 24-year-old student. 「Everyone thinks this is completely normal.」
24歲的學生樸智秀說：「我必須幫我的母親做事，而我的哥哥卻坐在那裡無所事事，每個人都認為這完全正常。」
However, the popularity of kkondae as an insult is a sign of change. Open rebellion against hierarchical strictures is still rare and frowned upon. But young people are beginning to question authority. Ms Park says she stands up to her brother, if not her older relatives.
然而，貶義詞 kkondae 的流行為我們釋放了一種改變的跡象。雖然公開反對等級制度的現象很少見，並且也不被人們所接受。但年輕人開始向權威發出質疑了。樸智秀表示，如果不是她那些年長的親戚，她會大膽地向她哥哥進行反抗。
Women report that they feel a bit less pressure than before to defer to men. Mothers can even persuade their husbands to hold their babies in public and (less frequently) to help with housework.
女性們聲稱，她們覺得順從男性的壓力比以前小一些了。媽媽們甚至能夠說服她們的丈夫在公共場合抱著孩子以及（偶爾）幫她們做家務了。
Some youngsters, nudged along by the recent introduction of a 52-hour legal limit to the work week, are starting to say 「no」 to boozing after work. In private they are also paying more attention to their individual needs and less to gaining society’s approval, says Cho Han Hae-joang, an anthropologist at Yonsei University in Seoul.
最近出臺的每周工作52小時的法律限制也讓一些年輕人開始對下班後的酒會說「不」。首爾延世大學的人類學家趙漢海表示，私下裡，韓國年輕人也開始更加關注自己的個人需求而非獲得社會認可了。
An ancient culture of authority is unlikely to disappear overnight. Young people are becoming more willing to challenge hierarchy, but what will happen as they get older? Some of today’s young upstarts will not achieve the success they dream of.
古老的權威文化不可能在一夜之間消失。年輕人越來越願意挑戰等級制度了，但當他們長大後會發生什麼呢?今天的一些年輕的自命不凡者或許無法取得他們夢寐以求的成功。
They may find themselves yearning for the kind of deference their elders once automatically enjoyed. Today’s kkondae critics may grow up to be kkondae themselves. But whether tomorrow’s young people will let them get away with that is doubtful.
他們可能會發現，自己同樣渴望得到長輩們曾經自然而然就享有的那種尊重。今天批評 kkondae 的人在長大後可能也會成為 kkondae。但是，未來的年輕人是否會讓他們享受理所當然的尊重就不得而知了。
(紅色標註詞為重難點詞彙)
本文翻譯：Vinnie
校核：Vinnie
編輯：Vinnie
我們都知道，韓國有著森嚴的等級尊卑制度。無論是在家庭、學校，還是在職場，前輩和長輩往往認為，得到後輩和晚輩的尊重是理所應當的事情。如今，韓國的年輕人終於開始向等級制度發出挑戰了，這種古老的權威文化雖然不會在一夜之間消失，但最終一定會成為歷史。
重難點詞彙：
condescend [,kɑndɪ'sɛnd] vi. 屈尊；俯就；（對某人）表現出優越感
hierarchy ['haɪərɑrki] n. 層級；等級制度
unsolicited ['ʌnsə'lɪsɪtɪd] adj. 未經請求的；主動提供的
irk [ɝk] vt. 使煩惱；使厭倦
obedience [ə'bidjəns] n. 順從；服從；遵守
narcissistic [,nɑrsɪ'sɪstɪk] adj. 自戀的；自我陶醉的
suffocate ['sʌfəket] vi. 受阻，受扼制；窒息 vt. 壓制，阻礙；使……窒息
honorific ['ɑnə'rɪfɪk] adj. 尊敬的；敬稱的 n. 敬語
grudgingly ['grʌdʒiŋli] adv. 勉強地；不情願地
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