(本文選自《經濟學人》20200516期)
背景介紹：
臺灣是位於中國東南部的一個省份，省會城市是臺北。臺灣是亞洲唯一一個同性婚姻合法化的地區，但同時也是為數不多的將通姦入刑的地區之一。在臺灣，通姦罪由來已久。2016年至2019年，臺灣警方對超過1萬名涉嫌通姦的嫌疑人進行了調查，而最終有超過1200被定罪。也正是由於通姦罪的存在，臺灣私家偵探行業十分發達。Taiwan’s courts may decriminalise adultery
臺灣法院或將取消通姦罪
Jail terms for extramarital affairs are at odds with the country’s otherwise liberal laws
It is an odd mix. Taiwan is the only country in Asia to have legalised gay marriage (unless you count Australia and New Zealand). But it is also one of the few countries in Asia, along with conservative Muslim places such as Afghanistan and Brunei, where adultery remains a crime.
這真是一種奇怪的組合。臺灣是亞洲唯一一個同性婚姻合法化的地區（除非將澳大利亞和紐西蘭也算上）。但臺灣又同阿富汗、汶萊等保守的穆斯林國家一樣，是為數不多的將通姦入刑的地區之一。From 2016 to 2019 the police investigated more than 10,000 people they suspected of philandering. More than 1,200 were convicted. The guilty all received fines, averaging 90,000 Taiwan dollars ($3,000). They could in theory have been jailed for up to a year. And many straying spouses end up with a criminal record.
2016年至2019年，臺灣警方對超過1萬名涉嫌通姦的嫌疑人進行了調查，其中1200餘人被定罪。所有的通姦犯都被處以平均9萬新臺幣（約合3000美元）的罰款。理論上，他們還將被處以一年有期徒刑。因此，許多已婚出軌人士最終都留下了案底。Worse, the weight of prosecutions falls largely on women. When husbands are caught cheating, some wives forgive them, but insist on pressing charges against the other woman. Cuckolded men, by contrast, tend to press charges against both their wives and their lovers. The result is that 54% of those convicted in recent years have been women. For other crimes in Taiwan, men earn roughly 80% of all convictions.
值得注意的是，受通姦罪制裁更多的是女性。當發現丈夫出軌時，許多妻子都會選擇原諒自己的丈夫，但會堅決地對「小三」提起訴訟。相比之下，那些被戴了綠帽的男性則往往會同時對妻子及姦夫提起訴訟。結果便是，近年來被判通姦罪的有54%是女性。而在臺灣其他類型的犯罪中，男性案犯的比例約為80%。The adultery law dates from 1935 and its age leads to further peculiarities. The term it uses for adultery—tongjian—has long been held by the courts to refer to vaginal intercourse between a man and a woman. It is not clear, therefore, whether the law applies to gay couples, says Shawn Tsai Ching-hsiang, the minister of justice.
通姦罪最早可追溯於1935年，由於年代久遠，導致其存在著適用性問題。按照通姦罪的法律條文，「通姦」是指一名男性與一名女性發生婚外情。因此，就通姦罪是否適用於同性偷情者，臺灣司法部長蔡崇祥表示，目前尚無定論。What is more, the narrow definition of the crime and the reluctance of courts to convict in the absence of clear proof have fostered a cottage industry: private investigators attempt to demonstrate not just that a married person has been having surreptitious trysts with someone of the opposite sex, but also that the pair have been having intercourse.
此外，由於通姦罪定義狹隘，而法院只有在證據確鑿的情況下才會做出有罪判決，因此催生了一個小型產業：私家偵探，他們不僅要拿到調查對象與異性私下幽會的證據，而且還得拿到兩人發生關係的證據。The snoops have been known to wait outside hotel rooms listening for moans before bursting in, camera in hand. A couple caught together in bed once escaped conviction, notes Kuan Hsiao-wei of National Taipei University, by claiming they were just chatting, albeit naked.
據了解，一些私家偵探會守在酒店房間門口，待聽到裡面傳出聲響後，再手持相機破門而入。國立臺北大學的官曉薇提到了這樣一個案例，一對偷情男女雖然被捉姦在床，但他們還是逃脫了法律的制裁，兩人雖是赤身裸體，但他們辯稱只是在聊天。But it is worth scorned spouses』 while to try to catch their partner in flagrante, since the threat of pressing charges can help secure a more favourable divorce settlement.
雖然僱傭私家偵探去捉姦可能會受人嘲笑，但這麼做還是值得的，因為他們可以以訴訟作為要挾，從而擬定更有利於自己的離婚協議。Despite all these flaws, Taiwanese seem to like the adultery law. A poll conducted in 2017 by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation found that 69% of adults wanted to keep it on the books. An earlier government survey found even stronger support for retaining the law. 「In Taiwanese society, everyone thinks a stable marriage and family is the foundation of social stability,」 Mr Tsai says.
雖然通姦罪問題重重，但臺灣人似乎還挺喜歡這項法律的。2017年，臺灣民意基金會進行了一項民意調查，結果發現，69%的成年人希望能夠保留這項法律。而早先的一項政府調查顯示，人們保留該法的願望更強烈。蔡崇祥表示：「在臺灣人眼中，婚姻和家庭的和睦是社會穩定的基礎。」本文翻譯：Vinnie
校核：Vinnie
編輯：Vinnie
通姦罪在臺灣有著悠久的歷史，其最早可追溯至1935年。雖然這項法律問題重重，且與臺灣其他方面較為寬鬆的法律顯得格格不入，但臺灣民眾普遍希望能夠保留這項法律。這是因為，在臺灣人眼中，只有婚姻美滿、家庭和睦，社會才能夠穩定。重難點詞彙：
adultery [əˈdʌltəri] n. 通姦
at odd with 與……有爭執；與……意見相左
philander [fə'lændɚ] v. 勾搭；調情
cuckold [ˈkʌkoʊld] v. 戴綠帽
peculiarity [pɪˌkjuːliˈærəti] n. 特性；特質；怪癖；奇特
surreptitious [ˌsɜːrəpˈtɪʃəs] adj. 秘密的；暗中的
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