(Headline daily P.28 15 Jan 2013) Housing undersecretary Yau Shing-mu and I
have known each other for a long time but that won't stop me from publicly
scolding (不能令我放棄公開責備) him
for the callous way he talked about subdivided flats recently. Yau told
legislative councillors some flats were decently(四正) subdivided and affordable (負擔得起的) for low-income families. He
even said the government would not eradicate (取締) subdivided flats because
low-income families chose to live in them to be near their work. Let me explain
something very simple to Yau. Poor families do not choose to live in subdivided
flats. They live in them because they have no choice. There is a very big
difference between the two.
When you choose to do something it means you want to do it and not because you are being forced (被迫) to do it. When you do something because you have no choice it means you are doing it not because you want to but because you have to. For example, you can choose to eat a chicken's head at a banquet but if you are lost in the desert and the only food you have is a chicken's head then you have no choice but to eat it.
I hope I have helped Yau understand the difference so he won't make any more callous remarks (涼薄言論) about poor families choosing to live in subdivided flats. The word callous means to be insensitive (不敏銳), cruel or uncaring (冷酷無情). The word decent can be used in different ways but when Yau said some flats were decently subdivided (這些房得很體面) he meant the subdivided homes were very nice. To eradicate means to get rid of (取締), destroy completely, or put an end to something. Yau said the government had no plans to get rid of all subdivided flats. But if he bothered (願意) to see the subdivided flats for himself he would know that even the decently subdivided ones are tiny (狹小) but very expensive to rent. It is callous of Yau to consider it acceptable for entire (整個) families to be packed（crammed, squeezed）(被擠進) into tiny flats of about 100 square feet.
*****
我跟運輸及房屋局副局長邱誠武相識多時，但也不能令我放棄公開責備他近日談及房時的涼薄（callous）言論。邱跟立法會議員說，有些單位分得很「四正」（decently），低收入家庭也能負擔得起。他甚至說，政府不會取締這些房，因為低收入家庭選擇入住這些方便上班的單位。我就簡簡單單的跟邱解釋一吧。貧窮的家庭並非選擇（choose to）住進房，他們住在那兒是因為沒有選擇（no choice）。兩者分別很大。
當你選擇（choose to）去做某件事，即是說你想這樣做，並非被迫去做；你因為沒有選擇（no choice）而去做某事，即是你不情願去做卻非做不可。例如，你吃自助餐時，你可以選擇（choose to）吃雞頭，但要是你在沙漠中迷路，只得一個雞頭可吃，那你就非吃不可（no choice but to eat it）。
我希望我幫到邱明白這個分別，好讓他不再冷酷無情地（callous）說貧窮家庭選擇（choosing to）住房。Callous解作不敏銳或冷酷無情。Decent這個字可以有不同的用法，但當邱說有些單位是decently subdivided，他的意思是這些房得很體面。To eradicate即是去取締、根絕或消滅。邱說政府無意全面取締房，但要是他願意去看一看那些房，便知道即使有多「四正」（decently）的房仍是相當狹小，卻租金高昂。邱仍然認為一整個家庭被擠進（packed、crammed或squeezed）約一百呎的細小單位是可以接受的話，就實在太涼薄（callous）了。
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
When you choose to do something it means you want to do it and not because you are being forced (被迫) to do it. When you do something because you have no choice it means you are doing it not because you want to but because you have to. For example, you can choose to eat a chicken's head at a banquet but if you are lost in the desert and the only food you have is a chicken's head then you have no choice but to eat it.
I hope I have helped Yau understand the difference so he won't make any more callous remarks (涼薄言論) about poor families choosing to live in subdivided flats. The word callous means to be insensitive (不敏銳), cruel or uncaring (冷酷無情). The word decent can be used in different ways but when Yau said some flats were decently subdivided (這些房得很體面) he meant the subdivided homes were very nice. To eradicate means to get rid of (取締), destroy completely, or put an end to something. Yau said the government had no plans to get rid of all subdivided flats. But if he bothered (願意) to see the subdivided flats for himself he would know that even the decently subdivided ones are tiny (狹小) but very expensive to rent. It is callous of Yau to consider it acceptable for entire (整個) families to be packed（crammed, squeezed）(被擠進) into tiny flats of about 100 square feet.
*****
我跟運輸及房屋局副局長邱誠武相識多時，但也不能令我放棄公開責備他近日談及房時的涼薄（callous）言論。邱跟立法會議員說，有些單位分得很「四正」（decently），低收入家庭也能負擔得起。他甚至說，政府不會取締這些房，因為低收入家庭選擇入住這些方便上班的單位。我就簡簡單單的跟邱解釋一吧。貧窮的家庭並非選擇（choose to）住進房，他們住在那兒是因為沒有選擇（no choice）。兩者分別很大。
當你選擇（choose to）去做某件事，即是說你想這樣做，並非被迫去做；你因為沒有選擇（no choice）而去做某事，即是你不情願去做卻非做不可。例如，你吃自助餐時，你可以選擇（choose to）吃雞頭，但要是你在沙漠中迷路，只得一個雞頭可吃，那你就非吃不可（no choice but to eat it）。
我希望我幫到邱明白這個分別，好讓他不再冷酷無情地（callous）說貧窮家庭選擇（choosing to）住房。Callous解作不敏銳或冷酷無情。Decent這個字可以有不同的用法，但當邱說有些單位是decently subdivided，他的意思是這些房得很體面。To eradicate即是去取締、根絕或消滅。邱說政府無意全面取締房，但要是他願意去看一看那些房，便知道即使有多「四正」（decently）的房仍是相當狹小，卻租金高昂。邱仍然認為一整個家庭被擠進（packed、crammed或squeezed）約一百呎的細小單位是可以接受的話，就實在太涼薄（callous）了。
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
I agree with the writer’s views that the low income people especially those of poor families are very hard to their living. They spend a bulk of salaries on their rent of subdivided flats. Besides, the condition of most of them is not only bad but also dangerous. It reflects that they have no choice but to live there.
回覆刪除I hope that the government will provide many public housing estates for the underprivileged.
Cherry Chan