棒球

2009.08.15

人說棒球是美國的國技（national sport）。說美國人人玩棒球雖然誇張卻也離事實不遠。小孩子還不會綁鞋帶就玩（Tee Ball）：把球放在Tee上打，其餘的規則與棒球毫無不同。公司野餐男女混合組隊，用個大一點的，軟一點的球，除了投球的方式不同，也與棒球一模一樣。從小學，中學，大學到職業隊各有各的聯盟（league）；從AA，AAA到少棒 (little league)，青少棒，青棒打到職業還分小聯盟 (minor league) ，大聯盟 (major league)，球技愈來愈精，牽涉的名氣金錢也愈來愈多。 職業大聯盟的明星是小孩心目中的英雄偶像。次一級聯盟的球員碰到高一級聯盟的只有自嘆不如，甘拜下風。

五個人的小公司裡開會，談到為何不進入網路市場跟古歌 (Google)，微軟，雅虎競爭。答以 “We are not in the same league.” (我們不在同一個聯盟比賽)。張三暗戀校花，好友問他為何不去追，答以 “She is out of my league.” (不敢高攀)。幾年前溫布頓女網冠亞軍賽，德國名將Steffi Graf正要發球，觀眾席上一位球迷高叫: “Steffi, will you marry me?”。答以 “How much money do you have？” 引起哄堂大笑。想來這個球迷的求婚毫無希望--She is out of his league.（她的門戶不是他高攀得到的。）

小孩放學後臨時組隊玩棒球，球技差的總是被派去守左外野。沒經過訓練的小孩把球打到左外野的機會小；防守左外野沒什麼生意，常常一輪下來，連球都摸不到一次，不知道發生了什麼事。公司裡張三告訴李四：「不需要請教那個新來的經理，他還沒摸清門路」。 “Don’t ask the new manager; he’s out in the left field and doesn’t know any answer yet.” 公司改組新經理不喜歡你，把你打入冷宮盡是分派你一些無關緊要無法立大功的工作。太太問你最近工作如何？答以 “I’ve been put in the left field.” （我被打入冷宮了。)

小孩子不專心，幾分鐘沒有球打過來，就開始東張西望，看看白雲是像狗還是像馬，拔一兩根草放在嘴裡嚼一嚼也不錯，球場旁邊黑莓味道更佳，小野兔跑過來也去追。教練大急頻頻做手勢，旁觀的父母也大叫: “Keep your eye on the ball!”，（眼睛看球，眼睛看球！）產品下個月就要出門了，電腦軟體總是出問題，修好了這個毛病，造出另一個新毛病，經理告誡工程師： “Keep your eye on the ball!”。市場變化無常，顧客的要求時常改變，別家公司總是搶先頭籌。老闆警告經理： “Keep your eye on the ball, or I’ll fire you!” （你如果不保持警惕專心注意對手在做什麼，顧客想要什麼就叫你滾蛋！）

球場上有一壘，二壘，三壘板，還有本壘板（home plate)。防守左外野時可以看看白雲咬咬小草，反正沒什麼生意。輪到你打擊時可就完全是另一回事。你走上本壘板（step up to the plate）全場的人都看著你，隔壁那個女生也跟著她的哥哥來看球。對方的投手更是虎視眈眈的看著你，還不斷的跟捕手擠眼睛做暗號，看什麼時候要投一個內角球，外角球，甚至來個變化球（curve ball）把你三振出局（strike out）。真是一個大挑戰。當然輪到你投球時也要以牙還牙給他一個變化球（ Throw him a curve ball）躟他傷傷腦筋。

商場如戰場。兵不厭詐。對手處心積慮的要騙你，你也應該想盡辦法讓他們措手不及。產品出了問題，明明說好是要包商負責修理的，現在卻反口要我們出錢，媒體還說我們官商勾結。我們需要有人去跟包商理論，他們會找出種種藉口，指出契約上不清楚的地方來騙我們（throw us a curve ball）。記者也會故意問一些奇怪的問題，誘我們上當。有誰可以接受這個挑戰（Who can step up to the plate）？小張，你願意接受這個挑戰嗎 (John, will you step up to the plate) ？ 誰能站出來收拾這個爛攤子（Who will step up the plate and clean up the mess) ！

第九局下半場，我方落後三分，滿壘，二出局，不來個全壘打就要輸球了。在這緊要關頭（clutch moment）非得派上打擊率高又能打得遠的大將 （big hitter 或 heavy hitter）來代打不可。這個代打者（clutch hitter 或 clutch player）真是責任重大。在公司裡如果被公認能力高強的人（big hitter 或 heavy hitter）在緊要關頭（clutch moment）能臨危授命站出來（step up to the plate）完成使命（succeed in the clutch），在事業上定能一帆風順，也是人生一大樂。

棒球場上結結實實的把球打出去了，跑者還得chu壘 （touch base）才算安打。職場上不能只靠能力強，埋頭苦幹，還要要有團隊精神： 該與什麼人報告進度， 該與哪些人商量做什麼，怎麼做，如何分擔責任等等都不可忽略。 成功之鑰在於團隊裡每個人分工各有專職又都能時時協（touch base)。

學一兩招防身的本領

初稿：2009.08.06

我喜歡陳之藩的文章，更喜歡胡適與他之間亦師亦友的關係。陳之藩提起胡適不厭其煩的的介紹西方的民主思想到中國；胡適說：「只是要教年輕人一些防身的本領罷了。」

我想胡適的用意是要訓練年輕人有獨立思考（critical thinking）的能力，以免上野心政客，江湖郎中，神棍騙子的當。年輕人上當把熱情用錯地方固然不好，中老年人上當而給年輕人錯誤的忠告，豈不更糟。自忖也該學一兩招以免誤己誤人。這一兩招叫科學，叫民主。

沙崗（Carl Sagan）是有名的科學家，痛心民眾的愚昧受神棍，靈異，密醫愚弄，一向推廣科學不遺餘力。日前在舊書攤買到一本他的書：The Demon-Haunted World. ISBN：0-345-40946-9. 節譯第三十八，三十九頁如下做為自我期許。

科學的價值觀念與民主的價值觀念是一致的，在某些情況下甚至無法區分二者有任何的不同。科學與民主起源於同一個時候，同一地方—都是在西元前六、七世紀的希臘。
科學之前人人平等, 任何人只要肯下功夫去學都能享有科學的威力與利益。科學的進步有賴人人自由的交換意見。 科學的精神在一切公開。科學與民主都鼓勵非傳統的意見和激烈的辯論。兩者都極力要求充分的理性，前後一致的論理辯論，嚴謹的證據與誠實不欺。科學是防禦神秘主義，迷信以及神棍密醫的堡壘。當人家要騙我們時，科學會提出警戒。當我們誤入歧途時，科學能即時提供矯正歧途的方法。科學的語言，規則，和方法愈是普遍的使用，傑弗遜（Thomas Jefferson）等人的建國理念愈能實現。
在充滿著迷惑和騙局的汪洋大海中尋找些許真理需要時時警惕和專注，也需要勇氣。但是如果我們不養成這種理性思考的習慣，我們將無法解決所面對的難題。我們的國家，我們的世界將充滿著無數容易上當的呆瓜。

短笛無腔

2008-08-06

何懷碩有書，名「十年燈」想是取自：

江湖夜雨十年燈, 桃李春風一杯酒

記得中學時國文課本有一篇文章叫「雪泥鴻爪」。猜是取自蘇軾的詩：

人生到處知何似, 恍似飛鴻踏雪泥

泥上偶然留指爪, 鴻飛那復計東西

日本東京有個「小西川後樂園」是明末大儒朱舜水設計命名的。取自笵仲淹「岳陽樓記」裡的：

先天下之憂而憂, 後天下之樂而樂

妻收集了一些家居生活歡樂的照片，配以她喜歡的音樂，名之「常想一二」。用意在不去落入俗語所說的「人生不如意事十常八九」，提醒自己要珍惜簡單的歡樂。 有時也想寫文章以自娛。有機會發表當然很好，沒人青睬也可以自設一個部落格，邀請親朋好友批評指教也算是發表吧。部落格總得有個名；叫什麼好呢？ 家附近有個小池塘，樹林草叢，山光水色，在晨曦落霞之下，與妻攜手散步頗為賞心愉快。不禁想起一首詩：

水滿池塘草滿陂, 山銜落日浸寒漪

牧童歸去橫牛背, 短笛無腔信口吹

生活在風景秀麗氣候溫和一片富庶的西雅圖。今已年過半百，職場上爭勝的雄心已淡，兩個孩子也無虞憂慮。斜躺在院子裡，看著白雲飄飄樹葉搖搖，信手寫寫雜感不也是一大享受？牧童吹笛之樂在「信口」﹣﹣既不吹唐明皇的曲，也不吹莫札特的調。我寫作之樂在「順手」﹣﹣既不存心文以載道，也不擔心才疏學淺；既不刻意創作也不迴避翻譯。只是要誠誠實實地寫我心裡的話。 若自名「信口吹」顯得態度不真，說話不負責，就將我的部落格命名「短笛無腔」吧。台灣人姓名常是三個字，就以「笛無腔」為筆名吧。

Are You Being Considerate?

Source Text by Snow Bird

at http://chensnowbird.blogspot.com/2008/12/blog-post_14.html

Are You Being Considerate? [1]

On the days I don’t have to go to work, I sometimes sleep until nine and my husband will have gone to work already. I probably would feel uneasy if I were in my mom’s or mother-in-law’s household. This is my husband’s being considerate [1]; when he comes home he always asks enviously when I got out of bed. My son gave me two foam pads to put on the kitchen floor. He thought I would be less tired standing on the pads while I do my kitchen work. I tried, he was right. My daughter, knowing I love my stress-free and book-rich job at the library, did not want me to quit my work to take care of her baby. She said she would hire someone to take care of the baby. When my husband is at home he is allowed plenty of personal space—play on his computer, watch TV, snoozing, or read, even eat junk food that he shouldn’t eat; no wife to nag him; weekend is family time. Are you being considerate? [2]

At the year-end party I overheard a friend telling her husband to invite un-accompanied ladies to dance. I couldn’t help myself and hugged her telling her how sweet and considerate she was. I invited a few friends home for the New Year’s Eve party; a friend went out of his way [3] to pick up another invitee who doesn’t drive at night, so that she could come to the party. At a lunch seminar, my husband was delayed by some business chores. When he arrived the lunch was over. A husband-wife couple went to the kitchen and brought him not only the well prepared dishes but also fruits and deserts. The on-lookers were envious, my husband was happy, the couple was even happier. Perhaps, once in a while, you should try a different way of doing things—do something nonchalantly and don’t expect anything in return. I guarantee you will feel very good.

A friend has been driving for decades but has never pumped gas—her husband always does it for her. One day she was driving on a low gas tank and had no choice not to add fuel. She managed the best she could, but forgot to close the cap of the fuel tank; red light on the panel lit up. The repair job cost her quite a grief. Her son took her to a gas station, demonstrated how to pump gas, step by step, and reminded her again and again, “Remember, you must hear at least three clicks.” From then on, she ran all over the place as if she had grown wings. Tell me, my friends; was the husband being considerate or the son? People say, in America, if you can’t drive you are like moving around without feet. But, I have friends who have legal driver’s license but just don’t drive. Although their husbands chauffeur them everywhere, but there got to be times it becomes very inconvenient and, once in a while, some unpleasant things invariably happen. They explained, “He dare not sit in the car when I am driving.” Are their husbands being considerate?

The Seattle Times had this story around Christmas, 2008 [4]:

One early morning a middle aged lady paid for her drink at a coffee stand and told the barista that she would pay for the next customer as well. The clever barista immediately decided to play this “serendipity” game along; the next customer paid for the one next in line. The chain lasted for a few days—all in all more than 500 people paid for the next customer. The coffee shop got the best deal—because not knowing what the next customer would order, one usually paid more than necessary. Being considerate can be infectious.

The New York Times had a touching story:

A talented writer, journalist and musician, suffered a stroke while putting away his musical instrument after he performed in a library. He was paralyzed but all his cognitive abilities and intelligence remained intact. The doctor was not optimistic about his recovery: It would be a miracle if he could learn to move his fingers, let along operates a computer or a wheelchair. His literary writing skill and witty columns are now silent curses. To play another piece of music is now just a fantasy. He was an eloquent speaker; now he has to depend on his wife to speak for him--he cannot even nod or shake his head; he can only move his eyes to indicate whether his wife conveys his intentions correctly, although his intelligence is still all there. His wife says when he cries he cries for me, because he knows from now on this responsibility of speaking for him will burden me for the rest of my life. [5]

If I were to live in that kind of cruelty, how resentful would I be? Would I still be able to playfully ask my husband, “Are you being considerate today?” Everyday, he may dream just to be able to have a conversation and to take a walk with his wife. Despite being disappointed everyday for years he still can see twinkling stars in a dark tunnel; despite the agony, he can still reflect on what the lavishes he shouldn’t have indulged; he still feels blessed that he is still alive and still have the love of his family. At his son’s wedding, his message (he winked and his wife guessed) was humorously self-effacing while demonstrating a strong will to live. He reminded his son to cherish life, to call his mother more often, to love his family, and to readily praise people. After reading this story I couldn’t help ask myself, “Am I being considerate today?”

========================================================
[1] Considerateness sounds very awkward to me. Instead of using the noun form of the word, I choose to fit “being considerate” in the sentences I construct. The Merriam-Webster Thesaurus gives the synonyms: kind, kindly, compassionate, sympathetic, amiable, complaisant, etc.
[2] Punctuation usage: The source text uses more commas and semi colons. I choose to use period a lot more.
[3] The source text gave the information that it cost him 20 extra minutes. I omitted this information.
[4] The source text did not mention where and when the story was published. But, I know, because the author and I talked about it over breakfast when we both read the newspaper.
[5] I am struggling for the English verb tenses here. The Chinese language does not have verb tenses. The source text is very clear in the order of events without the benefit (or curse) of verb tenses. I have to improvise the English verb tenses here.

An Alliance That Sees Eye to Eye

The Washington Post

Jan. 24, 2001

Henry Kissinger

The uneasy reaction of European media and political leaders to the American election, ascribed to a desire for continuity, actually involved a remarkable paradox. Whey continuity when Atlantic relations have been far from harmonious?

Our allies, Britain largely excepted, have been dissociating, often demonstratively, from sanctions against Cuba, Iran, or Iraq, and from American policy on the Arab-Israeli conflict and in the Taiwan Straits. They have disagreed publicly with the concept of a national missile defense, which French President Jacques Chirac attacked at a news conference at the side of Russian President Vladmir Putin, explicitly on behalf of all of Europe. The European Union is in the process of creating a military force institutionally distinct from NATO. Since the end of the Cold War, common policy toward the Soviet Union has been replaced by allies seeking their own “special relationship” with Moscow.

The disagreements in the economic field are even more visible. The United States has threatened retaliation against Europe over bananas and beef, and the European Union has threatened the United States over American taxation of exports. The two sides are deadlocked on how, or even whether, to launch a new multilateral trade negotiation. Another dispute over energy policy looms, especially if oil prices remain high.

Equally striking is the weakening of the emotional bond. More Americans and Europeans are visiting each others’ continents than ever before. But they travel in the cocoon of their preconceptions or of their professional relationships, without acquiring knowledge of the history and politics of the other side. On the other hand, the Unitized States, as depicted in European mass media, ad defined by the death penalty, the lack of a system of free medical insurance, the vast American prison population and other comparable stereotypes. In this atmosphere, many advocates of European integration are urging unity as and exercise in differentiation from, if not opposition to, the United States.

The Clinton administration has left a legacy of unanswered questions: Is the Atlantic alliance still at the heart of transatlantic relations? If so, how does it define its purpose in the post-Cold War world? If not, what can be put in its place to undergird transatlantic relations?

The paradox is that personal relations among the leaders of the Atlantic nations during the 1990s remained remarkable close. But they were based less on shared policy views than on shared personal experiences as the first group of leaders who had grown up at World War II. The founding generation of the alliance presumed the benevolence of American power and the importance of allied unity. Their sons and daughters, growing up during the protest movements of the 1960s and 1970s, developed a profound distrust of American power; at a minimum, they wanted America to use its power only for universal causes transcending the national interest.

The founding generation viewed the alliance as the point of departure for a union of democracies. The generation governing in the 1990s viewed NATO as a relic of the Cold War, if not an obstacle to overcoming it. Its goal was less to strength the alliance than to “erase dividing lines.” Thus, in a news conference with Russian President Boris Yeltsin in March 1997, President Clinton described the “old NATO as basically a mirror image of the Warsaw Pact, “equating a voluntary association of democracies with what the Soviet Union had imposed on subjugated countries.

The key to the paradox is that, throughout the West, foreign relations are more than ever a function of domestic politics. Since the European center-left governments have disappointed the radical wings of their parties by implementing economics reform based on the market, they are reluctant to inflame these further by implementing national security policies identified with the United States. On the other hand, the domestic opposition to President Clinton’s foreign policy came generally from the right. Because of the difference in domestic politics, European leaders saw no contradiction between their person admiration—and even affection—for Clinton and vocal opposition to policies they conceived as having been partly imposed on him.

…

共創一個和諧的同盟

華盛頓郵報　　
２００１年一月２４日 ＜1＞

共創一個和諧的同盟 <2>

歐洲的媒體與政治領袖對美國的選舉感到侷促不安, 其不安起因於他們希望大西洋兩岸能維持既有的關係。這種期望倒有些矛盾--既然關係不和諧，為何還希望持續下去呢？

英國除外，我們的盟國處處顯示要與我們疏遠，甚至要切割，例如制栽古巴，伊朗，伊拉克、又如我們對以阿及台海爭端的政策。他們公開的反對飛彈防禦系統的觀念，法國總統席哈客甚至在記者招待會上，站在蘇俄總統普丁身邊，很明顯的代表全歐抨擊之。歐盟正著手要創建與北約完全不同的軍事力量 。自冷戰結束後，各盟邦紛紛拋棄已往對蘇聯的共同政策而分別去尋求與莫斯科建立個別的「特殊關係」。

在經濟議題上我們的岐見更為明顯。美國因香蕉和牛肉事件威脅要對歐洲報復；歐盟則因美國對其 出口品課稅而威脅要對美報復。雙方對如何建立新的多邊貿易協訂也僵持不下，甚至對要不要有這個協訂都無共識 。另外能源政策上，雙方的裂痕也逐漸加深；如果油價不跌，爭執將會更大。

雙方情感上的維繫日漸減弱也是有目共睹的。美洲與歐洲的互訪雖然比以前頻繁，但總是作繭自縛於成見或只限於職業上的互訪，雙方都未嘗試去了解對方的歷史與政治背景。歐洲的媒體把美國一律看成是死刑當道，監獄擁擠，和缺乏免費的醫療保險的地方，甚至還有其他的陳腔爛調。在這種氣氛之下熱心整合歐洲的人士於是群起鼓動歐洲團結起來組織不同的聯盟與美國劃清界線，甚至反美。

柯林頓政府留下了一堆未解決的問題：大西洋盟約還是兩岸關係的核心嗎？若是，那麼應該如何定位盟約在冷戰後的目標？若否，那麼有什麼方式能取代這個盟約來加強兩岸的關係？

矛盾的是1990年代兩岸領導人間的私交竟是出奇的融洽。不過這是因為第一代的領導人都是在第二次世界大戰中長大而有共同的生活體驗，倒不是他們在政策上有共識。創盟那一代的人基本上認為美國的權勢是善意的，盟國之間的團結是重要的。他們的下一代在1960, 1970
年代的各種抗議活動中長大， 對美國的強勢無比的不信任；他們認為至少美國應該把大家的共同利益放在美國自己的利益之上。

創盟那一代的人把北約看成是民主國家的聯盟的起點 。1990年代的執政者把北約看為冷戰的遺物，甚至是一個必需克服的障礙，他們認為北約的目標 不在於強化盟約而在消除歧見。因此，在 1997年三月與蘇俄總統葉爾欽共同參加的記者招待會中，柯林頓總統把「舊的北約」與華沙公約相提並論；他把民主國家自願的結合與蘇聯的附庸國在淫威下不得已的結合視為一物。

這個矛盾的癥結在於西方國家一向將外交關係視為內政的一環。一些中間偏左的歐洲政府因施行了反應市場需求的經濟改革而激怒了黨內的激進派，於是不願在國家安全政策上與美國靠攏以免火上添油。但是美國這邊，國內反對柯林頓總統外交政策的聲浪卻來自右派。由於兩邊國內政治氣氛的差異，歐洲各國的領導人 雖然欽佩柯林頓的個人魅力，甚至還喜歡他，卻也能毫不猶豫的大聲反對他的政策；他們不覺得矛盾，因為他們了解在某些地方柯林頓是不得已的。
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
<1> A style issue: Before I find a standard way of writing numbers in Chinese publications, I am creating my own convention: I use Chinese numerals for numbers up to 10 and use Arabic numerals for numbers larger than 10. The Time magazine spells out numbers up to twelve and using Arabic numerals for number larger 12. I am using that idea here.
<2> The culture of the TL is big on harmony. When two people see eye to eye, they are in agreement, which implies harmony. The TT of the title means “(Together, let’s build) a harmonious alliance”. I added the implied “together, let’s build”—I applied amplification to the ST, took a very liberal way in translating the title.
<3> The syntax of the SL requires an article or has to use a plural noun. The TL does not require articles, nor does it need to distinguish between singular and plural nouns; the context makes it clear. In “… creating a military force institutionally distinct from NATO”. The article “a” here is not translated, because translating into “one“ military force is not idiomatic. Throughout the document, I omit the article “a” and do not explicitly distinguishing plural from singular nouns unless it’s really important to distinguish them. This is more idiomatical.
<4> A SL-specific tool is used to make the TT clearer: In the English sentence “and the European Union has threatened the United States over American taxation of exports” the subject is EU, therefore, the exports refer to EU’s exports. In the TL it’s not as clear. Therefore, the word “其” is added to make it explicit that the exports are EU’s exports, not US’s.
<5> In the English sentence “The two sides are deadlocked on how, or even whether, to launch a new multilateral trade negotiation”, the pair of comas set up the “even whether” nicely. The punctuation rules of the TL are not as well defined. Therefore, I split the sentence into two clauses connected by a semi colon, instead of a period, to express the closeness of the two clauses/sentences. I use the semi colon as it is used in English punctuation guidelines. I use this style throughout the document. Back-translation of the TT: The two sides are deadlocked on how to launch a new multilateral trade agreement; they cannot even come to the common ground on whether to have this agreement or not.
<6> The same situation as in footnote 4, I separated the sentence into two: First sentence reads, “In addition, the dispute on energy is gradually growing bigger.” The second sentence, “This dispute will be even bigger should the oil price does not drop.”
<7> The ST sentence “… at a minimum, they wanted America to use its power only for universal causes transcending the national interest.” I applied amplification in the TT to make it explicit as (America’s) national interest. To avoid translating the words “universal” and “transcend” while maintaining the equivalence of pragmatics, the TT reads, “They want America to at least put everyone’s common interests above America’s national interests.”
<8> The “point of departure for” in the ST “The founding generation viewed the alliance as the point of departure for a union of democracies.” is translated to mean “the starting point of”. I am not sure whether this is faithful to the author’s intention.
<9> “Its goal was less to … than to …”. The pronoun “it” refers to “NATO”. I take it to mean, “The generation governing in the 1990s viewed NATO’s goal as less to … than to …”. If my understanding of the ST is correct, this is an amplification.
<10> “European leaders” is plural. TL does not add an ‘s” to denote plural. Using “們” to denote plural is grammatically correct but not idiomatic. I don’t want to lose the idea of the leaders being plural, either. Therefore, the term is translated into “the leader(s) of various European nation(s)”.

The Joy of Birth

Source by Snow Bird

At http://chensnowbird.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-post.html

It was 12:53 p.m., March 2nd, 2008, you came to this world. You barely cried. Three hours later, two pairs of grandparents, your mom’s brother, your dad’s brother, his wife, and their son crowded the small recovery room. They held you in their arms; they whispered happiness to one another; no one could take eyes off you. The whole time you slept like an angel. The room was bathed in serenity and happiness.

On the other side of the Pacific Ocean in Taiwan, the four great-grand-parents watched you on the computer screen, the phone line was saturated with their joy, because your arrival put 30 of their closest kins one level up in the family trees. Could your 9-year old auntie and 10-year old uncle understand the significance of a new life?

Your grandpa came back from a business trip last night. He couldn’t wait to put on his favorite red sweater to pose for a picture with you; he couldn't wait to put the picture on his blog. Your grandma sent your pictures to her close friends. They all envied her--such a young grandma! She sat at your bed with a book in her hand, holding your little finger and watching you sleep, she was serenely content. No wonder her friends are envious. Wanting to let your mom and dad have some needed rest, your uncle watched over you; he could'nt wait to teach you Aikido, to teach you a few tips on how to protect yourself when you fall. Your dad, a week ago a timid novice in caring for a baby is now a happy expert. Your mom cannot stop staring at you, cannot stop saying, “He’s so cute! He’s soooo cute!”

Your parents have setup a fund for your education and are planning to take you to the Kite Festival. They cannot wait to immerse you in their lives. Such a lucky baby you are, arriving at awaiting loved ones.

Eighty years ago in Taiwan and in America eight babies were born. By pure chance they formed four families; three generations followed. Your arrival at 12:53 p.m. on March 2nd started another new generation. You will grow up in American culture although you carry genes bearing English, German, Japanese, and Taiwanese characteristics. The joy of birth is substantiated in the torch being passed to the new generation. I hope all those joy gives you the curiosity of learning; I hope that through you all those characteristics in your genes grow up in one happy harmony. <1>
====================================
<1> 喜悅要化成學習的動力，期待你基因的特色在成長中圓融。

輕巧犀利﹐在您掌中[1]

西門子銷售全世界最小的口袋型超音波系統[2]。

它只有一般筆記型電腦的五分之一大小﹐約800公克重﹐開機後10秒之內就能使用。這就是西門子醫護集團[3]的ACUSON P10。

這個迷你超音波機器的設計主旨有三; 在提供心臟科和產科的診斷, 在評估意外傷害之嚴重性﹐在狀況緊急時提供最初的診斷[4]。在狀況緊急時特別重要的是能夠在事發當場就能迅速而正確的研判病情﹐ 選擇治療對象 [5]。

ACUSONP10既輕巧又容易使用﹐因此不需要把病人移到科技所在處﹐它把科技帶到病人身邊﹔從而在分秒必爭時節省了寶貴的時間;這在病人心臟功能失常或因多重傷害而休克時尤其重要。因為它比PDA大不了多少﹐所以隨時隨地都可以攝取影像幫助診斷。因此填補了聽診器與超音波機器之間的空隙。它提供有實有據的診斷資料讓醫護人員能迅速的決定治療方針。

這個輕巧的超音波系統﹐它的LCD螢幕可以折疊起來,對角線長9.4公分﹐可充電的鋰離子(lithium-ion)電池充電一次可以提供大約一小時的掃描。
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譯注 (Translator’s Note):

[1] This is an article introducing a product called “P10”. The title uses 3 words that start with the letter “P”—Portable, Powerful, Pocket. The effect of playing with “P” is lost in the translation. “ The “portable” is translated into light and agile. The “pocket” is hard to be translated succinctly. My thinking is that it implies “in your palm” (在您掌中) or “always at your side” (隨伴君側).

[2] Ultrasound is called 超音波In Taiwan and Japan; 超声波 in China. Don’t know how it’s called in Hong Kong and Singapore.

[3] Siemens has 3 Sectors (集團). They are Healthcare sector (11B Euro), Energy sector (20B Euro), and Industry sector (40B Euro). Each sector has multiple Divisions (部門), which has multiple Business Units (單位). I don’t know how Siemens’ official translation of sector, division, and business units are.

[4] The ST is not very clear—not observing the parallelism principle. I added some information and changed the order of things. The TT reads: Its design focuses on there; to provide diagnosis in cardiology and ob, to evaluate the severity of injury, and to provide the first diagnosis in emergency situations.

[5] point-of-care; screen & triage
Triage is a process of prioritizing patients based on the severity of their condition so as to treat as many as possible when resources are insufficient for all to be treated immediately. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triage
Paraphrase of the translation: In emergency, it’s particularly important to study and judge, on the spot, the harm and to select whom or what to treat first.

Portable. Powerful. Pocket.

Siemens markets the world’s smallest pocket ultrasound system.

It weighs around 800 grams, needs less than ten seconds to boot up and be ready to use, and is one fifth the size of a laptop computer: the world’s first pocket ultrasound system, the Healthcare Sector’s ACUSON P10.

The mini ultrasound device is designed primarily to evaluate the severity of an injury following an accident, help with an initial diagnosis in emergencies, in cardiology and obstetrics. Particularly in emergency situations, it is the point-or-care exam to allow for earlier, faster and more accurate screening and triage decisions.

It is portable, easy to operate, and can thus be quickly put to use. Instead of having to rush the patient to the technology, the ACUSON P10 system brings the technology to the patient. This can save critical minutes, especially when a patient is in cardiac distress or in the case of trauma patients, who have multiple injuries. Because the device is barely larger than a PDA, clinical images can be captured and accessed anytime, anywhere. Bridging the gap between the stethoscope and an ultrasound machine, the ACUSON P10 system enables more substantiated and faster decision-making about the subsequent course of treatment for the patient.

The portable ultrasound system is equipped with a flip LCD display measuring 9.4 centimeters on the diagonal. Special lithium-ion batteries provide power for about an hour of scan time before they need to be recharged.

English-Chinese Tanslation: Numbers

Draft: 2/22/2009

Chinese language does not have a grammatical way of indicating plural versus singular. When translating form English into Chinese, what do I need to translate the number of nouns? If I faithfully translate the number, I run the risk of creating non-idiomatical Chinese sentences. If I omit it, I run the risk of losing the important distinction of many versus one.

Here are a few examples:

• The uneasy reaction of European media and political leaders to the American election …
歐洲的媒體與政治領袖對美國的選舉感到侷促不安…

• Scientists said Tuesday they have devised a way to grow large quantities of blood in the lab using human embryonic stem cells.

科學家在 星期二說他們已發明出一種方法，利用人類的胚胎幹細胞在實驗室中造出大量的血。
For “Scientists” and “cells”, the TT does not indicate whether they are singular or plural. However, “a way” is translated into “一種方法”, because I feel it’s important to be clear that this is but one of the many ways not “the way”.

• The researchers outlined a four-step process for turning embryonic stem cells into red blood cells capable of carrying as much oxygen as normal blood. The procedure was published online by the journal Blood.

研究人員在科學期刊「血液」的網頁上發表了一個四步的程序，略述如何將胚胎幹細胞轉變為紅血球，而且其帶氧量不亞於正常的紅血球。
• Dr. Hazen says that origins-of-life experiments may also help create synthetic cells that can churn out biofuels, which would be a boon in these days of energy crunches and concerns about climate change.

• Since the end of the Cold War, common policy toward the Soviet Union has been replaced by allies seeking their own “special relationship” with Moscow.

自冷戰結束後，各盟邦不約而同的分別去尋求與莫斯科建立「特殊關係」。

• An Alliance That Sees Eye to Eye

• 和諧的同盟
• 一個協合的同盟
• 一個可以共謀的聯盟
• "一個志同道合的聯盟" <== Adrian left a comment suggesting this

“see eye to eye” means to agree. When the partners see eye to eye, they agree, and they are in harmony. There are several choices for “harmony”: 協和，和諧，and 融洽。
My feeling is that there is a subtle difference between 和諧 and 融洽。融洽 is more intimate and is more often used among people who are in harmony; 和諧 is, perhaps, more formal and is more often used in the context of “in harmony with the nature”, “all instruments played in harmony”, etc. When talking about the harmony among allies, I would prefer to use 和諧。
Now comes the question: should I use 和諧 or 協和 or 協合？
協 implies the feel of "working together". 合 implies cooperation. Therefore, 協合 works better than 協和．After all, the article is proposing that the two sides of the alliance to put themselves in each other’s shoes and work together to establish a new alliance。
My wife proposed another approach: why cocoon myself to the word “harmony”. She suggested “一個可以共謀的聯盟”—an alliance that can plan and work together.　In this case, the singular form “an alliance” is translated indicating this is but one way of doing it.

阿拉丁的神燈

Aladdin's Lamp

George Eliot: "We are going now to the British Museum to read--a fearful way of getting knowledge. If I had Aladdin's lamp I should certainly use it to get books served up to me at a moment's notice."

When I was a graduate student I spent tremendous amount of time in the library--researching the materials I need and browsing the materials I may need. Like me, all graduate students at the time spent a significant amount of their waking hours at libraries. Now the World Wide Web and Google make research so easy and so fast. If only George Eliot is alive today.

I remember when my son was in junior high, the school gave his class a pre-SAT test. He did very well in all categories, except for one that asks where one could find the proper information, i.e. when to use a dictionary, thosauraus, encyclopedia, etc. He was a smart kid but very confused on why internet was not among the choices given. I think he is more right and the teachers who prepared the answer sheet.

A Tuneless Flute

The pond is full; the meadow, luscious.
The mountain shrouds the setting Sun and chills the air.
Lounging across the cow's back,
the shepherd boy plays a flute that carries no tune.

This is what this blog is about--playing a flute that carries no specific tune.
In the preface of "Double Helix", James Watson said he was just writing down what happened in his personal view. He says it up front that it's his subjective point of view. Other people are welcome to express their point of view.

This is what I am trying to do in this blog.

短笛無腔

水滿池塘草滿陂
山銜落日浸寒漪
牧童歸去橫牛被
短笛無腔信口吹