Poles Apart

南轅北轍

地球有南極和北極,兩極之間,距離遙遠,用英文表達是poles apart。因為南北極的英文是the North Pole and the South Pole,兩者合起來,即是poles apart。除了距離外,poles apart也表示兩者之間完全背道而馳。譬如說,台灣的藍綠兩營在國家認同上,完全不一樣,用英文來說,即是The Blue and Green camps are poles apart in terms of their national identification.父母管教子女的方式南轅北轍,可以說The parents are poles apart when it comes to how to discipline their children.

最近美國前駐台代表包道格(Douglas Paal)演講和美國國會研究處(Congressional Research Service,簡稱CRS)所公布的報告,都提到台灣的polarization,這個字通常譯作「兩極化」,是從poles apart演化而來。Polar是pole的形容詞,指靠近南北極的地帶,如Polar Regions,我們所知道的北極熊則是polar bear。從polar這個字又演化出polarize(極化)一字。The country is very polarized politically.(在政治上,這個國家呈兩極化的現象)。Polarization is a serious problem in Taiwan.(在台灣,兩極化是很嚴重的問題。)

另有polarity一字,意思和polarization相同。The polarity within the Kuomintang led to such splinter groups as the New Party and the People First Party.(國民黨內部的分歧導致新黨和親民黨的產生。)

...本文未結束

免費訂閱!
商周最新出刊報‧隨時掌握最新趨勢