說出有HBO味的漂亮英文

你看HBO電影嗎？你讀Huffington Post嗎? 你喜歡Discovery頻道嗎? 我們常常告訴學生，所有英文聽說讀寫的場合，假如可以，請拿一本小本子，遇到好、有美感的字就快速寫下。什麼是好字呢? 我們綜合了多位中外籍老師的意見，英文字美不美，該如何判斷？

· 不會太難　Mother, smile, love…
· 好記有意象 dawn (黎明)、dew (露珠)、sunlight (日光)…
· 有節奏美感 pinpoint (找出定位)、showcase (展現)、giggle (咯咯笑)
· 一字多用 come up with (想出)、get around to (找時間)
· 有持殊的文化韻味 entrepreneur (創業家)、nostalgia (鄉愁)、guru (大師)

還有一個重要的標準，委婉。
形容人的脫衣舞者的職業，很多人會脫口而出用”stripper”，委婉說法可以用”Exotic dancer”。究竟什麼是委婉(詞)的說法，簡單的定義，委婉的說法是無法直接翻譯的說法，也因為這樣，就變成我們講英文的罩門。我們來看以下實例：

1、他不聰明。
(X) He is very stupid.
(O) He is not the brightest bulb.

2、他行動不便。
(X) He is a handicapped person.
(O) He is a differently-abled.

3、我會辭退他。
(X) I will fire him.
(O) I will let him go.

4、她很胖。
(X) She is fat.
(O) She is chubby.

5、這輛是二手車。
(X) This car is second hand.
(O) This car is pre-owned.

6、我想要去洗手間。
(X) I have an urge to urinate.
(O) I’m calling for nature.
(O) I need to relieve myself.

7、她對我們客戶不太友善。
(X) She is so rude to our client.
(O) She is not so agreeable to our client.

8、他講話大聲又高傲。
(X) He is loud and arrogant.
(O) He has strong opinions about everything and is not afraid to voice them.

9、老闆在這產業頗有資歷。
(X) Our boss is very old in the industry.
(O) Our boss is very senior in the industry.

10、他工作的態度懶散。
(X) Her attitude to his work is lazy.
(O) He has a rather relaxed attitude toward work.

作者簡介_世界公民文化中心