2018/5/7 16:08:00
這些英語單詞,英國王室是不會說的
最近,英國王室又添了一位新成員,可能你只看到了小王子的帥氣和公主的可愛,但你可能不知道哪些話是他們不會說的。作為一名翻譯,是一定要了解的。
王室難當:想要做英國王室成員,這些單詞一個都不能說!
Britain's Queen Elizabeth waves during a special concert "The Queen's Birthday Party" to celebrate her 92nd birthday at the Royal Albert Hall in London reuters
社會人類學家凱特?福克斯對英國王室用語習慣進行了研究。她發(fā)現(xiàn),哪怕只是在措辭上,王室成員也有很多講究之處,和普通人的習慣大不相同。
Specifically, there are certain words Kate, Will, the Queen, Prince Charles and co. NEVER use - and here they are.
具體來說,威廉、凱特、女王、查爾斯王儲和其他王室成員是絕對不會使用某些單詞的。以下就是這些單詞:
Pardon:對不起
We'd always thought 'pardon' was more polite than the alternatives.
相比之下,我們一直認為“pardon(對不起)”是一種比較禮貌的說法。
Not being royal, however, we were wrong.
然而,我們錯了。對于王室來說并非如此。
'Pardon' is forbidden to use.
“Pardon”是禁用詞。
Instead, if you haven't heard what the Duke of Edinburgh has just said to you, you should say 'sorry?' or even 'sorry, what?'
如果你沒聽清愛丁堡公爵菲利普親王對你說的話,你應該用“sorry”或“sorry, what”來代替“pardon”。
Toilet:廁所
The word 'toilet' may be a more palatable term than 'bog' or 'loo', but it's the latter which is used whenever a member of the House of Windsor needs to relieve themselves.
與“bog”、“l(fā)oo”相比,“toilet”用來表示廁所或許是一種比較禮貌的說法。但溫莎家族需要方便時使用的是“l(fā)oo”這個單詞。
'Toilet' is French by origin, so is apparently avoided.
避免使用“toilet”是因為這個單詞源自法語。
Perfume:香水
Complimenting someone on how they smell is a tricky one. It's a fine line between coming across simply as nice, or just plain creepy.
贊美一個人的體香是非常需要技巧的。讓對方感到“友好”還是“詭異”的差別只在一線之間。
Unfortunately, the Royal's preferred word for perfume won't help.
不幸的是,王室在這方面的措辭毫無幫助。
The Royals don't wear perfume. They wear scent.
他們不會用“perfume”,而是用“scent”表示擦香水。
Tea:晚餐
According to Kate Fox, one surefire way of outing yourself as being decidedly un-royal is to refer to your evening meal as 'tea'.
據(jù)凱特???怂狗Q,如果你用“tea”這個單詞表示晚餐,那么無疑是在宣布你絕不是王室成員。
If you do want to convince her you're blue blooded, invite the Queen around for 'dinner' or 'supper'.
如果你想讓女王相信你出身貴族,那么邀請她共進晚餐時用“dinner”或者“supper”。
Lounge:客廳
The palaces have many rooms, but not one of them is a lounge, nor a living room.
王宮里有許多房間,但是沒有一間房叫做“l(fā)ounge(客廳)”或“l(fā)iving room”。
This isn't because the Royals aren't permitted a space to watch Hollyoaks or play Cards Against Humanity.
這倒不是因為王室成員沒有地方看肥皂劇《圣橡鎮(zhèn)少年》或者玩紙牌游戲。
Instead, it's because they retire to either a 'drawing room' or 'sitting room'.
而是因為他們將休息的地方稱為“drawing room(休息室)”或“sitting room”。
Posh:優(yōu)雅的
The first rule of being posh? You never refer to someone - or yourself - as being posh.
舉止優(yōu)雅的第一準則是什么?永遠不要用“posh(談吐高雅的)”形容自己或別人。
According to Kate, you're 'smart'.
凱特稱,你可以選擇“smart”替代。