我只有八歲

我是盧安達的一個小孩，我只有八歲。

我們盧安達不是個有錢的國家，可是我運氣很好，過去一直過得很愉快。爸爸是位小學老師，我就在這所小學念書，放了學，我們小孩子都在家附近的田野玩。家附近有樹林，也有一條河。我大概五歲起就會游泳了，在我們這些小孩子中，我不僅游得最好，也跑得最快。

因為是鄉下，我們附近有不少的動物，我最喜歡看的是老鷹，牠們飛的姿態真夠優雅。可是我也很怕老鷹，因為牠們常常俯衝下來抓小動物，有一次，有一隻小山貓被一隻大老鷹活活抓走。

有一次我問媽媽，「媽媽，大老鷹會不會把小孩抓走？」

媽媽說：「傻孩子，小孩子旁總有大人在旁邊，老鷹不敢抓小孩，因為牠們知道大人一定會保護小孩子的。」

I’m Only Eight Years Old

I’m a Rwandan boy, and I’m only eight years old.

Rwanda is not a rich country, but I was lucky—my life was always happy. My dad was a teacher at my elementary school. Every day after school got out, we children liked to play in the fields around our houses. By my house, there was a grove of trees and a river, too. I’ve known how to swim since I was about five, and not only was I the best swimmer of all the kids, but I was the fastest runner, too.

Because we lived in the country, there were lots of animals around. My favorite ones to watch were the hawks—they flew so gracefully! But I was afraid of hawks, too, because they’d often dive down and pick off smaller animals. Once I saw a little bobcat get carried off alive by a big hawk.

One time I asked my mom, “Mom, do hawks ever carry away little kids?”

Mom replied, “Silly boy! Wherever there are kids, there are always grownups somewhere close by. Hawks don’t dare to attack kids because they know the grownups will protect them.”


elementary school　　小學；國民學校
hawk　　鷹；
grownup（n.）成人；大人
protect（v.）保護

◎解析重點
＝after school got out… 放學後......
－Every day after school got out, we children liked to play in the fields around our houses.
（每天）放了學，我們小孩子都在家附近的田野玩。

解析
「放學」可以用 get out of school這個片語來表達。如果要用子句可以說 when school is over。今天譯者讓我們開了眼界，原來放學也可以這麼表達：after school gets out，英文不拘泥一說的靈活面由此可見。


＝ the best…of all (the kids)　　　在全部的（小孩）當中是最棒的
－I’ve known how to swim since I was about five, and not only was I the best swimmer of all the kids, but I was the fastest runner, too.
我大概五歲起就會游泳了，在我們這些小孩子中，我不僅游得最好，也跑得最快。

解析
最高級形容詞的後面常常出現 of all，理由其實很自然，當然在「全部」或「所有」當中才會出現「最......」。在這裡舉個例子，這是個臥虎藏龍的資優班，一個段考考下來，人人數學都九十分以上，但是你的朋友拔得頭籌，考了滿分，把眾多高手硬是比下去了，這時你就可以說：My friend got the highest math score of all the students in the class.


＝Where(ver) there are…, there are… 有......的地方，就有......
－Wherever there are kids, there are always grownups somewhere close by.
小孩子旁總有大人在旁邊。

解析
看到這句英譯，讀者可否想到千古名句：「有志者事竟成。」呢——Where there’s a will, there’s a way. 原來「有志者事竟成。」指的是只要「有決心；有意志」（there is a will）就會「有條（通向成功的）路」（there is a way）。那麼格言開頭的 where 又是怎麼回事呢？它是連接詞，負責把兩個子句串連起來。其實，用其他的連接詞如 when 和 if 取代 where也可，只是既然是千古名言，所以還是維持用 where 吧。

想要在寫作裡用上一句「有工廠就有污染」嗎？怎麼辦，如底下的句子就是了。
Where there are factories, there is pollution.

我只有八歲我是盧安達的一個小孩，我只有八歲。我們盧安達不是個有錢的國家，可是我運氣很好，過去一直過得很愉快。爸爸是位小學老師，我就在這所小學念書，放了學，我們小孩子都在家附近的田野玩。家附近有樹林，也有一條河。我大概五歲起就會游泳了，在我們這些小孩子中，我不僅游得最好，也跑得最快。因為是鄉下，我們附近有不少的動物，我最喜歡看的是老鷹，牠們飛的姿態真夠優雅。可是我也很怕老鷹，因為牠們常常俯衝下來抓小動物，有一次，有一隻小山貓被一隻大老鷹活活抓走。有一次我問媽媽，「媽媽，大老鷹會不會把小孩抓走？」媽...