I s it good enough for Hong Kong to have the same level of English when our competitors are catching up? As I have said before, it doesn't matter if our English level is slipping (same as declining, deteriorating) if our society no longer thinks English is important. We should drop (do away with) English as an official language and improve our Putonghua instead. But if we still believe English is important, it is not good enough to be content (satisfied) with the same level when our competitors are catching up because one day they will surpass (be better than) Hong Kong.
Tien Puk-sun, who has always promoted (encouraged, supported) the use of English in Hong Kong, admitted on the radio show that his own English has slipped because he mostly speaks Cantonese nowadays. Fung Keung wrote in a recent newspaper article that legislative councillors should speak in English 50 percent of the time to encourage Hong Kong people to speak in English. I agree with him. I think senior government officials should also do the same when they speak in the Legislative Council. Tien Puk-sun tried to dodge (avoid, evade) the question when I asked if he would speak English 50 percent of the time in Legco. Finally, he admitted his voters would not understand him if he spoke in English. But if he always speaks in Cantonese, how can he promote the use of English among his voters?
＊ ＊ ＊
每個星期三早上，我都會在港台英文頻道，與拍檔主持一個電台節目。上星期的題目關於香港日漸惡化（deteriorating）的英語水平。我們邀請了幾位嘉賓，包括立法會議員田北辰，以及曾任新聞工作者、現為大學講師的馮強。馮強很堅持（adamant）香港的英文水平已然下降。當你對某事adamant，即是說你不會改變主意。例如，特首梁振英就堅持（adamant）王維基不符合發電視牌照的資格，但田北辰堅持（adamant）英語水平並未惡化（deteriorated）。他說，這個地方保持一貫水平，但其他國家，包括中國大陸，則追了上來。
當我們的競爭者已經追上來了，香港維持一貫英語水準，是否足夠？正如我以往所說，要是我們的社會不再認為英語重要，那麼我們英語水平下滑（slipping）是沒關係的。我們應該放棄（drop）以英語為官方語言，轉而改進普通話。但若我們仍然認為英語是重要的，那單單自滿（content）於同一水平就不夠好了，因為競爭者在追上來，而終有一天，他們會超越（surpass）香港。
常常在香港鼓勵（promoted）人活用英語的田北辰，也在電台節目承認，自己的英語水平也下降（slipped）了，因為他現在通常只說廣東話。馮強最近在一篇報章專欄寫道，立法會議員該用一半時間說英語，從而鼓勵香港人說英語。我同意他的看法。我認為政府高官在立法會發言時，也該這樣做。當我問到田北辰在立法會會否以一半時間說英語，他迴避（dodge）了我的問題。最後他承認，要是他說英語，他的選民就聽不明白。但要是他常常說廣東話，他又怎能好好向選民推廣（promote）活用英語﹖mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
Source: http://news.stheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=263550§ion_name=wtt&kw=126