I am now in the USA. It has been several years since I last came here. At that time, the economy was on the verge of a meltdown. Politicians were at each other's throats (arguing angrily) over how to cut government spending and reduce America's debts. Many countries around the world, especially in Asia, were writing off the US as a waning (weakening, fading, declining) superpower. But the American economy is now recovering. Even when the economy was on the verge of a meltdown, I never believed that the US could be written off.
T
he expression "write off" has several meanings. If you know that you can never get back money that is owed to you, then you write off the debt. Money that is owed is called a debt. To write off a debt means to give up trying to get it back. But the expression "write off" can also mean to treat something as no longer important. To write off the US means to consider it as no longer an important country. On the verge of means almost or very close to. If a sad movie almost made you cry, or you were close to crying, you can say: "I was on the verge of crying." A meltdown is a serious accident in a nuclear plant that causes a release of radiation. But a meltdown can also mean a quick and big fall in stock prices that seriously damages a country's economy.
I always have a strange feeling returning to the US, where I have lived for many years. When I am in Hong Kong, I hear Cantonese everywhere. I also hear a lot of Putonghua nowadays. But when I am in the US, I do not hear Cantonese or Putonghua at all unless I am in Chinatown. Sometimes I speak in Cantonese without realizing the people I am talking to cannot understand a word I am saying. Luckily, I can effortlessly (easily, without effort) switch between Cantonese and English. I'll be speaking mostly in English while I am in the US. I hope I'll still remember my Cantonese when I return to Hong Kong.
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現在身處美國，上一次踏足這個地方已經是數年之前的事了。那時候，經濟瀕臨（on the verge of）崩潰（meltdown）的邊緣。政客就着如何削減政府開支與減輕美國債務，互相指罵爭吵（at each other's throats）。世界各國，尤其是亞洲，都已看不起（writing off）美國，認為她不過是日漸衰弱（waning）的超級大國。但如今美國經濟卻在逐漸復甦。即使經濟瀕臨（on the verge of）崩潰（meltdown）的邊緣，我從不相信美國可被輕視（written off）。
習語write off有幾個意思，要是你知道你永遠不能收回借出的欠款，那你便會write off the debt。Debt就是債務，to write off a debt就是放棄討債、註銷債務。但習語write off還可解作不再把某事視為重要。On the verge of即是接近或瀕臨，若一齣傷感的電影令你差點落淚，你便可以說："I was on the verge of crying." Meltdown是核反應堆堆芯熔毁，可導致輻射洩漏。但meltdown也可解作股價的急速滑落，嚴重影響一個國家的經濟。
每當我回到曾經居住多年的美國，我總是有種異樣的感覺。當我在香港的時候，滿耳都是廣東話。現在當然也聽到不少普通話。但當我在美國時，除非我在唐人街，否則我不會聽到廣東話或普通話。有時我會跟人說起廣東話來，絲毫沒有察覺對方根本一個字也聽不懂。幸好，我能毫不費勁地（effortlessly）轉換於廣東話與英語之間。我在美國主要說英語，希望回港時，也不會忘了我的廣東話吧。
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
Source: http://news.stheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=285673§ion_name=wtt&kw=126
