Lost in English

When T.V. entered the prisoner’s room alone, Chiang looked up in surprise and began weeping bitterly. Sweeping over him was an overwhelming sense of frustration and utter hopelessness. Ten years of fighting to neutralize the warlords and suppress the Reds had seemed only “five minutes” away from either a final military victory or an acceptable political solution, negotiated from a position of strength and guaranteed by Stalin. Now, by contrast, Chiang was in no position to negotiate with the Soviet Union, and if he agreed to the united front, it would appear he had been coerced into doing so. (The Generalissimo by Jay Taylor)

宋子文單獨走進囚犯的房間時，蔣介石驚訝地抬眼望去，同時開始痛哭起來。一種巨大的挫折感以及徹底的絕望，向他席捲而來。致力掃平軍閥和壓制紅軍的十年奮戰，離最後的軍事勝利或者可接受的政治解決，似乎就只差「五分鐘」了，而且這種政治解決當可依據我方實力談成，並得到史達林的保證。然而此刻已是今非昔比了，蔣介石不再有立場與蘇聯討價還價，如果他同意組成統一戰線，給人的印象必將是他受到脅迫不得不然。（蔣介石傳/陶涵）  

箇中奧妙 

無論被視為民族救星抑或國家罪人，西安事變中的蔣介石毋寧更是一介有血有淚的凡夫俗子，你我不妨設身處地，試想生命中出現如是巨大轉折，其方向卻遠非原先所想所盼，心情上該是何等不堪。作者如臨現場地描述近代中國歷史上極其關鍵的一刻，更對主人翁當下的所思所感提出了相當令人信服的分析。

The economy was in a shambles, there was no stable or unified currency, inflation was out of control, and communications networks were in disarray, with rail tracks destroyed and rivers and harbors clogged with sunken ships. (Mao by Jonathan Spence)

經濟變得不堪聞問，穩定甚或統一的貨幣不復存在，物價上漲徹底失控，通訊網路陷入混亂，鐵軌遭到破壞，河道與港口因沉船而阻塞。（毛/史景遷）  

箇中奧妙 

As Guomindang military morale collapsed, accompanied by civilian revulsion with the financial chaos caused by rampant inflation, and the continued harsh repression of all dissent, the Communists consolidated their gains and advanced with incredible rapidity, entering Beijing in January 1949, Nanjing in April, Shanghai in May, and Changsha in August. (Mao by Jonathan Spence)

就在國民黨部隊士氣全面潰散之際，通膨高漲造成的金融混亂讓老百姓感到深惡痛絕，而政府對異己的嚴厲鎮壓卻並未曾稍歇。共產黨趁機鞏固戰果，並且以驚人的速度向前推進，於1949年元月進北京，四月取南京，五月下上海，八月奪長沙。（毛/史景遷）  

箇中奧妙 

Choice is what public policy is all about. And with choice come both benefits and costs. To achieve the benefits, we need to accept the costs. (The Age of Turbulence by Allan Greenspan)

選擇乃公共政策之核心所在，伴隨選擇而來的則是效益與成本，為了達成效益，我們必須承擔成本。（我們的新世界 / 艾倫．葛林斯潘）

箇中奧妙 

They swapped principle for power. They ended up with neither. They deserved to lose. (The Age of Turbulence by Allan Greenspan)

他們放棄原則換取權力，結果他們兩面落空，他們活該失敗。（我們的新世界 / 艾倫．葛林斯潘）

箇中奧妙

莎士比亞筆下珠璣難以盡數，哈姆雷特一劇中的 ”Brevity is the soul of wit.”（簡潔乃機智之靈魂，或曰言以簡為貴），自是其中一例。而此處所引前美國聯準會主席葛林斯潘先生連珠炮似的三個短句，堪稱最佳見證。自認是一名開明前進的共和黨員，葛老批評起自家政黨可是一點也不留情面。三個文法結構幾近雷同的句子，緊湊相疊，確是言簡意賅，力透紙背。

He sweated steadily in spite of two fans, and the smell that rose form his damp skin reminded me of old wallpaper in a deserted house. His breath was black with the perfume of decomposition. (Just After Sunset by Stephen King)

即使有兩座風扇吹著，他還是止不住地流汗，從他濕答答的皮膚發出某種味道，讓我想起廢棄已久的屋子裏的舊壁紙。他的鼻息是黑色的，帶著一股腐爛的香味。(日落之後 / 史蒂芬．金)

箇中奧妙

故事主人翁的父親病入膏肓，臥病在床的日子久了，身上發出的味道和呼出來的氣息自然教人不敢恭維。為了讓讀者也能身歷其境，。史蒂芬．金精心挑選了如下的字眼sweated, damp skin, old wallpaper, deserted house, black, perfume, decomposition，作為其營造氛圍的核心元素，這其中包括令人不太舒服的動作（流汗），具體的圖像（濡濕的皮膚、廢棄已久的屋子、舊壁紙），以及最最讓人拍案叫絕的將顏色用在嗅覺上。就慣寫死亡的驚悚大師而言，黑色對任何感官來說應該都是最理所當然的顏色了（紅色當然必須保留給鮮血）。當然，所謂腐爛的香味，顯然是刻意矛盾以求反襯之效，所謂以反言正者也。讀著這樣一段文字，你是否也聞到了呢？

The only thing more boring than the Maine Turnpike south of Augusta was the Maine Turnpike south of Augusta in a cold spring rain. (Just After Sunset by Stephen King)

唯一比Augusta以南的緬因州高速公路更無趣的，無非是籠罩在一場冷冷的春雨中，Augusta以南的緬因州高速公路。(日落之後 / 史蒂芬．金) 

箇中奧妙 

真正善於駕馭文字者，當然不會輕易拘於旨在束縛芸芸眾生的小節。一般人行文總盡可能避免用字重覆，否則恐有辭窮之譏，史蒂芬．金的刻意重覆卻別有韻味，一種文字專有的旋律輕易躍然紙(或電腦螢幕)上。