馬英九以習近平為「他的（中國）國家主席」？疏忽還是惡搞？
　
　
剛剛在批踢踢英文板看到有人問([1])：原來英文中，一國的總統可以稱另一國總統為「his/her 國名形容詞 president」？真有這個用法？並指出有兩個媒體這麼寫：
　
1. （某新聞網站的圖片說明 [2]） Cuba's President Raul Castro, left, stands with his U.S. President Barack Obama.
古巴總統卡斯楚與「他的」美國總統歐巴馬並肩而站（？）
　
2. （美國之聲VOA學英文網站的文字稿 [3]） Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou told his Chinese president Xi Jinping that he was worried about China’s missiles deployed across the Taiwan Strait.
台灣總統馬英九告訴「他的」中國國家主席習近平……（？）
　
以上兩個英文說法若成立，則意味著歐巴馬對卡斯楚，或習近平對馬英九，是上對下、尊對卑、君對臣、中央對地方的關係。（但地方政府怎會有「總統」？）

但我認爲這英文的說法是不恰當的、是錯誤的，適當的說法應該是： his U.S. counterpart、his Chinese counterpart 才對，差了一字，含義大變。改成 counterpart 就讓雙方變成對等關係，這也才是外界對國家領袖的認知：關係對等。

卡斯楚的例子，我不好說什麼，只能說該圖片說明或許是一時筆誤，或者，該記者英文有問題。

馬英九的例子，則找到答案：各位聽一聽同一網頁中語音檔的唸稿，記者「巧妙地」把 his Chinese president Xi 唸成 Chinese president Xi，沒有不該有的 his，這表示該記者發覺文字稿有誤；或者也可能，記者本來製播時就是唸 Chinese president Xi，卻被哪個聽寫人誤寫還是惡搞，加上足以引起爭端的 his？這區區一個小字，錯得可真要命唷！

以下是VOA全文：
　
　　
Leaders from Taiwan and China met Saturday for the first time since the end of the civil war in China, more than 65 years ago.
　
　
The meeting was an effort to create goodwill between the two sides. In the past seven years, ties between the sides have increased. However, some Taiwanese say those ties have not resulted in economic gains or greater security.

China claimed sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan when it formed the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Relations were icy until 2008. The two sides agreed to link the two economies.

Today in Taiwan, people are unclear about the benefits of the relationship. The island’s economy shrank in the third quarter of this year.

Many Taiwanese wanted progress from the meeting. Liu Yi-jiun is a public affairs professor at Fo Guang University in Taiwan. He said there were high expectations because these two leaders had never met. He said, after two years of planning, political and economic concessions were promised but none were seen.

Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou told his Chinese president Xi Jinping that he was worried about China’s missiles deployed across the Taiwan Strait. <== 這句話無故多了個「his」

He also said people in Taiwan were frustrated that China was blocking Taiwan’s foreign relations. China has 170 allies compared with 22 for Taiwan. This difference lets China keep Taiwan from developing its diplomacy further.

In response to Taiwan’s concerns about missiles, Xi Jinping said Saturday China’s missiles were not aimed at Taiwan.

However, economic concerns remain. Taiwan has signed free-trade agreements with Singapore and New Zealand. Both countries have relations with the two sides. But China has blocked Taiwan from joining the United Nations or other international organizations.

Taiwanese officials say deals with China have created 9,600 jobs among a population of 23 million. Agreements that opened tourism brought a total 2.8 million mainland Chinese to the island last year. That is up from almost no tourism in 2007.

Trade deals also have helped increase total imports and exports to $130 billion last year.

China remains Taiwan’s largest trading partner. And it is the top receiver of Taiwanese foreign investment.

Some people complain the benefits of 23 deals with mainland China covering trade and other areas are reaching mainly the owners of big companies.

In Taiwan’s capital markets, investment from China amounts to only a fraction of the island government’s quota, or the amount permitted.

Tseng Ming-chung is Chairman of the Financial Supervisory Commission in Taiwan. He said Friday that the Taiwanese government has approved almost every application for investment from China.

He says the amount of money is extremely small. He adds that the Taiwanese government is not refusing applications. Tseng says mainland Chinese institutions cannot freely set up qualified domestic institutional investors.

China insists on eventual unification with Taiwan. However, public opinion polls show most Taiwanese oppose that goal.

Nathan Liu says the future of relations between the sides is unclear.

“…They think that at least by the end of Ma’s term the two sides should at least reach some kind of agreement,” he said. He noted that, an understanding that the sides are going toward common goals is needed, although it may not be a signed agreement. “This is not complete yet,” he said.

President Ma Ying-jeou has supported closer ties with mainland China. But he and his KMT party have lost support. He must step down next year because of term limits.

A backlash against economic deals with China started mass street protests in March 2014. That anger has given the island’s top opposition party candidate a lead in opinion polls ahead of the January presidential election. Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party has been highly critical of President Ma’s dealings with China.

Experts say the Saturday leadership summit appears not to have done enough to change voter opinion.

I’m Mario Ritter.

Ralph Jennings reported this story from Taipei. Mario Ritter adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

[英文單字學習 I]

學英文的人常常為了方便學習而於過依賴線上的英漢字典，線上英漢字典雖然可以幫你快速認識單字(第一語言對第二語言的學習有好處也有壞處)，可是我們常會發現在英漢字典中，兩個英文單字往往會用同一個中文意思來解釋 (例如 comprise, contain = 包含) ，而且翻譯的過程中也可能喪失單字本身一些比較細微的定義，導致同學用詞不精準。所以英漢字典有點像腳踏車的輔助輪，適合初學者，但若一直依賴它，就會永遠跟不上其他人的學習速度了。

另外，學英文的最終目標(當然每個人都有不一樣的目標><)就是要學習如何用英文去思考，不能一直依靠英漢字典直接轉換兩種語言，以期達到流利的境界，畢竟很少人有足夠的天份能夠在雙語之間自由地迅速轉換（除非經過特別的訓練，例如同步口譯訓練後才可能做到）。

就線上資源而論，適合初學者的一個選擇是使用第二語言學習者字典 (OALD, M-W Learner’s Dictionary)。這一些詞典通常會以例句幫助同學更精準地使用不熟悉的單字；比較高程度的英語學習者可使用全英字典 (Oxford Dictionaries Online, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Dictionary)，再接著搭配使用配詞典 (English Collocation Dictionary, Corpus of Contemporary American English) 或使用 Google Scholar 搜尋單字及該字搭配的片語 (multi-word chunks) 在學術文章中的用法及出現頻率，這樣才可以比較精準的使用單字及搭配的片語。

雖然老師每次在提供單字表時都會附上中文解釋(課堂上才補充搭配的片語)，但這只是方便學生更快知道這個單字最通用的意思，不代表是它最精準的涵義及用法，有心的同學應該再進一步使用其它工具查詢，以讓自己的進步更迅速。當然，你也可以利用老師或字典提供的單字音檔加强自己對字的辨識能力和發音!

最後提醒同學一個學單字的最重要關鍵─就是要在平常說寫中反覆使用這些新單字及搭配的片語，並且需要 a qualified English teacher (native or non-native) 來指導修正自己的錯誤，以讓自己更進步。

多益，托福和雅思單字表和電子書: http://tinyurl.com/lk3fglc
免費字典和辭典: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=561160787307398
詞彙區別: http://tinyurl.com/mzmvsns

References:
http://www.mikeswan.co.uk/elt-applied-linguistics/influence-second-language.htm
http://jolt.merlot.org/vol9no4/jin_1213.pdf
http://www.cavesbooks.com.tw/CET/ArtContent_tw.aspx?CDE=ART20130906141633A0M
http://www2.gsu.edu/~eslnxj/jiang2004a.pdf
http://cnl.psych.cornell.edu/pubs/in-press-ac-ELD.pdf