母語者比較不會用英文溝通?

Wut...?

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When it comes to communicating in English with an international audience, native speakers don’t always do so well.

若要以「英語」與國際聽眾進行交流，母語者未必能與非母語者進行有效地溝通。

Sometimes, such inability to accommodate non-native speakers can lead to substantial financial losses for multinational companies.

有時，無法考量非母語者的溝通需求，可能會使跨國公司蒙受巨大的經濟損失。

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《ＮＰＲ》報導：

Picture this: A group of nonnative English speakers is in a room. There are people from Germany, Singapore, South Korea, Nigeria and France. They're having a great time speaking to each other in English, and communication is smooth.

•picture(v.) 想像，設想
•have a great time doing sth 做某事很開心
•smooth 順利的，流暢的

想像一下：一群母語非英語的人同在一個房間裡。有來自德國、新加坡、韓國、奈及利亞以及法國的人。他們開心地以英語交談，而整體的溝通也相當流暢。

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And then an American walks into the room. The American speaks quickly, using esoteric jargon ("let's take a holistic approach") and sports idioms ("you hit it out of the park!"). And the conversation trickles to a halt.

•esoteric 極不尋常的；只有少數人（尤指內行）才懂的；限於小圈子的
•jargon 行話，行業術語
•a holistic approach 全面性的方法 ; 完整取向、全方位取向
•sports idioms 體育相關的成語，慣用語
•trickle to a halt 遂逐漸停止
•trickle 從…向下滴（或淌）

*hit/knock the ball out of the park 字面上的意思是「把球打出棒球場」，慣用語的意思則是「某事做的非常好，令人驚艷」。

結果，有個美國人走進房間。這位美國人說話很快，使用少數人才懂的的術語（「讓我們採用整全的方式」）以及與體育相關的成語（「你把球打出了公園！*」）。整場談話遂逐漸停止。

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Decades of research shows that when a native English speaker enters a conversation among nonnative speakers, understanding goes down. Global communication specialist Heather Hansen tells us that's because the native speaker doesn't know how to do what nonnative speakers do naturally: speak in ways that are accessible to everyone, using simple words and phrases.

•communication specialist 溝通專家
•accessible 可以理解的；易懂的

數十年的研究表明，當母語為英語的人參與非母語者之間的談話時，理解力會下降。全球溝通專家 Heather Hansen 告訴我們，這是因為母語者無法自然地以非母語者的方式來溝通：以大家都能接受的方式交談——使用簡單的詞彙與片語。

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And yet, as Hansen points out, this more accessible way of speaking is often called "bad English." There are whole industries devoted to "correcting" English that doesn't sound like it came from a native British or American speaker. …It turns out that these definitions of "good" and "bad" English may be counterproductive if our goal is to communicate as effectively as possible.

•point sth out 指出
•turn out …地發生（或發展）；結果是（尤指出乎意料的結果）
•counterproductive 産生相反效果的；産生相反作用的；事與願違的，適得其反的

惟正如 Hansen 所指出，這種所謂更容易理解的說話方式，通常被稱為「破英語」。也有行業致力於「糾正」那些聽起來不像英國或美國母語者的英語。⋯⋯事實證明，如果我們的目標是盡可能地有效交流，那麼這些對「好」英語與「壞」英語的定義可能會適得其反。

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A balance needs to be struck. There is also a clear difference between helping students improve their English in a classroom and being overly judgmental in a business meeting (or on the Internet ><).

就我個人而言，我認為在這種情況下需探求一個平衡點。在課堂上幫助他人提高英語能力，以及在國際商務會議（或網路上）中過於苛刻，這兩者顯然有極大的區別。

However, if the goal is to communicate effectively with an international audience, native speakers could be more accommodating. At least, that's the view taken by the articles below.

但以下文章認為，若母語者的目標是有效地溝通，那麼在以英語與國際聽眾交流時，母語者應表現得更加隨和。

*accommodating 樂於助人的；與人方便的；通融的

完整ＮＰＲ報導：https://n.pr/3y6g9IM

ＢＢＣ相關報導：https://bbc.in/3h5MkCy

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圖片出處: https://bit.ly/3x2lr7X

早安，你今天 Q 了嗎？
一起來認識台灣美食的獨特口感

🇹🇼 In Italy, ‘Al Dente’ Is Prized. In Taiwan, It’s All About Food That’s ‘Q.’
台灣美食為什麼那麼「Q」？

🍭 NEW TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan — As dusk falls at Lehua Night Market, the fluorescent lights flicker on and the hungry customers start trickling in, anxious for a taste of the local delicacies that give this island its reputation as one of Asia’s finest culinary capitals. Neatly arranged pyramids of plump fish balls. Bowls brimming with tapioca balls bathed in lightly sweetened syrup. Sizzling oyster omelets, hot off the griddle. Deep-fried sweet potato puffs, still dripping with oil.
台灣新北市——隨著夜幕降臨樂華夜市，燈光亮起，飢腸轆轆的客人們三三兩兩來到這裡，急於品嚐讓這個島嶼享有亞洲最佳美食之城的當地美食。整齊排成小山的飽滿魚丸。一碗碗涼圓，淋著略帶甜味的糖漿。剛從鐵板上下來，滋滋作響的蚵仔煎。還滴著熱油的炸地瓜球。

-fluorescent: 發出螢光的
-trickle in: 三三兩兩地抵達
-reputation: 名聲
-culinary: 烹飪的
-griddle: 鐵板、煎鍋
-deep-fried: 油炸的

🍡 Take a bite of any of these dishes and you’ll discover a unique texture. But how exactly do you describe that perfectly calibrated “mouth feel” so sought after by local cooks and eaters alike?
Slippery? Chewy? Globby? Not exactly the most flattering adjectives in the culinary world.
Luckily, the Taiwanese have a word for this texture. Well, actually, it’s not a word, it’s a letter — one that even non-Chinese speakers can pronounce.
It’s “Q.”

隨便嘗一口這些小吃，你都會發現它們別具風味。但你該如何形容那種經過精心調配，令當地廚師和食客們趨之若鶩的「口感」呢？
滑溜？有嚼勁？黏稠？這些可算不上是美食界最好聽的形容。
幸運的是，台灣人有一個詞來形容這種口感。其實，這稱不上是個詞語，而是一個字母——就連不講中文的人也能說出它。
那就是「Q」。

-texture: 口感、質地、韻味
-calibrate: 校準、調整、調配
-be sought after: 趨之若鶩
-chewy: 有嚼勁的

🥤 “It’s difficult to explain what Q means exactly,” said Liu Yen-ling, a manager at Chun Shui Tang, a popular teahouse chain that claims to have invented tapioca milk tea in Taiwan. “Basically it means springy, soft, elastic.”
Q texture is to Taiwanese what umami is to Japanese and al dente is to Italians — that is, cherished and essential. Around Taiwan, the letter Q can often be glimpsed amid a jumble of Chinese characters on shop signs and food packages and in convenience stores and advertisements.

「很難解釋Q到底是什麼意思，」人氣連鎖茶飲品牌、號稱台灣珍珠奶茶發明者的春水堂的經理劉葉玲說。「基本上，它是彈牙、軟糯的意思。」
「Q」的口感之於台灣人，就等於「umami」（鮮）之於日本人，「al dente」（有嚼勁）之於義大利人——備受珍視，也必不可少。在台灣各地，可以在店鋪招牌和便利店、廣告的食物包裝中的一堆中文字裡瞥見「Q」這個字母。

-tapioca milk tea: 珍珠奶茶
-springy: 有彈性的、彈牙的
-umami: 鮮味
-al dente: 彈牙、有嚼勁
-glimpse: 瞥見

你知道用「Q」形容食物是台灣獨創嗎？
加入每日國際選讀計畫，發揚台灣 QQ 美食
https://events.storm.mg/member/HOWSJ/

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