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1973 年時我就讀外語學校,很慶幸當時就有張為麟老師如此好的老師教我們英文。張老師滿腔熱忱地教授閱讀技巧,讓我們知道如何欣賞好的文章;尤其張老師在教書的時候,非常注重 collocation,也就是字詞的搭配,讓我們受益良多,也對我自己的教學方法大有啟發,影響甚鉅,但那時候的我還不完全知道張老師的學問到底有多高深。
幾年後我跟隨張老師參加亞太影展及雙十慶典,擔任翻譯及口譯的工作,才見識到張老師真正的功力,尤其是其「同聲翻譯」及 「 交替翻譯」的技巧,更是讓我驚歎連連。張老師的英文造詣極高, 但他卻虛懷若谷,我知道張老師為了一圓升學夢,還考進淡江文理學院 —— 也就是現在的淡江大學 —— 就讀中文系。
本書是我的恩師張為麟老師的人生故事,依時序編寫,自幼及長,生活點滴,娓娓道來,故事裡蘊含著人生哲理,文字中彰顯了張老師高尚的品德。
本書的中文字句優美、引人入勝;張老師親自做的英文翻譯則是精準到位、如行雲流水,我在校閱過程中感覺非常輕鬆而愉快。另外,我們特地聘請了專業錄音老師 Brian Foden 來朗讀英文,希望能夠幫助讀者提升聽力、沉浸在精彩的故事情節裡。這本感人的傳記,是可以幫助你在英文翻譯與聽力上,大幅提升意境與功力的。
祝福各位學習順利!更祝福我最尊敬的張為麟老師身體健康! 精神愉快!
In 1973, I attended the Officers’ Language School, and I shall be forever grateful that Mr. Chang was there to teach us English. By imbuing us with his passion for the language, Mr. Chang showed us how to appreciate good writing. When he taught us, he placed particular emphasis on collocation—that is, the combination of words. This has benefited us greatly and has also had a huge influence on my own teaching methods. At that time, though, I still didn’t fully realize how extensive Mr. Chang’s knowledge was.
Years later, when I participated in the Asia-Pacific Film Festival and the Double Tenth Festival with Mr. Chang, as a translator and interpreter, I saw his real talents. His “simultaneous translation” and “alternative translation” abilities astounded me. Yet even though Mr. Chang’s English is exceptional, he is a very humble man. He also enrolled in Tamkang College of Arts and Sciences—now Tamkang University—to study in the Chinese Department and fulfill his dream of being a college student.
This book tells the life story of my teacher, from his childhood to his senior years, in his own words. It also contains his philosophy of life, and reflects his strong moral character.
The Chinese composition in this book is beautiful and captivating; the English translation—by Mr. Chang himself— is precise and fluent. Consequently, I felt relaxed and happy throughout the proofreading process. We specially hired a professional broadcasting teacher, Brian Foden, to record the English version to help readers improve their listening abilities and become completely immersed in the tales. This touching memoir can also help readers develop their English translation skills and gain a deeper understanding of the topics and issues discussed.
I wish you all happy studies! And I wish my honorable teacher, Mr. Bill Chang, the very best of health and excellent spirits!
自序
時間過得真快啊!轉瞬之間,我已九十出頭。這段很長很長的一生中,的確有很多很多事情發生在我身上。但在本書中我只把一些自認是有趣、刺激或有幾分重要性的情節訴諸筆墨。
對我而言,寫這本書是一大樂趣,因為這件工作使我的退休生活感到充實。除了講故事外,我也在書中強調良好健康的重要,尤其是採取預防措施,而不是只靠醫院和醫師所提供的各種醫療服務。
這本書是中英雙語,我盡量使這兩種版本簡單易讀。但有時卻也不得不使用某些專門字詞,如軍語、特別用語、諺語等,可能會讓某些讀者覺得陌生,但那絕對是精準而貼切的用詞。
在英文翻譯這部分,我是秉持著求真、求美的原則,做了很用心的撰述,也希望和喜歡學習英文的朋友分享與切磋。
本書五章中共有五十一節,而每一節就是一個我的人生故事。書寫自己的種種讓我樂在其中,我也更懇切希望讀這些故事的人能非常開懷,也能有所收穫。
How time flies! In the blink of an eye, I am already in my early 90s. During my long long life, there have indeed been many many things that have happened to me. But here in this book, I have only written down the things which I consider interesting, exciting, or somewhat important.
It was great fun for me to write this book as it has enriched my retired life. Besides story-telling, I also stress the importance of good health, especially taking preventive measures instead of just relying on the health care provided by hospitals and doctors.
This book is bilingual, in Chinese and English. I have tried my best to make both versions easy to read. But sometimes I cannot but use some technical words and phrases, such as military terms, special expressions, proverbs, etc., that may be unfamiliar to some readers. Nevertheless, they are always accurate and appropriate for the situation.
With regard to the English translation, I hold on to the principle that translation must stay true and elegant. I’ve written this book with dedication, and I would like to share it with you all. I would also welcome any feedback from my fellow English-learning enthusiasts.
There are 51 parts in the five chapters of this book, and each part is a story from my life. I really enjoyed writing about myself, and I sincerely hope whoever reads these stories gets a lot of pleasure from them, too.