蘋果日報2014/8/10古德明" 征服英語 "專欄 有下面一段：
「A Royal Horse Artillery driver in South Africa during the Boer War told the following story:
A staff officer under Colonel Shovealong approached a Boer farmer sitting at the door of his cottage, near which was a large stack of hay, and said,"I have orders to either buy or destroy all forage and food in this district. I therefore give you notice that I am about to set fire to that pile of oat-straw."
"But I tell you--" said the Boer farmer.
"Resistance is futile," said the staff officer.
"But would you please--"
"I can listen to no excuses."
The stack of straw presently burst into flame, and the staff officer went on his way rejoicing. The Boer turned to his wife and said,"I wanted to tell him that this was the oat-straw I had sold to the colonel half an hour ago." And he jingled the British sovereigns in his pocket.
波爾戰爭期間在南非的一個英國皇家馬曳砲隊車夫說了以下一個故事：
一個波爾農夫坐在他的小屋門前，附近是一大堆乾草。肖夫阿朗上校手下一名參謀走到那農夫跟前，說道：「我奉命把這一帶的飼料、糧食或買下，或毀壞。現在就通知你，我會把那堆燕麥稈燒掉。」
那波爾農夫說：「但是，我告訴你──」
參謀說：「反抗是沒有用的。」
「但是，請你──」
「求免的說話，我不會聽。」
那堆燕麥稈隨即被焚，那參謀滿心歡喜，繼續上路。那波爾農夫轉頭跟妻子說：「我本來想告訴他，那堆燕麥稈半小時之前才賣了給肖夫阿朗上校。」他搖搖口袋，裏面的英國金幣玎璫作響。
「A Royal Horse Artillery driver in South Africa during the Boer War told the following story:
A staff officer under Colonel Shovealong approached a Boer farmer sitting at the door of his cottage, near which was a large stack of hay, and said,"I have orders to either buy or destroy all forage and food in this district. I therefore give you notice that I am about to set fire to that pile of oat-straw."
"But I tell you--" said the Boer farmer.
"Resistance is futile," said the staff officer.
"But would you please--"
"I can listen to no excuses."
The stack of straw presently burst into flame, and the staff officer went on his way rejoicing. The Boer turned to his wife and said,"I wanted to tell him that this was the oat-straw I had sold to the colonel half an hour ago." And he jingled the British sovereigns in his pocket.
波爾戰爭期間在南非的一個英國皇家馬曳砲隊車夫說了以下一個故事：
一個波爾農夫坐在他的小屋門前，附近是一大堆乾草。肖夫阿朗上校手下一名參謀走到那農夫跟前，說道：「我奉命把這一帶的飼料、糧食或買下，或毀壞。現在就通知你，我會把那堆燕麥稈燒掉。」
那波爾農夫說：「但是，我告訴你──」
參謀說：「反抗是沒有用的。」
「但是，請你──」
「求免的說話，我不會聽。」
那堆燕麥稈隨即被焚，那參謀滿心歡喜，繼續上路。那波爾農夫轉頭跟妻子說：「我本來想告訴他，那堆燕麥稈半小時之前才賣了給肖夫阿朗上校。」他搖搖口袋，裏面的英國金幣玎璫作響。
古德明
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/supplement/columnist/%E5%8F%A4%E5%BE%B7%E6%98%8E/art/20140810/18826805 」
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/supplement/columnist/%E5%8F%A4%E5%BE%B7%E6%98%8E/art/20140810/18826805 」
十九世紀末波爾戰爭的年代所有大炮都是馬拉的。汽車用在軍事運輸上要到第一次世界大戰時才有。而汽車進入炮兵的建制要到二十世紀三十年代，比波爾戰爭晚了差不多半個世紀。
古德明將 Horse Artillery 譯為馬曳炮隊是不對的。一向所有的火炮都是馬拉的，分別是一般大炮的馬匹數量只須要火炮跟得上步兵的前進速度就夠。而騎兵由於會進行衝鋒，須要一種火炮可以隨伴騎兵高速前進，所以到拿破崙時代就發展出擁有小口徑輕型火炮由較多馬匹拖拉的炮兵進入騎兵的建制，稱為騎兵炮。上文的 Horse Artillery 就是英軍的騎炮隊。有時翻譯不能光看字面來翻譯，要翻譯一個時代的文章要對當時的歷史有認識。這是對翻譯起碼的專重。
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