2017年11月三笔实务（真题+译文）.docx

2017.11CATTI三笔实务真题（附参考译文）

Section1English-ChineseTranslation

Itwasjustonewordinoneemail,butittriggeredhugefinanciallossesforamultinationalcompany.Themessage,writteninEnglish,wassentbyanativespeakertoacolleagueforwhomEnglishwasasecondlanguage.Unsureoftheword,therecipientfoundtwocontradictorymeaningsinhisdictionary.Heactedonthewrongone.

Monthslater,seniormanagementinvestigatedwhytheprojecthadflopped,costinghundredsofthousandsofdollars.“Italltracedbacktothisoneword,”saysChiaSuanChong,aUK-basedcommunicationsskillsandinterculturaltrainer,whodidn’trevealthetrickywordbecauseitishighlyindustry-specificandpossiblyidentifiable.“Thingsspiralledoutofcontrolbecausebothpartieswerethinkingtheopposite.”

Whensuchmisunderstandingshappen,it’susuallythenativespeakerswhoaretoblame.Ironically,theyareworseatdeliveringtheirmessagethanpeoplewhospeakEnglishasasecondorthirdlanguage,accordingtoChong.

AlotofnativespeakersarehappythatEnglishhasbecometheworld’sgloballanguage.Theyfeeltheydon’thavetospendtimelearninganotherlanguage,”saysChong.

Thenon-nativespeakers,itturnsout,speakmorepurposefullyandcarefully,typicalofsomeonespeakingasecondorthirdlanguage.Anglophones,ontheotherhand,oftentalktoofastforotherstofollow,andusejokes,slangandreferencesspecifictotheirownculture,saysChong.

“ThenativeEnglishspeaker…istheonlyonewhomightnotfeeltheneedtoaccommodateoradapttotheothers,”sheadds.

Withnon-nativeEnglishspeakersinthemajorityworldwide,it’sAnglophoneswhomayneedtouptheirgame.

“Nativespeakersareatadisadvantagewhenyouareinalinguafrancasituation,”whereEnglishisbeingusedasacommondenominator,saysJenniferJenkins,professorofglobalEnglishesattheUK’sUniversityofSouthampton.“It’sthenativeEng