英语PK台 第969期:翻译入门(19)

FUZHOU, China — The history class began with a lesson on being manly¹.

中国福州――历史课以如何表现男子气概作为开始。

Lin Wei, 27, one of a handful of male sixth-grade teachers at a primary school here, has made a habit of telling stories about warlords who threw witches into rivers and soldiers who outsmarted Japanese troops. “Men have special duties,” he said. “They have to be brave, protect women and take responsibility for wrongdoing.”

27岁的林伟（音）是这个小学六年级教师中屈指可数的几位男教师之一，他上课时喜欢讲一些故事，比如把巫婆投进河水的军阀，还有智胜日本军队的中国军人。“男人要有担当，”他说。“他们要勇敢，要保护女人，要为自己的错误承担责任。”

Worried that a shortage of male teachers has produced a generation of timid, self-centered and effeminate boys, Chinese educators are working to reinforce traditional gender² roles and values in the classroom.

中国教育者担心缺乏男教师会造就一代怯懦、自我中心、娘娘腔的男孩，他们努力在课堂上巩固传统性别角色和价值观。

In Zhengzhou, a city on the Yellow River, schools have asked boys to sign pledges to act like “real men.” In Shanghai, principals are trying boys-only classes with courses like martial³ arts, computer repair and physics. In Hangzhou, in eastern China, educators have started a summer camp called West Point Boys, complete with taekwondo classes and the motto, “We bring out the men in boys.”

在黄河边上的郑州，学校要求男孩子们签署保证书，行为举止要像“真正的男人”。在上海，校长们在尝试开设专门的男生班，教武术、电脑维修和物理之类课程。在中国东部的杭州，教育者开办了名为“西点男孩”的夏令营，开设跆拳道之类课程，还有这样一句营训：“我们把男孩变成男人”。

Education officials across China are aggressively recruiting male teachers, as the Chinese news media warns of a need to “salvage masculinity in schools.” The call for more male-oriented education has prompted a broader debate about gender equality and social identity at a time when the country’s leaders are seeking to make the labor⁴ market more meritocratic.

中国的新闻媒体警告，学校需要“抢救男人气概”，与此同时，中国各地的教育官员正在积极招募男教师。在中国领导人致力于让劳动力市场更加注重人才的时候，增加男性化教育的呼声已经引发了一场关于性别平等和社会认同的广泛讨论。

It also reflects a general anxiety about boys in Chinese society. While boys outnumber girls as a result of the longstanding one-child policy and a cultural preference for sons, they consistently lag in academic performance. Some parents worry about their sons’ prospects⁵ in an uncertain economy, so they are putting their hopes in male role models who they believe impart lessons on assertiveness⁶, courage and sacrifice.

这也反映了中国社会关于男孩的普遍焦虑。由于长期的计划生育政策，以及传统文化对男孩的偏爱，中国的男孩远多于女孩，但他们的学业表现往往相对落后。有些父母担心儿子们在不确定的经济环境中的前程，于是寄希望于男性榜样力量，认为这些榜样可以教会男孩坚定、果敢，有牺牲精神。

The view that there is an overabundance of female teachers that has had a negative effect on boys has, perhaps predictably, led to a backlash. Parents have accused schools of propagating rigid⁷ concepts of masculinity and gender norms, and female educators have denounced efforts to attract more male teachers with lavish⁸ perks⁹ as sexist.

认为女教师过多，对男孩产生了负面作用，这种观点自然引起了反对。有家长指责学校宣扬关于男性作风和性别规范的僵化概念；也有女性教育者抨击以丰厚待遇吸引更多男教师的做法，认为这是一种性别歧视。

1 manly   

adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地

参考例句：

• The boy walked with a confident manly stride.这男孩以自信的男人步伐行走。
• He set himself manly tasks and expected others to follow his example.他给自己定下了男子汉的任务，并希望别人效之。

2 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

3 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

6 assertiveness   

n.过分自信

参考例句：

• Her assertiveness was starting to be seen as arrogance. 她的自信已开始被认为是自负了。
• Role playing is an important element in assertiveness training. 在果敢自信训练班上，角色扮演是个重要内容。

7 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

8 lavish   

adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍

参考例句：

• He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
• The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。

9 perks   

额外津贴，附带福利，外快( perk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perks offered by the firm include a car and free health insurance. 公司给予的额外待遇包括一辆汽车和免费健康保险。
• Are there any perks that go with your job? 你的工作有什么津贴吗？