《中英對照讀新聞》Security Guard Fired for Seeing Ghosts安全警衛因見鬼被開除

◎ 陳宜君

A judge ruled that a former security guard who was fired for seeing ghosts cannot be denied unemployment benefits.

法官裁決，一名因為看見鬼而被開除的前安全警衛的失業救濟金不應遭到剝奪。

According to a court ruling, the former guard’s allegation of apparitions does not constitute misconduct. The issue started when Wade Gallegos alerted his supervisor that ghosts were haunting a neighborhood he was guarding. The supervisor arrived at the scene, where Gallegos showed him where the ghosts were still apparently standing. The supervisor claimed he saw nothing and fired Gallegos five hours later.

根據法院裁決，該名前警衛宣稱見到靈異現象，並不構成行為不當。此事始自韋德．蓋勒哥斯向主管通報，他看守的住宅區有鬼魂出沒。主管抵達現場，蓋勒哥斯向他指出似乎仍站著鬼魂的地點。主管聲稱沒看到任何東西，5小時後就開除蓋勒哥斯。

The company found no signs of drug use or alcohol. But it challenged Gallegos’ application for unemployment benefits, arguing he was guilty of misconduct. However, the judge ruled, seeing ghosts is not the type of misconduct that can disqualify Gallegos from receiving benefits.

公司並未發現蓋勒哥斯有吸毒或喝酒的跡象，但質疑蓋勒哥斯提出失業救濟金申請的正當性，並聲稱他行為不當。不過法官裁決，看到鬼並不構成足以讓蓋勒哥斯喪失救濟金的不當行為。

新聞辭典

constitute：動詞，構成、組成。例句：Your attitude constitutes a direct challenge to his authority.（你的態度對他的權威構成直接挑戰。）亦有正式設立、指派之意，例如：Governments should be onstituted by the will of the people. （政府應依照人民的意志組成。）

haunt：文中當動詞，意指經常出沒、某種念頭縈繞心中。常指鬧鬼的地方，如a haunted house （鬼屋）。當名詞則指常去的地方；例句：The pub is one of my favorite haunts.（這家小酒館是我最愛去的地方之一。）

guilty：形容詞，有罪的。例句：Whoever wrote this is guilty of appalling bad taste.（不論是誰寫出這個，都得為低劣的爛品味負責。）