《中英對照讀新聞》PM calls on Poles to feed the ducks 總理呼籲波蘭人多餵鴨子

◎俞智敏

Poland’s beleaguered Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski surprised Warsaw’s press corps when he called a news briefing recently in a Warsaw park to call on Poles to feed ducks with the approach of winter.

面臨政治難題的波蘭總理卡欽斯基最近在華沙一座公園召開記者會時，讓在場的記者大吃一驚，他竟然呼籲波蘭人民，隨著冬天的腳步逐漸接近，該多多餵鴨子吃東西。

Widely expected to make an announcement on the future of his crumbling coalition government, instead the usually dour prime minister presented a yellow duck as the campaign mascot of his Law and Justice （PiS） party ahead of November’s local elections.

外界原本普遍預料卡欽斯基會在記者會上對目前搖搖欲墜的聯合政府的未來作出重大宣示，沒想到這位向來作風嚴肅的總理竟然拿出一隻黃色小鴨子，宣布這是他所領導的法律正義黨（PiS ）在11月地方選舉中的選戰吉祥物。

"An example of the brutalization of Polish public life is the billboard of the （post-communist） Democratic Left Alliance announcing duck-hunting season," Kaczynski told reporters while feeding ducks in the park’s pond.

「波蘭公眾生活殘酷一面的例子之一，就是（後共黨的）民主左派聯盟在競選海報上宣布獵鴨季節已經到來，」卡欽斯基一面餵公園池塘裡的鴨子，一面告訴記者。

The term "kaczki" （ducks） is a play on the surname of the Kaczynski twins, who hold the posts of Poland’s president and prime minister.

波蘭語的「鴨子」（kaczki）一詞，正是對目前同時執掌波蘭總統與總理職務的卡欽斯基（Kaczynski ）雙胞胎兄弟姓氏的雙關嘲諷。

"But we love all animals including ducks and we have a different appeal： let’s feed the ducks because a difficult period is beginning," said the prime minister.

「但我們喜愛包括鴨子在內的所有動物，所以我們提出不同的訴求：大家一起來餵鴨子，因為艱困的時節正要開始，」這位總理說。

新聞辭典

beleaguered：較正式用語，指對某人或某種狀況感到困擾，如︰We are beleaguered by problems.（我們現在困難重重）。亦可指遭（軍隊）圍困，同義詞為besieged，如︰The occupants of the beleaguered city had no means of escape.（圍城的居民插翅難飛）。

press corps：指（由多家報社、通訊社組成的）聯合報導團，記者團。

mascot：吉祥物，如︰The football team’s mascot is a goat.（那支足球隊的吉祥物是山羊）。