【卫报】英语在欧洲的地位正逐步衰退丨第90期

The English language is losing importance in Europe, the president of the European commission has said amid simmering tensions over the Brexit negotiations.Speaking to an audience of European diplomats and experts in Florence, Jean-Claude Juncker also described the UK's decision to leave the EU as a tragedy. 

欧盟委员会主席表示，在英国脱欧谈判这场蓄势已久的紧张局势中，英语在欧洲的地位正逐渐衰退。（欧盟主席）让·克洛德·容克在面对一群观众为佛罗伦萨的的欧洲外交官和专家的演讲中，也将英国的脱欧决定视为一场灾难。

• Simmer  vi. 煨；（争吵或暴力）即将爆发

"Slowly but surely English is losing importance in Europe," Juncker said, to applause from his audience. "The French will have elections on Sunday and I would like them to understand what I am saying." After these opening remarks in English, he switched to French for the rest of the speech.

“即便缓慢但英语确确实实正在欧洲失去其重要性” 容克说，赢得了其听众的掌声。“本周日法国将举行选举，我希望他们能明白我所讲述的内容”。在这些以英语进行的开场白后，他将演讲的剩余部分转换为了法语进行。

Making a stout defence of the EU, Juncker said the UK had voted to leave the project despite historic successes and a recent uptick in economic growth. "Our British friends decided to leave the EU, which is a tragedy," he said.Juncker promised to negotiate with the UK in full transparency but added that "there should be no doubt whatsoever that it is not the EU which is abandoning the UK, they are abandoning the European Union and this is a difference which will be felt over the next few years". 

容克对欧盟进行了坚决的辩护，尽管取得了历史性的成功且最近的经济增长出现了回升，英国最终仍投票离开了。“我们的英国朋友决定离开欧盟，这是一场悲剧”，他说。容克保证将以全透明的方式同英国进行谈判，但是也补充说“无论情况如何，毫无疑问，事实就是英国在放弃欧盟，而非欧盟放弃英国，而这其中的差别是我们在几年后将会感受到的。

• Transparency  n. 透明，透明度；幻灯片；有图案的玻璃

His speech follows an intervention on Thursday by the president of the European council, Donald Tusk, who called on Theresa May to show "moderation and respect" in the negotiations. On Wednesday the British prime minister had delivered an unexpected broadside against the EU, claiming the European commission and unnamed officials had been trying through various means to meddle in the UK general election campaign.

他的演讲紧随在周四欧洲理事会主席唐纳德·图斯克介入之后，唐纳德·图斯克呼吁特蕾莎·梅在谈判中展现“温和与尊重”。周三，英国首相对欧盟进行了一场出人意料的猛烈抨击，声称欧盟委员会和未知名官员一直在尝试通过各种手段来干预英国的常规竞选活动。

• Meddle  vi. 管闲事，干预他人之事

"These negotiations are difficult enough as they are," he said. "If we start arguing before they even begin, they will become impossible. The stakes are too high to let our emotions get out of hand because at stake are the daily lives and interests of millions of people on both sides of the Channel." 

“事实上这些谈判十分困难”他说。“如果我们在它们开始前就开始争论，谈判就将不可能了。这些赌注太高，以至于我们的情绪不能因此失控，因为赌注所涉及的都是海峡两岸的几百万人的日常生活和利益。

May's meddling charge highlights the gulf in perceptions between Downing Street and Europe. Most EU figures think a win for the Conservatives would help May keep her Eurosceptic backbenchers in line, raising the chances of a Brexit deal.Antonio Tajani, the president of the European parliament, argued that an election soon after Brexit would complicate the chances of an agreement. 

梅的干预指控突出了英国政府和欧洲间在观念上存在的矛盾。大部分欧盟成员认为保守党的胜利将推动梅保持那些支持她反对欧洲一体化议员们的稳定，增加英国脱欧谈判成功的可能性。欧洲议会主席安东尼奥·塔贾尼认为若在英国脱欧后马上就举办竞选将使得这份协定通过的可能性复杂化。

• The Conservatives  保守党

• Eurosceptic  n. 欧洲怀疑论者，指反对欧洲一体化者

"I think for us it is better, much better, to have a new government without an election campaign problem," he told the Guardian. "It is much better to have an election behind, rather than in front, because for us it is much better to achieve an agreement."Had May not called the snap election, the UK would have gone to the polls in 2020, sharpening the electoral calculations in Brexit talks for the prime minister.

“我认为对于我们来说，一个没有任何选举运动问题的新政府才是更好的，且会比之前好得多。”他告诉《卫报》，“在脱欧结束之后进行选举会比在之前进行好得多，因为只有这样我们才能更好地实现谈判成功的愿望。” 如果梅不提出提前选举，英国将在2020年进行投票，这可以增加在脱欧会谈中支持英国首相的选举票量。

• Poll  n. 民意调查；投票；投票模块

Tajani played down concerns - voiced privately by some EU officials - that May's recent rhetoric could make it harder to secure the divorce deal. "When we are in an election campaign we use slogans, of course, this is normal." 

塔贾尼淡化了这样的顾虑——通过一些欧盟官员们私下宣扬——称梅最近的花言巧语会使维护这场分裂协议变得更加困难。“当我们处于一场选举运动时，我们会使用标语，当然，这是很正常的事。”

• Rhetoric  n. 修辞，修辞学；华丽的词藻

There was a shared interest to strike a deal, he said, highlighting the importance of joint work on counter-terrorism and defence. "The UK is Europe, today but also tomorrow. We need cooperation with the UK because there are many common interests." Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, took a swipe at Conservative backbenchers who have accused the EU of blocking agreement on the rights of EU nationals.（读者试译句） "That is wrong, the only cause of uncertainty is Brexit." 

他表示双方达成协议有着共同的利益，强调了在反恐和防卫中合作的重要性。“英国与欧洲同在，今天如此，未来依然如此。我们需要和英国合作，因为我们之间有很多共同的利益。”期待您的翻译，将您的理解留言在文章下方留言处，并关注我们每日一句的长难句解析。“那是错误的，谈判结果不确定的唯一原因就是英国脱欧本身。”

• counter-terrorism  反恐

Elaborating on the negotiating priorities he set out earlier this week, Barnier said it was a moral duty and political necessity to protect the rights of 3.2 million EU citizens in the UK and 1.2 million British nationals on the continent.

这周巴尼尔详细阐述了早期制定的谈判的优先事项，他表示保护在英国的320万欧盟公民和在欧洲的120万英国国民的权利是道德上的责任，也是政治上的必要措施。

But stressing this went far beyond the right to stay, he outlined the EU view that the Brexit deal must guarantee employment, pension and healthcare rights. He also took aim at the 85-page form for people seeking permanent residence, saying: "No one should be confronted with a mountain of red tape." Without a deal that treated EU nationals "properly and humanely" there would be no trade talks, he said, because "there can be no trust when it comes to constructing a new relationship with the UK". 

然而强调这个事情的重要性却远远超过维护权利，他简单介绍了欧盟的立场，即英国脱欧协议必须保证人民在就业，补贴和医疗保健的权利。同时，他将目标指向寻求永久居住的人的85页表格，说道：“没有人应该面对一堆官样文章。” 他表示，如果这个协议不能“合理且人道地”对待欧盟国民，贸易谈判将无从谈起，因为“当和英国建立一种新的关系之后，信任将不复存在。”

• Red tape  n. 繁文缛节；官样文章

It is not the first time the English language has been caught in the crossfire of the Brexit negotiations. At a recent EU summit May slapped down reports that Brexit negotiations would be conducted in French, and after the June referendum EU officials made it known they planned to downgrade the use of English in the corridors of Brussels. 

这并不是第一次出现英语被卷入到英国脱欧谈判的争端中。在最近的一次欧盟各国首脑会议中，梅镇压了关于英国脱欧谈判将用法语进行的报道，而在6月的公民投票之后，欧盟官员宣布其计划在布鲁塞尔走廊地带（即欧盟委员会）减少对英语的使用。

• Crossfire  n. 争端，交火

• Summit  n. 顶点；最高级会议；最高阶层

• Referendum   n. 公民投票权；外交官请示书

• Corridor  n. 廊道，[建] 走廊

In reality, the Brexit talks are most likely to be conducted in French and English with simultaneous interpretation. Barnier, a former French EU commissioner who clashed with the City of London, speaks English but wants the right to negotiate in his native tongue.

事实上，英国脱欧会谈很大可能用法语和英语进行同声传译。巴尼尔，一位与伦敦金融城发生冲突的前任法国欧盟委员，虽然讲英语，但是希望有权利用母语进行谈判。

English is also highly unlikely to disappear as a dominant language in the EU any time soon. Not only is it an official language for the Irish and Malte se governments, but many diplomats prefer to use English as a common second language rather than French. 

英语作为欧盟的主导性语言在任何时候都不太可能在欧盟消失。不仅爱尔兰和马耳他政府将英语作为官方语言，许多外交官也更愿意以英语作为第二语言而不是法语。 

翻译丨静水，Eileen，饺子

审核丨竞风之翼

编辑丨zero

注：以上所有图片均来源于网络