翻译 [2006.08.17]Letters

On support for Israel, Georgia, Britain and the Suez crisis, Canada, English
以色列，格鲁吉亚，英国和苏伊士危机，加拿大，英语
Aug 17th 2006
From The Economist print edition
The Economist, 25 St James's Street, London SW1A 1HG
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Israel and its neighbours
以色列和它的邻居们
SIR - It seems odd that Jewish migration following the Holocaust was not cited by you as one of the more “obvious” reasons for America's “unconditional support” for Israel (“To Israel with love”, August 5th). Most of the Jewish survivors and displaced settled in America and Israel after the war as they either could not or did not want to live in Europe. Consequently, many Americans have grown up with Jewish friends who lost relatives in the Holocaust; non-Jewish children attend bar mitzvahs and Jewish identity in popular culture is prevalent. For many people here sympathy towards Israel comes not from a lobbying effort or a yearning for the apocalypse, but from a familiarity and a commitment to the belief that Israel should exist, something that Europeans seem to be increasingly ambivalent about.
先生 - 很奇怪，在大屠杀之后的犹太移民并没有被你们引用，当作美国“无条件援助”以色列的一个更为“明显的”理由。(“To Israel with love”, August 5th)。战后，许多幸存下来的和被转移的犹太人定居到了美国和以色列，因为他们过去没能，也不想生活在欧洲。因此，许多美国人和大屠杀中失去亲人的犹太朋友一起长大；非犹太孩子们也参加成人仪式并且犹太习俗在主流文化中普遍存在。许多人，对于以色列的同情不是因为政治游说，也不是怀念启示录，而是源自对以色列应该存在的理解和认同的信念，这也似乎是欧洲人充满矛盾之处。
Vanessa Johnson
El Paso, Texas

SIR - Much as one condemns the bellicose behaviour of Hizbullah in Lebanon and the hostile actions of Hamas in Palestine, it is hard to understand how Israel could justify its retaliation as self defence. By blasting infrastructure across Lebanon and targeting residential areas and blocking food and fuel supplies, Israel used its military supremacy like a rogue state. Of course Israel has a right to defend itself, but that does not mean it is free to inflict a collective punishment on a whole population. It was pathetic that the world watched the devastation and the killing of civilians and took no immediate action to stop it.
先生 - 正如一个人谴责黎巴嫩真主党的好战行为和巴勒斯坦哈马斯的敌对举动一样，很难理解为什么以色列能把它的复仇行径说成是自卫。通过炸毁黎巴嫩的基础设施，定点打击生活区，切断食品和能源供应，以色列就像一个流氓国家一样滥用自己的军事霸权。当然，以色列有权进行自我防卫，但是这并不意味着要随意对一个民族进行集体惩罚。可悲的是，世界在目睹这样的毁坏和对平民的杀戮，而却没有采取任何即时的措施来进行制止。
Samih Sherif
Montreux, Switzerland

SIR - You repeated the old fiction that American support for Israel is unconditional and unquestioning. If Israel expressed an intent to destroy Arab nations or if the Israeli military were to hide its fighters among civilians then I expect that the American view would be different. The real issue is why does so much of the world offer unquestioning support for Hizbullah and unconditionally condemn Israel?
先生 - 你又旧话重提，认为美国人没有条件，不问是非的支持以色列。如果以色列表露出要摧毁阿拉伯国家的意图，或者如果以色列军队滥杀无辜，那么我认为美国人的立场就会不同了。问题是为什么世界上有那么多对真主党不问是非的支持和对以色无条件的列谴责？
Mark Paskowitz
London

SIR - In analysing why it is that Americans support Israel you omitted to mention intimidation. Many of us who feel that such unconditional support is not in America's national interest discuss it only among ourselves, fearful of being tarred with the label of “anti-Semite” that is invariably thrown at Israel's critics. Such a tactic is calculated, methodical, invidious?and remarkably effective.
先生 - 仔细分析一下，为什么美国人支持以色列，你忘记提到犹太胁迫了。我们许多人认为这种无条件援助不是美国的国家利益，但是只是局限在我们自己的圈子中讨论，因为害怕被涂上可怕的“反犹太”标签，一下子就被推到了以色列的对立面。这样的手段是有计划的，有系统的，是诽谤----不过十分奏效。
Byron Miller
Raleigh, North Carolina

SIR - As an American born here in 1982 to Lebanese parents it was disheartening to watch the destruction of Lebanon. The country I knew was one of revival and hope and “paradise lost” was a sentiment once reserved for the generation of my mother and father. If Israel's purpose was to enrage and embitter a generation of us who seek a just and lasting peace, then its assault was a wild success.
先生 - 作为一个生在美国有黎巴嫩双亲的美国人，目睹着黎巴嫩被毁十分痛心。我眼中的那个国家曾经是一个复苏的，充满希望的，“失乐园”似的，感情上它曾经哺育过我母亲和父亲那一代人。如果以色列是想激怒并让我们这一代追求公正和持久和平的一代受苦，那么它的袭击是不会得逞的。
Khaled Hal Saad
Oakland, California

SIR - It is a mistake to think that Israel won a “lopsided” victory in the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict (“The war beyond the war”, August 5th). During the war Jewish Jerusalem was shelled indiscriminately and besieged for months by Arab forces and saw its population almost reduced to starvation. Before Israeli forces were able to break through to relieve the siege Jordanian forces destroyed the Jewish quarter. Egyptian troops advanced almost to Tel Aviv before being halted by Israeli counter-attacks. All in all the Arab assault included numerous sorties that targeted civilians, who accounted for one-third of the 6,000 Jews killed in the conflict. It was an Israeli victory, but hardly lopsided.
先生 - 若认为以色列在1984年阿以冲突中赢得了“一边倒”的胜利，那么就错了。(“The war beyond the war”, August 5th)。战争期间，犹太人生活的耶路撒冷城区无故的缩小了，并且被阿拉伯军队围困了几个月，眼睁睁的看着饥饿让人口数量下降。在以色列军队能够解围时，约旦军队摧毁了犹太人的那四分之一城区。埃及军队挺进到了Tel Aviv才遇到以色列的反击。总之，阿拉伯的攻击中有很多是针对平民的突击，有人计算冲突期间在6000犹太死者中，有三分之一是这样死的。胜利是以色列的，但是没有那么一边倒。
Raphael Lerner
Glencoe, Illinois

Emerging nations?
正在崛起的国家？
SIR - There is another factor that explains the escalating conflict in Georgia (“Fighting talk casts a summer shadow”, August 5th). The truth is, Abkhazians and South Ossetians want to be part of Georgia about as much as Albanian Kosovars want to be part of Serbia. Ethnic cleansing in the early 1990s in Abkhazia was as severe as in the Balkans. And just as Kosovars found their saviours in American planes, Abkhazians sided with Russia to oppose Georgia. Not much “winning back” can happen in this land, which is probably for the better. You seem to be supportive of Kosovo's efforts to gain independence, so why shy away from the same principle for Abkhazia and South Ossetia?
先生 - 还有一个因素可以解释在格鲁吉亚不断升级的冲突。(“Fighting talk casts a summer shadow”, August 5th)。事实上，阿布哈西亚人和南奥赛梯人曾想加入格鲁吉亚，而同样多的阿尔巴尼亚科索沃人想成为塞尔维亚的一部分。格鲁吉亚阿柏克兹亚地区90年代初的种族清洗就和巴尔干半岛的情况一样严重。当科索沃人在美国飞机中找到了自己的救星时，阿布哈西亚人和俄国站在了一起对抗格鲁吉亚。这片土地上很少有“赢回来”的例子，有一些的话可能会好一点。你可能会倾向于支持科索沃人争取独立的不懈努力，那么为什么要避开对于阿布哈西和南奥赛梯同样的宿求呢？
Oleg Bibergan
New York

Britain's way in the world
英国的世界路线
SIR - You are correct to consider the Suez crisis as Britain's 20th-century Crimea (“An affair to remember”, July 29th). But you understated how significant the experience was for Britain's learning curve in post-war international relations. After the bruising encounter with Gamal Abdul Nasser's Arab nationalism, Britain actually went on to achieve quite a successful record in its Asian affairs. It was one of the first to exercise diplomacy with communist China, acquired good relations with the Bandung nations, and, during the Malay guerrilla war, it became the first power to use a campaign of “hearts and minds” to fight an insurrection. Harold Macmillan's “winds of change” demonstrated that a lot was learned from the lesson of Suez.
先生 - 把苏伊士危机看作20世纪英国的克里米亚(“An affair to remember”, July 29th)是正确的。然而你却轻视了，从战后国际关系中英国的学习过程是多么有意义的经验。吃了Gamal Abdul Nasser的阿拉伯民族主义的亏后，英国事实上很成功的处理好了它的亚洲事务。它是第一批和共产主义中国建立外交关系的西方国家，与参加万隆会议的与会各国也建立了良好的关系，并且，在马来西亚游击战期间，英国还是第一个利用“心和思想”活动打败起义的国家。Harold Macmillan的“转变的旋风”阐述了英国从苏伊士学到了很多东西。

Tze Shiung Ng
Kuala Lumpur

SIR - Research suggests that the Russian vote at the UN in favour of the ceasefire resolution proposed by the United States on November 2nd 1956 was in no way related to supporting the initiative. Instead, it was part of a Soviet strategy to engage the UN and distract opinion from the Hungarian uprising, which was brutally crushed just two days later.
先生 - 研究指出，1956年，十一月2日，俄国人在联合国投票赞成美国提出的停火方案，和它要主动提供援助没有丝毫的联系。这样做，是苏联吸引联合国注意力的一个策略，并转移它们在匈牙利起义上的注意力，两天后这场起义被残酷的镇压了。
Eugene Siklos
Toronto

SIR - The UN took up a Canadian “suggestion” to send an international emergency force to the canal to monitor a ceasefire? The Canadian who made that suggestion, Lester Pearson, won the 1957 Nobel peace prize for his efforts and went on to become a brilliant prime minister.
先生 - 联合国采纳加拿大的“提议”，要派出一支多国紧急维和部队到运河那里监督停火情况吗？提出这项建议的加拿大人，莱斯特 批尔森，用自己的努力赢得了1957年诺贝尔和平奖并且成为了一位出色的总理。
R.M. Burns
Surrey, Canada

An overstated fact
一个被夸大的事实
SIR - Your article on citizenship in Canada stated that all Canadians “either came from somewhere else or are descendants of someone who did” (“I'm a lumberjack, and you're not”, August 5th). Good lord, I am in my 70s and my four grandparents were born here. How many years does it take to be recognised as a native of one's country of birth?
先生 - 你那篇关于加拿大居民身份的文章说，所有加拿大人“要么是从别的什么地方移居过来的，要么就是这些移居过来的人的后代” (“I'm a lumberjack, and you're not”, August 5th)。天呐，我现在都70多岁了，我的四个祖父母都是在这里出生的。要用多少年才能认定你是出生在这个国家的本地人？
George Parslow
Victoria, Canada

Like, duh
SIR - David Legard used sarcasm to criticise The Economist for employing a popular phrase (“it's sooo yesterday”) that flummoxed his language students (Letters, August 5th). But if he really does “appreciate excellent written English”, how can he not appreciate your use of humour? English constantly evolves and to anyone who thinks the language should be preserved in a state of petrified perfection I say: it ain't gonna happen, dude.
先生 - David Legard运用讽刺挖苦的手法，批评了经济学人杂志引进的一个短语（“太昨天式了”）。因为这种说法让英语学生惶恐不安(Letters, August 5th)。可是，如果那学生的确“欣赏出色的英语写作”，他怎么可能不去喜欢你的幽默呢？英语不停的发展着，如果一个人认为这门语言该保留在一个古板的完美状态，我说：这种事不会发生的，聪明人。
Colin Webb
Perth, Australia