個(gè)人簡介:
國籍:英國
Occupation : Translator
職業(yè):譯員
Years in China : 18 years
在華居住時(shí)間:18年
As my Chinese improved, my connection to China, its people, and its culture grew stronger. The language barrier was soon gone, and being able to talk to absolutely anyone was incredibly liberating. I used to love chatting to people in shops, putting the world to rights with taxi drivers, and showing off my new-found skills when friends came to visit. And as I learned to read Chinese, I was able to engage with Chinese culture on a more advanced level and have more sophisticated conversations.
隨著我的漢語水平提高,我與中國人民和中國文化的聯(lián)系越來越緊密??朔苏Z言障礙,我能夠和任何人自由自在地交談。我曾經(jīng)很喜歡在商店里和別人聊天,和出租車司機(jī)談天論地,還會(huì)跟來訪的朋友炫耀我的新技能。學(xué)會(huì)閱讀漢字之后,我更加融入中國文化,可以進(jìn)行更復(fù)雜的交流。
At that time China had such an amazing positive energy. In fact, it still does. People worked hard – incredibly hard – and they were optimistic about the future. Cities were being built from the ground up. The streets were clean and safe at all hours. Xiameners were proud of their city yet modest and welcoming to outsiders. You could just tell that China was going somewhere, and it was exciting to experience that first-hand and to really be a part of it. I suppose that’s the main reason I chose to stay on after my gap year ended. There was just so much more to experience and discover.
那時(shí)候的中國充滿能量,當(dāng)然,現(xiàn)在依然如此。人們拼命工作——非常努力——而且他們對未來充滿樂觀。一座座城市拔地而起,街道在任何時(shí)候都一塵不染,安全感滿滿。廈門人對自己的城市充滿驕傲,又謙遜地歡迎各方賓朋。中國正在走向光明的未來,能夠親身體驗(yàn)這個(gè)過程,出一份力,真是令人興奮。我想這也是“間隔年”結(jié)束后,我依然選擇留下來的主要原因。中國還有很多東西等待發(fā)現(xiàn)和體驗(yàn)。
That was quite a while ago now. China has changed vastly, but the things that made me fall in love with this country have endured. Work has since taken me to other cities in China, first Beijing and now Shanghai. I love these cities too, but Xiamen is the place I hold most dear, and I return to the city whenever I have the chance. Though it’s been years since I’ve lived there, my face still lights up every time I hear its name, and I never fail to sing its praises to people I meet. For that reason, I’d definitely call Xiamen my home away from home.
那是很久之前的事了。中國已經(jīng)發(fā)生了巨大的變化,但讓我愛上這個(gè)國家的東西一直存在。由于工作原因,我去過中國的其他城市,先是北京,現(xiàn)在是上海。我也愛這些城市,但廈門依舊是我最愛的城市,只要有機(jī)會(huì),我就會(huì)回到這里。雖然我已經(jīng)在那里生活了很多年,但每次聽到“廈門”兩字,我的臉上依然會(huì)煥發(fā)光彩,我還會(huì)毫不吝嗇地給每個(gè)人夸耀這座城市。所以,廈門毫無疑問是我的家外之家。
作者:朱義豪 翻譯:潘澤彬
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