#這是篇英語教學文喔
【Taiwan is a democracy. 這句話怎麼翻呢？】
今天某藝人的發言，寫著 "Taiwan is a democracy. You can sing whatever the....." 意外地讓我發現了Google 的政治立場 😛。
Taiwan is a democracy. 其實有不只一種翻法，但 Google Translate 翻成了「台灣是個民主國家」。☺️
democracy 是個可數、也不可數的字。文法裡叫做 variable noun。
不可數時當作「民主制度」或是「民主」這個抽象概念，當作可數時可以當作相對具象的「民主政體」、或是「民主國家」，而演算法選了後者。
我在美國史丹佛大學 (Stanford Univ) 出版的文章當中，找到了這段文字給大家當延伸學習的參考。
Taiwan has undergone a peaceful transition to “democracy” over a period of more than a decade. Today, Taiwan is one of the freest and most vibrant “democracies” in Asia. Nevertheless, Taiwan's “democracy” still faces steep internal and external challenges. Some of these are common to many emerging and established “democracies” in Asia and beyond, including widespread popular dissatisfaction with elected leaders and the corruption of public officials. Others are unique to the island’s ambiguous status in international affairs and its complicated relationship with the authoritarian People’s Republic of China.
其中出現的 democracy 和 democracies, 是否正符合上面的解釋呢？
Photo credit: Yahoo Taiwan News
