《中英對照讀新聞》Retired California grocery clerk could be Britain's next Earl of Essex加州雜貨店退休出納可能成為下一世艾賽克斯伯爵
◎張沛元
Retired grocery clerk Bill Capell woke up to a phone call from a British reporter last month, informing him that a cousin had died. He told his wife to go back to bed, gave the reporter a comment and was snoozing minutes later.
退休的雜貨店出納比爾‧凱培爾上月被來自一名英國記者的電話吵醒,告知其遠親過世的消息。他叫妻子回去睡,向該記者發表一段評論,幾分鐘後又進入夢鄉。
Capell's cousin was the 10th Earl of Essex. His death puts Capell, a born-and-bred Californian, one step away from the title.
凱培爾的遠親是(英國)第十世艾賽克斯伯爵。他的辭世,使得土生土長的加州人凱培爾只差一步就能繼承這項頭銜。
“I'm a pretty laid-back guy,“ Cappell, 52, said from his Yuba City home. “I've known since way back in 1966, as a teenager, when my dad got a call. It's always been on the back burner, sure, but I never really thought about it.“
「我是一個非常懶散的人,」52歲的凱培爾在猶巴市的自宅如是說。「我自從1966年還是青少年時聽到我爸接到一通電話,就知道(這件事)了。這件事不重要,一直擱著,但我從沒認真想過它。」
And before he can assume the title, he must wait for the cousin who became the 11th Earl of Essex to die. Paul Capell, a 61-year-old childless bachelor, inherited the title from his father in June.
在取得這項頭銜之前,他必須先等已成為第十一世艾賽克斯伯爵的堂兄過世。61歲、膝下無子的單身漢保羅‧凱培爾,6月間自其父繼承這項頭銜。
新聞辭典
cousin:名詞,堂表兄弟姊妹;遠親。英文中的倫常關係不若中文複雜,無論男女或堂表親皆是cousin。若要確定性別與堂表親,可從姓氏(同姓應是堂表)與名字(男子名或女子名)來判斷。
Earl of Essex:艾賽克斯伯爵。Earl,伯爵,在英國貴族階級中僅次於公爵(Duke)與侯爵(Marquess)。Essex,艾賽克斯,地名,即該貴族的封邑領地。
back burner:名詞,熱已熟食物的後灶,引申為非優先的次要事物,用法為put(某事)on the/a back burner。例句:The matter is still on the back burner.(這件事暫不考慮。)