Jeremy Loo
*A CONFUSED SOCIETY*
*一个混乱的社会*
F: You look Chinese.
甲：你看起来像中国人。
*S: I am a Singaporean.*
乙：我是新加坡人。
F: But you look Chinese.
甲：但你看起来像中国人。
*S: I am a Chinese Singaporean / I am a Singaporean Chinese.*
乙：我是华裔新加坡人，或者新加坡华人。
F: So do you speak Chinese?
甲：所以你说的是中文吗？
*S: Yes, but not fluent.*
乙：对，但是不流利。
F: But you are a Chinese.
甲：但你是中国人。
*S: I am a Singaporean Chinese, not Chinese from China.*
乙：我是新加坡华人，不是中国的华人。
F: So you are not a Chinese?
甲：所以你不是中国人？
*S: I am not Chinese from China.*
乙：我不是中国的华人。
F: But your great grandfather is from China?
甲：但你的曾祖父来自中国？
*S: Yes, but I was born in Singapore, so I am a Singaporean Chinese.*
乙：对，但是我出生在新加坡，所以我是新加坡华人。
F: So your great grandfather speaks Chinese?
甲：所以你的曾祖父说的是中文？
*S: He speaks dialect.*
乙：他说的是方言。
F: Do you speak dialect?
甲：所以你会说方言？
*S: No, I don't.*
乙：不，我不会。
F: Why not?
甲：为什么？
*S: Because our country has a Speak Mandarin campaign that is so successful that the new generation practically do not speak dialect anymore.*
乙：因为我们国家进行了一场讲普通话运动，它很成功，所以新一代人几乎不再说方言了。
F: So you should speak very fluent Mandarin since it's so successful?
甲：所以你应该能说非常流利的普通话，既然它很成功？
*S: No. That campaign was effective before, but not anymore.*
乙：不。那场运动再过去很有效，但现在不是了
F: Why?
甲：为什么？
*S: Because most people speak English nowadays. We have a Speak Good English campaign.*
‘乙：因为大多数人现在都说英语。我们搞了一场说好英语的运动。
F: So English is your National Language?
甲：所以英语是你们的官方语言？
*S: No!*
乙：不！
F: So what is the National Language of Singapore?
甲：所以新加坡的官方语言是什么？
*S: Malay.*
乙：马来语。
F: What?
甲：什么？
*S: Yes, Malay!*
乙：是的，马来语！
F: Do you speak Malay?
甲：你会说马来语吗？
*S: No.*
乙：不会。
F: Why not?
甲：为什么不会？
*S: Because I am not Malay.*
乙：因为我不是马来人。
F: Then why is your National Language Malay?
甲：那为什么你们的官方语言是马来语？
*S: That's another long history lesson.*
乙：这是另一个冗长的历史课程。
F: So your National Language is Malay and nobody speak it?
甲：所以你们的官方语言是马来语，但没人会说？
*S: The Malays speak Malay. That's their mother tongue. We have 4 races: Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian. Each speaks their own mother tongue.*
乙：马来人会说马来语。那是他们的母语。我们这里有四种民族：华人、马来人、与印度人和亚欧人。每个民族都说他们自己的母语。
F: So your mother tongue is Chinese?
甲：所以你的母语是中文？
*S: Yes.*
乙：是的。
F: But you can't speak it fluently?
甲：但你说得很不流利？
*S: Yes.*
乙：是的。
F: Does the Malay or Indian speak fluent mother tongue?
甲：马来人或印度人能流利地说他们的母语吗？
*S: More fluent than the Chinese speaking Chinese I supposed.*
乙：应该比华人说中文更流利，我猜。
F: Why?
甲：为什么？
*S: Because that's their mother tongue.*
乙：因为那是他们的母语。
F: Then why can't the Chinese?
甲：那华人为什么不行？
*S: Because we speak English mainly in school.*
乙：因为我们在学校主要说英语。
F: I last heard that Singapore has a bilingual policy.
甲：我上次听说新加坡实行双语政策。
*S: Yes, we have, we do learn mother tongue in school.*
乙：是的，我们有这个政策，我们确实在学校里学习母语。
F: But you cannot speak Chinese fluently.
甲：但你无法流利地说中文。
*S: Yes.*
乙：对。
F: Why?
甲：为什么？
*S: Because our country's working language is mainly English, there is not much places to use the language, perhaps only with our grandparents and when we buy things in the market.*
乙：因为我们国家的工作语言主要是英语，我们没有什么场合来说中文，或许只有和祖父母交流或在市场买东西时能用到。
F: Then how is that bilingual?
甲：那么那个所谓的双语在哪？
*S: I don't know.*
乙：我不知道。
F: So you are a Singaporean Chinese who can't speak your National Language, and cannot speak your mother tongue fluently and can only communicate in English with a strange accent.
甲：所以你是一个既不会说你们国家官方语言，也不能流利地说你的母语，只能用一种有奇怪口音的英语来和别人交流的新加坡华人？
*S: What's wrong with my accent?*
乙：我的口音有什么问题？
F: I don't know, it is just weird.
甲：我不清楚，它就是有点怪。
*S: Does it sound British or American?*
乙：它听起来像英式的还是美式的？
F: Neither, I thought you should sound British since you have been colonized before?
甲：都不像，既然你们曾经是英国殖民地，我想你们应该用的是英式发音？
*S: No, that was long long time ago, dude.*
乙：不，那是很久很久以前了，哥们。
F: How come you try to sound American?
甲：你怎么会尝试发美音呢？
*S: Because I watch alot of Hollywood movies.*
乙：因为我看了很多好莱坞电影。
F: Your English still sounds weird.
甲：但你的英语听起来还是很怪。
*S: Oh, we call it Singlish.*
乙：噢，我们说这是新式英语。
F: So what are you really?
甲：所以你究竟是什么人？
*S: I am a Singaporean!*
乙：我是新加坡人！
