中英對照讀新聞》Why Koreans could soon become a year younger 為什麼韓國人可能即將年輕1歲

首爾商業區明洞街頭行人。（路透檔案照）

◎管淑平

"How old are you"? It’s a simple question with a clear answer. But for those in South Korea, answering this question is anything but straightforward.

「你幾歲？」這是答案很清楚的簡單問題，但是對南韓人來說，回答這個問題一點也不簡單。

請繼續往下閱讀...

In South Korea, when a baby is born they are considered a year old. Come New Year’s Day, they gain another year. This means a baby born in December would be considered to be two years old in just a few weeks.

在南韓，寶寶一出生就被認為已經1歲。到了新年，他們又多了1歲。這意味著，12月出生的寶寶，僅僅幾週就會被認為已經2歲大。

But this "Korean age" method may soon change as the country’s president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is pushing for this centuries-old method of counting to be abolished.

不過，這種「韓國年紀」算法或許即將改變，因為該國總統當選人尹錫悅正推動廢除這種已有幾世紀之久的年齡計算法。

Lee Yong-ho, the chief of the president-elect’s transition committee, said the incoming administration was looking to standardise the way age is counted in order to bring South Korea in line with the rest of the world.

總統當選人交接委員會主席李勇浩說，即將上任的新政府正準備將計算年齡方式標準化，讓南韓與世界其他地方一致。

新聞辭典

straightforward：形容詞，顯而易懂的，直接、坦白的，簡單的。例句：Cut the crap! Just give me a straightforward answer.（少廢話！就給我一個直截了當的回答。）

anything but：片語，一點也不，根本不。例句：He is anything but honest.（他這個人一點都不老實。）

In line with：片語，與某事物一致，符合。例句：His view on the question is in line with mine.（他對這個問題的看法與我一致。）

不用抽 不用搶 現在用APP看新聞 保證天天中獎　 點我下載APP　 按我看活動辦法