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I love being the
grammarian.
我喜歡當語言講評人。
This is not the
popular view among my fellow club members. Too often, when the vice
president education announces the open roles for an upcoming meeting,
the job of grammarian remains available. By the time the meeting starts,
it’s often delegated to a hapless member who arrives unsuspecting of the
assignment they are about to receive. Thankfully, most Toastmasters
graciously accept the job.
這不會是我分會會員普遍的看法。每當教育副會長公佈下次會議開放的角色時，語言講評人的工作通常是空著的。當例會就要開始時，往往才會叫一位運氣不佳，而不明究裡的會員去擔任。好在大部分的演講會會員，都會欣然接受這份工作。
It’s easy to
understand why this honorable but underappreciated role can go unfilled
until the last minute. As described on Toastmasters International’s Web
site, the grammarian, or “syntax sentinel,” has the duty of writing down
“any awkward use or misuse of the language (incomplete sentences,
sentences that change direction in the middle, incorrect grammar or
malapropisms) with a note of who erred.” It’s a dignified description of
what some call the “grammar police,” because the grammarian’s report –
delivered at the end of the meeting – may unintentionally sound like a
stern warning or rebuke.
這個榮譽但吃力不討好的角色，不到最後一分鐘才會確定人選，是很容易被理解的。正如國際演講會網站上所描述，語言講評人或「文法哨兵」的職責，是記下任何語言上彆扭或錯誤的用法(不完整的句子、中間轉向的句子、文法錯誤或誤用)，和說錯的人名。這是美化被某些人稱為「文法警察」的敘述
，因為語言講評人在例會結束前的報告，無意之間會被視為一個嚴厲的警告或指責。
Moreover, some clubs
heap on the additional duties of choosing a vocabulary word of the day
and challenging fellow club members to incorporate the word into a
speech or Table Topics presentation.
況且，有些分會還會再增加，選擇每日一字，和要求會員運用該字彙於演說，或即席問答中的職責。
Who would want such
a job?
誰會要這份工作？
I do!
我要！
Being the grammarian
is fun. I discovered this in my former club, Toastmasters of La Jolla in
La Jolla, California. I always liked the grammarian’s report for its
educational value, but I also wondered if anyone remembered the lessons
after the meeting. Drawing from my experience in journalism and inspired
by the humor of a morning radio show featuring the “Dean of American
Sports,” I developed a grammarian’s report that was more akin to
breaking news stories than a lecture. It worked so well, I’ve kept the
routine in my present club, SeaWorld Toastmasters in San Diego.
當語言講評人是很有趣的。我在先前的分會-加州拉荷雅市，拉荷雅演講會時發現這點。我一直很喜歡語言講評人報告的教育價值，但我懷疑是否每個人在會後會記取這些經驗。取材自我當記者的經驗及晨間廣播秀《美國體壇泰斗》幽默的啟發，我發展出一套不同於演說，而較類似於報導即時新聞的語言講評人報告。它非常有效，所以我繼續延用到我目前的分會-聖地牙哥海洋世界演講會。
Noting the
Excellence and the Errors
記下優點和錯誤
To prepare, I take
notes about anything said in the meeting that’s grammatically exemplary,
egregious or just plain catchy. It could be part of a formal speech, an
evaluation or Table Topics. (Table Topics speeches are a rich source of
gaffes and extraordinary English.) I jot down noteworthy examples of
language use during the meeting, such as a speaker’s vocabulary, a turn
of phrase or pronunciation challenges. It could even be something said
before the meeting. Then I group these utterances by a common “theme”
and wrap them in short journalism-style comments.
準備時，我會記下在會議上任何文法典範、異常差的、或單純動聽的說法。它可能來自一篇正式的演講、講評或即席問答(即席問答演說是豐富的錯誤、和優異英語的來源)。
我匆匆記下會議中值得記錄的用詞，例如演說者的用字、句子的轉折或困難的發音，甚至它可能來自會議前有人說到的話。然後我將這些用詞，依相同的主題來分類，並將他們包裝成新聞報導型態的短評。
Finally, just as the
General Evaluator is getting ready to introduce the grammarian, I
highlight in my notes three or four of what I considered to be the best,
worst or funniest linguistic feats. It’s a formula that practically
writes itself (because I’m using other people’s words), and best of all,
it gets laughs.
最後，當總講評正準備介紹語言講評人時，我會在筆記上畫下，三至四個我認為最好、最差或最有趣的用詞。這是一個實用的書寫程式(因為我是用別人的話)，而且更好的是，它讓人發笑。
Here are examples
I’ve presented in the style of radio news flashes:
以下是我以廣播新聞型態介紹的例子：
●“Asked
what her favorite word is, Ricki said, ‘Warm sweaters.’ Her two-word
mistake is understandable if you know her planned blog: warmsweaters.com.”
當被問到她最喜愛的單字時，麗琪說：「Warm
sweaters」。她誤用兩個字是可被理解的，如果你知道其實她設計的部落格就(把兩個字連成一個字)，就叫 warmsweaters.com.。
●“Controversy
strikes the club tonight, as Jon and Blair’s war of words divided the
room into two factions: the progressives who pronounce the word
schedule
as ‘skeh-jool,’ and the strict constructionists who prefer the classic
British pronunciation of ‘sheh-juhl.’ Is one preferred by reference
books? A quick look at our hardbound, commemorative anniversary edition
of Webster’s dictionary shows...we don’t have a hardbound, commemorative
anniversary edition of Webster’s dictionary. And so the controversy
continues.”
今晚分會因瓊恩和布萊爾的文字大戰，導致全場人員分裂為二，而產生派系糾紛。一派為將schedule的發成‘skeh-jool’的激進派﹔另一派是偏愛傳統英式發音
‘sheh-juhl.’
的嚴格構成派。到底哪一個為參考書所偏愛呢？經快速查詢我們精裝週年珍藏版的韋氏辭典顯示…我們沒有精裝週年珍藏版的韋氏辭典，所以紛爭將持續下去。
●“Did
you catch the prepositional ending? Henri concluded a sentence with the
words ‘that’s what it’s used for.’ An easy way to avoid a prepositional
ending is to end the sentence with a proper form of address. For
example, Henri could have concluded with, ‘that’s what it’s used for,
you stupid grammarian.’”
你們有注意到前置詞結尾嗎？亨利使用「這就是它的用途」來結束一個句子。一個避免前置詞結尾的簡單方式，是使用合適的稱謂來結束一個句子。例如，亨利可以用「這就是它的用途，笨蛋語言講評人」來結束。
This reporting style
earns compliments. Club members and guests almost invariably approach me
after the meeting to say how much they enjoyed the report, with its
unexpected humor. I’ve also heard fellow Toastmasters acknowledge and
imitate the style in their own grammarian’s reports, which is truly
flattering and gratifying.
這種報告風格獲得好評。分會會員和來賓，幾乎在會後都會過來告訴我，他們非常喜歡我這種有著出乎意料的幽默式的報告。我也聽到會員認定，並模仿這種語言講評人報告風格。這實在是種恭維和令人開心。
It’s no secret that
I enjoy the grammarian role. I’m ready and willing to take it on, even
as I’m walking into my club meeting, and it’s the role I’m asked to fill
whenever my former club holds an alumni meeting. I hope I’ve inspired
you to be the grammarian in
your club. Create your own distinct style and have fun with it.
我喜歡語言講評人的角色已不是一個秘密。不論在我走進我的分會，或是參加前分會的會友會被指定，我都準備好，而且願意擔任這個角色。希望我已啟發你，成為你的分會的語言講評人。創造你個人的風格並樂在其中。
Lawrence Stone,
ATMB, is the
president of SeaWorld Toastmasters, in San Diego, California. Reach him
at
lawstones@yahoo.com.
勞倫斯•史東，銅牌高級演講員是加州聖地牙哥海洋世界演講會會長。聯絡信箱
lawstones@yahoo.com
譯者：盧麗嫻
Lisa, Ta Ren Toastmasters
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