英语口语学习《英语口语--一个只面对执着的回音》
English Speaking -- An Echo Only from Commitment
—— The Experience of Learning and Practicing Spoken English
by a Laosanjie Graduate (English Version)
Sincerely to those friends
who have been experiencing a long journey of perseverance in
learning and practicing spoken English
John Y.
《英语口语--一个只面对执着的回音》英文本连载1:
Introduction
It was during the late summer of 1971 at Denghui Tang Auditorium of Fudan University in Shanghai, five years after the eruption of the Great Cultural Revolution in China. A ceremony held to welcome a US delegation was about to start.
Inside and outside the auditorium was an ocean of human gathering here and there. As the "Lao San Jie" (the Junior & Senior High School Graduates of 1966-1968) alumni from the Affiliated High School to Fudan University driven by the curiosity on those fresh Americans, some of my close friends and I were squeezing into the crowds with extraordinary excitement.
A foreign gentleman with grey hair took to the rostrum. He was said the Head of the US delegation. Then a Chinese young man, dressed in green military uniform and with a "Red Guard" (Hong Weibing) armband, also took to the rostrum, standing beside the American. He was said the English interpreter.
The American spoke, paused, but no responsive interpreting. He spoke and paused again, still no responding. “Is he dumb? ...” Suddenly, there burst into an angry shout from the audience over the interpreter: "down, down, change, change ..."
The "Red Guard" stumbled down, came up a nice looking young woman, also dressed in green military uniform, but no "Red Guard" armband. The hall felt into dead silence again. All eyes were gazing at the young charming face at this moment. Someone whispered she was a teacher from the Foreign Language Department of the University. As not bearing the "Red Guard" but only a “Hei Wulei” (Bad Alike of Five), she was banned from stepping up in the beginning. Now what could she have done?...
The foreigner went on with his speech, while the young woman was giving interpreting words in Chinese one after another, with a soft but firm voice so clear and fluent that every translation was broken up by a stormy applause from the audience. It was apparently not only towards the friendly words by the American, but also the young female translator herself...
The American Head ended with his speech, the Chinese young woman also stepped down. But the audience didn't want to stop applauding and agitating. "She is so great!" Someone had exclaimed with admiring comments. I was then among these crowds, for the first time in my life, experiencing a moment of magic power and shock by the perfect language skill with spoken English.
At that time, I was unable yet to be imaging that more than a decade later, it wouldn’t be difficult either for me myself, to stand beside a head of U.S. delegation for such simultaneous interpretation.
(to be continued)
