The english we speak(BBC教學)第49期: act your age不要幼稚了

Abigail: Hello, I'm Abigail and I'm with Rob and we're doing some shoe shopping.

艾比蓋：大家好，我是艾比蓋，和我一起的是羅伯，我們現在正在買鞋子。

Rob: Yes I'm looking for some new trainers.

羅伯：是的我在尋找一雙新的運動鞋。

Abigail: Well, we're not really supposed to be looking for your trainers, Rob. We're here because we have an amusing phrase which our listeners might like to learn.

艾比蓋：不過，我們不應該真的去找你的運動鞋，羅伯。我們在這兒是因爲我們有一個聽衆可能想要學的有趣的短語。

Rob: Oh well, I know that, but while we're here, I can look at trainers.

羅伯：哦，我知道，但是趁着我們在這，我可以找一找運動鞋。

Abigail: Well, I suppose you can look at some trainers. But let's not forget why we're here.

艾比蓋：好吧，我猜你可以挑運動鞋。但是我們不要忘了我們來這裏的原因。

Rob: ... (long pause)

羅伯：...（長停頓）

Abigail: Rob? Why we're here?

艾比蓋：羅伯？我們爲什麼在這？

Rob: Oh, yes of course - look that lady has really funny hair!

羅伯：哦，是的當然了——看那個女人的頭髮真搞笑！

Abigail: Rob, you're being very childish today. But that's useful because I can use our phrase for today - act your age not your shoe size.

艾比蓋：羅伯，你今天太幼稚了。但是這很有用因爲我可以用今天的短語——舉止成熟一點，別和小孩一樣。

Rob: 'Act your age, not your shoe size' it's a good phrase. How shall we explain it?

羅伯：“舉止成熟一點，別和小孩一樣”是個很好的短語。我們怎麼解釋它？

Abigail: I think you have explained it beautifully already, through everything you've said and done Rob. But here are some more clues to what it means:

艾比蓋：我覺得你已經完美地解釋了它，通過所有你說的話和做的事羅伯。但是這裏還有更多關於它意思的例子：

I was really upset. She just told me to act my age not my shoe size!

我很難過。她剛纔告訴我要舉止成熟一點，別和小孩一樣！

These people are so childish. They need to act their age not their shoe size.

這些人太幼稚了。他們需要舉止成熟一點，別和小孩一樣。

Will you please act your age not your shoe size?!

能不能夠請你舉止成熟一點，別和小孩一樣？！

Rob: If someone thinks you're being childish, immature, too young for your age, they can tell you to act your age, not your shoe size.

羅伯：如果某人認爲你太幼稚，不成熟，比真實年紀小，他們就會告訴你舉止成熟一點，別和小孩一樣。

Abigail: Mmm, yes they can.

艾比蓋：嗯，是的他們可以。

Rob: But look at these trainers here - it says size 44. My age is 30. So I have to act younger?

羅伯：但是看看這裏這些運動鞋，上面說44號。我30歲。所以我需要表現得更年輕點？

Abigail: Ah - yes well, 44 - that's a European size. This saying, 'act your age not your shoe size', only works for British and American sizes. So, for example in UK sizes, your feet are size 10.

艾比蓋：啊，是的，44——這是歐洲的尺碼。這個短語，“舉止成熟一點，別和小孩一樣”，只針對英國和美國的尺碼。所以，比如以英國尺碼，你的腳是10碼的。

Rob: I see. So I shouldn't act like I'm ten.

羅伯：我知道了。所以我不能表現得和10歲一樣。

Abigail: Exactly.

艾比蓋：正是。

Rob: Maybe to be accurate we should change the phrase to 'act your European shoe size, not your British shoe size'.

羅伯：或許更準確一點我們應該把這個詞組換成“表現得像你的歐洲鞋碼而不是你的英國鞋碼”。

Abigail: Hmm. Well, we could. It's not quite as catchy...

艾比蓋：嗯。是啊，我們可以。這不太上口...