又中又英｜Have no clue about something

When Amazon first released the Kindle in 2007, I had no clue what it was. Amazon charged an astronomical price of US$399 but all the Kindles were sold out in less than six hours. It remained out of stock for five months. I often saw people at US airports and on planes using a Kindle. The first version of the Kindle was unavailable outside the US. I was living in Hong Kong at the time. That’s why I felt like a country bumpkin not knowing what it was. If you have no clue about something it means you don’t know what it is.

An astronomical price means a very expensive price. A country bumpkin is a person from a rural area who is considered to be stupid. It was only after I read a news article about the Kindle a few years later that I knew it was an e-reader. I was not interested, preferring to read actual books instead. My younger brother, who alternates between living in New York and Florida, came to see me at my niece’s house in Atlanta before I returned to Hong Kong. He showed me his Kindle. It was so light and easy to use that he sold me on getting one.

To sell someone on something means to convince that person it is good or useful. I love reading but never liked holding a heavy book and turning pages while reading in bed before sleeping. I am now the proud owner of a Kindle! The version I have lets me touch a word to know its meaning. My niece, like many people, prefers books and will never buy a Kindle.

當亞馬遜於二零零七年首次推出Kindle時，我完全不知道（had no clue）它是甚麼來的。亞馬遜當時收取三百九十九元的天價（astronomical price），但所有的Kindles不夠六小時便賣光，然後足足缺貨了五個月。我不時見到人在美國機場和飛機上用Kindle。第一代的 Kindle並未在美國以外的地區供應。我當時在香港居住，因此我不知道它是何物，感到自己像個大鄉里（country bumpkin）。若你 have no clue about something，意即你對它毫無頭緒、一無所知。

An astronomical price是指非常昂貴的價錢。A country bumpkin是被視為愚昧無知的鄉巴佬。直到數年後我讀到一則新聞報道，才知道 Kindle是個電子閱讀器。我當時並不感興趣，情願看實體書。我那長期在紐約和佛羅里達州兩邊住的弟弟，在我回香港前，到亞特蘭大我姪女的家中探望我。他給我看他的Kindle。它真的很輕，亦便於使用，終於打動了我（sold me）自己也買一部。

To sell someone on something是指去說服某人那物件是好或有用的。我喜愛閱讀，但從不喜歡睡前在床上捧着重甸甸的書，翻書頁閱讀。現在我很自豪也擁有一部Kindle！我有的那個版本讓我能按一個字就知道它的意思。像其他許多人一樣，我姪女較喜歡實體書，也永遠不會買Kindle。

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻