又中又英｜Travel Bug

Hong Kong people are always raring to travel. The travel bug bites them hard. I came to Hong Kong two weeks ago to see old friends and relatives. But the travel bug bit some of them. They used the long weekend during the May Day and Buddha’s Birthday holidays to travel. If you are raring to do something, it means you are very eager to do something. The slang word “bug” means an insect. The expression “travel bug” means having a strong desire to travel. Many Hong Kong people travel to the mainland on weekends, where they get more bang for their buck.

Japan is very popular with Hong Kong people. They also get more bang for their buck in Japan. The word “buck” used this way means one dollar in the US. If you get more bang for your buck, it means you can buy more things with your money. This is possible because the Hong Kong dollar is linked to the strong US dollar. But my friends told me many Hong Kong people are now avoiding Japan for fear of earthquakes. The Japanese government last month estimated the possibility of a megaquake (powerful earthquake) within the next 30 years.

The US Geological Survey agency makes clear it is impossible to accurately predict the timing, location, and magnitude of earthquakes. But fears of a Japanese megaquake spread through Hong Kong, mainland China, and other places after a manga (Japanese comic book) featured a dream that predicted a tsunami. The recent earthquake in Myanmar increased fears. The Japanese government has made clear its estimate of a possible megaquake in the next 30 years is not a prediction.

香港人总是渴望旅游（raring to travel）。那只“旅游虫”（travel bug）可咬得他们入肉了。我两个星期前回港见老朋友和亲戚，但他们一些人却被旅游虫（travel bug）咬到。他们都借着劳动节和佛诞的长周末假期出外旅游。若你是raring to do something，意即你热切渴望去做某事。俚语bug是指昆虫；习语“travel bug”是指迷上了旅游，强烈地想去旅行。许多香港人在周末期间都到内地旅游，在那里他们觉得物超所值、很划算（more bang for their buck）。

日本非常受香港人欢迎，他们在日本也觉得价廉物美、物超所值（more bang for their buck）。Buck在这里是指美国的一元，若你get more bang for your buck，意即你花同样的钱却买到更多的东西。这是可能的，因为港元跟强劲的美元挂钩。但我的朋友们告诉我，许多香港人现在都避免去日本，因为害怕地震。日本政府上个月预估了未来30年内发生特大地震（megaquake）的可能性。

美国地质调查局已清楚说明，要准确预测地震的时间、地点与震级是不可能的。然而，当一本日本漫画（manga）讲述一个会发生海啸的预言梦以后，对于日本会发生特大地震（megaquake）的恐慌就蔓延香港、中国内地和其他地方。最近发生在缅甸的地震亦加深了恐慌。日本政府已清楚表明，它对于未来30年内可能发生特大地震（megaquake）的估算并不是预言。

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻