關於 decision同義詞 ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

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📰 今天我們來讀讀【華爾街日報】
🖐🏽 五分鐘來關心國際時事— 台灣 🇹🇼

📰 Taiwan to Ease Limits on American Pork and Beef, Smoothing Path for Trade Talks
U.S. officials have long regarded the restrictions as the main barrier to closer trade links with Taiwan

📌 這篇文章是關於台灣重要且富爭議的決定，它跟減輕 (ease) 進口美國豬肉和牛肉 (American pork and beef) 的限制 (limit/restriction) 有關，但它也牽涉到更重要的議題：貿易談判 (trade talks) 以及貿易聯繫 (trade link)。smooth the path (鋪路)，在文章中有轉化修辭的作用，在新聞寫作很常見。

HONG KONG—Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said she would ease restrictions on imports of U.S. beef and pork, clearing the biggest obstacle to free-trade talks with Washington.
At a televised news briefing Friday, Ms. Tsai said she had instructed her government to ease regulations to allow imports of American pork containing trace amounts of an animal-feed additive used by some U.S. farms, as well as U.S. beef products from cattle age 30 months and older.

📌 文章第一段復述標題和副標題的主要内容。值得注意的是，副標題的barrier在這裡換成了obstacle，這也是常見的修辭方法。文章第二段提供更多的細節，trace amount 就是微量，animal-feed additive 是動物飼料添加劑。

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet on Friday the U.S. welcomes Taiwan’s decision to lift restrictions on imports of American pork and beef. “This move opens the door for even deeper economic and trade cooperation,” he said.

U.S. officials have long regarded these restrictions as the main barrier to closer trade links with Taiwan, which had resisted calls to ease such curbs citing concerns over food safety and opposition from the island’s own pig-farming industry. Ms. Tsai said her decision would be implemented in a way that addresses both issues.

📌 這兩段是關於美國政府的回應。第一段引述國務卿 (Secretary of State) 的推特 (tweet)。台灣的決定 (decision) 為更深入的經濟和貿易合作 (deeper economic and trade cooperation) 打開大門 (open the door)。第二段解釋對豬肉和牛肉的限制跟貿易聯繫之關係。curb是restriction的同義詞。address issues (處理問題) ，是新聞寫作常見用語。

The announcement came about two weeks after Ms. Tsai said she wanted to start talks on a free-trade agreement with the U.S., a key unofficial ally and a major trading partner for the island democracy. Her pursuit of closer trade links is part of an effort to strengthen ties with Washington and resist coercion from China, Taiwan’s largest trading partner and whose ruling Communist Party claims the island as its territory.

Taiwanese officials “believe that opening up further to U.S. pork and beef imports at the present time is a decision in line with overall national interests and strategic-development goals for the future,” Ms. Tsai said.

“This is also a decision that can promote Taiwan-U.S. relations.”

📌 這三段提供這次決定的背景，從希望開展自由貿易協議 (free-trade agreement) 的談判到加強 (strengthen) 與華盛頓 (Washington，引申到美國政府) 的聯繫以抗衡中國的強迫 (coercion)。當中提到整體國家利益 (overall national interests) 和策略發展目的 (strategic-development goals)。

Ms. Tsai said the timing of her decision was driven by a desire to secure Taiwan’s economic future by playing an influential role in the restructuring of global supply chains caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

📌 這段補充說，決定的時機 (timing) 是源於穩固台灣的經濟未來 (secure Taiwan’s economic future)，play an influential role (扮演有影響力的角色)，restructuring (重組) 和 global supply chain (全球供應鏈) 都是關鍵詞。

未完待續...

📰 全文請至
https://reurl.cc/ygQAOq
📰 作者
Chun Han Wong
📰 訂閱請至
https://bit.ly/3j82Q3W

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「收賄」、「白手套」英文怎麼說？
　
Accept bribes? White gloves?
　
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《中華民國刑法》
　
Article 122

A public official or an arbitrator who demands, agrees to accept, or accepts a bribe or other improper benefits for a breach of his official duties shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not less than three years but not more than ten years; in addition thereto, a fine of not more than two million yuan may be imposed.

A breach of official duties shall be sentenced to life imprisonment or with imprisonment for not less than five years; in addition thereto, a fine not more than four million yuan may be imposed.
　
1. public official 公務員
2. arbitrator 仲裁人
3. accept a bribe 收受賄賂*
4. a breach of official duties 違背職務**
5. be sentenced 判處
6. imprisonment 監禁；關押
7. a fine 罰金
8. impose 強制實行
　
第 122 條

公務員或仲裁人對於違背職務之行為，要求、期約或收受賄賂或其他不正利益者，處三年以上十年以下有期徒刑，得併科二百萬元以下罰金。

因而為違背職務之行為者，處無期徒刑或五年以上有期徒刑，得併科四百萬元以下罰金。

全國法規資料庫: https://bit.ly/2Dk8Ia4

*bribery: https://bit.ly/31bwsFj
**breach: https://bit.ly/3k5qcHJ
　
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那「白手套」呢？

White gloves? Not really...
　
The term "white-glove" is typically used as an adjective. It means providing a very high level of service, or involving a lot of care about small details:

白手套(white-glove)通常用作形容詞。表示提供非常高的服務水準，或與諸多照護細節有關：

➣The cruise company does not want to risk alienating the other passengers who don't get the white-glove treatment.

郵輪公司不想冒險讓其他未接受白手套待遇的乘客變得疏遠。

➣We know that when extra attention is required, our white-glove delivery service will not disappoint.
　
當您有特殊要求，我們的白手套配送服務一定不會讓您失望。

—Cambridge Dictionary

https://bit.ly/3hZTw0r
　
Wait…that doesn't fit our context!

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According to the South China Morning Post, the expression “white gloves,” when used as a noun, was coined in Taiwan!

“The innocuous-sounding euphemism ‘white gloves’ generally refers to a middleman or outfit that launders dirty or corrupt money under a seemingly legitimate front - dirty hands concealed by a pair of white gloves. The expression, coined by the Taiwanese, is catching up fast on the mainland as rampant corruption is exposed at all levels of the bureaucracy.”
　
9. coin (v.) 創造（新詞或新的表達方式）；首次使用（某一詞語）
10. innocuous-sounding 聽起來無害的
11. launder (v.) 洗（贓款） ; money laundering 洗錢
12. legitimate front 合法的地帶; 僞裝（人或機構的）僞裝；假裝的樣子
13. conceal 隱藏
14. catch up 了解（或討論）最新情況
15. rampant 猖獗的；蔓延的
16. bureaucracy 官僚體制；官僚主義
　
據《南華早報》的報導，「白手套」作為名詞的用法，首見於臺灣!

「聽起來無害的委婉用語『白手套』通常是指中間人或公司，他們在看似合法的地帶清洗髒錢或賄款——髒手則藏於白手套當中。這種由臺灣人首創的表達方式，正在中國迅速傳開，因為猖獗的腐敗現象已於官僚體制的各個層面暴露出來。」

詳見《SCMP》：https://bit.ly/3i2cqUA
　
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我個人會用「middleman」或「go-between」。

請注意，「middleman」是指批貨後轉售他人者，或協助他人安排商業交易者。該詞本身並不具有任何犯罪或不法行為等負面意涵（negative connotations），亦須有上下文才足以呈現「白手套」的概念。
　
另一方面，「go-between」是在雙方無法見面或不想見面時，將消息從一人（或一個團隊）傳給另一人（或另一個團隊）的人。例如，聯合國代表將充當兩國領導人的中間人（或掮客）——「go-between」，而它的搭配你可以用「act/serve as a go-between」。「go-between」 的一個同義詞是「intermediary」。

❖再次提醒各位，若缺乏前後文，這些用語就不能完全代表「白手套」的涵義。底下我將舉出一些在腐敗情況中所使用的例子。
　
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I. middleman
　
"Many of these middlemen stay on the right side of the law, offering advice and connections. But others cross the line. They grease the palms of officials and local managers, and they put a buffer between the payoff and the client, offering plausible deniability if the authorities catch on."
　
17. connections 社會關係；人際關係；可資利用的熟人
18. cross the line（行為）越過界線
19. grease (v.) 用油脂塗；給⋯⋯加潤滑油
20. buffer 緩衝物；起緩衝作用的人
21. payoff 賄款；遮口費
22. plausible deniability 合理推諉
　
「在這些中間人裡，有許多人站在法律這邊，提供建議與人脈。但其他人卻踰越了界線。他們成為官員與地方經理人的潤滑劑，並在賄款與委託人之間置入緩衝物，起到合理推諉的作用，以防當局上門。」
　
詳見《紐約時報》：https://nyti.ms/39MMwkM

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II. intermediary
　
"For China’s elite, a 'white glove' is an intermediary who launders your money; they handle the dirty deeds, while you keep your hands clean. 'White gloves' are often well-connected Westerners, such as former top politician Bo Xilai’s two European fixers, British businessman Neil Heywood and French architect Patrick Devillers. Using a BVI shell company, the two men helped Bo’s wife Gu Kalai buy a 7 million euro French mansion and rack up rental fees on it."

23. elite（社會）上層集團；掌權人物；出類拔萃的人；精英
24. deed（尤指很壞或很好的）事情；行為
25. well-connected 與顯貴人物有交情的；與有影響人士有來往的；很有背景的
26. fixer 籌謀者；安排者（尤指精於用不正當手段來操辦事情的人）
27. BVI (The British Virgin Islands) 英屬維京群島
28. shell company 空殼公司
29. fixer 安排者（尤指精於用不正當手段來操辦事情的人）
　
『對中國的權貴來說，「白手套」是幫你洗錢的中間人；他們負責處理骯髒的事，讓你的雙手保持乾淨。「白手套」通常是與權貴有交情的西方人士，例如前副國級領導人薄熙來的兩個歐洲籌謀者——英國商人海伍德以及法國建築師德維利耶。兩人藉由一家英屬維京群島的空殼公司，幫助薄的妻子谷開來買下一座價值７００萬歐元的法式豪宅，並大大提高了租金。』
　
詳見《石英財經網》：https://bit.ly/30lFnEJ
　
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III. go-between
　
"The offence is similar to bribery with one important difference: trading in influence concerns the 'middleman', or the person that serves as the go-between the decision-maker and the party that seeks an improper advantage."
　
30. offence (US offense) 犯罪行為；罪行
31. bribery 賄賂
32. trade in influence 斡旋賄賂；影響力交易
33. serve（為⋯⋯）工作；（為⋯⋯）服務；盡職責
34. improper advantage 不當利益
　
『此一罪行與賄賂相似，但有一個重要的區別：斡旋賄賂係指「middleman」或人充當決策者與尋求不當利益方的中間人（掮客）——「go-between」』。
　
詳見 Anti-Corruption Resource Center：https://www.u4.no/terms
　
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歡迎在底下留言與我們分享更多相關字詞（例如：prosecutor、corruption charges、litigations⋯⋯）。

圖片出處: Google Image

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如果同學對於如何分析英文時事，以及如何進行批判性思考有興趣，歡迎加入我們的課程！

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