驻英大使《牛津英汉汉英词典》发行仪式的讲话.docx

驻英大使牛津英汉汉英词典发行仪式的讲话驻英国大使刘晓明在牛津英汉汉英词典发行仪式上的讲话2010年9月9日，伦敦英中中心Remarks by H.E. Ambassador Liu Xiaoming at the Launching Ceremony of the Oxford Chinese Dictionary9 September 2010, Great Britain-China Centre尊敬的英中中心名誉主席杰弗里豪勋爵，尊敬的牛津大学校长汉密尔顿教授：Lord Howe,Professor Hamilton,Ladies and Gentleman,我很高兴出席牛津英汉汉英词典（Oxford Chinese Dictionary）发行仪式。这一词典的出版发行，对于广大学习英语的中国人，以及日益增多的正在学习汉语的英语母语者来说，无疑是一个大好消息。因此，我要致以热烈的祝贺。It is my great pleasure to join you at the launching ceremony of the Oxford Chinese Dictionary. I offer my warmest congratulations on the dictionary, as there is no doubt that its launch will be great news for the many people learning English in China and the increasing number of mandarin-learning native English speakers.在中国，英语是大、中、小学的必修课，许多幼儿园也开设了英语课。数据显示，目前中国有4亿多人在学英语，约占全国总人口的1/3。甚至有专家预测，再过几年，中国学英语的人数将超过英语母语国家的总人口数。而在英国，目前也正兴起“汉语热”，开设汉语的大、中、小学越来越多，孔子学院和孔子课堂也遍布英国。无论学习英语和汉语，一本词典必不可少。Today English is a compulsory course in Chinese universities, as well as in primary and secondary schools and is even taught in many kindergartens. It is estimated that one in three people in China or 400 million people are learning English. And it is predicted that in a few years, the English learning population in China will exceed the combined total population of all native English speaking countries. We are also seeing an emerging mandarin fever in the UK, with schools at all levels putting mandarin in their curriculum. This is in addition to the many Confucius Institutes and Classrooms to be found across the country. Needless to say, a good dictionary is a must for all language students.自100多年前牛津英语词典这一“词典之帝”出版以来，可以说牛津大学出版社一直执全球词典出版界之牛耳。“牛津”二字几乎成了高质量英文工具书的代名词。据称，世界上每分钟就有6个人购买牛津出版的词典。Since the classic Oxford English Dictionary was published more than a century ago, the Oxford University Press (OUP) has been the most prestigious dictionary publisher in the world. Even the name Oxford represents a quality guarantee for English reference books, and if proof was needed, it is said that 6 Oxford dictionaries are sold every minute.牛津大学出版社又是与中方合作最多的外国出版社之一。牛津大学出版社的系列英语词典是中国人学习英语的必备工具书，也是许多人的首选工具书。我还记得，我年轻时就拥有一部精选英汉汉英词典，这是上世纪70年代末牛津大学出版社和中国现代历史最悠久的出版社商务印书馆最早合作的产物。至于两家80年代随后推出的牛津高阶英汉双解词典，则更是风靡一时，长盛不衰，被英语学习者奉为圭臬。The OUP is one of the largest foreign publishing partners of China, with Oxford English dictionaries being the must-have dictionaries for students learning English and, for many others, their first choice as a reference book. When I was a young diplomat, I used to have a Concise English-Chinese Chinese-English Dictionary, which was the result of the early cooperation between the OUP and the Commercial Press back in the late 1970s. The two later worked together again to produce another immensely popular dictionary, the Oxford Advanced Learners English-Chinese Dictionary, which many Chinese students believe is the leading English-Chinese dictionary.现在牛津大学出版社与中国规模最大的大学出版社外语教学与研究出版社强强携手，与时俱进，合作编写出版了词汇更庞大全面、翻译更准确权威的牛津英汉汉英词典，我相信这必会广受读者欢迎和好评，并成为英汉词典的又一个重要里程碑。Now the OUP, in cooperation with FLTRP, the largest university press in China, have launched the OxfordFLTRP English-Chinese Chinese-English Dictionary, which has a larger vocabulary and more accurate and authoritative translations. I am sure it will be well received and become another milestone for the OUP in its evolution of the English-Chinese dictionary.编纂词典是一项费心劳力的经年苦役，塞缪尔约翰逊曾在其成名巨著词典中对“词典编纂者”（Lexicographer）下了如此一个定义：“无害的苦工”（a harmless drudge）。这一自嘲既是幽默，也道出了实情。但是，编纂词典何尝又不是一种“甜美的苦役”，其甜美在于它将成为无数使用者的学海明灯。感谢牛津英汉汉英词典编纂者的辛勤努力，由于你们的付出，我们学习英语的漫漫长途中又多了一位良师益友。It takes years of hard work to compile a dictionary. No wonder Samuel Johnson defined lexicographer with some humour in his dictionary as a harmless drudge. But I would argue that tedious and painstaking as it is, the job may also be enriching, as dictionaries offer their users valuable knowledge and understanding. So, I would like to thank the lexicographers for the time and energy they have devoted to this dictionary and for their dedication and professionalism which will make learning English easier for many.语言是文化的载体。学习一个国家语言的过程，也是了解一个国家文化的过程。因此，牛津英汉汉英词典的出版，其意义不仅在于为读者提供了高质量的语言工具书，更为促进中英文化交流做出了新的贡献。Language is an important part of any culture and when you learn a foreign language, you get to know aspects of the culture you would otherwise miss. That is why the publication of this dictionary will not only help users to develop their language skills, but also improve their understanding and so contr