張南峰譯好的首相

張南峰譯: 好的,首相 (Yes, Prime Minister)
(摘自 中西譯學批評)

Government must be impartial. It is not proper for us to take sides as between health and cigarettes.
政府應該一碗水端平, 不應在健康與吸菸之間拉一派打一派.

One Prime Minister's lunch with an ambassador destroys the two years of patient diplomacy.
首相大使一頓飯, 外交部白忙兩年半.

Simplify it to the point of absurdity.
將之簡化到荒唐的地步.

Admit there was some truth in it once. "But we've all realised that there is a less extreme way of solving the problem.
他的主張本來有幾分道理, 「可現在我們都知道, 有一些沒那麼極端的方法, 也同樣能解決問題的.」

Label him with his idea every time his name is mentioned.
每次提到他, 都用他的主張來作外號.

No, if they try anything it will be salami tactics. (Salami tactics was the description customarily given to "slice by slice" manoeuvres).
不會的, 他們一定會用蠶食戰術. (就是說, 每次只吞吃一小塊土地.)

This was dreadful news! It would be an incredible embarrassment. It would look as if I was trying to take the credit for something I didn't do.
那可糟了! 要是新聞界說了出來, 大家就會以為我是搶別人的功勞了, 那我怎麼下台呀? [編者按: 也許應該問, 「怎麼不下台?」

When I followed up by asking him to retreat the story that I'd tried to suppress the chapter eight of the damn book, he said that he couldn't.
我接著請他撤回那篇說我企圖禁止胡憶錄第八章出版的報道, 他卻推說不能撤回. [編者按: 錄音帶很清楚, 是「胡憶錄」而不是「回憶錄」.]