思果, 可惡的名詞

(中國語文通訊)

The piles of Arab blankets in the corners of the rooms, the newest books and magazines upon the tables, speak of a man who touched life at a hundred points.

看他房裡堆滿阿刺伯毛毯, 桌上放了最新出的書籍雜誌, 就可以知道, 他接觸人生的各方面有多廣了.

Culture to him, as to the Orientals, with whom he lived so much and sympathized so deeply, was an affair of the spirit and of mind not to be measured by material progress, or, even by the arts.

他心目中所謂的文化, 和人的氣概、心靈有關, 不能以物質的發展, 甚至以人文學科來衡量. 他與東方人過從已久, 也同情東方人; 在東方人的心目中, 文化也是如此. (思果)

sympathize = 同情?

The several calls for reprints of this work bear testimony to its acceptability and usefulness.

這部詞典已經幾次有人提出重印的要求, 可見大家覺得它可以參考, 也很有用.

acceptability = 可以參考 (可以二字, 殊堪玩味)

There can be no sound discussion where the gulf severing two sets of facts is not frankly recognized.

不坦率承認兩組事實給鴻溝分隔開來, 合理的討論是辦不來的.

gulf = 天懸地隔, 判若鴻溝
there can be no = 辦不來

It was perhaps owing to this also that the diction of particular phrases was often so badly explained.

也許正是因為這一點, 這些特別短語的用字才常常解釋得那麼差.