上星期向大家介紹兩則香港最早期Hong Kong Gazette (《政府憲報》)的雙語公告，其中第二則的中文(下圖)：

英語原文是：
“Pirates. We hear some astounding (令人震驚的) rumours (傳聞) implicating (牽連) certain influential (有影響力的) Chinese residents in the town of Hongkong. We will here just say that it is our intention (我們有意向) to sift this matter to the bottom (把這事情查究到柢) and if we succeed (成功) in securing (確定) accurate (準確) and well authenticated (證明屬實的) information we shall fearlessly (無畏懼地) drag to the light (拉到光明的地方，即昭見天日) the dark deeds of piracy and crime (海盜和罪案等不能見光的勾當). We are sure that such diabolical (窮兇極惡的) procedures (勾當) need only be brought to the notice of the Plenipotentiary (全權大使，即欽差大臣) to secure (得到) the prompt (迅速的) attention of His Excellency (大使閣下). The swarms of pirates (多群海盜) which prowl (鬼鬼祟祟地遊蕩，原文用prow是手民之誤) between this Island and the Bogue (水道) is proving decidedly (明顯地) detrimental (對…有損害) to the interests of the settlement (殖民地).

As persons who have been plundered (被搶劫) have come to us and asked what it would cost to complain to the British Authorities we here append (附上) a notice in Chinese stating that no charges whatever (任何) will be made against parties [l]odging complaints.”

中文的公告十分簡潔，略去英文原文開首的一大段「官腔」，直接說明重點：

「現今海上多有長龍快蟹等船(，)截刦往來客商船隻(。)爾 (你們) 客商之人(，)果 (如果) 遇其盜賊刦奪 (，) 來投告香港領事官 (，) 其領事自然捉獲究辦 (，) 不受一毫之私 (。) 特示 (特別告知公眾。)」括號內的註釋和標點是筆者所加，方便讀者理解。

長龍船身狹長，由多人扒動，就像端午節的龍舟。快蟹船兩側有成排的槳櫓，外型似螃蟹，這些海盜船速度較一般商船快，船體通常漆成紅黑兩色，出沒於珠江口的水道，搶掠往來船隻的財物。

【作者簡介】
香港大學文學士、英語研究碩士、哲學博士（社會語言學），歷任港大導師、理大及城大講師、立法會總翻譯主任，現任中大翻譯系兼職講師及語文服務社社長。