【精英翻譯】的部落格

◎張沛元

Does a 600-year-old Chinese map prove that Christopher Columbus was not the first international explorer to navigate the New World?

一張有600年歷史的中國地圖，能證明哥倫布不是第一個航向新世界的國際探險家嗎？

’The traditional story of Columbus discovering the New World is absolute fantasy, it’s fairy tales," Gavin Menzies, 76, the author of "Who Discovered America?" said in an interview with the Daily Mail.

「傳統的哥倫布發現新世界之說完全是空想，不實之言，」76歲、「誰發現了美洲」一書作者加文．孟席斯在接受每日郵報訪問時如此表示。

Menzies says that the Chinese map, found in a bookstore and created in the 18th century, is attributed to Chinese Admiral Zheng He and shows a detailed map of America dating back to 1418. That would place Zheng He’s efforts some 70 years ahead of Columbus. In fact, Menzies says Columbus used a copy of Zheng He’s map to plot his own voyage.

曼尼茲說，那張在一家書店內被發現、18世紀製作的地圖，被認為最早出自中國航海家鄭和之手，顯示在1418年就有關於美洲的詳盡地圖。這讓鄭和比哥倫布早70年就發現新大陸。事實上，孟席斯說，哥倫布拿了一張鄭和地圖的複本來策劃他的航海之旅。

However, not everyone is sold on the theory. Menzies has been derided as a "pseudo-historian" by critics, who say his claims are grandiose and not based in historical fact.

然而，並非所有人都買這理論的帳。孟席斯一直被批評人士嘲諷是「偽歷史學家」，認為他的說法出於浮誇而非根據史實。

新聞辭典

fairy tale：名詞，童話；謊言。

attribute something to someone or something：歸因於，認為是某人所為。例句：They attribute their success to her help.（他們將成功歸因於她的協助。）

sold on someone or something：慣用語，確信某人或某事具有價值，接受或喜歡。例句：I’m not yet sold on your new idea.（我還不能接受你的新構想。）

本文引用至 自由時報電子報 http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/