【精英翻譯】的部落格

A Game Played without Hands　不用雙手、只靠雙腳的足球運動

精英翻譯社轉自http://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0062/239097/web/

　　There are few sports that enjoy popularity across the globe. It goes without saying that soccer is the most recognized, watched, and played sport in the world today. Actually, the sport is called football in almost every country, except for Canada and the US. While its official name is association football, it was eventually shortened. There are huge differences in the way soccer and American football are played. Also, the latter is played with an oval ball, whereas the former uses a round one. The game of rugby also evolved from soccer, making the three sports rather confusing depending on where in the world you live.

　只有少數的運動能在全球各地都享有高人氣。用不著說，足球絕對是現今世上最多人認識、觀賞和進行的運動。事實上，除了加拿大和美國，這項運動在幾乎所有國家都稱為football。雖然它的正式名稱叫做association football，不過這個名字最終則被人們給縮短。足球和美式足球的進行方式有著極大差異。此外，後者所使用的是橢圓形的球，而前者則用圓形的。英式橄欖球也由足球演化而來，因此使得這三項運動令人頗為混淆，端看您住在世上的哪一個地方。　　Soccer has been traced back to more than 2,000 years ago in China. However, the sport has evolved significantly since then, with whistles replacing the handkerchiefs that referees once used to wave around. One thing that has always remained the same is that soccer players are among the fastest athletes in the world. Also, the average soccer player runs around 11 kilometers each game, and the strength of their kicks has been known to break bones. Namely, an Italian soccer player accidentally broke the arm of a spectator with his mighty shot.

　　足球可回溯至兩千多年前的中國。不過這項運動自當時起已有長足的進化，當中一項就是裁判一度用來揮舞的手帕被哨子取而代之。然而亙古不變的是足球員為世上速度最快的運動選手之一。此外，一般的足球員每場比賽平均要跑十一公里左右，其踢球的力道也打斷過骨頭。這指的就是，曾經有位義大利足球員竟不慎以他強而有力的一球弄斷了某位觀眾的手臂。