【精英翻譯】的部落格

精英翻譯轉自https://paper.udn.com/papers.php?pname=POH0054

The surprise bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, forced the United States into World War II. At that time, Emperor Hirohito's Japan seemed invincible. It already controlled a large part of China and could attack almost anywhere in the western Pacific Ocean.

In early May 1942, the United States fought back desperately at the Battle of the Coral Sea. Japan lost two aircraft carriers, two destroyers, about 100 planes, and approximately 3,500 men. The United States lost an aircraft carrier, a destroyer, a tanker, 65 planes, and 540 men.

1941年12月7日珍珠港突襲轟炸事件，迫使美國加入第二次世界大戰。當時裕仁天皇所領導的日本銳不可當，先是控制了大部分中國，還有可能攻擊西太平洋的任何地區。

1942年的5月初，美國在珊瑚海之役中極力反攻。日本損失兩艘航空母艦、兩艘驅逐艦、一百架左右的飛機，大約3,500名士兵殉難。而美國則損失了一艘航空母艦、一艘驅逐艦、一架油輪、65架飛機和540人。

Still, the Japanese controlled most of the Pacific Ocean. Admiral Yamamoto was in charge of the Japanese Navy, and he believed America's navy had been largely destroyed. He planned to lure America's few remaining aircraft carriers into a trap, sink them, and occupy the Midway Islands.

On June 4, 1942, the Battle of Midway began. The grimly determined American pilots sank four Japanese aircraft carriers, two cruisers, and three destroyers, and also shot down 200 experienced naval aviators. The United States lost one aircraft carrier and one destroyer.

然而，日本仍控制了大部分的太平洋地區。當時的海軍上將山本負責指揮日本海軍，他認為美國海軍已遭重創，便計畫引誘美國少數剩下的航空母艦進入圈套，加以擊沉之後占領中途島。

1942年6月4日，中途島之戰開打。鬥志堅強的美國船員，擊沉了四艘日本航空母艦、兩艘巡洋艦和三艘驅逐艦，並擊落了兩百名經驗豐富的海軍飛行員。美方則損失一艘航空母艦和一艘驅逐艦。

This was the turning point in the war against Japan. After the Battle of Midway, the balance of power in the Pacific Ocean shifted in favor of the United States. Soon after that, the huge scientific, technological, and economic strength of the United States was better organized for war. Japan wasn't able to compete with the United States in building aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, supply ships, airplanes, torpedoes, and bombs.

這場戰役是抗日之戰的轉捩點。在中途島戰爭後，整個太平洋勢力的平衡轉為對美國有利。在那之後不久，美國強大的科學、技術和經濟實力，都展現更佳的備戰狀態，而日本卻無力在航空母艦、戰艦、巡洋艦、驅逐艦、潛水艇、補給艦、飛機、魚雷和炸彈的建造上，與美國一較高下。

In August of 1945, an atomic bomb destroyed Hiroshima. Another destroyed Nagasaki, but Japan still wouldn't surrender. They finally surrendered only after America's President Truman allowed Japan's Emperor Hirohito to remain in place.

You may argue about President Truman's decisions to drop the atomic bombs and to protect Emperor Hirohito from the legal charge of war crimes. But whatever the merits of those later decisions, the Battle of Midway in June 1942 ended Japan's plan to control the Pacific Ocean.

1945年8月，一顆原子彈摧毀了廣島，另一顆則破壞了長崎，但日本仍然不投降。最後，在美國杜魯門總統允許無須廢除裕仁天皇之後，日本才投降。

你也許對杜魯門總統投下原子彈，和保護裕仁天皇免負戰爭罪責的決定有所異議，但不管這些決定的功過如何，1942年6月的中途島之戰，確實為日本控制整個太平洋的計畫，劃下了句點。