(1). Unspeakable things
无法用语言表达的事
(2). The problematic vocabulary of sexual violence
有问题的性暴力词汇
(3). It is a cliché that three topics should stay off-limits in polite company: politics, religion and sex. But there are times for hard conversations, and the language used to talk about sex, and particularly sexual misdeeds, remains wrapped in a gauze of misdirection and euphemism that risks contributing to harm, even when intentions are good.
人们常说,在有礼貌的场合,有三个话题是不能谈的:政治、宗教和性。但有时会有艰难的对话,而用来谈论性,尤其是性犯罪的语言仍然被误导和委婉语所掩盖,即使本意是好的,也有造成伤害的风险。
(4). A recent case in Barcelona illustrates the power of language. Five men who gang-raped an unconscious 14-year-old girl were convicted of mere “sexual abuse”—not the graver “sexual assault”, because technically they had not used violence or intimidation, as required by the statute.
最近在巴塞罗那的一个案例表明了语言的力量。五名男子轮奸了一名失去知觉的14岁女孩,他们仅仅被判为“sexual abuse 性虐待”,而不是更严重的“sexual assault 性侵犯”,因为从技术上讲,他们没有使用法律所述的暴力或恐吓。
(5). 1:The furious protesters who turned out in Barcelona and other cities were not angry about the court’s leniency per se: the rapists received fairly long prison sentences.
2:Rather they are demanding that the law be changed so that “sexual assault” reflects the absence of consent, rather than the use of force.
3:In other words, they are asking politicians to redefine that term.
1:在巴塞罗那和其他城市,愤怒的抗议者并没有对法院的宽容感到愤怒:强奸犯被判了相当长的刑期。
2:相反,他们要求修改法律,使“性侵犯”反映的是未经同意,而不是使用武力。
3:换句话说,他们要求政客们重新定义这个词。
(6). 1:There is an irony in their protest.
2:Demonstrators shouted “No es abuso, es violación” (it’s not abuse; it’s rape).
3:But the Spanish word “violación” itself clearly displays its etymological link to “violence”, the lack of which was at the heart of the controversy.
4:Other European languages also reflect a historical belief that rape is, by definition, violent: Vergewaltigung in German includes Gewalt, violence, for instance.
1:他们的抗议带有讽刺意味。
2:示威者高呼“No es abuso, es violación”(这不是虐待;这是强奸)。
3:但西班牙语单词“violación”本身就清楚地显示出它与“暴力”的词源联系,而缺乏“暴力”正是这场争论的核心。
4:其他欧洲语言也反映了一种历史信仰,即强奸从定义上说就是暴力的:例如,德语中的Vergewaltigung包括Gewalt,即暴力。