New Zealand in the Eyes of a Chinese Immigrant

王汝涛  写译

   作者注：这是我多年前写的一篇关于旅居新西兰的生活感受的自传体散文，曾发表在国家重点刊物《英语世界》杂志上（2008年第4期）。该文最初由我直接用英文写成，后根据编辑部的要求补译了中文。该文发表后，《大学生》杂志和数家门户网站以及新西兰的“天维网”先后进行了转载。现将此文重发本网，希望能对英语初学者提高英语写作和英汉对译能力有所帮助，同时也真心希望大家对文章的不足提出批评指正。因原文较长，上传前有删节。

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Five years have gone by since I migrated to New Zealand in January 2003. My life down under over the years has opened my eyes to an exotic land which has brought me joys and sorrows, love and hate. I hope this account will give an accurate portrayal of a real New Zealand.

我于2003年移居新西兰，至今已有五个年头了。这些年的移民生活使我了解了这片给我带来苦与乐，爱与恨的异国土地。我希望本文能准确展现一个真正的新西兰。

New Zealand is a small country situated in the South Pacific Ocean with a population of about 4 million. It consists of two principal islands, the North Island and the South Island, full of scenic contrasts which will definitely take any visitor’s breath away. The natural features of both islands include rolling hills, beautiful lakes, golden beaches and mountains cloaked in forest. The country is mostly hilly, with some peaks covered with snow most of the year, but more than half of its land is suitable for farming and animal husbandry.

新西兰是一个位于南太平洋的小国，人口约400万。它由两个主要的岛屿南岛和北岛组成。两岛景色别致，一定会让来到这里的人赞不绝口。南北岛的自然地貌包括起伏的丘陵，美丽的湖泊，金色的海滩以及森林覆盖的山脉。全国多处是丘陵，有些山峰一年中多半白雪覆盖，但全国大部分土地适合农牧业的发展。

New Zealand has a temperate climate, neither too cold in winter nor too hot in summer. As it is an island country, it’s humid all year round. Sometimes, a wisp of cloud comes with a spell of rain. So it’s better to take an umbrella when you go out. New Zealand is renowned for the pristine, natural beauty of its environment beyond compare. Many people regard it as the last piece of clean land on earth. Due to its geographical isolation, New Zealand is home to some unique plants and animals, say the flightless Kiwi birds. Interestingly, however, there are no dangerous animals in New Zealand except some rare poisonous spiders, so you can safely walk anywhere all by yourself. Most animals are protected here. Two years ago, it was reported that an Asian student had been deported for killing wild ducks.

新西兰气候温和，冬天不太冷，夏天又不太热。由于是岛国，新西兰全年湿润。有时，一片云彩一片雨。因此，若是外出，最好带上雨伞。新西兰以无与伦比的纯天然的优美环境闻名。很多人把它看作世界的最后一片净土。由于其偏僻的地理位置，新西兰是一些独特的动植物的家乡，如不会飞的几维鸟。有趣的是新西兰除了一些罕见的毒蜘蛛之外无害兽，因此你可以安全地独自一人在任何地方行走。许多动物在这里受到保护。据报道，两年前，一位亚洲学生因捕猎野鸭子被驱逐出境。

New Zealand enjoys advantageous social welfare and developed economy reputed for top-quality fruit, meat and dairy products. Service industries, particularly those relating to tourism and education, are also of great significance to its economy. Every year many Chinese tourists and students come to New Zealand to enjoy what it can offer. New Zealanders lead an easygoing, relaxed lifestyle. It seems that joie de vivre is well engrained inits national psyche. Rather than falling victim to the busy tempo of modern life as in other developed countries, they have stood their ground retaining all that is old and natural. They enjoy peace in solitude and hate the hustle and bustle of modern life.

新西兰是发达的高福利社会，并以盛产高质量的水果、肉和乳制品著称于世。服务业，特别是和旅游以及教育相关的产业，也在经济发展中起着重要作用。每年有很多来自中国的游客和留学生来到这里享受它所提供的一切。新西兰人喜欢轻松、悠闲的生活方式。似乎享受生活的快乐已深深嵌入这个民族的灵魂之中。不像其他发达国家那样，新西兰人没有成为现代生活快节奏的受害者，而是坚持保留长期形成的自然的东西。他们喜欢孤寂，厌恶现代生活的喧嚣。

In short, New Zealand is an idyllic, beautiful place which seems to be a legendary Land of Peach Blossoms in the eyes of the Chinese. The sheer magic of its beauty is attracting an increasing number of people from around the world.

总之，新西兰是一个充满田园风光的美丽地方，犹如中国人心目中的世外桃源，它那奇妙的魅力吸引着越来越多的四海宾客。

I first touched this exotic land in early 1998, when I was awarded a full postgraduate scholarship by the New Zealand government and was admitted to the master’s programme at the prestigious University of Otago. Upon my arrival, I was very much enthralled by the pastoral scenes of the country and deeply impressed by the goodwill of its people. My two years of study at Otago not only widened my intellectual horizons, but also gave me some insights into New Zealand society. In early 2003, I was granted permanent residency in New Zealand and returned here with my family. Fortunately, not long after my arrival, I was offered a position of IELTS Preparation course tutor at a language school in Christchurch. As a solitary Chinese teacher of English on campus, I was considered by many of my local colleagues as a window on China. Likewise, from them I learned a lot about New Zealand that could not be acquired any other way.

我初次踏上这片异国他乡是在1998年初。当时，我获得新西兰政府研究生全额奖学金，被著名的奥塔哥大学录取攻读硕士学位课程。刚一来到这里，我就被这里的田园美景迷住了，同时也对新西兰人的友善留下了深深的印象。两年的学习不仅使我增长了知识、开阔了视野，而且也对新西兰社会增加了一些了解。2003年初，我获得了新西兰永久居住权，并和家人一起回到这里。不久，我很幸运地在基督城的一家语言学校找到一份教职，讲授雅思考试培训课程。由于我是该校唯一的华人英语教师，很多外国同事都把我看作了解中国的窗口。同样，从他们那里，我也了解到很多通过其他途径得不到的关于新西兰的情况。

Is New Zealand really all it’s cracked up to be? My answer is no. I reckon there’s more to it than meets the eye. Now let’s look at the seamy side of New Zealand society. First, racist attacks on people from outside New Zealand, particularly Asians, frequently occur although racial discrimination is illegal here. Many of my friends and I have ever had such experiences. When you walk on the streets, sometimes, some local teenagers may make rude, insulting gestures towards you or throw a rubber ball containing water at you. Second, teachers are not as much respected in New Zealand as in China. Here it is a different culture. A teacher is considered to be a salesperson of knowledge in a marketplace rather than “an engineer of the human soul”. I remember that, about a decade ago, while I was studying at the University of Otago, I had made friends with an old Kiwi man with whom I often practiced my English. One day, when I had introduced him as my teacher to my Chinese friends, he was very upset，saying: “I am not your teacher! When did I ask you for tuition fees?” Now I knew I had fallen into a cultural trap. At once I explained that in the Chinese tradition, a teacher is highly esteemed in society. In Chinese hospitals, for instance, a medical doctor or veteran nurse was often addressed as teacher to express the respect of him or her.

新西兰真是人们说的那么完美吗？我的回答是否定的。我觉得有很多东西并不像人们表面上看到的那么美好。现在我们来看一看新西兰社会的不足之处。首先，对来自新西兰以外的人，特别是亚洲人，带有种族歧视性的人身攻击时有发生，尽管种族歧视在新西兰是触犯法律的。我的很多朋友和我本人都曾有过这方面的经历。当你走在街上，有时一些当地的青少年会向你做出粗鲁、侮辱性的手势，或将水球向你投来。其次，或许是文化的差异，在新西兰，教师不像在中国那样受到尊重。教师被看作是市场上的知识推销员,而不是人类灵魂的工程师。记得大约十年前，我在奥塔哥大学学习期间曾结交了当时经常帮助我练习英语的一位新西兰老人。有一天，当我把他以我的老师的身份介绍给中国朋友时，他很是生气，质问道：“我不是你的老师，我什么时候找你要学费啦？”，此刻，我知道自己掉进了文化的陷阱。我立即解释说，按中国的传统，老师在社会上是受到敬仰的。例如，在中国的医院，医生和老护士经常被人们以老师相称以表示尊重。

After living in New Zealand for a few years, I have found that the country is at once approachable and aloof. Such mindset is not easily explained, but it is something I feel. The longer I stay overseas, the more I miss my homeland. East or West, home is best. China is always the place which haunts my mind days and nights, a promised land full of energy and vitality.

在新西兰生活数年后，我发现这个国家既可亲，又陌生。这种心态只能意会，难以言谈。我在国外待得愈久，愈加思念自己的祖国。真是金窝银窝，不如自家的草窝。中国永远是令我魂牵梦系的地方，是一片充满希望和活力的土地。（完）