最近在臺灣社群媒體上,「霹靂力矩」成了一個被大量討論的流行語。乍看之下,它像是某種很厲害的物理名詞,但其實這是一個諧音梗,來自英文privilege。這篇文章,我們就從「霹靂力矩」出發,來學幾個很實用的單字與片語,並理解如何用英文來描述這種「看不見的優勢」。
privilege常見的意思包括「特權、優勢、特別待遇、榮幸」等,常用來描述不是單靠努力所得到的優勢 (advantages people have without earning them through effort alone),這類用法在討論教育、職涯或社會議題時特別常見。
- He grew up with certain privileges that he didn’t notice at first.
他在成長過程中擁有某些優勢,但一開始並沒有察覺。
- Access to good education is still a privilege for some people.
能接受良好的教育,對某些人來說仍然是一種特權。
- I consider it a privilege to work with such a dedicated team.
我認為能和這麼投入的團隊一起工作是一種榮幸。
以下這些片語,都可以用來表達與出身、背景或起跑點有關的優勢:
- be born into... 出生在某種家庭或環境中
She was born into a family with more resources.
她出生在一個資源比較多的家庭。
- have a head start 比別人早起跑、有先天優勢
He had a head start long before others began their careers.
在其他人開始職涯之前,他早就有了先行的優勢。
- be born on third base 一出生就站在三壘(家世背景好、含金湯匙出生)
這個片語來自於棒球,當你站在三壘,離得分就只有一步之遠,常用來形容一個人出生時就擁有非常有利的條件,幾乎已接近成功,但本人可能以為是靠自己努力而來的,因此帶有評價和諷刺的意味。
Some people are born on third base and think they achieved everything on their own.
有些人一出生就站在三壘,卻以為一切都是靠自己完成的。
- be ahead of others 領先於人
Because of the resources he received from a young age, he was already ahead of others when he entered the job market.
因為他從小就接觸到各種資源,當他進入職場時,早已走在別人的前頭。
- something comes easily to someone 某事對某人來說輕而易舉
Success seemed to come easily to him, not because he worked harder than anyone else, but because he had a network of opportunities.
他的成功似乎來得輕而易舉,不是因為他比任何人都更努力,而是因為他擁有廣泛的人脈資源。
- on a different starting line 站在不同的起跑線上
We may all work hard to achieve our goals, but we are on a different starting line, with some of us growing up in environments that encourage learning and open doors that others rarely encounter.
我們或許都很努力地追求目標,但我們站在不同的起跑線上,有些人成長在鼓勵學習的環境中,並遇到其他人很少能遇到的機會。
「霹靂力矩」之所以引起共鳴,是因為它點出許多人在校園或職場中都曾感受到,卻不一定說得出口的經驗。透過privilege以及相關片語,我們學會用語言去描述那些看不見、卻真實存在的起跑差異,也讓我們理解世界的方式更加清楚一些。