The Foot in Mouth Award 不知所云奖
[audio]http://file.24en.com/bbc/tae/assets_2531709/bbc_tae_242_foot_in_mouth_au_bb.mp3[/audio][color=#3f3f3f][font=Verdana, 宋体, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=12px][p=21, 2, left]When did you last look around a corner? Did you do it thoroughly?[/p][p=21, 2, left]If you think that question is a little odd, you’re not alone. Every year the Plain English Campaign collects[b]perplexing[/b] examples of English usage as part of a drive for language that everyone can understand.[/p][p=21, 2, left]In an annual awards ceremony, the Campaign highlights [b]jargon[/b] and[b]gobbledegook[/b] used by [b]official bodies[/b] in their [b]literature[/b]. They also give someone [b]in the public eye[/b] a "Foot in Mouth" award for making the most[b]baffling[/b] remark of the year.[/p][p=21, 2, left]This year that [b]dubious honour[/b] goes to one of the most powerful people in Britain: Lord Mandelson, the government’s Business Secretary. He earned the [b]black mark[/b] for these comments, which he made in May:[/p][p=21, 2, left]"Perhaps we need not more people looking round more corners, but the same people looking round more corners more thoroughly to avoid the small things [b]detracting[/b] from the big things the Prime Minister is getting right."[/p][p=21, 2, left]Although his meaning is unclear, Mandelson’s remarks appear to be a classic example of [b]a metaphor[/b][b] being stretched that little bit too far[/b].[/p][p=21, 2, left]The Campaign also awarded the Department of Health a Golden Bull Award for describing an [b]initiative[/b] as "refocusing [b]upstream[/b] to stop people falling in the waters of disease". Eh?[/p][float=right][img=226,170]http://www.24en.com/d/file/bbc/bbc2/2009-12-10/855075f19d18f9626e697d80d3fb1daf.jpg[/img][p=30, 2, left]Lord Mandelson is known for his expertise in communication[/p][/float]
[p=21, 2, left]American Airlines were also [b]rapped[/b]for sending a passenger a "property irregularity receipt". "Property irregularity" is code for lost luggage. The Plain English Campaign described this as "an[b]acknowledgement[/b] sent to a passenger that avoids the real problem of lost luggage".[/p][p=21, 2, left]For many [b]Brits[/b], Peter Mandelson’s[b]accolade[/b] has an especially sweet irony. For years he was the government’s top [b]spin doctor[/b]. People including Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have [b]turned to[/b] Mandelson when looking for the right way to phrase things.[/p][p=21, 2, left]What hope is there for English language learners when even [b]renowned[/b]masters of communication make a mess of things?[/p][/size][/font][/color]
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