VOA慢速英语206 喀麦隆律师、教师罢工 要求增加使用英语

Lawyers, Teachers in Cameroon Strike for More English 喀麦隆律师、教师罢工 要求增加使用英语

Protests over the English language in Cameroon have grown violent.

喀麦隆对使用英语的抗议活动越来越剧烈。

A strike, called to increase the use of English, has spread to schools and universities in English-speaking areas.

一项旨在扩大英语使用范围的罢工已经扩散到讲英语地区的中小学和大学。

Lawyers and teachers, supported by young people, refused to call off the strike as protesters clashed with members of the military.

在年轻人的支持下，律师和教师拒绝因为抗议者与军队成员发生冲突而取消罢工行动。

The governor of Cameroon's North-West Region says at least one person has been killed in the clashes. “Investigations are ongoing 1 to establish the responsibilities,” said governor Adolphe Lele L'Afrique Deben Tchoffo.

喀麦隆西北地区的州长说，冲突中至少有一人丧生。 “正在进行调查以确定责任，”州长阿多尔夫·勒勒·拉夫里克·德本·特楚弗说。

But media reports suggest that as many as four people were killed.

但媒体报道称，多达4人被杀。

The protesters are demanding greater rights for English speakers in a country that has both English and French as official languages.

抗议者要求在英语和法语均为官方语言的国家里，英语使用者应该享有更多权利。

The roots of the strike

罢工的原因

The current strike has created more debate – and caused more concern – among government officials and local rulers than any other issue in recent years.

与近年来的其他问题相比，本次罢工在政府官员和地方统治者中引发更多的争论，并引起了更多的关注。

The roots of this strike go deep.

这次罢工的原因由来已久。

English speakers make up about 20 percent of Cameroon's population. The constitution says that English and French – languages that come from the colonial period – should be equally important. However, many official documents are written only in French. Some government ministers give speeches in French, even in English-speaking areas.

以英语为母语的人占喀麦隆总人口的20％左右。宪法说，从殖民时代开始使用的英语和法语地位同样重要。但是，许多官方文件只用法语编写。一些政府部长即使在讲英语的地区也用法语发表演讲。

No English speaker has held an important position, such as minister of defense 2, finance, or territorial 3 administration, in Cameroon's nearly 60-year history as an independent country.

在喀麦隆成为独立国家的近60年中，没有任何英语母语者担任重要职务，例如国防、财政或领土行政部长。

Lawyers and the Government

律师和政府

Lawyers have been at the front of the strike. Harmony Bogda, spokesperson for the striking lawyers, says that after discussions lasting 4 72 hours, lawyers left with the idea that the government does not want to listen to them. As such, Bogda says, the strike will continue.

律师一直领导着罢工。罢工群体的律师发言人哈蒙·博格达说，在长达72小时的讨论后，律师们认为政府不想听取他们的意见。因此，博格达说，罢工将继续。

Ben Muna is a lawyer and a member of the Cameroon Bar Council Association. He says his colleagues are angry because security forces increased tensions and beat them for demonstrating peacefully.

本·穆纳是一名律师，也是喀麦隆律师理事会协会的成员。他说，他的同事们生气，因为安全部队加剧了紧张局势并且打压他们的和平示威。

Communication minister and government spokesperson Issa Tchiroma says the government is unable to approve some of the requests. He says the lawyers are responsible for the recent violence in English-speaking areas.

通信部长和政府发言人伊萨·齐罗玛说，政府无法批准其中的一些请求。他说，律师们要对英语地区最近的暴力事件负有责任。

"Those who are responsible for such abuses must know that nowhere in the world, disorder 5 has ever led to anything constructive 6. We therefore call on all our compatriots to show proof of reserve, self-control, high sense of responsibility and citizenship 7 in a spirit of dialogue."

“那些对这种侵权行为负有责任的人必须知道，世界上没有任何地方的混乱能引起建设性的影响。因此，我们呼吁所有的同胞保持缄默、自我控制、高度的责任感和对话时的公民意识。”

Schools have remained closed since the clashes started last Monday.

自从上星期一发生冲突以来，学校一直处于关闭状态。

Words in This Story

degenerate 8 – v. to become worse

colleague – n. a person who works with you

region – n. an area or territory

spokesperson – n. a man or women who claims to represent and speak for others

constructive – adj. helpful