Donald Trump has roiled global politics even before he is sworn in as America’s next president on January 20. The word “roil” has many meanings. If someone roils another person, it means that person makes the other person very angry. If a storm roils the ocean, it means the storm makes the ocean waters move quickly in a rough and twisting way. To roil global politics means to destabilize or disturb global politics. Trump roiled global politics with threats to take back control of the Panama Canal, buy or invade Greenland, and to use economic pressure to make Canada the 51st US state.
Trump is a mercurial leader. A mercurial leader is an unpredictable leader whose mood or behavior changes very quickly. The leaders of Panama, Greenland, and Canada have made clear they will not bow to Trump’s threats. Panama’s president said the canal belongs to Panama, not the US. Greenland is a part of Denmark but has a high degree of autonomy. The leaders of Denmark and Greenland brushed off Trump’s threat and said Greenland is not for sale. To brush off used this way means to bluntly reject or dismiss something or someone.
Canada’s outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was even more blunt in rejecting Trump’s threat to make his country the 51st US state. He said there “isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell” that Canada would become part of the US. If there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of something happening, it means there is absolutely no possibility it will happen. I cannot see the US invading Panama or Greenland or forcing Canada to become part of the US.
唐納德‧特朗普在1月20日宣誓就任美國下任總統之前，已經攪渾了全球政局（roiled global politics）。Roil一字有許多意思，若某人 roils另一人，意即他觸怒了另一個人，令其非常憤怒；若是 a storm roils the ocean，意即風暴令海水翻騰、波濤洶湧。To roil global politics則是去攪動或擾亂全球的政治。特朗普威脅要重奪巴拿馬運河的控制權，買回或入侵格陵蘭島，以及用經濟壓力迫使加拿大成為美國第51個州，在在攪亂了全球的政局（roiled global politics）。
特朗普是個 mercurial leader——a mercurial leader是一個心情或行為易變、反覆無常的領袖。巴拿馬、格陵蘭島以及加拿大的領袖紛紛表明，他們不會向特朗普的威脅屈服。巴拿馬的總統說，運河是屬於巴拿馬的，不是美國的。格陵蘭島是丹麥的一部分，但有高度自治權。丹麥和格陵蘭島的領袖都斷然拒絕（brushed off）特朗普的威脅，說格陵蘭是非賣品。To brush off在這裏是指斷然拒絕或不搭理某人或某事。
即將卸任的加拿大總理賈斯汀‧杜魯多拒絕特朗普威脅將他的國家成為美國第51州時，更為直率，他說加拿大要成為美國的一部分，there “isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell”。要是there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of something happening，意即事情會發生的機會為零，就如在地獄裏不可能出現雪球一樣。我不覺得美國會攻下巴拿馬或格陵蘭島，又或強逼加拿大歸入美國國土。
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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻
