Should countries have an official language? There is no easy answer. People risk going out on a limb answering such a question. They could also be walking on thin ice. To go out on a limb means to express an unpopular opinion not supported by others. To walk on thin ice means doing something that is risky or could cause unpleasant consequences. Most people have very strong opinions about whether their government should have an official language. This is especially true in countries with large immigrant populations, such as America, Canada, Britain, and parts of Europe.
That’s why people risk going out on a limb if they support or oppose an official language in the country where they live. There is no such risk if you live in countries such as China, where most people use the official Putonghua dialect. India’s official languages are Hindi and English. Canada’s official languages are English and French. The push and pull of whether the US should have an official language has sparked a fierce and emotional debate for decades. The expression “push and pull” used this way means moving in opposite directions.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week making English the official language. It was just symbolic because the order still allows government agencies to provide services and documents in other languages. But the America First and English-only movements claimed victory. Pro-immigration groups criticized Trump’s decision. The US has a population of 340 million. About 80 percent of Americans speak only English at home, but the US has over 40 million Spanish speakers and three million Chinese speakers.
各個國家應該都設立官方語言嗎？這個問題不容易答。人們要回答這道問題，都要冒着going out on a limb的風險，也可能是如履薄冰（walking on thin ice）。To go out on a limb是指去表達一個不受歡迎、得不到其他人認同的意見；to walk on thin ice是指去做一樣危險的事情，又或會引起令人不快的後果。大多數人對於他們的政府是否應該有官方語言，都有非常強烈的意見。這對於有大量移民人口的國家而言，尤其真實，例如美國、加拿大、英國和部分歐洲國家。
因此，要是人們在自己所居住的國家支持或反對一個官方語言，是冒着力排眾議、孤立無援（going out on a limb）的風險。若你是住在像中國的國家，就沒有這樣的風險，因為大部分人都是說官方的普通話。印度的官方語言是印地語和英語，加拿大的官方語言是英語和法語。美國是否應該設立官方語言的拉鋸（push and pull），幾十年來已經引發了激烈和情緒化的爭辯。習語push and pull在這裏是指在兩個相反的意見中往返，來回拉鋸。
美國總統唐納德．特朗普上星期簽署了行政命令，將英語指定為官方語言。這是象徵性的，因為這個命令仍然容許政府機構以其他語言提供服務和文件。然而，美國優先和唯英語運動宣稱獲勝。親移民的群體則批評特朗普的決定。美國有3億4000萬人口，約8成美國人在家裏只講英語，但美國有超過4000萬操西班牙語的人，和300萬操華語的人。
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MichaelChugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻
