全通翻譯/翻譯社

◎陳成良

British landmark Big Ben is leaning to such an extent that the tilt can now be seen with the naked eye, according to a report commissioned by London Underground and the Parliamentary Estates Department.

英國的地標性建築「大鵬鐘」（Big Ben）正逐漸傾斜，傾斜角度如今肉眼可見，據倫敦地鐵公司與國會房產管理部門委託調查的報告指出。

The 96 meter high clock tower of the Houses of Parliament is sinking unevenly into the ground, causing it to lean towards the northwest.

高96米的國會大廈鐘樓目前下陷程度不均，導致其向西北方向傾斜。

“The tilt is now visible. You can see it if you stand on Parliament Square and look east, towards the river. I have heard tourists there taking photographs saying ‘I don’t think it is quite vertical’ - and they are quite right,” emeritus professor and senior research investigator at Imperial College, London, John Burland, told the Sunday Telegraph.

「目前傾斜角度肉眼可見。若你站在國會廣場朝東邊河流望去，就可見到傾斜。我聽過在那裡拍照的遊客說『我覺得它不太垂直』—他們說的沒錯」，倫敦帝國學院名譽教授、高級研究員伯蘭德告訴《週日電訊報》。

The level of the tilt has accelerated since 2003, increasing to 0.9 mm a year, compared to the long-term average rate of 0.65 mm a year, the report revealed. These levels are not considered to be unsafe.

相較於長期以來平均每年偏移0.65毫米的速率，傾斜程度從2003年加速，每年偏移達到0.9毫米，該報導揭露。這種偏移程度還不致有危險。

At current rates, it would take 4,000 years before the tower is as slanted as the Leaning Tower of Pisa which leans by four degrees and is around 12ft off the vertical.

以目前速度來看，大鵬鐘要像比薩斜塔一樣傾斜要花4000年。比薩斜塔的傾斜度為4度，已經偏離垂直位置約12英尺。

新聞辭典

landmark：名詞，（顯而易見的）地標；陸標。例句：The church on the hilltop was a well-known landmark.（山頂上那座教堂是著名的地標。）

emeritus：形容詞，（有時置於名詞後）名譽退休的；保留頭銜而退休的。an emeritus professor = a professor emeritus（名譽教授）。

slanted：形容詞，傾斜的；帶有偏見的。例句：This is a slanted report. （這是一篇帶有偏見的報導。）