保障性住房

句子：我們必須加快保障性住房建設，以解決低收入家庭的住房困難。

誤譯：We must speed up the construction of protective housing so as to tackle the difficulty in housing for low-income families.

正譯：We must speed up the construction of indemnificatory housing so as to tackle the difficulty in housing for low-income families.

解釋：housing 的第一個意思是houses, flats, etc. for people to live in，即“人的住房”。housing 的第二個意思是a hard cover that protects part of a machine，即“機器部件的外殼”。雖然to protect有“保障”的意思，但是protective housing的意思不是“保障性住房”，而是“防護箱”。比如，protective housing for a battery in a car的意思是“汽車蓄電池保護器”。保障性住房，可譯為indemnificatory housing。indemnificatory 的意思是protective against damage or loss, esp. in the form of a promise to pay for any that happens，即“補償性的”。例如：1. 保障性住房包括廉租住房、經濟適用住房和政策性租賃住房。Indemnificatory housing consists of low-rent housing, affordable housing and policy-regulated rental housing.

“保障”的第一個意思是“保護生命、財產和權利等，使不受侵犯和破壞”，作動詞用。可以譯為 to ensure, to protect。例如：2. 這項法律旨在保障全體公民的合法權益。This law is designed to protect the legitimate rights of all citizens.

“保障”的第二個意思是“確保，使充分實現”，作動詞用。可譯為 to guarantee。例如：3. 我們要盡一切努力保障農產品供給，以穩定其價格。We must make every effort to guarantee the supply of agricultural products, so as to steady their prices.

“保障”的第三個意思是“起保障作用的事物”，作名詞用。可譯為guarantee, assurance, safeguard。例如：4. 我們需要更強有力的法律保障來保護消費者。We need stronger legal safeguards to protect the consumers.▲

（本欄目供稿：王逢鑫教授）