又中又英｜Uncharted territory

History will be made on July 11 when a New York judge sentences former President Donald Trump for falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal. A jury found Trump guilty of falsifying records involving hush money he paid to a porn star for sex. A porn star is someone who performs extreme sexual acts in movies or videos. Hush money is money paid to people for not revealing something embarrassing, such as a sex scandal, to others. An article in the New York Times said it would be uncharted territory if Judge Juan Merchan sentences Trump to jail.

Uncharted territory refers to a new and unknown area that has not been mapped, but it can also mean something that has not happened before. Trump going to jail will be uncharted territory because US law requires the Secret Service, a government agency that protects top political leaders and their families, to protect him around the clock. Secret Service agents will have to separate him from other prisoners and make sure his food is safe. But it is not an urgent problem yet for the Secret Service because Trump is sure to appeal his conviction all the way to the Supreme Court.

Imprisonment is not compulsory for falsifying records. Judge Merchan can sentence Trump to probation. But that would cause the embarrassing situation of a former president having to report regularly to a civil servant about his travel plans and other personal things. It would be equally embarrassing for Trump to be sentenced to community service. The least embarrassing outcome for Trump is for the judge to order him to pay a fine.

当纽约法官就前美国总统唐纳德‧特朗普伪造商业纪录以掩饰性丑闻一案，于七月十一日判刑的时候，将会创造历史。陪审团裁定，特朗普涉及向色情电影女星（porn star）就性关系支付封口费（hush money）而伪造文书的罪名成立。A porn star就是在色情电影或影片中演出激烈性行为的影星。Hush money是封口费，用来叫人不要向别人披露一件尴尬的事，例如性丑闻。《纽约时报》一篇文章指，若法官胡安‧默尚判处特朗普入狱，那就将是 uncharted territory。

Uncharted territory解作全新和无人涉足、在地图上未标明的领域，但它也可以解作一样从未发生过的事情。特朗普入狱将会是前所未有的境地（uncharted territory），因为美国法律会要求特勤局（Secret Service）——一个保护最高政治领袖及其亲属的政府机构——去二十四小时保护他。特勤局特工将会需要将他与其他囚犯隔离，及确保他的食物是安全进食的。然而，这还不是特勤局（Secret Service）的当务之急，因为特朗普一定会就自己的定罪上诉，并一直上诉至美国最高法院。

伪造文书并不一定会判处监禁。法官默尚可以判处特朗普缓刑，但这会令这一位前总统陷入一个尴尬的处境，就是需要定时向一位公务员汇报自己的外游计划及其他个人行程。若特朗普被判社会服务令，亦是同等的尴尬。对特朗普来说最不尴尬的结果，就是下令他付罚款。

 
mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻

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