Joe:

Did you watch the fencing competition I told you about last night?

(你昨晚有看我跟你说的剑击比赛吗？)

Sam:

Yes. But I lost interest after about 5 minutes because I didn’t get what it’s about.

(有，但看了约五分钟有失去兴趣了，因为我看不懂。)

Joe:

Oh. I forgot you’re more into taekwondo.

(喔，我忘了你比较喜欢跆拳道。)

Sam:

Hey! Maybe you can give me a fencing 101. Then I can get a better idea.

(嘿，也许你可以跟我说剑击大概是啥，这样我会看得比较懂。)

Joe:

Sure. To start with, you should know there are three forms of fencing, foil, épée and sabre.

(没问题。首先，你要知道剑击有分三种：钝剑、锐剑和军刀。)

Sam:

Three? I thought there’s only one kind of fencing. How are they different from one another?

(三种？我以为只有一种，那有甚么不同呢？)

Joe:

Basically, there are different kinds of weapons. Each weapon has its own rules. Here, let me show you the picture.

(基本上，它们是三种不同的武器，每一个武器都有自己的规则，我秀图片给你看)

Sam:

I see.

(原来如此。)

Joe:

In foil, the target is the trunk of the body, not the arms or legs. In sabre, the target is the entire body above the waist while in épée, it is the entire body.

(比钝剑时，目标是身躯，不是手臂或腿；比军刀时，目标是腰部以上；比锐剑时，全身都是目标。)

Sam:

So, as long as I hit the target area with my sword, I can score a point?

(所以只要我的剑有打到目标，就有分数？)

Joe:

Yes and no. For foil and épée, points are scored only with the tip of the sword. But for sabre, the side of the blade also counts.

(算对，也算不对。钝剑和锐剑的话，必须要剑的尖端才算得分；军刀的话，刀锋和尖端都算。)

Sam:

But those fencers move very fast in competitions. How does a judge count their scores?

(但那些剑击士在比赛动作都很快，裁判要怎么算他们的分数。)

Joe:

That’s why they all wear electrically conductive jackets over their fencing jackets. Those jackets are wired to detect hits.

(那就是为何他们都会在剑击上衣外，再套一件导电的上衣，来侦测攻击。)

Sam:

I see. Is it difficult to get into fencing?

(原来如此，那学剑击很难吗？)

Joe:

Well, it certainly takes practice, but it’s very beneficial physically and intellectually.

(嗯，的确是需要练习，但剑击对身体和头脑都很有益。)

Sam:

I get the physical benefits, but intellectually?

(对身体有益，我能了解，但对头脑也有益？)

Joe:

Well, that’s because fencers need to make a quick decision on the spot when they lunge at each other or try to parry an attack.

(那是因为剑击士需要当场做出立即的决定，像是长刺或拨挡攻击。)

Sam:

Parry an attack?

(拨挡攻击？)

Joe:

Parrying an attack means blocking or deflecting an attack in fencing.

(拨挡攻击指的是在剑击时，阻挡或转移攻击。)

Sam:

Wow. You do know a thing or two about fencing. Now I have a better understanding. Thanks!

(哇，你真的很懂剑击耶，现在我有比较懂了，谢啦。)

Joe:

Anytime.

(不客气。)

competition

比赛

target

目标

trunk

身躯、躯干

score a point

得分

tip

尖端

blade

刀锋、刀片

electrically conductive

导电的

detect

侦测

lunge

长刺；向前跨出弓步进行的长距离攻击

parry

拨挡；将对手正在进行的攻击弹开。西洋剑中最基本的手部防御动作