問：一段英國新聞說：Murderers should not always get life sentences, says former lord chief justice, because some killers may have been "at the end of their tether"。句末的at the end of their tether是什麼意思？
答：謹先把這一句翻譯如下：「前首席法官說，謀殺犯不應一律判處終身監禁，因為殺人或是『無可奈何』的結果。」Tether是拴牲畜的繩索，牲畜走到繩索容許的盡頭（end），就不能向前再走半步，所以，at the end of one's tether指「計窮力竭」或「無可奈何」，例如：（1）His melancholy expression and gloomy silence told me that he was near the end of his tether（看他垂頭喪氣默不作聲，我知道他已幾乎計窮力竭）。（2）He was at the end of his financial tether and very close to bankruptcy（他經濟上已是末路窮途，快要破產）。
問：「×先生在表格上寫因私人理由而要求調職」這一句，譯做英文，以下那個選擇較好？──Mr X cited / put down in the form personal reasons as the reason for transfer。
答：讀者那一句是說「×先生在表格上說調職是因為私人理由」，沒有譯出「要求調職」的意思；而personal reasons as the reason這說法，頗嫌累贅，reason和reasons的單複數形式也不統一。我會改譯如下：Mr X asked for a transfer, citing on the form personal reasons。留意「在表格上」多說on the form，較少說in the form。