News Item -美式英语开始在香港流行

People in Hong Kong speak a rich mixture of languages. Hong Kong was a British colony for more than 150 years before was returned to Chinese control in 1997. English was the only official language until 1994.
香港人讲多种语言。香港曾沦为英国殖民地长达 150 多年，1997 年才回归中国。在 1994 年之前，英语是唯一的官方语言。

Most people in Hong Kong today speak Cantonese(粤语), but Mandarin and other dialects also are heard, and English as the British used it is still widely spoken and taught here. Now however, many people are choosing to learn English as it is spoken in the United States.
今天，大多数香港人讲粤语，但也能听到普通话和其他方言，英国人使用的英语仍在这里广泛使用和教授。不过，现在很多人选择学习美国人说的英语。

Victor Chan, for example, has children who attend a school called Nature EQ on Saturday and Sunday, they are learning to say words the American way. Mr. Chan says he wants his sons to learn American English, because he plans to send them to the United States for further study.
例如，Victor Chan的孩子在一所名为 "自然情商"（Nature EQ）的学校上学，每周六和周日，他们都在学习用美国方式说单词。陈先生说，他希望自己的儿子学习美式英语，因为他打算送他们去美国深造。

Student Sam Yu has another reason for studying English spoken in the American way.
学生 Sam Yu 学习美式英语还有另一个原因。

“The thing is getting more and more important, and maybe it’s taking over the dominance(主导)of British English.
他说："这件事越来越重要，也许它正在取代英式英语的主导地位。

Yes. So I’m willing to learn.”
是的，所以我愿意学习。

Public schools in the former British colony still teach mostly British English. But the number of private language schools teaching American English is growing.
前英国殖民地的公立学校仍然主要教授英式英语。但教授美式英语的私立语言学校数量正在增加。

Some observers say American English is becoming the language of international business. Increased contact with American culture, like movies, television programs, computer games and the Internet is spreading American expressions and accents in areas other than business.
一些观察家说，美式英语正在成为国际商务语言。与美国文化的接触越来越多，如电影、电视节目、电脑游戏和互联网，使美国的表达方式和口音在商业以外的领域传播开来。

Language teachers in Hong Kong say wealthy people who live in mainland China are helping to increase the demand for classes in American English. Mainland Chinese are crossing into Hong Kong because it has more educational choices.
香港的语言教师说，居住在中国大陆的富人正在帮助增加对美式英语课程的需求。中国大陆人正在进入香港，因为香港有更多的教育选择。

But for now, people hearing English in the streets of Hong Kong are mainly hearing traditional British English.
但目前，人们在香港街头听到的英语主要是传统的英式英语。