李阳和学生，究竟谁在帮助谁？
Who Helps Who
By Chun Yu Jinzhang/淳于金章
Comment on “The loud speaker” with a big picture (the OLYMPIAN, China Daily, March 14, 2008).
评2008年3月14日《中国日报》奥运版的大幅图片中的宣讲人。
In the picture accompanying the article, Mr. Li Yang, the founder of Crazy English, is shouting English in a large hall, holding high a book over his head and a big trumpet to his mouth. Behind Li Yang are numerous pupils of about 9 years old shouting in chorus with him, books also high over their heads. Obviously, this spectacle is particularly designed for a commercial show.
在这张图片中，疯狂英语的创始者李阳先生正站在一个大厅中，手中高举着一本书，对着话筒在狂喊，身后是一大群九岁左右的小学生与他同喊，手中的书同样也高举过头顶。如此夸张的场面明显是为商业宣传而做的创意设计。
What impresses me most is that there are two slogans on the hall walls, both bilingual in Chinese and English. One reads: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence”. Logically and rhetorically, I think this is such a poor sentence as will surely make native speakers of English laugh up their sleeves. The Chinese version of the slogan is equally inscrutable. But that is excusable, as I believe some native speakers of Chinese and English may occasionally make similar mistakes when using their mother tongues. What is totally unacceptable is the other slogan, which reads: “I can help countless people!” Dear me! Who do you think you are? God, Jesus or Sakyamuni? According to my limited knowledge, such a saying can only be voiced by those the supreme. How dare an ordinary person utter the same!
但让我感到震惊的是大厅墙上悬挂的两幅英汉双语的标语，。一副写着:“世界上没有任何东西能够代替坚持。”无论是从逻辑上还是从修辞上，这句话都应是病句。而其英文译句也足以使以英语为母语的人窃笑。不过这是可以谅解的，因为我相信任何使用母语的人，犯点错误也是司空见惯的事。最让人无法容忍的是第二幅标语：“我能帮助无数的人！”天哪！亲爱的李阳先生，你认为自己是谁？是上帝，耶稣，还是释迦摩尼？恕本人孤陋寡闻，据我所知，只有至高无上的上帝才可以说出这样的话。一个凡人怎能如此狂妄！
Times are different now. This is a world no longer in want of people who often play themselves as the Savior. Are they silly, frantic or simply bold? Whatsoever you think is not important. But what is important and intolerable to me is that, as everybody knows, the books in the hands of the pupils in the picture are produced and sold by Mr. Li Yang’s company! So actually Li Yang is nothing but a bookseller. Pupils there have been mercilessly and innocently made use of as his stage property to attract more book buyers. Sellers and buyers, I could not help but ask Mr. Li who helps who, and who the God is!
时代真的是不同了。当今世界有许多想把自己打扮成救世主的人。他们究竟是愚蠢，疯狂，或仅仅是胆大？无论你怎么认为都无所谓。而真正有所谓且让人不能不澄清的是，众所周知，那群小学生手中高举的书却是李阳先生的公司生产的！李阳在这张照片中，实际上就是一个书贩子，而这群无辜的小学生实际上是被他无情利用的舞台道具，其目的只是为吸引更多的人来买他的书。卖方和买方，我不禁要问李阳先生，究竟是谁在帮助谁，究竟谁是上帝！