紐時賞析／數千外國人入伍助烏攻俄 不只為錢還有使命感

Fighting in the Forest Beside‘My True Family’

外籍兵團對烏克蘭有「家」的感覺

The bullet-scarred pickups raced the sunrise along a rough dirt road wending through a dense pine forest. Multiple languages were spoken by the men inside them — Ukrainian, Brazilian, Colombian, Polish — but few words. It was not a moment for small talk.

彈痕累累的皮卡車在日出時分沿著塵土飛揚的崎嶇道路，穿越茂密的針葉林。車裡的人說著多種語言，其中有烏克蘭人、巴西人、哥倫比亞人和波蘭人。但他們很少說話，因為這不是閒聊的時機。

They had come to fight Russians.

他們是來與俄羅斯人作戰的。

The trucks barely came to a halt to discharge their passengers before speeding off again. Armed drones might appear overhead at any moment, and so as the men continued on foot, they, too, did so with urgency.

卡車勉強停下來讓乘客們下車，又立刻加速行駛。武裝無人機隨時可能出現在他們的頭頂，因此這些人繼續以步行前進時，他們也很急促。

The soldiers of the International Legion had arrived.

國際兵團的軍人到了。

The path of the soldiers, among thousands of foreign fighters who signed up to help Ukraine after Russia invaded, told a story of war.

俄國入侵後，數以千計外籍戰士報名協助烏克蘭，他們的路途訴說戰爭的故事。

The Serebrianka Forest in eastern Ukrainian was badly scarred from months of fighting. Many of the trees and plants that sustained them had been toppled and burned by artillery, mortars and tank fire.

烏東塞雷布良卡森林因數月的戰鬥傷痕累累。許多樹木和支撐它們的植物被大砲、迫擊砲和戰車火力打倒和燒毀。

As the men walked, they saw bomb craters, some old, others so fresh that a green confetti of shredded leaves lay underfoot. They passed a makeshift cross, two sticks crudely bound together, marking where a Ukrainian soldier had stepped on a mine.

隨著一行人持續行走，他們看到炸彈坑；有些是舊的，有些非常新，可以看到腳下鋪滿像是綠色五彩碎紙的樹葉碎屑。他們經過一個臨時搭建的十字架，兩根棍子簡陋的綁在一起，代表一名烏國軍人踩到地雷的地方。

Then they were there: the snow-dusted trench line that would be home for their rotation.

然後他們到達目的地：被白雪覆蓋的戰壕線，將是他們輪值期間的家。

Led by their Ukrainian commander, Tsygan, the International Legion soldiers answered with a barrage of their own, and the incoming and outgoing small-arms fire made for a confused, staccato orchestra.

在他們的烏克蘭指揮官齊甘帶領下，國際兵團軍人用他們的砲火回擊俄軍，來襲的和還擊的輕武器砲火形成一支混亂、斷斷續續的管弦樂團。

In many respects, the position had a feeling of timelessness.

在許多方面而言，這個狀況有種會永久持續下去的感覺。

A network of dugouts and log-covered bunkers was linked together by a crude labyrinth of hand-dug trenches, some strung with camouflage netting. Ahead was nothing but Russian soldiers.

防空網和木材覆蓋的掩體，由手工挖掘壕溝形成的簡陋迷宮連結，有些還掛著偽裝網。前方什麼都沒有，只有俄軍。

Snow, rain, wind and war crumble the trenches and bunkers that help keep soldiers alive in this war. In the lulls between fighting, the soldiers constantly fortify, repair and deepen them.

雪、雨、風和戰火，毀壞讓軍人在這場戰爭活下來的戰壕和掩體。在戰鬥間的平靜時刻，軍人不斷加強、修復並加深它們。

There are many reasons a foreigner might enlist to fight a war that has nothing to do with him.

讓一個外國人入伍參與一場和他無關的戰爭，有很多原因。

One, of course, is money. The open-ended contracts in Ukraine pay, on average, about $2,500 a month, a tempting sum for some of the men who came there from countries with few good economic opportunities for them.

原因之一當然是錢。烏克蘭的無期限合約，平均每月支付2500美元，對於一些來自良好經濟機會不多國家的男性而言，這是個誘人的數目。

Yes, the pay is appealing, soldier Konrad 13, but so was feeling a sense of purpose.

軍人康拉德13表示，薪酬的確有吸引力，但使命感也是。

It was over an hour before Tsygan cleared his men to venture into the open space separating them from the trenches and a moment of peace.

一個多小時後，齊甘讓自己的人馬冒險進入將他們與戰壕隔開的空地，享受片刻和平。

Before it was time to return to the fight.

在重返戰鬥的時刻到來之前。

文／Tyler Hicks　譯／羅方妤

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【張佑生】

美國國會通過610億美元援助烏克蘭款項，讓世人目光由加薩轉回烏克蘭，紐時記者專程去了一趟烏克蘭東部，以抒情筆調報導外籍戰士的心境。原文並未使用拿錢辦事的mercenary一詞，所以不逕譯為傭兵，合先敘明。所謂「相逢何必曾相識」，導言裡面的small talk指的就是跟不熟的人寒暄，話題無關緊要：She was good at making small talk to put guests at their ease.注意是不可數名詞。

作者屢屢運用短句，在段落間進行起承轉合，控制文章節奏，技法值得觀摩。大篇幅寫景，也很有視覺感。雙方交戰砲火零星，像是staccato orchestra。這個字原指音樂的斷斷續續，或是「斷奏」，可延伸至其他方面：She gave staccato replies to every question.在這裡意思是「支支吾吾」。

Venture有「明知山有虎，偏向虎山行」的意味，像是硬著頭皮上戰場。Venture into接某項活動時，指該活動性質對當事人有別以往，存在失敗的風險：He enjoyed little success when he ventured into business.