Bill Chang’s life story is the story of the last 100 years of human history.
Born in eastern China in 1929, Bill has seen and done it all. From an impoverished but joyful childhood in Shandong province to his twilight years in the US—via a decorated career in the military—he has been at the forefront of world events.
Now in his 90s, Bill has gifted the world this fascinating, thrilling, yet humble memoir. Combining personal anecdotes with the sweep of 20th century history, he regales us with tales of perilous journeys during the civil war, magical fruit-picking afternoons, ferocious artillery battles, and heartwarming reunions.
Bill always had a talent for English, developing his passion at school and then honing his skills in the army. He also taught English and edited several reference books, and was an inspiration for renowned educator Peter Lai. Bill has enthralled his students for decades. Let him enthrall you, too.
本書的中文字句優美、引人入勝；張老師親自做的英文翻譯則是精準到位、如行雲流水，我在校閱過程中感覺非常輕鬆而愉快。另外，我們特地聘請了專業錄音老師 Brian Foden 來朗讀英文，希望能夠幫助讀者提升聽力、沉浸在精彩的故事情節裡。這本感人的傳記，是可以幫助你在英文翻譯與聽力上，大幅提升意境與功力的。
祝福各位學習順利！更祝福我最尊敬的張為麟老師身體健康！ 精神愉快！
In 1973, I attended the Officers’ Language School, and I shall be forever grateful that Mr. Chang was there to teach us English. By imbuing us with his passion for the language, Mr. Chang showed us how to appreciate good writing. When he taught us, he placed particular emphasis on collocation—that is, the combination of words. This has benefited us greatly and has also had a huge influence on my own teaching methods. At that time, though, I still didn’t fully realize how extensive Mr. Chang’s knowledge was.
Years later, when I participated in the Asia-Pacific Film Festival and the Double Tenth Festival with Mr. Chang, as a translator and interpreter, I saw his real talents. His “simultaneous translation” and “alternative translation” abilities astounded me. Yet even though Mr. Chang’s English is exceptional, he is a very humble man. He also enrolled in Tamkang College of Arts and Sciences—now Tamkang University—to study in the Chinese Department and fulfill his dream of being a college student.
This book tells the life story of my teacher, from his childhood to his senior years, in his own words. It also contains his philosophy of life, and reflects his strong moral character.
The Chinese composition in this book is beautiful and captivating; the English translation—by Mr. Chang himself— is precise and fluent. Consequently, I felt relaxed and happy throughout the proofreading process. We specially hired a professional broadcasting teacher, Brian Foden, to record the English version to help readers improve their listening abilities and become completely immersed in the tales. This touching memoir can also help readers develop their English translation skills and gain a deeper understanding of the topics and issues discussed.
I wish you all happy studies! And I wish my honorable teacher, Mr. Bill Chang, the very best of health and excellent spirits!
How time flies! In the blink of an eye, I am already in my early 90s. During my long long life, there have indeed been many many things that have happened to me. But here in this book, I have only written down the things which I consider interesting, exciting, or somewhat important.
It was great fun for me to write this book as it has enriched my retired life. Besides story-telling, I also stress the importance of good health, especially taking preventive measures instead of just relying on the health care provided by hospitals and doctors.
This book is bilingual, in Chinese and English. I have tried my best to make both versions easy to read. But sometimes I cannot but use some technical words and phrases, such as military terms, special expressions, proverbs, etc., that may be unfamiliar to some readers. Nevertheless, they are always accurate and appropriate for the situation.
With regard to the English translation, I hold on to the principle that translation must stay true and elegant. I’ve written this book with dedication, and I would like to share it with you all. I would also welcome any feedback from my fellow English-learning enthusiasts.
There are 51 parts in the five chapters of this book, and each part is a story from my life. I really enjoyed writing about myself, and I sincerely hope whoever reads these stories gets a lot of pleasure from them, too.
