又中又英｜To breathe life into something

Government officials are often criticized for coming up short with innovative ideas to diversify the type of tourists who visit Hong Kong. Mainlanders now make up the bulk of visitors to Hong Kong. They were also the largest group of visitors before the pandemic. Foreigners now make up only a small percentage of tourists. To come up short means to fail to meet expectations. Innovative ideas are new and original ideas. The bulk of something means the most of something. Free-spending mainlanders made up the bulk of visitors to Hong Kong before the pandemic.

A free-spending person is someone who spends a lot of money. Mostly frugal mainlanders now visit Hong Kong. A frugal person is someone who spends as little as possible. South Korea, like many other places, is trying to breathe life into its tourism industry now that the Covid pandemic is over. To breathe life into something means to bring new ideas and energy into something. The South Korean government has thought of an innovative idea to attract tourists by promoting its K-pop culture. It will soon start a new visa plan called the K-Culture Training Visa for foreigners who dream of training like a K-pop star.

Foreigners who want to learn K-pop dancing, choreography, and modelling can apply. Applicants don’t need to have a job offer. South Korean super-groups like BTS and Blackpink and Korean dramas like Squid Game have become globally popular. The government is hard selling this to attract tourists. Hong Kong’s Cantopop is old and no longer marketable. Victoria Harbour and the Peak will always be popular, but officials need new ideas to compete for tourists.

政府官员常被批评为不够（coming up short）创新想法（innovative ideas）去令访港的旅客类别更多元化。现在，访港游客大部分（the bulk of）是由内地人所组成。他们在新冠疫情前，亦是最大组别的游客。现时外籍人士只占游客中很小的百分比。To come up short是指不符合人们的期望。Innovative ideas就是新颖和独创的想法。The bulk of something是指某样事物的大多数。疫情之前，出手阔绰（free-spending）的内地人士就组成了访港旅客的大多数（the bulk of visitors）。

A free-spending person就是能豪爽花费的人。现在，则主要是悭俭的（frugal）内地人士来香港旅游。A frugal person是可悭则悭、尽量花费很少的人。现在新冠疫情已过去，南韩，一如许多其他地方，也尝试为其旅游业注入生气（breathe life into）。To breathe life into something是指为某事物带来新的想法与活力。南韩政府想到一个创新想法（innovative idea），就是透过推广其韩国流行音乐文化来吸引游客。他们很快便会开始一个新的签证计划，名为「韩流文化研修签证」，专门给那些梦想如韩流明星般接受培训的外籍人士。

那些希望能学习韩流舞蹈、编舞和做模特儿的外籍人士就可申请该签证。申请人士不需预先获得聘用。南韩超级乐团像防弹少年团、Blackpink，以及韩剧《鱿鱼游戏》都红遍全球。政府正在硬销这一切去吸引游客。香港的粤语流行曲已经老旧和不再畅销。维港和太平山山顶永远都是受欢迎的，但官员们真的需要新想法去把游客争回来。
 
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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻