FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. STUDY - MORNING
Phone rings. A wet-haired Peter takes the call.
SOMEONE (From phone): The prosecutions office has just called. They expect to see you in the afternoon.
PETER (To phone): Yes, tell them that I'll be in their office after lunch.
PETER: (V.O.): I'm dealing with lots of summons tomorrow. I've done that before.
Pausing.
PETER: (V.O.) (Cont'd):To budget an afternoon for that should be good enough. I've just swum.
Pausing.
PETER: (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm hungry, let me have lunch at the restaurant near the prosecutions' office.
Having changed, Peter leaves.
Act 2
INT. BOUTIQUE RESTAURANT - LUNCH TIME
Welcoming Peter at the entrance, a PROPRIETOR (40's) introduces the menu to Peter.
PROPRIETOR: Our better lunch set has a stew soup and a fried dish.
PETER (V.O.): It's written in the menu. Never mind if he's repeating or making it clear. It's customer service.
Having taken Peter's order, the proprietor points at the tissue box.
PROPRIETOR: Our tissue box is unique.
PETER: Yes, I spotted that that last time I came.
The proprietor looks pleased.
PETER (V.O.): For a customer to do a repeated purchase isn't easy these days, given the choices around here.
Peter sees a PARTY of 3 checking the restaurant menu outside the restaurant. The proprietor again introduces the menu to them warmly, but they don't step inside.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I bumped into here last month. I found stuff here was reasonably good and therefore I come again.
As the set lunch is put on the table, Peter stares at it.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We all work hard so that there'd be food on the table.
Peter samples the stew soup and the fried dish.
PETER: (V.O.) (Cont'd): They meet my expectation.
INT. OFFICE - AFTERNOON
Peter is skimming through files, several big piles.
PETER (V.O.): These're down-to-earth stuff. With frequent repetitions, my practice can become an automatic reflex.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm grateful that I'm being paid to achieve that.
Peter spots something.
PETER: (V.O.) (Cont'd): Are there some typos with the charge? This's the first time I see "to wit" in a charge.
Peter researches with his phone.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): "To wit" is the shortened form of "that's to wit", meaning "that's to know; that's to say; namely".
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The old formal jargon is still being used to make clearer or more particular something that has already been stated.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Why don't the one framing the charge simply use the word "namely"?
As he continues to read, Peter spots something again.
PETER: (V.O.) (Cont'd): How come in the Statement of Facts the reference to "(兩冗字)"?
Pausing.
PETER: (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm not even sure how to pronounce "冗",
Peter investigates by checking the papers.
PETER: (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's the Chinese translation of the English version. In the English version, two words are repeated. The translator is so professional that s/he highlights the error.
Peter is enlightened.
Act 3
INT. STUDY - EVENING
Watching TV, Peter is in thoughts.
PETER (V.O.): I got a Final Diploma in Legal Translation in 1987. It was recognized as the equivalent of a university degree.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I thought legal bilingualism in Hong Kong would be trend.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Having done legal policy stuff for decades, I'm experiencing bilingual criminal trials at the grassroot level.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And now, I see some of my blind spots.
Peter reads his phone screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Here's an example of using "to wit" in a sentence: "If we keep spending money like it's water, we're sure to end up in the same place as it often does, to wit, down the drain."
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That's one of the reasons why I'm still working these days.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.): If "...to wit to wit..."appears in a document to be translated into Chinese, a professional translator would insert "(兩冗字)."
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Do they represent some of the sharpest form of wit?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): If I want to make clear the meaning of "to wit", would others understand me if I use "to wit, to wit"?
FADE OUT.
THE END

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