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To Wit, To Wit?

Writer's picture: Peter K F Cheung SBSPeter K F Cheung SBS
  1. FADE IN.


  2. Act 1


  3. INT. STUDY - MORNING


  4. Phone rings. A wet-haired Peter takes the call.


  5. SOMEONE (From phone): The prosecutions office has just called. They expect to see you in the afternoon.


  6. PETER (To phone): Yes, tell them that I'll be in their office after lunch.


  7. PETER: (V.O.): I'm dealing with lots of summons tomorrow. I've done that before.


  8. Pausing.


  9. PETER: (V.O.) (Cont'd):To budget an afternoon for that should be good enough. I've just swum.


  10. Pausing.


  11. PETER: (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm hungry, let me have lunch at the restaurant near the prosecutions' office.

  12. Having changed, Peter leaves.


  13. Act 2


  14. INT. BOUTIQUE RESTAURANT - LUNCH TIME


  15. Welcoming Peter at the entrance, a PROPRIETOR (40's) introduces the menu to Peter.


  16. PROPRIETOR: Our better lunch set has a stew soup and a fried dish.


  17. PETER (V.O.): It's written in the menu. Never mind if he's repeating or making it clear. It's customer service.


  18. Having taken Peter's order, the proprietor points at the tissue box.


  19. PROPRIETOR: Our tissue box is unique.


  20. PETER: Yes, I spotted that that last time I came.


  21. The proprietor looks pleased.


  22. PETER (V.O.): For a customer to do a repeated purchase isn't easy these days, given the choices around here.


  23. 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.


  24. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I bumped into here last month. I found stuff here was reasonably good and therefore I come again.


  25. As the set lunch is put on the table, Peter stares at it.


  26. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We all work hard so that there'd be food on the table.


  27. Peter samples the stew soup and the fried dish.


  28. PETER: (V.O.) (Cont'd): They meet my expectation.


  29. INT. OFFICE - AFTERNOON


  30. Peter is skimming through files, several big piles.


  31. PETER (V.O.): These're down-to-earth stuff. With frequent repetitions, my practice can become an automatic reflex.


  32. Pausing.


  33. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm grateful that I'm being paid to achieve that.

  34. Peter spots something.


  35. PETER: (V.O.) (Cont'd): Are there some typos with the charge? This's the first time I see "to wit" in a charge.


  36. Peter researches with his phone.


  37. 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".


  38. Pausing.


  39. 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.


  40. Pausing.


  41. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Why don't the one framing the charge simply use the word "namely"?


  42. As he continues to read, Peter spots something again.


  43. PETER: (V.O.) (Cont'd): How come in the Statement of Facts the reference to "(兩冗字)"?


  44. Pausing.


  45. PETER: (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm not even sure how to pronounce "冗",


  46. Peter investigates by checking the papers.


  47. 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.


  48. Peter is enlightened.


  49. Act 3


  50. INT. STUDY - EVENING


  51. Watching TV, Peter is in thoughts.


  52. PETER (V.O.): I got a Final Diploma in Legal Translation in 1987. It was recognized as the equivalent of a university degree.


  53. Pausing.


  54. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I thought legal bilingualism in Hong Kong would be trend.


  55. Pausing.


  56. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Having done legal policy stuff for decades, I'm experiencing bilingual criminal trials at the grassroot level.


  57. Pausing.


  58. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And now, I see some of my blind spots.


  59. Peter reads his phone screen.


  60. 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."


  61. Pausing.


  62. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That's one of the reasons why I'm still working these days.


  63. Pausing.


  64. 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)."


  65. Thinking.


  66. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Do they represent some of the sharpest form of wit?


  67. Pausing.


  68. 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"?


  69. FADE OUT.


  70. THE END


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