Briefing
A Mandarin-speaking man, Mr Yan, has been charged with common assault. He is being visited in custody by an English-speaking lawyer named Mr Hampton. This is the first time the accused has sought legal advice about the offence he has been charged with.
Listen to Dialogue
Mandarin-English Dialogue #23 – Common Assault
Transcript and reference translation
Hampton: Hello Mr Yan. My name is Richard Hampton. I’m a lawyer from Victoria Legal Aid. I’ve been assigned to your case. Could you start by talking me through what happened last night? [你好，严先生。我的名字叫理查德.汉普顿。我是维多利亚法律援助中心的一个律师。你的案子由我负责。首先你可以告诉我昨晚发生什么了吗？]
Yan: 恩，昨天是我生日，昨晚我的朋友带我去泡夜店。我们去了几个地方，最后去了国王街的一家脱衣舞厅 。[Well, it was my birthday yesterday and last night my friends took me out clubbing. We went to a few places and ended up at a strip club on King St.]
Hampton: Can you tell me what the name of that club was, and what time you reached it? [你可以告诉我这家夜店的名字，和你什么时候到那儿的？]
Yan: 我记得夜店的名字写在一个很大的霓虹招牌上，应该是C开头的。说实话，我那个时候有点醉，所以我的记忆有点模糊。不过我记得我们早上两点到的那个夜店。 [I remember its name was on a big neon sign. It started with a C I think. To be honest, I was a bit drunk at that time, so my memory is a bit hazy. But I remember we got to the club at about 2am.]
Hampton: OK. So you entered the strip club with your friends right? How many went with you? [好的。那你跟你的朋友一起进入了脱衣舞厅，是吧？有几个人跟你一起去的？]
Yan: 我们总共有五个人。其中的一个，我的朋友，叫吉米，他之前就给我推荐过这个地方。他算是一个常客啦。过一会儿，我的女朋友卡西也来了。[There were five of us in total. One of them, my friend Jimmy, had recommended the place to me. He’s a regular. Later on my girlfriend Cassie joined us.]
Hampton: OK. And what happened next? Did you continue drinking? [好的。然后发生什么呢？你们在继续喝酒吗？]
Yan: 是的，我们进入了酒吧，吉米请我喝了几杯龙舌兰酒。我们唱着歌，跳着舞，但在这之后我就不记得发生什么了。我只记得夜店守门儿的人把我们赶出去了。[Yes, we went down to the bar and Jimmy shouted me a few shots of tequila. We started singing and dancing. But I don’t really remember what happened after that. All I remember is the bouncer kicking us out of the club.]
(…)
接下来的事，我记得很清楚。我的三个朋友上了出租车回家，留下了吉米、我的女朋友卡西还有我。我们决定了要省钱，走路回家 。[The next part I remember very clearly. Three of my friends got into a taxi and went home, just leaving Jimmy, my girlfriend Cassie and I. We decided to save money and walk home instead.]
(…)
我们抄近路了，穿过了一个公园。我当时尿急，所以就去了一个公厕小便。但不巧的是，公厕关门儿了，我就只能去树丛那边儿尿尿。一回去我就看到有一个陌生的男子在跟吉米和卡西说话。[We took a shortcut by cutting through a park. I was busting so I went into the public toilets to pee. Unfortunately it was closed, so I had to pee in the bushes. When I got back I noticed there was a strange man talking to Jimmy and Cassie.]
Hampton: Can you describe this man for me? [你可以描述一下这个男子吗？]
Yan: 他是个白人，身高大约190米。他看起来30多岁 。他穿的牛仔裤、黑色的汗衫儿和蓝色的带帽子的外套。他看起来有点儿变态。[He was white. About 190 cms tall. He looked like he was in his 30s. He was dressed in jeans, black T-shirt and a blue hoodie. He looked a bit like a pervert.]
(…)
他问卡西，吉米是不是她的男朋友，和这么晚了怎么还在公园里边儿散步。我跟那个男的说，你滚远一点。 那个男的冲我大喊大叫，然后突然把刀放在我的喉咙上。[He asked Cassie if Jimmy was her boyfriend, and what she was doing walking so late in the park. I told him to go away. He started shouting at me and suddenly put a knife to my throat.]
(…)
这时吉米出现在他背后，一把抓住他的手腕，磕掉了那把刀，好不容易把他按倒在地。然后我对他拳打脚踢，这是出于自卫。如果不这么做的话，谁知道他可能对我的女朋友或吉米做什么。[At that moment Jimmy came up behind him, grabbed his wrist, knocked the knife out of his hand and managed to tackle him to the ground. I started punching and kicking him in self-defence. If I hadn’t have done that, who knows what he may have done to my girlfriend or to Jimmy.]
Hampton: And when did the police become involved? [那警察什么时候出现的？]
Yan: 我在打他踢他的时候，不知道哪儿冒出来两个警察，朝我们过来了。我试图跟警察解释发生了什么事儿，但是他们不听。再之后，就送我们去了警察局。[Just as I was punching and kicking him, that was when I saw two police officers come out of nowhere and approached us. I tried explaining to them what happened but they wouldn’t listen to us. They just took us all down to the police station.]
Hampton: The police told me that the man you assaulted sustained serious injuries and he is currently in hospital. They haven’t been able to identify him. They haven’t spoken to him yet either as he hasn’t regained consciousness. And no weapons were found at the park or on his person. [警察告诉我说你殴打的那个男的受伤很严重，而且他现在在住院。警方还没能确认他的身份，也还没有跟他说话，因为他没有恢复知觉。警方还说在公园里或他身上找不到任何武器。]
(…)
That being said, I think we have a good chance of proving that you acted in self-defense. Your friend Jimmy and your girlfriend can both act as witnesses. And it’s not as if you have any previous convictions either. [尽管这么说，我觉得我们应该能证明你的行为是为了自卫。你的朋友吉米和你的女朋友都可以做证人。而且，你也没有前科。]
(…)
Anyway, I’m going to go speak to the officer who arrested you to clarify some information. You just sit tight. I’ll be back in about half an hour and we can talk some more. [好，那我就去跟逮捕你的警官澄清一些信息。你耐心等等吧。我过半个小时回来，然后我们可以再谈一会。]
Yan: 好的，谢谢汉普顿先生。回头见。[OK. Thank you Mr Hampton. See you soon.]
Could I say “I was busted”?