(The goal of this series of items is helping our teenage friends improve their knowledge of Vietnamese language, English-learning beginners increase their English one and finally aiding our readers to relax in a moment. All the stories were written without titles, which are added by the translator to make the stories more exciting).

A man was trying to build an electric motor-car. (1) He worked in an office in the town (2) during most of the week, but on Saturdays and Sundays he stayed at (3) home in the country and worked on his electric car. Every Monday (4) he told his friends at the office about his work on the car , but his news about it was never very good. Then at last one Monday morning (4) he came to the office and said to his friends , "I have done it ! I have driven from my home (5) to here by electricity !"

His friends were all very glad. " How much did it cost to get here by electricity ? " they asked . 

- " Three hundred and two pounds (6) , " he answered, " Two pounds for electricity, and three hundred pounds for the electric wires from my house to the car. " (7)

(Extracted from the collection of L.A.. Hills)

Translator’s notes : (1): Following traditional British English, people used to say in the past " motor-car " instead of " car " . Nowadays, they also say shortly " car " as Americans do. (2): In this case, American people normally say " City ". (3): American people usually say shortly " stay home ". (4): A comma (,) should be put after a phrase of time starting a clause or sentence. (5): It’s O.K. here, but we recognize that many Americans , in several cases, like to write " home " instead of " house " or vice versa, eventhough there’s a great difference between the two words : A.- House = a structure serving as a dwelling for one person or more. ( I’ve just bought a new house- The front-door of my house needs to be repainted).- B.- Home = Family or House + family members ( The soldiers are very happy about coming back home= to see again their family members ). Furthermore, people commonly say "Homesick = longing for one’s home " not " Housesick ". (6): Monetary unit of Britain, like Dollar of the U.S.- ( 7 ) : Oh my God ! This " Scientist " was really an extremely eccentric one in the world, wasn’t he ? He " built succesfully " an electric car by using miles of wires taking electricity from his house to make his rickety car moving to his office. *

- Extracted from the Collection of L.A. Hill -

(Baøi vieát naøy nhaèm muïc ñích giuùp caùc baïn thieáu nieân cuûa toâi trau doài theâm tieáng Vieät, vaø giuùp baïn ñoïc xaû hôi trong choác laùt. Nhöõng caâu chuyeän loaïi naøy ñöôïc vieát ra maø khoâng coù ñaàu ñeà cho neân ngöôøi dòch xin pheùp theâm voâ cho theâm phaàn vui veû).

Moät oâng noï ñang coá gaéng laøm moät caùi xe hôi chaïy baèng ñieän (1). OÂng ta laøm vieäc ôû Sôû, taïi thaønh phoá (2) trong phaàn lôùn thôøi gian cuaû tuaàn leã, nhöng nhöõng ngaøy thöù baåy vaø chuû nhaät oâng ta ôû nhaø (3) thuoäc vuøng queâ vaø laøm coâng vieäc thieát keá moät chieác xe hôi chaïy baèng ñieän. Moãi ngaøy Thöù Hai (4) oâng ta ñeàu noùi vôùi baïn beø trong sôû veà coâng vieäc cuûa mình vôùi caùi xe, nhöng tin töùc veà caùi xe ñoù chaúng khi naøo toát ñeïp cho laém. Theá roài cuoái cuøng moät buoåi saùng Thöù Hai (4) oâng ta tôùi sôû vaø noùi vôùi baïn beø, "Toâi ñaõ laøm xong caùi xe roài ! Toâi ñaõ laùi xe töø nhaø tôùi (5) ñaây baèng ñieän !" Baïn beø cuûa oâng ta raát sung söôùng. Hoï hoûi "Laùi xe chaïy baèng ñieän tôùi ñaây toán bao nhieâu tieàn ? "OÂng ta traû lôøi, " Ba traêm leû hai Baûng (6) , hai Baûng cho tieàn ñieän vaø ba traêm Baûng cho tieàn daây daãn ñieän töø nhaø tôùi caùi xe ñaây." (7)

Ghi chuù cuûa ngöôøi dòch : (1): Theo ngoân ngöõ truyeàn thoáng cuûa ngöôøi Anh, hoài xöa, ngöôøi ta thöôøng duøng chöõ "motor-car" thay vì chöõ "car" (xe hôi). Ngaøy nay, hoï cuõng saøi ngaén goïn laø "car" nhö ngöôøi Myõ (vöøa khoûe, laïi ñôõ...toån thoï). (2): Trong tröôøng hôïp naøy, ngöôøi Myõ thöôøng saøi chöõ "City". – (3): 

Ngöôøi Myõ thöôøng saøi ngaén goïn "Stay home".- (4) :

Neân ñaùnh daáu phaåy sau moät töø ngöõ chæ thôøi gian, baét ñaàu moät meänh ñeà hay moät caâu.- (5): ÔÛ ñaây thì ñöôïc, nhöng chuùng ta phaûi coâng nhaän raèng nhieàu ngöôøi Myõ, trong nhieàu tröôøng hôïp, thích saøi chöõ "home" thay vì chöõ " house " hay ngöôïc laïi, maëc daàu coù söï khaùc bieät roõ raøng giöõa hai chöõ ñoù : A.- House = moät kieán truùc duøng laøm nôi cö truù cho moät hay nhieàu ngöôøi, (Toâi vöøa mua moät caùi "house" môùi.- Caùi cöûa tröôùc cuûa "my house" caàn ñöôïc sôn laïi ).- B.- Home = Gia ñình, hay House + ngöôøi thaân cuûa gia ñình soáng trong ñoù ( Nhöõng ngöôøi lính raát sung söôùng ñöôïc trôû veà gia ñình = ñöôïc gaëp laïi ngöôøi thaân trong gia ñình ). Hôn nöõa, Ngöôøi ta hay noùi "Nhôù nhaø = nhôù mong gia ñình, ngöôøi thaân" chôù khoâng ai noùi "Housesick" caû.- ( 6) : Ñôn vò tieàn teä cuûa Anh Quoác, nhö ñôn vò tieàn teä cuûa Myõ laø ñoàng doâ-la vaäy.- (7) : Trôøi ñaát ôi ! Nhaø "Khoa hoïc" naøy quaû thieät laø moät khoa hoïc gia voâ cuøng "soá daét beân Taàu" ôû treân coõi ñôøi naøy, phaûi khoâng aø ? OÂng ta ñaõ thieát keá thaønh coâng caùi xe hôi chaïy ñieän baèng caùch duøng bieát bao nhieâu laø daây ñôï ñeå duøng ñieän ôû nhaø mình (hoång phaûi nguoàn ñieän trong xe) tieáp teá cho caùi xe caø ròch caø tang cuûa oâng leát töø nhaø tôùi sôû.