過去一週，香港警察宣佈投考警隊的人士DSE英文不需要合格後，有人在臉書分享據稱幾年前在一家警署外看到的告示。告示先用中文表示，「警察電腦更新系統停止使用，報案須要更多時間」，然後有寫手把中文文案直接翻譯成英文：「Police Computer was suspension. Police need more time to report the case.」

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其實香港人寫英文，哪怕是grammar無誤，也不代表英文上得了台面。再以出自香港警察的英文為例。反修例運動後，香港警察為了澄清「假新聞」，發了一份名為「Know the Facts: Rumours and lies can never be right」的全英文小冊子，對象應是西方媒體西方政府等。雖然小冊子的grammatical mistakes極少，但也不代表表達能力好。單從第一頁的第三段，已能看出頗為嚴重的 communication issues：

“Fake news was maliciously published to slander police officers, accusing them of committing shocking yet fictional offences such as rape and murder. Allegations were made about police officers vaping electronic cigarettes and playing chess, etc. while on duty. These allegation were intended to paint police officers as untrustworthy, and no effort was spared in undermining the work of the Police。”

任何PR professionals都能告訴香港警察，avoid repeating allegations about you, for this will have the effect of reminding your target audience of them. Then there is the oddity of presenting rape/murder and work-hour chess playing as if all were transgressions of equal gravity. Do the police really think right after stressing they are neither rapists nor murderers, there is a need to add neither have they violated work rules by playing chess while on duty?