Ageing spies unable to use the internet 上年紀的特務不會用網路

◎陳成良

Having battled Islamic extremists, Irish Republican terrorists and Russian spies, some of the veteran intelligence officers of MI5 are encountering a foe they cannot master： information technology.

曾與伊斯蘭極端份子、愛爾蘭共和軍恐怖份子及俄羅斯特務交手的「軍情五 處」（MI5）一些資深情報官員，現正遭遇到一個他們無法掌握的敵手：資訊科技。

The Security Service is launching an unprecedented round of redundancies to improve the overall level of computer skills among its staff.

該安全機關正展開一波空前的裁員行動，以提升員工 的整體電腦技能水準。

Despite an expanding budget, MI5 is laying off employees in order to hire new intelligence officers and support staff with better command of information technology and other “deployable” skills.

儘管預算不斷增加，MI5正在解僱員工，以僱用更能掌握資訊科技並具備其它「運籌帷幄」技能的新情報探員及後勤人員。

The redundancy programme has set tongues wagging in Whitehall, with civil servants in other departments joking about a “James Bond generation” of elderly spies being put out to pasture because they can’t use the internet and don’t understand the world of Twitter or Facebook.

這 項裁員計畫在英國政府內引起議論，其他部門的公務員取笑這些年紀大的特務是「詹姆斯龐德世代」，他們因不會使用網路，也不了解「推特」與「臉書」的世界而 被迫退休。

新聞辭典

redundancy：名詞，多餘、贅 字、（因人力過剩而進行的）裁員。例句：The boss said some employees have to be prepared to receive redundancy pay.（老闆說有些員工得準備領遣散費了。）

set tongues wagging： 片語，指引人議論，引發八卦話題。例句：The news set tongues wagging. （那個消息使人們議論紛紛。）

put out to pasture：片語， 放牧；（被迫）退休。pasture原意是指牧場、草地。例句：The old accountant was put out to pasture.（這名老會計退休了。）