Question：
Hi, Prof. Zheng, these days I am seeing many teenagers who act like an expert, giving advice. So, what is the proper word to describe them?----Peter
提问：
郑教授好！近来，我看到有不少十来岁的孩子说话的口气像大人一样的给人家提建议。那么，应该用什么样的词来形容他们呢？
----彼得
Answer:
Hi, Peter, thank you for your interesting question. Well, I'd like to know if you're describing a child who actually is an expert with knowledge beyond his/her age, or someone who gives advice despite having no real knowledge or expertise. Your use of "act like an expert" in the question suggests that in reality, they may not be. If you meant the first case, I think the word "prodigy" is appropriate, as it means a young person who is unusually talented in some way. If you meant the second case, I would think the word "precocious", which is the usual word for a child who shows unusual maturity or knowledge, but it's so often used sarcastically that many people consider it insulting. 
So you have to be careful with the word. By the way, "know-it-all","presumed expert","self-defined pro" or "entitled child" are the possible choice when you use them to describe someone who gives advice without having real knowledge. Hope this helps you.
答：
彼得，谢谢你提出这么一个有趣的问题。我想知道你是在描述一个孩子，他实际上是一个知识超过其年龄的专家，还是一个没有真知识或专业知识却提供建议的孩子？从您所问来看，您使用的“行为像专家”好像是表明这些孩子实际上他们可能不是专家。如果你指的是第一种情况，我认为用"prodigy" (神童)这个词比较恰当，因为它指的是一个在某些方面具有非凡天赋的孩子。如果你指的是第二种情况，我想到的是"precocious"(早熟)这个词，这是一个典型词用来形容孩子表现出不成熟或说不成熟的话，但要注意的是，这个词经常用来表讽刺，很多人认为这是一个侮辱性的词语，所以使用时你得小心谨慎。顺便说一句，当你用来描述那些在没有真正知识的情况下给人提建议的孩子们时，也许"know-it-all"(无所不知”、"presumed expert"(伪专家)、"self-defined pro"(自以为是的老手”或"entitled child" (无礼的孩子)是可能的选择。希望这一解答对您有帮助。
via 郑新民谈英语教学与研究
发表评论