ELISA ENGLISH's Blog 英語園地

Someone asked me if you can translate 對號快車 as Limited Express.  This is my comment.

Just by judging from the words, you would think that 對號特快是乘客對號入座, 僅停靠主要車站的列車, and 對號 means 對號入座.  I would say a more accurate usage would be “Limited Express with reserve seating.  It makes more sense to me. 

I am not an expert in the train system.  While researching into this topic, I have found that 對號列車僅停靠運量較大的車站, 車上的座位全需劃位, 但也允許旅客以站票（無座票) 搭乘.  So it seems that the train system in Taiwan allows you to take 對號快車 without reserving a seat.  In this case, 對號列車 should no longer be called 對號快車, but rather called 快車 since you may not have a seat and would not need to 對號入座.  It should be called Express Train.  I believe along the way, the trains operated differently without changing their names.

So what should be the right usage?  I would say “Express Train with reserved seating”.  Limited Express merely means 特快, and Express Train 快車.  It does not have the meaning of 對號.  Though the train system allows you to take 對號快車 without a seat in Taiwan, it does not mean that the term of train is used correctly or similarly in other countries.

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