啃老族(eaten-old groups),又稱“吃老族”、“傍老族”或“尼特族”。尼特族是NEET在台灣的譯音,NEET的全稱是(Not currently engaged in Employment, Education or Training),最早使用於英國,之後漸漸的使用在其他國家。它是指一些不升學、不就業、不進修或不參加就業輔導,終日無所事事的族群。在英國,尼特族指的是16-34歲年輕族群;在日本,則指的是15-34歲年輕族群;在中國,具體主要指的是在23-30歲之間,具有謀生能力,卻仍未“斷奶”,靠父母供養的年輕人。社會學家稱之為“新失業群體”。有些人為了自己不花錢的理想,一直啃老,所以,我們稱他們為啃老族。
在英國英語中,“NEET”指啃老族的一員,“NEET group”指啃老族群體。“NEET”是“Not Currently Engaged in Education, Employment or Training”或“Not in Education, Employment or Training”的縮略語。美國英語則稱之為“boomerang child/kid”。
An investigation indicates that about 70% of the unemployed young people in our country now live off their parents, thus becoming Neets.”(調查顯示,我國約七成失業青年靠父母養活,因而成為啃老族。)
In Japan, more and more young people have joined in the Neet group who neither go to collage nor go to work..”(越來越多的日本青年加入到既不上學又不工作的啃老族。)
The boomerang child phenomenon has become a social problem on a nationwide scale.”(啃老族現象已成為全國性的社會問題。)
如果把“啃老族”翻譯為adult dependent child是不妥的。“adult dependent child”的意思是“有心理缺陷或生理缺陷的需要撫養的成年子女”,比“啃老族”含義要寬泛。例如:An adult dependent child is one who is incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability.(一個需要撫養的成年子女是因為心理缺陷或生理缺陷而不能自理的人。)
This Neet is already 30 years old but still lives on his parents。
其實嚴格地說,live on後面要跟sth,不跟sb;而live off後面可以跟sb或sth,意思分別是“靠什麼人養活”和“靠什麼活著”,還沒有“live on sb”的搭配。例如:They live on a diet of bread and cheese.(他們靠吃麵包和乳酪活著。)This unemployed worker lives on unemployment benefit.(這個失業工人靠失業救濟金為生。) 所以這句話應該翻譯為:This Neet is already 30 years old but still lives off his parents。