Robin Hood, hoodlum and Robinocracy.Japanese game companies, once undisputed champions, now face competition to survive.

As growth in the game industry accelerates, game makers pursue increased global attention through new strategies. Japanese game companies, once undisputed champions, now face competition to survive.

2004/6/4給瑞麟兄"e-mail"，說；我也有「英法聯軍」的題材！
Robin des Bois （綠林好漢 羅賓）
我想他即 Robin Hood。

請解析此法文翻譯。又，我原先以為英文的Robin Hood 的hood 應該不是我以前誤以為的姓，它的意思應近乎水滸中的「綠林好漢」。

我用字典的下解自圓我的說法：

hoodlum
noun [C] (ALSO hood) OLD-FASHIONED
a violent person, especially one who is member of a group of criminals


晚上接到RL精彩的解釋，認為可當一文，為慎重，查字典。之後，才知道我錯誤，因為HOODLUM是1930年代從美國來的19世紀用語（來源不詳）。

所以，這為古英國（12-13世紀初）的半傳說人物的中文翻譯，真令人費解。
1970年代起也有用HOOD代替neighbourhood的說法，如HC has lived in the hood of NTU for 5 years.

又，羅賓漢的那些綠林好漢兄弟(companions)稱為Merry Men。或許他們歡樂暢飲（所以老美的happy hour等，老英稱為merry hour—這些純屬猜測）？？


merry (DRUNK) adjective
POLITE WORD FOR slightly drunk:
You got a bit merry last night, didn't you Cath?


***** RL回答：
是的，法文所指的Robin des Bois就是英文裡的Robin Hood。
不過，事實上法文的譯法兼具直譯與意譯。
法文的 robin 本是從 robe 來的，非但沒有綠林大盜的意思，
反而是指法官（古語貶義），如 Homme de robe（穿袍子的人）, Homme de loi（法律人），
坊間法漢辭典除了上述定義外，還列了兩項意思（愚笨的鄉下人或惡作劇的人），
不過我使用的法法辭典沒有這兩個解釋。
由於與英國民間故事的Robin Hood恰巧與法文robin的拼寫形式相同（至於其中有沒有深一層的典故，我沒去查證），
大概因此被拿來利用。
bois就是樹林、樹木的意思，des bois是複數，就自然成了森林。
若就法文本義來說，我認為是綠林法官，而非大盜，
因此我說Robin des Bois用來表示Robin Hood（實際就是如此）兼具了直譯和意譯。

2.	on Page 18:
	"leaving the way open for a new era of Walpolian supremacy, or as his opponents were to term it'Robinocracy'. I m Sickness and Death Contemporaries, of course, could not be expected ... "

Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC (26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745), known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain. Although the position of "Prime Minister" had no recognition in law or official use at the time, Walpole is nevertheless acknowledged as having held the office de facto because of his influence within the Cabinet.

A Whig who was first elected in 1701, Walpole served during the reigns of George I and George II. His tenure is normally dated from 1721, when he obtained the post of First Lord of the Treasury; others date it from 1730, when, with the retirement of Lord Townshend, he became the sole and undisputed leader of the Cabinet. The "longer" version of the tenure is generally upheld by the contemporary press, most notably that of the opposition, who focused far more attention upon Walpole than his counterpart. Walpole continued to govern until his resignation in 1742, prompted by the Battle of Cartagena disaster, making his administration the longest in British history.