神童事件後續：因父親和校方談崩 勞倫特沒能大學畢業

上個月讓全世界嘖嘖稱奇的比利時9歲神童勞倫特·西蒙斯原定將於本月拿到學士學位，然而由於校方和勞倫特父親在畢業時間上意見不合，導致勞倫特沒有畢業就終止了學業。

Child prodigy Laurent Simons has left his university course, following a dispute over his graduation date.

由於在畢業時間上出現爭議，神童勞倫特·西蒙斯已經中斷了大學課程。

Laurent, 9, made world headlines in November when news emerged that he was due to finish his studies in electrical engineering at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TUE) in the Netherlands in December.

9歲的勞倫特在11月上了各國媒體的頭條，新聞報道稱他將在12月完成荷蘭埃因霍芬理工大學電氣工程學的課程。

Now, a dispute between TUE and the Simons family has seen Laurent terminate his studies without graduating.

如今，埃因霍芬理工大學和西蒙斯一家的糾紛導致勞倫特沒有畢業就終止了大學學業。

TUE said it had recommended Laurent finish his studies by mid-2020, rather than at the end of December, because of the number of exams he still has to pass.

埃因霍芬理工大學稱其建議勞倫特於2020年中完成學業，而不是12月底，因爲他還需通過多項考試。

"This would still be, in every way, a phenomenally fast schedule," the university said in a statement sent to cnn.

該大學在發給cnn的一份聲明中說：“無論是哪個方面，這樣的學習進度還是快得驚人。”

phenomenally[fəˈnɑːmɪnəli]: 驚人地，非凡地

TUE said Laurent's father, Alexander Simons, had "repeated his explicit wish that his son should obtain his bachelor degree at the age of 9, which means that Laurent must successfully complete his bachelor within ten months for a study that normally lasts three years."

埃因霍芬理工大學稱，勞倫特的父親亞歷山大·西蒙斯已經“反覆重申他的意願，他明確希望自己的兒子在9歲時拿到學士學位，這意味着勞倫特必須在10個月內成功完成通常需要三年才能完成的學士學位課程。”

However, Alexander told cnn that there had previously been no issue with the accelerated timetable.

然而，亞歷山大告訴cnn說，之前校方對於時間表加速並沒有提出異議。

Ultimately, he said, the family decided Laurent would leave TUE as he had received an offer to study for a doctorate at a university in the United States, and wouldn't be able to split his time between the two institutions.

最後，亞歷山大說，他們一家決定，勞倫特將離開埃因霍芬理工大學，因爲勞倫特已經接受在美國一所大學讀博的邀請，所以沒有時間在兩所大學同時學習。

"Sometimes you have to make choices," Alexander told cnn in reference to the decision.

亞歷山大提到這個決定時對cnn說：“有時候你必須做出選擇。”

"If he lets it go, you never know if he will get that opportunity again."

“如果他放棄了這次機會，你根本不知道他以後還能不能再有機會。”

Alexander suggested that TUE's move to delay Laurent's studies is linked to the family's decision to move to a different university to study for his PhD.

亞歷山大指出，埃因霍芬理工大學延緩勞倫特學業的舉動和他們家決定帶兒子到另一所大學讀博有關。

"The way they treat things, it's not correct," he said. "Laurent is not their belonging."

“他們處理事情的方法是不對的，”他說，“勞倫特不是他們的私有財產。”

In response, Ivo Jongsma, a spokesman for TUE, told cnn: "We never try to keep our students to ourselves. It would never be a motivation to frustrate somebody." He said the Simons had been open about Laurent's plan eventually to study in the US.

對此，埃因霍芬理工大學的發言人伊福·瓊斯瑪告訴cnn說：“我們從未試圖把學生留在本校。校方永遠不會去爲難誰。”他說，西蒙斯一家對於最終去美國學習的計劃一直都很公開。

TUE said in its statement that it was "regrettable" that the Simons had rejected the new timetable.

埃因霍芬理工大學在聲明中說，西蒙斯一家拒絕新的時間表“令人惋惜”。

"His supervisors enjoyed working with him, not only because of his enormous talent, but also because he is a very kindhearted and inquisitive boy," the university said.

該大學稱：“他的導師們很喜歡和他一起工作，不僅是因爲他有極高的天賦，還因爲他是一個心地善良、求知慾強的男孩。”

"The door is therefore still open for him to resume the study as long as the conditions remain realistic."

“只要現實條件允許，我們的大門依然爲他敞開，歡迎他回來繼續學業。”

The family has not yet fixed a start date at the US university, where Laurent will study for a PhD in electrical engineering.

西蒙斯一家還沒有確定在美國大學開始學習的時間，在那裏勞倫特將攻讀電氣工程學的博士學位。

Alexander declined to name the institution, citing a family decision to reveal Laurent's progress only at the end of any given course.

亞歷山大拒絕透露這所大學的名字，聲稱這是家庭決定，只有在課程結束時纔會公佈勞倫特的進度。

"We don't want to have pressure on him," he said.

他說：“我們不想給他施加壓力。”