原信確有不少英文說法很不容易譯成像樣的中文，「今年較早時」是一例；「商談」當有賓語為宜；「能力所及」似嫌看低董氏才幹；「一直」也不甚妥。姑且試譯此段如下：「今日來信收悉，謝謝。月前晤談中齒及深盼先生應接有暇，盡量留任行政局之職；此議實因平素甚為重視高見，雙方觀點相違之時尤然，蓋先生從來坦誠進言，不偏不倚，以香港利益為重也。然言談間彼此亦深知身兼籌委會副主席及行政局議員之職，勢必格外吃力，終致不勝其荷。先生既感辭職合時，自當依照尊裁，准予所請。」官方譯本二百字有https://read.99csw.com餘；這樣擰緊螺絲，減至一百四十幾字，讀來果然緊湊了些。

董建華寫信請辭行政局議員之職，港督彭定康當日的回信由政府部門附了中譯發給報刊去用。原信甚為得體，盡見港督心思；中譯雖然達意，畢竟蒼白了一點；通篇沒有適當的公文用語，顯得不倫不類。時代不同了，傳統的書牘格式和辭藻未必完全合用，再寫「緬想興居，極深馳系。湘省近事，迭以電陳，度已備邀英察」云云，似嫌迂腐。但是，港督信上"I"來"you"去，譯成「你」來「我」往，實在九*九*藏*書難看。避掉這堆白話，當見清貴之氣。港督說："Thank you for your letter of today's date. When we talked earlier this year, I said that I hoped that you would stay on the Executive Council for as long as you felt able to do so. As you know, I have al九-九-藏-書ways valued and respected your advice even, indeed particularlly, when our views differed, since you always gave that advice honestly, impartially and in the interests of Hong Kong. But we both recognised that a point might come when youｒead.9９ｃｓｗ•cｏm felt that the tensions between your appointment as Vice-chairman of the Preparatory Committee and your place on ExCo became too great. I respect your judgement that you feel that that time has now come, and I therefore accept your resignatihttps://read.99csw.comon from the Executive Coucil..." 政府的中譯雲：「頃接今日來信，內容備悉。今年較早時，我曾與你商談。當時我說，只要你覺得能力所及，我希望你能一直在行政局留任。我向來很重視你的意見，相信你也知道：即使彼此看法不同，我對於你的不同見解尤為重視，因為你提出意見時，完全出於至誠，大公無私，並以香港的利益為依歸。但我們都了解，你身為行政局議員，又獲委任為籌委會副主席，終有一天，身兼兩職的壓力會大得難以應付。你認為現在已是退出行政局的時候，我尊重你的判斷，只好接受你的請辭。」