As soon as he hadhung up, he went over to the workmen and told them that if a policeman ordered them to go away, they were not to taken him seriously.在这里they were not to taken him seriously指到底是谁不用在意谁.逻辑上应该工作不必在意警察,但为什么,直译却是“工人不必被警察注意”?为什么不直接写成they need not take him seriously?
难道be not to 有“不必”的意思？