【在生活中學習語言】《中英對照讀新聞》 Irish village gets its ’harlot’ back 愛爾蘭村莊重獲「妓女」之名
◎魏國金

A village in the southwest of Ireland won its battle to get its ancient "harlot" back when a government order officially changed its name in the Irish language.

愛爾蘭西南部一個村落在恢復舊名「妓女」之爭上獲勝，政府正式下令，改回其愛爾蘭文舊名。

For centuries, the village in County Limerick had been known in Gaelic as Dun Bleisce, or Fort of the Harlot, but the name was changed in 2003.

數世紀之久，這座在利默里克郡的村莊以蓋爾語鄧布雷斯克，亦即妓女堡廣為周知，不過在2003年更名。

The village’s Gaelic name was changed to An Dun, or The Fort in Gaelic, on the advice of the country’s Placenames Commission.

該村莊的蓋爾語名在國家地名委員會的建議下，被改為安鄧，即蓋爾語的「堡壘」。

The unpopular move resulted in about 1,000 locals signing a petition seeking to have "harlot" added back to the name. The community argued that, although the literal translation of the word is harlot, the woman who the village was named after in ancient times may not have been a harlot in the sense of the term today.

這項不得民心之舉引發約1000名當地居民在請願書上連署，尋求在地名上補回「妓女」一詞。當地的社群主張，雖然字面上的翻譯是妓女，然而成為該村名由來的那位古代女性不見得是現今意義下的娼妓。

"It could have meant a powerful woman, a feminist," local councillor Mary Jackman said. "Woman were very strong back then -- there is also a goddess in the history of the area."

「這可能意味著一名非常強有力的女子，一位女性主義者。」當地議員瑪麗．賈克曼說。「在當時，女人非常強勢─在該區歷史中，也有一位女神。」

Faced with the campaign, Irish Language Minister Eamon O Cuiv asked the commission to reconsider their advice and it ruled in the villagers’ favour.

面對這樣的請願，愛爾蘭語言部長歐凱夫要求該委員會重新考慮他們的建議，該部門並裁定村民獲勝。

新聞辭典

petition︰名詞，請願、請願書，也可當動詞，指向…請願、祈求。例句︰They petitioned for pardon.（他們祈求赦免。）

name after︰依…取名，例句︰The newborn baby was named after his maternal grandfather.（這名新生兒取了外祖父的名字。）

rule︰動詞，統治、做出裁決。例句︰The court ruled in his favour.（法院判他勝訴。）亦作名詞，規則。rule of thumb（行事準則）。

自由時報-970430
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