《好东西》译名Herstory，跟history有关？盘点现代英语的潮流变化

 主播：翩翩（中国）+ 梅莉（法国） 歌曲： boundaries最近中国有一部新电影很火，叫做《好东西》，它的英文翻译很有意思，是“Herstory”。01. The English Translation of Herstory 《好东西》的英文翻译It is a play on the word “history”, replacing “his” with “her”. 这是一种文字游戏。The term “herstory” is used to emphasize the importance of women’s experiences and contributions (强调女性经验与贡献的重要性).其实近年来，英语中有很多词汇和用法都在因现代文化（包括女权主义、LGBTQ+权利运动等）而发生变化。And “herstory” is a great example. The idea is to highlight women’s narratives, rather than sticking to “history,” which some see as hinting at (暗示)“his story.” 有些人可能会觉得history是“his + story”，是男性的故事，但其实并非如此。The word “history” comes from the Greek (希腊) word “ἱστορία (historía)”, which means “inquiry”. 这个词最初的意思是“调查”、“知识”或“询问”，其实跟男性没有什么关系。Even though “history” itself doesn’t come from “his story,” the change is symbolic (象征性的). 这让人们更关注女性在历史中的角色。It is probably to hint that it’s about female empowerment (女性力量).那除了“herstory”之外，英语中还有哪些因为现代文化和社会运动而改变的语言现象呢？02. Pronouns 代词Many people now use “they” as a singular pronoun (单数人称代词).这个有一个文化背景要了解，就是现在在西方，尤其是美国，已经不是单一的二元分类——male和female了。There is Non-binary (非二元性别的).非二元性别是指那些不完全认同传统男性或女性性别的人。他们的性别可能是流动的、混合的或介于两者之间。Gender fluid（性别流动）就是他们觉得自己的性别在不同情况和场合下是不同的。除此之外还有Agender（无性别）这一类，指的是那些不认同任何性别的人。此外，还有很多其他的性别种类。所以，单数“they”被广泛用于代替“he/she”，以避免性别限定。For example, someone left their bag here. 这里的they就是单数用法，代替 his/her。再或者：Alex said they would join us later. 这里的they就是用来描述非二元性别者。2019年，“they”被《韦氏词典》选为年度词汇，显示其流行度。You can see the impact of modern culture, like feminism and the LGBTQ+ rights movement, on the English language. 现代文化对于英文的影响真的是令人瞠目。03. Changes in job titles and the use of “Ms.” 职业称呼的变化和“Ms.”的使用像以前的“policeman”现在常说“police officer”，“fireman”也变成了“firefighter”。Another interesting shift is in how we talk about relationships. Instead of “boyfriend” or “girlfriend,” many people say “partner” to avoid implying gender and to be more inclusive of all types of relationships. 因为“partner”适合各种类型的情侣关系，不论性别或取向。As for the popularity of “Ms.", it’s used to replace "Miss" or "Mrs." to emphasize that a woman’s identity doesn’t depend on her marital status (强调女性身份不需要基于婚姻状态).There are so many changes that Maelle is also confused sometimes.Language mirrors cultural shifts. As people become more aware of sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism, the language has also been English adapted. 语言是活的，它也反应着当代英语世界的价值观。So next time you see “herstory,” “they” used as a singular pronoun, “partner” instead of “girlfriend,”or “spouse” instead of “husband or wife”, remember there’s a cultural story behind it.之后再遇见这些用法，我们可能就会明白背后的文化背景和价值取向。希望今天的播客借助电影《好东西》的英文译名，能帮助大家在学习英文时，也感受到一些文化层面的东西。请在评论区告诉我们：你还知道英语中有哪些类似的的语言现象呢？

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