《经济学人》双语：日本皇室公主的婚礼揭示了什么社会问题？
文/Irene-自由英语之路
标题：
Japanese society
The sun, the moon and the ponytail
A long-delayed royal wedding reveals uncomfortable truths about Japan
日本社会
太阳、月亮和马尾辫
一场久拖不决的皇室婚礼揭示了日本令人不安的真相
Women are still badly treated, politics is out of sync with the people and the monarchy is dwindling
妇女仍然待遇不好，政治与人民脱节，君主制正在衰落
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PRINCESS MAKO and Komuro Kei were undergraduates when they first met in Tokyo back in 2012.
2012年，真子公主和小室圭在东京初次见面时是大学生。
Mako was drawn to Kei’s “smile that is like the sun”. Kei saw Mako as “the moon watching over me tranquilly”.
真子公主被小室圭的“像太阳一样的微笑”所吸引。小室圭将真子公主视为是“静静地看着我的月亮”。
The couple began dating and kept in touch while Kei studied abroad; in 2017, they got engaged.
在小室圭出国留学期间，这对情侣开始约会并保持联系；2017年，他们订婚了。
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The problems began when Japanese tabloids dug into Mr Komuro, and discovered that his mother had reportedly taken a loan of 4m ($35,000) from her ex-fiancé that she did not return.
问题开始于日本小报对小室圭先生的调查，发现据报道小室圭先生的母亲从她的前未婚夫那里获得了400万日元（3.5万美元）的贷款，但她没有还钱。
Commentators called Mr Komuro, a commoner, a gold-digger. They questioned whether his love for Mako was real.
评论员称平民小室圭先生是个傍大款的人。他们质疑他对真子公主的爱是否真实。
The couple delayed the marriage and Mr Komuro went to study law in America, but the furore did not die down.
这对情侣推迟了婚礼，小室圭先生去了美国学习法律，但民众的骚动并未平息。
On his return earlier this year, Japanese media seized upon his ponytail as further evidence of his unsuitability for their beloved princess.
在他今年早些时候回国时，日本媒体抓住了他的马尾辫，进一步证明他不适合他们心爱的公主。
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On October 26th the couple married at last, but without the typical formal ceremony and despite a small street protest held the same day.
10月26日，这对夫妇终于结婚了，但没有举行典型的隆重仪式，尽管当天举行了一次小型街头抗议。
By most measures, the accusations are not scandal-worthy.
从大多数标准来看，这些指控都不值得丑闻曝光。
But they reflect broader anxieties around the challenges confronting a changing Japanese society and institutions that have been slow to catch up.
但它们反映了人们对困难挑战的担忧，困难来自于各种制度很难赶上变化多端的日本社会。
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One challenge is to the royal family itself, which is the world’s oldest surviving hereditary monarchy. It has been slow to adapt to modern media.
一个挑战是王室本身，它是世界上现存最古老的世袭君主政体。它适应现代媒体的速度很慢。
The Imperial Household Agency is masterful at managing archives and fussing over rituals, but struggles with public relations.
皇室家政署擅长管理档案和对仪式大惊小怪，但在公共关系方面却举步维艰。
It did little to correct misinformation that spread about the couple online.
它几乎没有纠正网上流传的关于这对夫妇的错误信息。
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Another is the harsh treatment of royal women, a magnified version of the sexism that many Japanese women face on a daily basis.
另一个是对王室女性的粗暴对待，这是许多日本女性每天都要面对的性别歧视的放大版。
Mako was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder during her ordeal.
真子公主在这艰难时期被诊断患有创伤后应激障碍。
Empress Masako, the wife of the current emperor, Naruhito, has also suffered from stress-related illness amid intense pressure to produce a male heir.
现任天皇德仁的妻子雅子皇后也患有与压力有关的疾病，因为要生一个男性继承人的压力很大。
Empress Michiko, her predecessor, lost her voice for months in the 1960s and 1990s as a result of stress.
她的前辈美智子皇后在20世纪60年代和90年代因压力而失声数月。
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The affair has also brought the family’s tenuous future to the fore.
这件事也让这个皇室家族脆弱的未来浮出水面。
By marrying a commoner, Mako has ceased to be royal (this rule would not apply if she were male).
通过与平民结婚，真子公主将不得不放弃皇室身份（如果她是男性，这条规则将不适用）。
Her departure leaves just 17 royals, and only men can inherit the Chrysanthemum throne. Merely three potential heirs remain.
她的离去后，皇室只剩下17位成员，只有男性才能继承天皇皇位。只剩下三个潜在的继承人。
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party has blocked moves to allow future female monarchs.
日本执政的自民党已经阻止了允许未来女性君主参政的举措。
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The episode highlights how Japan’s politics, especially on social issues, are hostage to a vocal, conservative minority.
这一事件凸显了日本政治，特别是在社会问题上，是如何受制于一个直言不讳的保守少数派的。
Recent polls show that most Japanese in fact support the partnership of Mako and Kei. Some 85% favour allowing female succession.
最近的民意调查显示，大多数日本人实际上支持真子公主和小室圭的伙伴关系。大约85%的人赞成女性继承皇位。
A similar dynamic—where the public is far more liberal than legislators—exists around gay marriage and the question of whether to allow couples to keep separate surnames, which Japanese law does not allow.
类似的动态变化存在，围绕同性婚姻以及是否允许夫妻保留各自姓氏的问题（公众远比立法者自由），这是日本法律不允许的。
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Like a certain British duo, the Japanese royal couple have decided to make their future outside the stodgy confines of their homeland.
就像某对英国夫妇一样，这对日本皇室夫妇已经决定在他们祖国的古板大地之外开创他们的未来。
Mako and Kei will soon join Harry and Meghan in America.
真子公主和小室圭将很快加入美国的哈里和梅根行列（见文末补充资料）。
（恭喜读完，本篇英语词汇量534个左右）
原文出自2021年10月30日《The Economist》Asia版块。
精读笔记来源于：自由英语之路，仅供个人英语学习交流使用。
【补充资料】
关于文章中Mako and Komuro Kei ，Harry and Meghan。(来源于网络侵删)
日本皇室的真子公主和未婚夫小室圭订婚4年多，终于在10月26日结婚了。因为小室圭的母亲有经济纠纷，皇室对于这桩婚姻还是有些犹豫，所以婚期延了这么久。真子公主将与小室圭定居美国。
【重点句子】（3个）
Commentators called Mr Komuro, a commoner, a gold-digger. They questioned whether his love for Mako was real.
评论员称平民小室圭先生是个傍大款的人。他们质疑他对真子公主的爱是否真实。
The affair has also brought the family’s tenuous future to the fore.
这件事也让这个皇室家族脆弱的未来浮出水面。
The Japanese royal couple have decided to make their future outside the stodgy confines of their homeland.
这对日本皇室夫妇已经决定在他们祖国的古板大地之外开创他们的未来。
【重点词汇】（14个）
out of sync with
与…不一致
monarchy/mnki/
n. 君主国；君主政体，君主制；皇室，王族
be drawn to
被……所吸引
tabloid/tbld/
n. 小报
gold-digger/ɡold dɡr/
n. 淘金者；傍大款的人; 接近有钱人以获得利益者
furore /fjurri/
n. 公愤，公众的骚动
hereditary monarchy
世袭君主制
fuss over
焦虑；过分关心，过分体贴
ordeal/dil/
n. 磨难，严峻考验
tenuous/tenjus/
adj. 纤细的；稀薄的；贫乏的
the Chrysanthemum throne/krsnθmm/
天皇王位
be hostage to
受到…的限制
duo/dju/
n. 二人组；二重奏；二重唱
stodgy/stdi/
adj. 古板的，枯燥的；（食物）难消化的
【词源故事】（1个）
ordeal - 古时英国司法制度很不完善的时代，人们把声张正义的希望寄托于神灵，认为神灵可以对人世间的是非作出判定，并帮助人们惩罚罪犯。法庭在处理疑案时是借助超自然的方式来进行裁决的，例如使嫌疑犯或被告手抱灼热铁块，或使其蒙住双眼赤着脚从几块灼热的犁铧中间走过，或使其将手浸于沸水中，倘若手脚丝毫无损则可定为无罪。
古人相信上帝会创造奇迹，保护无辜者使其不受伤害。这种神裁法古英语作ordāl，其原义为“审判”或“判决”。古代条顿族及其他一些民族也曾采用类似判罪法。13世纪初英国废除了除决斗以外的各种神裁法，但ordāl一词却传了下来，拼写形式演变为ordeal，如今多用于引申义，表示“（对品格、忍耐力等的）严峻考验”、“磨难”或“煎熬”。
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