Names & Titles 美式的名字与称谓 （ 3 ）

Americans still use a few very formal titles which reflect their Old World heritage. The British address their king and queen as Your Majesty; Americans address the judge in a court as Your Honor. Americans speaking to their nation's leader respectfully call him Mr. President. And many churches refer to their leader as Reverend. In everyday situations, the polite forms sir and madam (or ma'am) show a measure of respect. But Americans don't generally use the names of occupations or positions as formal titles. Students might address their teacher as Mr. (or Ms.) Hudson, but not Teacher Hudson.

美国人仍会使用一些很正式的称谓来反映出他们欧洲背景的传统。英国人称呼他们的国王和皇后为殿下，美国人则称呼法官为阁下；美国人很尊敬地对国家元首说话时，会称他为总统先生；而很多教会提到教会的领导者，则以牧师尊称。在日常生活中，先生或是夫人这样礼貌的称谓，表现出相当的尊重。但是美国人一般不会用职业或是职位的名称来称呼人。学生们可能会称呼他们的老师为哈德森先生（或女士），而不是哈德森老师。

What's in a name? A world of significance. So if you're choosing an English name for yourself, take care to choose a good one. A made-up name could sound strange to native English speakers. And a translation of your Chinese name may not make an appropriate name, either. But a good name can leave a positive and lasting impression. As an American politician once remarked, "In real life, unlike in Shakespeare, the sweetness of the rose depends upon the name it bears."

「名字到底意味甚么呢？」意义可是很重大的呢！所以如果你正试着为自己取个英文名字，仔细地选一个好一点的吧。自创的名字对以英语为母语的人而言，可能听起来有点奇怪。而直接翻译你的中文名字可能也不太适合。一个好名字会留给人持久的好印象，就像一个美国政治家曾经说过的：「有别于莎士比亚的戏剧的是，在真实的生活中，玫瑰花有多香，就全看它的名字有多好听了。」