经济学人

不过非洲南部的人们在取名的创意方面表现突出，至少在取英文名方面是这样的。问津巴布韦人他们在学校的朋友，你会听到五花八门的名字：加倍去爱、一切安好、天真、乏味、耐心、知识、财富、聪明、天知道。一个马拉维人（他自己的名字叫金色）列出了他朋友的名字，分别是耶稣受难日、聪慧、铁和男孩男孩。

Names illuminate power and oppression. Under apartheid in South Africa many black people took on English names, some under pressure from bosses too lazy to pronounce their real ones; others to avoid standing out in a system designed to strip black people of their history, dignity and identity.

名字还反映了权力和压迫。在南非的种族隔离制度下，许多黑人都取了英文名，其中一些人是迫于老板的压力才取的英文名；另一些人则是为了避免在一个旨在剥夺黑人历史、尊严和身份的制度中引人注目。

In his memoir, “Born A Crime”, Trevor Noah, a comedian, says that since African names were used at home, English ones often received little thought. He recalls the example of his friend Hitler, who was named because the original Hitler “was so powerful that…black people had to go and help white people fight against him”.

喜剧演员特雷弗·诺亚在他的回忆录《生来有罪》中写道，因为在家里通常都是用非洲名字，所以英文名往往起得很随意。他回忆起他的朋友希特勒的例子，这个朋友之所以起了这个名字是因为曾经的那个希特勒“太强了……黑人不得不去帮助白人对抗他”。

In Zimbabwe children were long given African names with meaning. This practice switched after British colonisation, when having an English name was seen as a way of getting ahead. Names may refer to circumstances around the birth, a quality parents see in the child, an aspiration for them—or even for the country.

在过去很长一段时间，津巴布韦人都会给孩子起一些具有意义的非洲名字。这种做法在英国殖民后发生了转变，那时起个英文名被视为出人头地的一种方式。名字可能与出生时的环境有关，也可能是父母希望孩子拥有的品质，对他们甚至对国家的期望。

Under white rule some children were called Democracy, Freedom or, allegedly, Polling Station. Other names suggested progress. One venture capitalist recalls school friends named Computer and, unless he was winding your correspondent up, Crankshaft.

在白人统治下，一些孩子被起名为民主、自由，甚至（据称）还有投票站。还有一些名字则寓意着进步。一位风险投资家回忆起他在学校时的朋友，有叫计算机的，甚至还有叫机轴的（你确定这不是在逗记者玩）。

Do names shape character? Zimbabweans wryly noted that one Reward Marufu, a late brother-in-law of Robert Mugabe, did well out of his relative’s corrupt regime. But Mr Kalua says he is Trouble by name, not by nature. “Great sense of humour, friendly, patient, kind, loving. Nothing like trouble at all!”

名字能塑造性格吗？津巴布韦人讽刺地指出，罗伯特·穆加贝已故的姐夫奖赏·马鲁夫从其亲戚的腐败政权中获利颇多。而卡卢亚说，他的名字虽然叫麻烦，但与本性恰恰相反。“幽默感、友好、耐心、善良、有爱心。一点也不像个麻烦!”

Names, and the language they are in, reflect changing times, too. In Zimbabwe, whose economy is collapsing, one comes across people named No Money. In many places African names are supplanting English ones. In recent years in South Africa, Enzokuhle (“to do good” in Xhosa), has become one of the most popular names, perhaps inspired by a popular song, “Enzo”.

名字以及起名所用的语言也反映了时代的变化。在经济崩溃的津巴布韦，人们会遇到一个叫“没钱”的人。在许多地方，非洲名字正在取代英文名字。近年来，在南非，恩佐库勒（在科萨语中意为“行善”）已经成为最受欢迎的名字之一，也许是受一首名为“恩佐”的流行歌曲的启发。

It may be that names such as Salad Nthenda will become relics. The Malawian, whose mother ate lots of vegetables when pregnant, says his “name felt good from day one”. He loves the “uniqueness”. Although he is teased at times, he does not give a toss.

像萨拉德·恩森达这样的名字可能会成为历史。这位马拉维人的母亲在怀孕时吃了很多蔬菜，他说“从一开始就觉得自己的名字很好听” 他喜欢这种“独一无二”。虽然有时会被他人嘲笑，但他并不在乎。

(红色标注词为重难点词汇)

重难点词汇

impoverish [ɪmˈpɑːvərɪʃ] v. 使贫困；使枯竭

apartheid [əˈpɑːrtaɪt] n. 种族隔离制度

supplant [səˈplænt] v. 取代；代替

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