中英對照讀新聞》Dutch king apologizes for colonial-era slavery 荷蘭國王為殖民時代奴隸制道歉

◎陳成良

Dutch King Willem-Alexander apologized Saturday for his country’s role in slavery and asked for forgiveness in a historic speech greeted by cheers and whoops at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the abolition of slavery.

荷蘭國王威廉-亞歷山大週六為他的國家在奴隸制中的角色道歉，並在紀念廢除奴隸制週年的活動中受到歡呼和嘶吼的歷史性演講中，請求寬恕。

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The king’s speech followed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s apology late last year for the country’s role in the slave trade and slavery. It is part of a wider reckoning with colonial histories in the West that have been spurred in recent years by the Black Lives Matter movement.

國王發表講話之前，荷蘭總理呂特去年底就該國在奴隸貿易和奴隸制方面所扮演的角色致歉。這是近年來在「黑人的命也是命」運動推動下，對西方殖民歷史進行更廣泛反思的一部分。

In an emotional speech, Willem-Alexander referred back to that apology as he told a crowd of invited guests and onlookers: “Today I stand before you. Today, as your King and as a member of the government, I make this apology myself. And I feel the weight of the words in my heart and my soul.”

在一場情緒激動的演講中，威廉-亞歷山大回顧那次道歉，他對一群受邀嘉賓和旁觀者說：「今天我站在你們面前。今天，做為你們的國王和政府成員，我親自道歉。我感受到這些話在我心裡和靈魂中的份量。」

The king said he has commissioned a study into the exact role of the royal House of Orange-Nassau in slavery in the Netherlands. (AP)

國王表示，他已委託進行一項研究，調查奧蘭治-拿索王室在荷蘭奴隸制中的確切角色。（美聯社）

新聞辭典

commemorate：動詞，紀念、緬懷、慶祝。例句：We commemorate those who lost their lives in the war.（我們緬懷那些在戰爭中喪生的人們。）

spur：動詞，激勵，鼓勵，刺激。例句：The manager spurred on his team to try harder.（總教練鼓勵他的隊員繼續多努力一下。）

commission：動詞，委託、安排。例句：The politician commissioned me to write a biography for him.（這位政治人物委託我替他撰寫傳記。）