華盛頓將成為美國(guó)第51個(gè)州，并且不再叫華盛頓.

　　習(xí)慣于美國(guó)50州的人恐怕要改改習(xí)慣了，目前華盛頓正在致力于獲得州地位?？峙聲?huì)成為美國(guó)的第51個(gè)州了。

　　As the capital of the United States, Washington DC is not one of the 50 states. It’s a “federal district,” hence “District of Columbia,” shortened to “D.C.” But that could soon change, as they are currently bidding for statehood. If that happened, Washington DC would become the 51st state, and its leaders would give it an entirely new name.

　　作為美國(guó)的首都，華盛頓特區(qū)列于美國(guó)的50個(gè)州之外。它是一個(gè)“聯(lián)邦特區(qū)”，因此，“哥倫比亞特區(qū)”縮寫成為“D.C.”，不過，可能很快就會(huì)發(fā)生變化了——目前其正在致力于獲得州地位。一旦成功，華盛頓特區(qū)將成為第51個(gè)州，而它的州長(zhǎng)也將給它一個(gè)全新的名字。

　　That name could quite likely be “New Columbia,” an old name that was approved by voters in a 1982 rerendum in which Washington DC tried for statehood. It originates from Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, who is obviously a critical part of U.S. history.

　　這個(gè)名字很有可能是“新哥倫比亞州”，是在1982年華盛頓特區(qū)想要升格為州的全民公投中，被批準(zhǔn)的一個(gè)老名字。它起源于意大利探險(xiǎn)家克里斯托弗哥倫布，他顯然是美國(guó)歷史上關(guān)鍵的一部分。

　　Of course, some long time DC residents are anxious about the name change. Columbus’ reputation as a hero has undergone quite a sea-change since the 1980s, with many seeing him as a brutal conqueror rather than a noble explorer. According to Matthew Green, an associate professor of politics at Catholic University in Washington DC, “It’s hard to come up with a name that would honor the city’s political, living and symbolic dimensions equally.” He mentions that one of the alternative suggestions, “Douglass Commonwealth” might also be appropriate due to the fact that Frederik Douglass was an important figure in African-American politics. He lead the abolitionist movement, which ended slavery in the U.S.

　　當(dāng)然，長(zhǎng)時(shí) 間以來特區(qū)居民對(duì)名字的改變充滿擔(dān)憂。自上世紀(jì)80年代以來，哥倫比亞作為一個(gè)英雄的美名經(jīng)歷了翻天覆地的改變：很多人將他視作野蠻的侵略者，而非高尚的 探險(xiǎn)家。據(jù)華盛頓特區(qū)天主教大學(xué)的副教授馬修.格林稱，“很難找出一個(gè)名字來，能與這個(gè)城市的政治、生活和其他象征性維度相匹配。”他提出了一個(gè)建議，考 慮到弗雷德里克.道格拉斯是非裔美國(guó)人政治上一個(gè)重要人物，他領(lǐng)導(dǎo)了廢奴運(yùn)動(dòng)，終結(jié)了美國(guó)的奴隸制，“道格拉斯聯(lián)邦”可能還比較合適。

　　People are joining in the conversation on social media, adding in their opinion about the name change and possible statehood.

　　更名和升州事宜引起了網(wǎng)友們?cè)谏缃幻襟w上的熱烈討論，很多人分享了他們的觀點(diǎn)。

　　I don’t want to live in #NewColumbia #WashingtonDC #51StState— LauraEnDC (@lauendc) July 2, 2016

　　2016年7月2日，LauraEnDC說，我不想生活在#新哥倫比亞州#華盛頓特區(qū)#美國(guó)的第51個(gè)州。

　　#NewColumbia? You’ve gotta be kidding me!! Please stick to Washington, DC a/k/a Capital City!— Roro Tétreault (@LeMondeDuRoro) July 2, 2016

　　2016年7月2日，Roro Tétreault 說，#新哥倫比亞州?別開玩笑了!還是華盛頓特區(qū)好，首都好!

　　Statehood has long been a fraught issue for DC residents, as many who actually live in the district support it, while Congress has typically been against the idea. Among the reasons for statehood include the fact that DC isn’t fully represented in Congress by voting members, and that decisions typically made by organizations like a city council instead often require Congressional approval, taking them out of local government’s hands.

　　對(duì)于特區(qū)居民來說，升格為州一直以來都充滿爭(zhēng)議。盡管生活在這兒的部分民眾支持此舉，國(guó)會(huì)卻極力反對(duì)。升州的原因之一在于，華盛頓哥倫比亞特區(qū)只有在眾議院擁有一名無投票權(quán)的代表，且通常市政府作的一些決策還需要國(guó)會(huì)的批準(zhǔn)，當(dāng)?shù)卣⒉荒茏鳑Q定。

　　Presumptive Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton supports the change along with Bernie Sanders, but nothing is set in stone yet. The statehood issue will probably be debated at the Democratic National Convention in July. Until then, we’ll just have to sit tight and see what happens.

　　民主黨候選人希拉里克林頓和伯尼桑德斯都支持這個(gè)方案，然而沒有什么是一成不變的。獲得州地位的問題極有可能會(huì)在七月的民主黨全國(guó)大會(huì)上商議。在此之前，我們就靜靜的觀望看到底會(huì)怎樣吧。