《中英對照讀新聞》Liverpool will not rename Penny Lane 利物浦不會把「潘尼巷」改名

◎俞智敏

Penny Lane will keep its name. Liverpool officials said they would modify a proposal to rename streets linked to the slave trade when they realized the road made famous by the 1967 Beatles song was one of them.

潘尼巷可以保留原名。利物浦市官員表示，他們打算修改一項把市內與奴隸交易有關的街道重新命名的提案，因為他們發現因披頭四樂團1967年同名歌曲而聞名的這條潘尼巷，正是應被重新命名的街道之一。

The unassuming suburban street was named after James Penny, a wealthy 18th century slave ship owner. Liverpool, the Beatles’ northern English hometown, was once a major hub for the slave trade.

這條不起眼的郊區街道是依詹姆斯．潘尼而命名，潘尼是18世紀一位富有的奴隸船主。披頭四位於英格蘭北部的家鄉利物浦，曾是奴隸交易重要樞紐。

"I don't think anyone would seriously consider renaming Penny Lane," said city council member Barbara Mace, who has been pressing to get rid of names linked to slavery. "My proposal is to rename several of the streets and to replace them with the names of people who have done something positive."

「我不認為有人會認真考慮將潘尼巷改名，」市議員梅絲指出，她過去一直努力推動去除與奴隸交易有關的街名。「我的提案是要更改幾條街的街名，以一些曾有正面作為人士的名字來取代。」

Eric Lynch, 74, who gives tours focused on the history of Liverpool's involvement in the slave trade, said renaming any streets or squares would be a "disgraceful attempt to change history." "It's like somebody in Germany deciding to bulldoze Auschwitz," Lynch said.

現年74歲的林區專門負責解說有關利物浦奴隸交易歷史的導覽行程，他說，更改任何街道或廣場的名稱，都是「竄改歷史的可恥企圖。」「這就好比德國有人決定要把奧許維茲集中營給剷平一樣，」林區說。

Liverpool was an important port of call for slave ships traveling between Africa and the Americas, and during the second half of the 18th century, much of the city's economy was based on the trade.

利物浦曾是往來於非洲與美洲間的奴隸船的重要停靠港，在18世紀後半葉，該市大部份經濟都是仰賴奴隸交易。

新聞辭典

unassuming：謙虛的、不出鋒頭的、不裝腔作勢的。如︰He was shy and unassuming and not at all how you expect an actor to be.（他很害羞、不愛出鋒頭，跟你預期的演員舉止完全不同。）

port of call：停靠港。call作名詞時，可指車輛或船隻的停靠點，如︰The ship will make calls at several ports.（這艘船會在數個港口停靠。）