美國可能將擁有第51個州 華盛頓特區將改名?

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."

作爲美國的首都，華盛頓特區並不在美國的50個州之內。它是一個"聯邦特區"，因此，"哥倫比亞特區"縮寫成爲"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.

不過，這一情況可能很快就會發生變化了，因爲其目前其正在致力於獲得州的地位。一旦成功，華盛頓特區將成爲第51個州，而它的州長也將授予它一個全新的名字。

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

這個名字很有可能是"新哥倫比亞州"，是在1982年華盛頓特區想要升格爲州的全民公投中，被批准的一個老名字。它起源於意大利探險家克里斯托弗·哥倫布，而他顯然是美國曆史上關鍵的一部分。

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.

當然，長時間以來特區居民一直對名字的改變充滿擔憂。自上世紀80年代以來，哥倫布作爲一個英雄的美名經歷了翻天覆地的改變：很多人將他視作野蠻的侵略者，而非高尚的探險家。

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."

據華盛頓特區天主教大學的副教授馬修·格林表示："現在很難找出一個能與這座城市的政治、生活和其他象徵性維度相匹配的名字。"

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友們在社交媒體上的熱烈討論，很多人分享了他們的觀點。

#NewColumbia? You've gotta be kidding me!! Please stick to Washington DC. Capital City!— Roro Tetreault

網友Roro Tetreault說：#新哥倫比亞州？別開玩笑了！還是華盛頓特區好，首都好！

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.

此外，民主黨候選人希拉里·克林頓和伯尼·桑德斯都支持這個方案，但是沒有什麼是一成不變的。獲得州地位的問題極有可能會在七月的民主黨全國大會上商議。在此之前，我們就靜觀其變吧。