Decolonization is the process of making a former colony politically independent: the old ruling country stops governing, and the place becomes its own country, with its own government. It names a long change, not a single afternoon. It can be mostly peaceful, or it can come with fighting, talks, and years of sorting out laws, land, and money. After the Second World War, many places in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean went through this.

DecolonizationDecolonization（去殖民化） is the process of making a former colony politically independent是讓一個曾經的殖民地在政治上獨立的過程：the old ruling country stops governing原本統治的國家不再管理它，and the place becomes its own country, with its own government這個地方變成自己的國家，有自己的政府。It names a long change它指的是一個很長的變化過程，not a single afternoon不是一個下午的事。It can be mostly peaceful這個過程可能大部分是和平的，or it can come with fighting, talks, and years of sorting out laws, land, and money也可能伴隨著戰爭、談判，還有好幾年在整理法律、土地，和金錢問題。After the Second World War第二次世界大戰之後，many places in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean went through this非洲、亞洲，和加勒比海很多地方都經歷過這個過程。

Though actually, people also stretch the word. In universities, museums, and the news, decolonization can mean taking colonial habits of thinking out of a school subject, a collection, or even everyday language — even when the political flag has already changed.

Though actually不過實際上，people also stretch the word大家也會把這個詞用得更寬。In universities, museums, and the news在大學、博物館，和新聞裡，decolonization can mean taking colonial habits of thinking out of a school subject, a collection, or even everyday languagedecolonization 也可以是指，把殖民時期留下的思考習慣，從一門學科、一批館藏，甚至是日常語言裡拿掉——even when the political flag has already changed即使政治上的旗子早就已經換過了。

That newer use is real and often argued over. The older, tighter meaning is still the political one: a colony becoming an independent country.

That newer use is real這個比較新的用法是真實存在的，and often argued over也常常引發爭論。The older, tighter meaning is still the political one比較舊、比較嚴格的意思，還是政治上的那個：a colony becoming an independent country殖民地變成一個獨立的國家。