Guardianship is the legal position of being responsible for someone else’s child. The guardian is the person; guardianship is the job, the legal tie.

Guardianship isGuardianship是 the legal position of being responsible for someone else's child負責照顧別人孩子的法律身分。The guardian is the personguardian指的是這個人；guardianship is the job, the legal tieguardianship指的是這份工作、這層法律關係。

If both parents die, or cannot look after the child, a court may give guardianship to an aunt, a grandparent, or a family friend. That person then has the right — and the duty — to decide things like school, health, and where the child lives.

If both parents die, or cannot look after the child如果父母雙方都過世，或無法照顧孩子，a court may give guardianship to an aunt, a grandparent, or a family friend法院可能會把guardianship交給阿姨、祖父母，或家庭友人。That person then has the right — and the duty這個人接著就有權利——也有責任——to decide things like school, health, and where the child lives決定孩子上學、健康，以及住在哪裡等事情。

In some places the same idea can cover an adult who cannot look after themselves, but the core picture is a child who needs a stand-in parent in the eyes of the law.

In some places在某些地方 the same idea can cover an adult who cannot look after themselves這個概念也可以用在無法照顧自己的成人身上，but the core picture is但核心畫面仍是 a child who needs a stand-in parent in the eyes of the law一個在法律眼中需要代理父母的孩子。

Though actually, families sometimes mix this up with custody after a divorce. Custody is about which parent the child lives with. Guardianship is the bigger legal role of being the adult in charge when the parents cannot be. In everyday talk, though, people blur the two.

Though actually不過其實，families sometimes mix this up with家庭有時候會把這個和 custody after a divorce離婚後的custody搞混。Custody is aboutcustody指的是 which parent the child lives with孩子跟哪一方父母住。Guardianship is the bigger legal roleguardianship則是更大的法律角色 of being the adult in charge指的是由誰當這個孩子的負責大人 when the parents cannot be在父母無法擔任時。In everyday talk, though不過日常說話時，people blur the two人們常把這兩個概念混在一起講。