Lower-class names the social group with less money, less power, and usually less formal education than other groups. In older books it sat under middle-class and upper-class, as if society were a tidy ladder.

Lower-classLower-class names the social group指的是那個社會群體 with less money, less power, and usually less formal education than other groups比其他群體錢少、權力小，通常受的正規教育也比較少。In older books在比較舊的書裡 it sat under middle-class and upper-class它排在 middle-class 和 upper-class 下面 as if society were a tidy ladder好像社會是一座整整齊齊的階梯。

Today many people treat the word as offensive: it can sound as if you are ranking human worth, not describing a situation. News and careful speakers more often say working-class, low-income, or talk about people with less money, depending on what they mean.

Today many people treat the word as offensive現在很多人覺得這個字帶有冒犯性：it can sound as if you are ranking human worth聽起來像是在替人的價值排名 not describing a situation而不是在描述一種處境。News and careful speakers新聞和說話謹慎的人 more often say working-class, low-income比較常說 working-class（勞工階級）、low-income（低收入） or talk about people with less money或直接說錢比較少的人 depending on what they mean看他們實際想講的是什麼。

If you meet lower-class in an old novel, that is the ladder idea. If you use it about a living person now, it can land as a snub.

If you meet lower-class in an old novel如果你在舊小說裡看到 lower-class that is the ladder idea那就是那種階梯式的概念。If you use it about a living person now如果你現在拿它來說一個活生生的人 it can land as a snub聽起來可能像是在瞧不起人。

Though actually, even 'class' talk is messy — countries do not draw the lines in the same place, and people inside a group may refuse the label.

Though actually不過其實 even 'class' talk is messy連「class 階級」這種說法本身都很模糊 countries do not draw the lines in the same place各國畫界線的地方不一樣 and people inside a group may refuse the label而且群體裡的人也可能不接受這個標籤。