A midwife is a person specially trained to care for a woman during pregnancy and to help when the baby is being born. Dictionaries often say 'a kind of nurse,' and many midwives did train as nurses first — though actually in a lot of countries, including Taiwan, midwife is its own profession, with its own licence, not just a nickname for a nurse.

A midwifea midwife（助產師） is a person specially trained to care for a woman during pregnancy是專門受訓、在女性懷孕期間照顧她的人 and to help when the baby is being born並在寶寶出生時幫忙。Dictionaries often say 'a kind of nurse,'辭典常說這是「一種護理師」 and many midwives did train as nurses first而且很多助產師確實先受過護理師的訓練 — though actually in a lot of countries, including Taiwan不過其實在很多國家，包括台灣, midwife is its own profession, with its own licence助產師是獨立的專業，有自己的執照, not just a nickname for a nurse不只是護理師的另一個稱呼。

There are men in the job too, even though the old word has wife in it. That wife is an old English word for 'woman,' not 'married partner,' and mid here means 'with' (like German mit): the person who is with the woman.

There are men in the job too這個工作也有男性在做, even though the old word has wife in it即使這個舊字裡有wife這個字。That wife is an old English word for 'woman,' not 'married partner,'這裡的wife，是古英文裡「女人」的意思，不是「已婚伴侶」 and mid here means 'with' (like German mit)而mid在這裡的意思是「和…在一起」（就像德文的mit）: the person who is with the woman也就是跟女人在一起的那個人。

Scholars are not entirely sure whether it first meant 'the woman who attends' or 'the ones who stand with the mother.' Either way, it is not 'middle wife' and not 'the wife in the middle.' The verb to midwife — to help something be born, even an idea — grew from this, but this entry is the person.

Scholars are not entirely sure whether it first meant 'the woman who attends' or 'the ones who stand with the mother.'學者並不完全確定，這個字最早的意思是「陪伴的女人」，還是「陪在母親身邊的那群人」。 Either way, it is not 'middle wife' and not 'the wife in the middle.'不管怎樣，它都不是「middle wife（中間的妻子）」，也不是「在中間的那個wife」。 The verb to midwife — to help something be born, even an idea — grew from this動詞to midwife——幫助某個東西誕生，就算是一個想法也一樣——是從這裡長出來的, but this entry is the person但這篇條目講的是那個人。

Formal enough for hospitals; also a warm, trusted word in families.

Formal enough for hospitals正式到可以用在醫院裡; also a warm, trusted word in families在家庭之間，也是一個溫暖、值得信賴的字。