Multiculturalism is a belief — and often a kind of plan for a country — that it is good for many cultures to live together in one place, and that public life should make room for all of them. “Culture” here is a big, everyday bundle: language, food, religion, holidays, dress, the way a family lives. The idea is not only “lots of kinds of people happen to be here.” It is that this mix is important and worth protecting, not something to wash away.

Multiculturalism is a beliefMulticulturalism是一種信念——and often a kind of plan for a country而且常常是一個國家的一種政策方向——that it is good for many cultures to live together in one place認為讓很多種文化住在同一個地方是好事，and that public life should make room for all of them而且公共生活應該給每一種文化留空間。'Culture' here is a big, everyday bundle這裡的「文化」是一個很大、很日常的組合：language, food, religion, holidays, dress, the way a family lives包括語言、食物、宗教、節日、穿著，還有一個家庭生活的方式。The idea is not only 'lots of kinds of people happen to be here.'這個想法不只是「剛好有很多種人住在這裡」。It is that this mix is important and worth protecting而是這種混合很重要、值得保護，not something to wash away不是應該被沖淡掉的東西。

You will hear the word in news, in school, and in politics. In some countries it is almost official: the government says multiculturalism is a good thing. In others, people fight about it.

You will hear the word in news, in school, and in politics你會在新聞、學校和政治裡聽到這個字。In some countries it is almost official在某些國家，這幾乎是官方立場：the government says multiculturalism is a good thing政府會說multiculturalism是好事。In others, people fight about it在另一些國家，大家會為了這個議題吵起來。

Some speakers use it as praise. Some use it as a complaint, as if it meant the country is coming apart. The same word, two feelings. A newspaper can sound kind or angry just by how it sits the word in the sentence.

Some speakers use it as praise有些人用它來稱讚。Some use it as a complaint有些人用它來抱怨，as if it meant the country is coming apart好像這個字的意思是國家快要分裂了。The same word, two feelings同一個字，兩種感受。A newspaper can sound kind or angry一篇報導聽起來可以是溫和的，也可以是憤怒的，just by how it sits the word in the sentence差別只在它把這個字放在句子裡的哪個位置。

It is an idea-word, a bit formal. Friends might just say “people from lots of places live here.” The tidy school meaning is “including many cultures is good.” The messy truth is that people do not all agree what “include” should look like — sharing a street, sharing a language, sharing power — and they still use this one word for all of that.

It is an idea-word, a bit formal這是一個觀念性的字，有點正式。Friends might just say 'people from lots of places live here.'朋友之間可能只會說「這裡住了很多不同地方來的人」。The tidy school meaning is 'including many cultures is good.'課本上乾淨俐落的意思是「包容很多種文化是好事」。The messy truth is that people do not all agree what 'include' should look like但真實情況比較亂：大家對「包容」到底該長什麼樣子並不一致——sharing a street, sharing a language, sharing power是共用一條街、共用一種語言，還是共享權力——and they still use this one word for all of that但大家還是用同一個字來講這所有的事。