A regatta is a sports meeting where boats race — either rowing boats, with people pulling oars, or sailing boats moved by the wind. It is not one race but the whole event: a day, a weekend, sometimes a week, with many races, a crowd on the bank, flags, prizes.

A regattaA regatta is a sports meeting是一種運動賽會 where boats race船隻會在裡面比賽—— either rowing boats, with people pulling oars不管是划槳的划船， or sailing boats moved by the wind還是靠風推動的帆船。 It is not one race它不是一場比賽， but the whole event而是整個活動： a day, a weekend, sometimes a week一天、一個週末，有時候一整週， with many races裡面有很多場比賽， a crowd on the bank河岸邊有人群， flags有旗子， prizes有獎項。

That whole-event meaning is important. One race is a race; the gathering that holds the races is the regatta.

That whole-event meaning is important這個「整個活動」的意思很重要。 One race is a race一場比賽就是一場race； the gathering that holds the races而舉辦這些比賽的整場聚會 is the regatta才是regatta。

The word is strongly tied to a certain picture in British life: a summer river, schools and universities competing, people in blazers and hats on the grass drinking something cold. Henley Royal Regatta is the famous one. So the word can carry a faint feeling of money and old tradition, though there are plenty of small, ordinary local regattas too, and plenty of serious sailing regattas around the world that are nothing but hard competition.

The word is strongly tied to a certain picture in British life這個字和英國生活裡的某種畫面緊緊綁在一起： a summer river夏天的河流， schools and universities competing學校和大學互相較勁， people in blazers and hats on the grass drinking something cold穿著西裝外套、戴著帽子的人坐在草地上喝著冰涼的飲料。 Henley Royal Regatta is the famous oneHenley Royal Regatta（亨利皇家賽船會）就是最有名的那一個。 So the word can carry a faint feeling of money and old tradition所以這個字可能帶著一絲金錢和老傳統的味道， though there are plenty of small, ordinary local regattas too不過也有很多小型、普通的地方regatta， and plenty of serious sailing regattas around the world而世界各地也有很多認真的帆船regatta that are nothing but hard competition純粹就是激烈的競賽。

Because of the boating-club picture, English has also borrowed the word into clothes: regatta stripes, or a regatta blazer, means the bright vertical stripes that rowing clubs wear. You may see it on shirts in a shop with no boat anywhere near.

Because of the boating-club picture因為這種划船俱樂部的畫面， English has also borrowed the word into clothes英文也把這個字借進了服裝用語： regatta stripes, or a regatta blazerregatta stripes（regatta條紋）或regatta blazer means the bright vertical stripes that rowing clubs wear指的就是划船俱樂部穿的那種鮮豔直條紋。 You may see it on shirts in a shop你可能會在店裡的襯衫上看到這個字 with no boat anywhere near附近根本沒有船的影子。

The word came into English from Italian — from Venice, where boat races on the canals have been held for hundreds of years.

The word came into English from Italian這個字是從義大利文進到英文的—— from Venice來自威尼斯， where boat races on the canals have been held for hundreds of years那裡的運河上已經舉辦船賽好幾百年了。