Retaliation is the action you take against someone who has already done something bad to you — the payback itself. A slap after a slap, a lawsuit after someone is fired, extra taxes after extra taxes.

Retaliation報復 is the action you take against someone who has already done something bad to you是你對已經對你做了壞事的人所採取的行動——the payback itself就是那個回擊的動作本身。A slap after a slap一巴掌換一巴掌，a lawsuit after someone is fired被解僱後提告，extra taxes after extra taxes加稅之後再加稅回去。

News and law love this noun: fear of retaliation, retaliation against a witness, military retaliation.

News and law新聞和法律 love this noun很愛用這個名詞：fear of retaliation害怕報復，retaliation against a witness對證人的報復，military retaliation軍事報復。

It names the deed, not the feeling (that feeling is closer to anger, or a wish for revenge). You can threaten retaliation without doing it yet.

It它 names the deed指的是那個行動本身，not the feeling而不是那種感覺（that feeling那種感覺 is closer to anger, or a wish for revenge比較接近憤怒，或想復仇的念頭）。You你 can threaten retaliation可以揚言報復 without doing it yet但還沒真的做。

Though actually, at school people more often say getting back at someone or revenge; retaliation sounds like the newspaper or the courtroom. The word does not, by itself, tell you whether the payback was fair — only that it was an answer to harm.

Though actually不過其實，at school在學校裡，people大家 more often say更常說 getting back at someone or revenge「報回去」或revenge；retaliation retaliation這個字 sounds like the newspaper or the courtroom聽起來像報紙或法庭上的用語。The word這個字 does not, by itself本身並不會，tell you whether the payback was fair告訴你那個回擊是不是公平的——only that只表示 it was an answer to harm那是對傷害的一種回應。