In ancient Rome, a tribune was an official chosen by the ordinary people — the plebeians — to protect them from the powerful. His great weapon was the veto: he could stand up and stop a law or an order from harming a citizen, and his person was sacred, so harming him was a crime against the gods. That is the meaning you meet in history class and in books about Rome.

In ancient Rome在古羅馬, a tribune護民官(tribune) was an official chosen by the ordinary people是由平民選出來的官員 — the plebeians（plebeians） — to protect them from the powerful用來保護他們不受權貴欺壓。His great weapon他最大的武器 was the veto是否決權（veto）: he could stand up and stop a law or an order from harming a citizen他可以挺身而出，阻止法律或命令傷害某個公民, and his person was sacred而且他本人的身分神聖不可侵犯, so harming him was a crime against the gods傷害他就是冒犯神明的重罪。That這 is the meaning you meet in history class and in books about Rome就是你在歷史課和講羅馬的書裡會遇到的意思。

Watch out, though, because Rome had another kind of tribune entirely — a military tribune, a senior army officer — and the same English word covers both, so the sentence has to tell you which.

Watch out, though不過要小心, because Rome had another kind of tribune entirely因為羅馬還有完全不同的另一種tribune — a military tribune軍事護民官（military tribune）, a senior army officer也就是資深的軍官 — and the same English word covers both同一個英文字兩種意思都涵蓋, so the sentence has to tell you which所以要看句子才能分辨是哪一種。

Two things grew out of this word. First, in modern political writing, 'a tribune of the people' means anyone who speaks up loudly for ordinary people against those in power; it is a compliment, sometimes a slightly ironic one. Second, it is a favourite name for newspapers — the Chicago Tribune, the International Herald Tribune — for exactly that reason: the paper claims to speak for you.

Two things grew out of this word從這個字衍生出兩種用法。First第一, in modern political writing在現代政治文章裡, 'a tribune of the people'「a tribune of the people」（人民的代言人） means anyone who speaks up loudly for ordinary people against those in power是指任何大聲為平民發聲、對抗當權者的人; it is a compliment這是一種讚美, sometimes a slightly ironic one有時候帶點反諷。Second第二, it is a favourite name for newspapers這個字也很受報紙青睞，常拿來當報名 — the Chicago Tribune像Chicago Tribune（芝加哥論壇報）, the International Herald Tribune、International Herald Tribune（國際先驅論壇報） — for exactly that reason正是因為同樣的理由: the paper claims to speak for you這份報紙宣稱自己是在替你發聲。

There is also a rarer meaning: a raised platform for a speaker, from the same idea as 'tribunal'.

There is also a rarer meaning還有一個比較少見的意思: a raised platform for a speaker講者站立的高台, from the same idea as 'tribunal'跟tribunal（法庭）是同一個概念來的。