Always written with a capital T and always with 'the' in front: the Troubles. It is the name Irish people use for the long political fight over Ireland's relationship with Britain — and, most often today, for the violence in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s until the peace agreement in 1998.

永遠要用大寫T一律大寫T，前面永遠加the前面加the：就是the Troubles就是the Troubles。這是It is 愛爾蘭人用來稱呼the name Irish people use for，愛爾蘭與英國關係的長期政治鬥爭the long political fight over Ireland's relationship with Britain——而and如今most often today最常指的是for the violence in Northern Ireland北愛爾蘭的暴力衝突，from the late 1960s until the peace agreement in 1998從1960年代末到1998年和平協議為止。

Bombs, shootings, soldiers on the street, about 3,500 people dead in a place smaller than Taiwan.

在一個比台灣還小的地方in a place smaller than Taiwan，爆炸、槍擊、街上的士兵Bombs, shootings, soldiers on the street，大約3500人喪生about 3,500 people dead。

The word itself is strange, and that is the point. 'Trouble' is such a small, soft, everyday word — you have trouble with your homework, trouble with your car. Using it for thirty years of killing is a kind of understatement, the way people sometimes make a terrible thing smaller in their mouths because saying the true word out loud is too much. Some people there choose it for exactly that reason; others resent it, because it makes a war sound like a bad week.

這個詞本身The word itself 很奇怪is strange，而and 正是that 重點所在is the point。'Trouble'「trouble」這個字 is such a small, soft, everyday word是個很小、很輕、很日常的詞——像功課上的you have trouble with your homework trouble，車子的trouble with your car trouble。用它來指三十年的殺戮Using it for thirty years of killing 是一種輕描淡寫is a kind of understatement，就像the way 有時人們people sometimes 會把可怕的事情在嘴裡講小一點make a terrible thing smaller in their mouths，因為because 把真正的字大聲說出來saying the true word out loud 太沉重了is too much。那裡有些人Some people there 正是為了這個原因選這個詞choose it for exactly that reason；其他人則反感others resent it，因為because 它讓一場戰爭聽起來像糟糕的一週it makes a war sound like a bad week。

The name is also used for an earlier period, the fighting around 1919-1923 when Ireland was becoming independent, so if you meet 'the Troubles' in an old book, check which years the writer means.

這個名字The name 也用來指更早的一段時期is also used for an earlier period，就是1919到1923年前後的戰鬥the fighting around 1919-1923，愛爾蘭當時正走向獨立when Ireland was becoming independent，所以so 如果你在舊書裡遇到'the Troubles'if you meet 'the Troubles' in an old book，要確認作者指的是哪幾年check which years the writer means。

Outside Ireland the pattern has spread a little — you may see a journalist write 'the troubles' about conflict somewhere else — but that is borrowing the Irish word, and readers hear the Irish echo in it.

在愛爾蘭以外Outside Ireland，這個用法稍微擴散開來the pattern has spread a little——你可能會看到記者用'the troubles'指別的地方的衝突you may see a journalist write 'the troubles' about conflict somewhere else——但but 那是借用愛爾蘭的說法that is borrowing the Irish word，而and 讀者聽得出裡面的愛爾蘭味道readers hear the Irish echo in it。