Voodoo is a religion, most closely linked with Haiti, and also found in parts of West Africa and in Louisiana in the United States. Believers honour spirits, use songs, drums and dance in ceremonies, and may ask a priest or priestess for help with sickness, love or trouble. It grew out of West African religions carried across the sea by enslaved people, and in Haiti it mixed with Catholic saints and images. That is the real thing.

Voodoo is a religionVoodoo是一種宗教 most closely linked with Haiti跟海地的關係最密切 and also found in parts of West Africa and in Louisiana in the United States在西非部分地區和美國路易斯安那州也看得到 believers honour spirits信徒敬拜靈 use songs, drums and dance in ceremonies在儀式裡用歌曲、鼓聲和舞蹈 and may ask a priest or priestess for help with sickness, love or trouble也可能會請祭司或女祭司幫忙處理生病、感情或麻煩事 it grew out of West African religions carried across the sea by enslaved people它是從被奴役的人們渡海帶過來的西非宗教演變而來的 and in Haiti it mixed with Catholic saints and images在海地又跟天主教的聖人和聖像融合在一起 that is the real thing這才是真正的樣貌

In everyday English, though, the word is often used for the film version: dolls stuck with pins, curses, dead people walking. That picture is mostly invention, and it has been used unkindly against Haitian people for a long time, so it is worth knowing that the popular meaning and the actual religion are not the same.

In everyday English, though不過在日常英文裡 the word is often used for the film version這個字常常是指電影裡演的那個版本 dolls stuck with pins, curses, dead people walking像扎了針的娃娃、詛咒、行走的死人 that picture is mostly invention這幅畫面大多是虛構出來的 and it has been used unkindly against Haitian people for a long time而且長期以來被拿來惡意攻擊海地人 so it is worth knowing that the popular meaning and the actual religion are not the same所以值得知道的是，通俗的意思跟真正的宗教並不一樣

From this comes a second, looser use: people say "voodoo" about anything they think is nonsense dressed up as knowledge — most famously "voodoo economics", meaning money policy that cannot really work. Here it is always an insult.

From this comes a second, looser use由此衍生出第二種比較鬆散的用法 people say "voodoo" about anything they think is nonsense dressed up as knowledge人們會用"voodoo"來說任何他們覺得是包裝成學問的胡扯 most famously "voodoo economics"最有名的就是"voodoo economics"（巫毒經濟學） meaning money policy that cannot really work意思是根本行不通的財經政策 here it is always an insult這裡用法一定是帶著侮辱的意思

You will also see it as an adjective in "voodoo doll", "voodoo priest", and rarely as a verb meaning to put a curse on someone.

You will also see it as an adjective你也會看到它當形容詞用 in "voodoo doll", "voodoo priest"像"voodoo doll"（巫毒娃娃）、"voodoo priest"（巫毒祭司） and rarely as a verb meaning to put a curse on someone也很少見地當動詞用，意思是對某人下詛咒

Careful writers now often prefer the spelling *Vodou* (capital V) for the religion itself, keeping "voodoo" for the film-and-insult sense.

Careful writers now often prefer the spelling *Vodou* (capital V) for the religion itself現在講究的作者，講到這個宗教本身時比較常用*Vodou*（大寫V）這個拼法 keeping "voodoo" for the film-and-insult sense把"voodoo"留給電影和侮辱那個意思用