3月20日，美國總統奧巴馬夫人米歇爾·奧巴馬抵達北京，開始對中國進行為期7天的訪問。我們都知道，總統夫人在英語里是“First Lady”。這個詞是什么時候產生的呢？你知道第一位在世的被稱作“First Lady”的女士其實是總統的侄女，而不是夫人嗎？

Xiaohua: Welcome to Round Table’s Word of the Week. This week we’re talking about the phrase “First Lady.” And we all know why we’re talking about it.

John: Yeah, and so apparently Michelle Obama, the First Lady of the United States, has come to visit China with her daughters and her mother. Actually, “first lady” is an unofficial title used for the wife of a head of state. However, it first appeared in 1843 in the United States.

XH: 第一夫人的稱呼首次出現是在1843年的美國，但現在已經可以廣泛用于各國元首的夫人或配偶。And, I guess together with the phrase “First Lady,” there’s also “First Family” phrase, right?

JA: Yeah, and sometimes the president and his wife are referred to as the “First Couple.” Sometimes, the mom of the president sometimes even called the “First Mom.” Interestingly enough, as I said in 1843 was the first time that it was used, at least written, so it’s the first time we have an actual record of. But that was actually talking about Martha Washington. And Martha Washington in 1843 was not even alive at the point. The first woman to actually be called the “First Lady” during a time when her relation was the president was not even the woman married to the president. Actually, it was Harriet Lane, who was the niece of bachelor president James Buchanan. So, James Buchanan did not have a wife, at that time, and so they called his niece the “First Lady.”

XH: 和第一夫人一起使用的還有 “First Family” 第一家庭，“First Couple” 第一夫婦，although, I don’t think “First Couple” is that often used or mentioned in China. 但有意思的是，剛才我們說到1843年Martha Washington，George Washington的妻子，在文章中被提及事被稱為第一夫人，但那時她已經過世了，首位在世時被稱為的女性是一位單身總統的侄女。

John: Yeah, exactly. Why is it that Michelle Obama is visiting China? One of the big reasons is actually, the First Lady plays a pretty powerful role in the administration of the current president. Ever since the first lady, Martha Washington in 1789, they’ve actually played a significant role in how policy is developed and the kinds of actions that the president chooses to take.

XH: 現任美國第一夫人Michelle Obama顯然對于美國的政治還是具有一定影響力的，而在美國歷史上多任第一夫人都曾經對于美起到過重要的影響。

John: Interestingly enough, some analysts say that first ladies also have a so-called “Pillow Influence.” For example, how their family life, social interests, and moral beliefs affects the president. So, the kind of discussions that would occur while the president and first lady are in bed.

XH: pillow influence這個詞，跟我們中國人說的吹枕頭風，應該是很像的了。

John: Interestingly enough, in the United States, we refer to every wife or significant other of the head of state as the “First Lady.” For example, Peng Liyuan, we always refer to her as the “First Lady of China,” even though technically they don’t call themselves that.

XH: 而現在在美國，人們通常會把各國元首的夫人都統稱為第一夫人。So it’s very to see how these two first ladies, one from China and one from the United States, will communicate with each other in this trip. That wraps up Round Table’s Word of the Week.