3月20日，美国总统奥巴马夫人米歇尔·奥巴马抵达北京，开始对中国进行为期7天的访问。我们都知道，总统夫人在英语里是“First Lady”。这个词是什么时候产生的呢？你知道第一位在世的被称作“First Lady”的女士其实是总统的侄女，而不是夫人吗？

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: 第一夫人的称呼首次出现是在1843年的美国，但现在已经可以广泛用于各国元首的夫人或配偶。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还有 “First Family” 第一家庭，“First Couple” 第一夫妇，although, I don’t think “First Couple” is that often used or mentioned in China. 但有意思的是，刚才我们说到1843年Martha Washington，George Washington的妻子，在文章中被提及事被称为第一夫人，但那时她已经过世了，首位在世时被称为的女性是一位单身总统的侄女。

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: 现任美国第一夫人Michelle Obama显然对于美国的政治还是具有一定影响力的，而在美国历史上多任第一夫人都曾经对于美起到过重要的影响。

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这个词，跟我们中国人说的吹枕头风，应该是很像的了。

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: 而现在在美国，人们通常会把各国元首的夫人都统称为第一夫人。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.