导读:目前奥巴马签署一项法令，同意来自美国皇后区的众议院女议员孟昭文提议，将“Oriental”这一词从联邦法律中去除。
President Barack Obama has signed legislation sponsored by a Queens congresswoman, which removes the term “Oriental” from federal law.
目前奥巴马签署了一项法令，同意来自美国皇后区的众议院女议员的提议，将“Oriental”这一词从联邦法律中去除。
The legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) replaces the term “Oriental” with the term “Asian-Americans.” The term “Oriental” still appears in Title 42 of the U.S. Code, Meng’s office said.
这一法令由国会众议员孟昭文（皇后区民主党）提出，将 “Oriental”(东方人)一词用“Asian Americans”(亚裔)取而代之。孟昭文办公室说，“Oriental”一词仍出现在美国法典的第42篇。
“The term ‘Oriental’ has no place in federal law and at long last this insulting and outdated term will be gone for good,” Meng said in a news release. “No longer will any law of the United States refer to Asian Americans in such an offensive way, and I applaud and thank President Obama for signing my bill to get rid of this antiquated term.
孟昭文在新闻发布会上说：“‘Oriental’字眼不应该出现在联邦法律中， 最终这一带有侮辱色彩的、过时的词汇将永远消失。美国任何提及亚裔美国人的法律将不再以如此冒犯的形式出现。我赞赏并感激奥巴马总统能够签署我提出的法令，去除这个古老的词汇。”
“Many Americans may not be aware that the word ‘Oriental’ is derogatory. But it is an insulting term that needed to be removed from the books, and I am extremely pleased that my legislation to do that is now the law of the land,” Meng continued.
“许多美国人也许都没有意识到‘Oriental’这个词带有贬意。但是，它确实是一个侮辱性的词汇，必须从联邦法律中去除。看到我的提议已经成为美国的法律，我非常高兴。”
“Nobody, let alone the federal government, should use a hurtful term like ‘Orientals’ when referring to Americans of Asian descent,” U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and an original cosponsor of Meng’s bill, said in the release. “Our country is a rich tapestry of cultural backgrounds, and Americans of all backgrounds deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. I was proud to support Congresswoman Meng as she led the charge on this issue, and I applaud her perseverance and success.”
新闻发布上，孟昭文法案的联合发起人之一、美国众议员（加利福尼亚州共和党议员）、众议院外交事务委员会主席埃德·罗伊斯说: “当提到亚裔美国人的时候，任何人都不应该使用如‘Oriental’这样的有伤害性的字眼，更别说是美国联邦法律了。”
Title 42 of the U.S. Code deals with federal laws on public health, social welfare and civil rights. Its references to the term “Oriental,” which date back to the 1970s, are the last of two places in U.S. law where the term is used to refer to people, Meng’s office said.
孟昭文办公室表示，美国法典第42篇是涵盖公共卫生、社会福利与公民权利的联邦法律。其中，“Oriental”字样（可追朔到20世纪70年代）是美国法律中最后两处将这一词用来指代人。
The word also appears in the text of the Department of Energy Organization Act and the Local Public Works Capital Development and Investment Act of 1976, Meng’s office said.
孟的办公室还表示，这一词也出现在“美国能源组织法案”和“1976年基础设施资金开发与投资法案”中。
