Judges’ Wigs Are Used for Intimidating People法官的假發(fā)是用來嚇人的

A centuries-old tradition of wearing a white horse-hair wig in court ended for many judges when a simpler new dress code came into force.

當(dāng)一項更為簡便的新著裝規(guī)范開始實行時，對許多法官而言，延續(xù)數(shù)百年在法庭上戴白色馬尾假發(fā)的傳統(tǒng)就此結(jié)束了。

While judges in criminal cases will still wear them， those in civil and family hearings will appear bare-headed in court， wearing a new-style plain black robe， the British government said.

英國政府稱，審理刑事案件的法官仍將戴假發(fā)，而那些民事案件和家庭聽證案的法官將不戴假發(fā)出庭，只穿一種簡單的新式黑袍。

After a long debate， the Lord Chief Justice， Lord Philips， head of the judiciary in England and Wales， finally ordered the changes in an attempt to modernize the courts.

在長時間的辯論之后，英國高等法院王座庭庭長菲利普斯勛爵——英格蘭和威爾士的最高司法長官——最終下令做出這些改變，以使法庭現(xiàn)代化。

Wigs have been a symbol of the British legal system since the 17th century when the fashion for wearing them in wider society filtered through to the courts. For hundreds of years before the reign of Charles II， judges and lawyers were expected to come to court with short hair and a beard.

自17世紀(jì)以來，戴假發(fā)的社會風(fēng)尚蔓延到法庭上之后，假發(fā)就成了英國司法體系的一個標(biāo)志。在查理二世統(tǒng)治之前的數(shù)百年間，法官和律師都要留著短發(fā)和胡須出庭。

The decision to abandon wigs has dismayed traditionalists who argue that they give judges an air of authority and impartiality. The degree of anonymity that wigs provided could also protect them from angry members of the public. John Mortimer， the barrister and author of the Rumpole of the Bailey books， opposed the changes. “The ideas ridiculous！ A barrister without his wig would be like a doctor without a stethoscope，” he wrote in a newspaper article when the changes were first proposed.

拋棄假發(fā)的決定令傳統(tǒng)人士十分沮喪，他們堅稱假發(fā)使法官顯得權(quán)威而公正。而假發(fā)提供的無個性特征的程度，也使法官們免受某些憤怒群眾的騷擾?！斗ㄍド系聂敳枴废盗袌D書的作者、律師約翰·莫蒂默反對這些改變。當(dāng)這些改變首次被提出時，他在報紙上撰文寫道，“這主意簡直荒謬！不戴假發(fā)的律師就如同不帶聽診器的醫(yī)生。”

However， modernists argue that wigs are a hangover from the past that could intimidate people in court. In a newspaper interview， Lord Phillips described wigs as an anachronism that gave the public a false impression of judges.

然而，現(xiàn)代主義者認為假發(fā)是過去的遺留，是用來恫嚇出庭人的。在接受某報采訪時，菲利普斯勛爵說，假發(fā)是件不合時宜之物，它導(dǎo)致公眾對法官形成錯誤的印象。

A Ministry of Justice survey found 70 percent of court workers wanted to keep wigs， compared to 42 percent of the public.

司法部的調(diào)查顯示，70％的法庭工作人員想保留假發(fā)，相比之下只有42％的公眾這么想。

Word Bank

reign /re?n/ n. 君主統(tǒng)治時期

abandon /?'b?nd?n/ v. 中止；放棄；不再有

She abandoned hope of any reconciliation.

ridiculous /r?'d?kj?l?s/ adj. 愚蠢的；荒謬的；荒唐的

I look ridiculous in this hat.

intimidate /?n't?m?de?t/ v. 恐嚇；威脅