he British government has unveiled the country's new, blue post-Brexit passports, hailing the return of an "iconic" document that became a thorny¹ issue during the UK's protracted² departure from the European Union.

英国政府公布了脱欧后的蓝色新护照，这份“标志性”的文件终于回归。在英国漫长的脱欧进程中，护照成为一个棘手的问题。

The first dark blue passports, which ditch the burgundy covers used by EU member states, will be issued in early March, Home Secretary Priti Patel announced on Saturday. Patel spoke³ of her excitement that "the British passport will once again be entwined with our national identity."

英国内政大臣普丽蒂·帕特尔上周六（2月22日）宣布，第一批深蓝色护照将于3月初发行。帕特尔激动地表示：“英国护照将再次与我们的国民身份相互融合。”在脱欧前，英国人使用的护照为欧盟成员国一致使用的勃艮第红色。

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had previously⁴ praised the color change as a "wonderful thing" and bemoaned⁵ his "sense of personal loss and outrage⁶" when the UK's previous blue passports were "taken away" in 1988.

英国首相鲍里斯·约翰逊此前曾称赞护照改为蓝色“非常好”，并慨叹1988年英国的蓝色护照更换颜色时自己的“失落和愤怒之情”。

What neither mentioned, however, was that the new passports are being made by the Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto at its site in Tczew, Poland.

然而，两人均未提及的是，新护照是由法国荷兰合资公司金雅拓在其位于波兰特切夫的工厂制造的。

"I actually like the French-designed Polish-printed new UK passport," former Remain-backing MEP Seb Dance said after the launch. "Of course the previous one -- which allowed Brits the right to work, study and retire freely across their own continent -- was probably more useful."

“我其实很喜欢法国设计、波兰印制的英国新护照，”前留欧派欧洲议会议员赛伯·当斯在新护照推出后表示。“当然，脱欧前的旧护照可能用处更大，英国人可以使用旧护照在欧洲大陆自由地工作、学习和退休。”

The prospect⁷ of a return to blue passports became a divisive subplot during the UK's bitter EU referendum in 2016 and its torturous⁸ attempts to leave the bloc⁹ in the years since -- and those battle lines were re-drawn after the launch was confirmed.

2016年，在英国痛苦的脱欧公投期间，以及此后数年英国艰难地尝试脱离欧盟期间，重新启用蓝色护照成为争议性话题，而在新护照推出后，这些争议又重新燃起。

Brexiteers have frequently painted the move as a way to reclaim¹⁰ British identity and freedom from the EU, while Remainers saw it as a petty and inward-looking obsession¹¹.

脱欧派经常把此举描绘成脱欧后重申英国国家认同和自由的一种方式，而留欧派则认为这是一种狭隘和冷漠的观念。

"I think it's a wonderful thing if people want to have a blue passport again," Johnson told ITV News in 2017. "I remember a sense of personal loss and outrage when they were taken away." The UK was under no obligation to change the color of its passports in 1988, but decided¹² to do so in line with its fellow EU members.

“我认为，人们想再次拥有蓝色护照是一件好事，”约翰逊在2017年告诉英国独立电视台新闻频道。“我记得蓝色护照更换颜色时，我感到失落和愤怒。”1988年，为了与其他欧共体（欧盟前身）成员国保持一致，英国更换了护照颜色，尽管英国当时并没有义务这样做。

"What a way to symbolise renewed national spirit," campaign group Leave. EU said on Twitter on Saturday, after the change was confirmed for March.

在宣布将于3月启用新护照后，活动团体“脱欧”上周六（2月22日）发推文表示：“这是一种象征复兴民族精神的极好方式。”

Former British MEP Edward McMillan-Scott, in contrast, said the passports "symbolise (a) prevailing¹³ Tory attitude to rest of Europe: isolationist, ignorant and self-destructive."

相比之下，英国前欧洲议会议员爱德华·麦克米伦-斯科特说，新护照“象征着保守党对欧洲其他国家的普遍态度：孤立主义、无知和自我毁灭。”

The country prints new passports every few years, and the contract to make the new blue items was won by Gemalto in 2018 after it beat out British company De La Rue¹⁴. At the time, Conservative MP Priti Patel called the decision "disgraceful" and "perverse¹⁵."

英国每隔几年就会印制新的护照。2018年，金雅拓击败英国公司德拉鲁，获得了制造新的蓝色护照的合同。时任保守党议员普丽蒂·帕特尔称这一决定是“可耻的”和“有悖常理的”。

But in more amenable¹⁶ language, Patel -- now the Home Secretary -- said on Saturday: "Leaving the European Union gave us a unique opportunity to restore our national identity and forge a new path in the world."

如今担任英国内政大臣的帕特尔上周六（2月22日）和颜悦色地说：“脱离欧盟给了我们一个恢复国家认同、在全球开辟新道路的独特机会。”

"By returning to the iconic blue and gold design, the British passport will once again be entwined with our national identity and I cannot wait to travel on one," she added.

她补充说：“英国护照回到标志性的蓝色、金色设计，再次与英国国民身份融合。我已经等不及要带着新护照出门了”。

The UK will now join 81 other countries which use blue on their passport covers, according to the Passport Index. The color is also adopted by nations including Argentina, Australia, Syria, Tuvalu and DPRK.

根据护照指数，使用蓝色护照封面的国家除了英国以外，还有其他81个国家，包括阿根廷、澳大利亚、叙利亚、图瓦卢和朝鲜等国。

Britain left the EU on January 31, but negotiations¹⁷ with the EU are set to continue this year ahead of the expiration¹⁸ of the transition period in the withdrawal¹⁹ agreement.

英国已于1月31日脱离欧盟，但在脱欧过渡期结束前，英国与欧盟的谈判将在今年继续进行。