感兴趣的朋友请参看阿米什官网:http://theamishvillage.net/
在宾州兰卡斯特郡的一些土地上，生活从汽车疾驰大马路转变成马车“得得”踏土路。在这里，没有大型商场只有摊位售卖，没有收费车场只有庄稼田野。在这里，你可能会突然看到带有浓郁宗教色彩的、衣着朴实的、缺乏现代便捷观念的当地人--他们就是兰卡斯特郡的阿米什人。
There are patches of Lancaster County, Pa where life shifts from the speed of the highways to the clip-clop of horses’ hooves on a paved road. Where shopping malls give way to produce stands, and business parks fade into fields of crops. In these places, one is likely to catch a glimpse of a community of people known for their religiously-focused culture, plain dress and lack of modern conveniences. They are the Lancaster County Amish.
大约300年前，一小支阿米什部族为了宗教信仰和文化自由从欧洲来到宾州兰卡斯特郡定居。今天，宾州阿米什人独特的生活方式仍然如同18世纪时期的模样--简约，非物质主义，使用马车，生活节奏缓慢。
Almost 300 years ago a small Amish community arrived from Europe and settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania for religious and cultural freedom. Today, the unique way of life of the Pennsylvania Amish closely resembles what it was in the 18th century – simple and non-materialistic, with horse-powered vehicles and a slow daily pace.
兰卡斯特郡的阿米什人在生活中注重服务意识--首先是为上帝服务，然后是为家庭服务，还有为整个阿米什部族服务。宾州阿米什人尽力保持平和谦逊，避免现代生活方式如电视，汽车或个性装饰，以维护他们的价值观。这个平静、不张扬、富有成效的部族在兰卡斯特郡一直保持着这样的生活历经了约300年。
The Amish of Lancaster County focus their life on service – first to God, and likewise to their family and the entire Amish community. The Pennsylvania Amish are dedicated to peace and humility, and in an effort to preserve their values they avoid the ways of the modern world, such as television, automobiles, or personal ornamentation. The result is a quiet, unassuming and highly-productive community whose way of life has changed little since settling in Lancaster County almost 300 years ago.
宾州阿米什人的最具代表性的服饰元素是“朴素”，这与他们谦虚质朴的传统是相辅相成的。阿米什人信奉圣经中关于不张扬、不随波逐流的朴素衣着的教义，认为服饰不应该包含吸引他人注意力或给人以傲慢虚荣感觉的任何装饰品。所有阿米什男人和女人，孩子和成人的服装服饰都一样，实用且保守。
One of the most visually-defining elements of the Amish in Lancaster, Pa is their “plain” clothing, which aligns with their tradition of humility and modesty. The Amish believe in a Biblical call to plain dress that is not revealing and that does not fall prey to “worldly” fads or fashion. It is believed that clothing should not contain any ornamentation that might call attention to the wearer, or give rise to feelings of pride or vanity. All items of clothing for both Amish men and women, children and adults alike, are utilitarian and conservative.
阿米什人的宗教信仰是再洗礼教。再洗礼教的意思是“相信洗礼”，也指受洗仪式是一种成人的忠诚宣誓而不是婴儿洗礼这一传统。今天在阿米什的教会，教区成员在16--25岁时受洗。阿米什人相信圣经是上帝的旨意，也是生活的指引。他们选择一种与现代社会截然不同的生存方式，试图生活“在世界里，却不由世界主宰”。为了达成所愿，阿米什人拒绝现代的便捷方式和工程技术，以此实现价值、独立于世。
The Amish religous spirit is Anabaptist. The word Anabaptist refers to “believers baptism” or the practice of being baptized as an adult as a declaration of faith instead of the tradition of infant baptism. In today’s Amish church, membership begins with baptism and is performed between the ages of 16 and 25. The Amish believe that the Bible is the sovereign word of God, literal in meaning, and is used as a guide for living. Their choice to lead a different existence than the rest of modern society is an attempt to live “in the world, but not of the world.” To accomplish this, the Amish reject modern conveniences and technology as a way to separate themselves from anything that distracts from their values.
一般说来，兰卡斯特郡的阿米什人羞于使用现代工程技术和便捷方式--包括电、汽车和电脑--以尊崇他们的与世界影响相隔绝的宗教信仰。尽管没有把现代发展视为罪恶，他们也尽量避免陷入工程技术的诱惑，因为那可能摧毁他们的价值观。
In general, the Lancaster Amish shy away from the use of modern technology and conveniences – including electricity, automobiles and computers – to honor their religious beliefs of separation from worldly influences. Though they do not view modern developments as evil, they want to avoid being drawn into temptations associated with technology that might threaten to deteriorate their values.
20世纪20年代，宾州阿米什部族不同意连接公共电网。这种节制并不意味着阿米什人不使用任何电力。根据特殊区域制度，商业动力设备、电墙、某些装置或马车的夜间照明允许有限地使用电。
In the 1920s, the Pennsylvania Amish community agreed not to connect into public power lines. This abstinence from public electric power does not mean that the Amish don’t occasionally use electricity. Depending on a particular district’s ruling, electricity is allowed in limited use for powering equipment in businesses, electric fences, certain appliances, or lighting buggies at night.
阿米什人一贯注重上帝、家庭、工作和部族，而有限度地接受工程技术的生活方式正是他们这个核心价值观的真正体现。
The Amish want to preserve their focus on God, family, work and community. Therefore, technology is accepted in limitation as long as the Amish lifestyle remains true to these core values.
