東京奧組委22日正式公布2020年奧運會和帕運會吉祥物的名稱，分別為「Miraitowa」和「Someity」。兩個吉祥物由日本小學生選出，超過1.67萬所學校參與了投票。
Japan has unveiled the names of its mascots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
日本近日揭曉了2020年東京奧運會和帕運會吉祥物的名字。
Blue and white checked character "Miraitowa"(pronounced miray-towa)-- combining the two Japanese words of "Mirai"(future) and "towa" (eternity) -- will appear at the Olympic Games.
藍白格奧運吉祥物Miraitowa(讀音miray-towa)的名字由日文單詞「Mirai(未來)」和「towa(永遠)」組合而成。
The Paralympics' pink and white "Someity"(pronounced soh-may-tee) is named after the cherry blossom variety "Someiyoshino," with Games organizers saying the name echoes "so mighty" in English.
粉白色帕運吉祥物Someity(讀音soh-may-tee)的名字來自於櫻花品種「Someiyoshino(染井吉野櫻)」，組委會稱，這個名字與英文詞組「so mighty(如此強大)」諧音。
Tokyo 2020 released a shortlist of mascot pairs in December last year and asked schoolchildren in Japan and Japanese schools outside the country to vote for their favorites. More than 16,700 schools participated.
東京奧組委在去年12月公布了奧運吉祥物的候選名單，請國內小學和海外日語學校的小學生為他們最喜愛的吉祥物投票。超過1.67萬所學校參與了投票。
The voting process was part of the country's nationwide education program called "Yoi Don!" which means "Get Set!". The program aims to teach children the values of the Games and allow them to get involved in initiatives linked to Tokyo 2020.
這次投票也是日本全國Yoi Don!(預備開始!)教育項目的一部分。該教育項目旨在讓孩子們理解奧運會的價值，並讓他們參與到與2020年東京奧運會有關的活動中來。
The two futuristic, superhero creatures chosen were unveiled in February, without names.
今年二月，組委會宣布這兩個未來主義的超級英雄機器人勝出，但沒有公布吉祥物的名字。
The mascot's profile pages describe their personalities.
吉祥物的資料頁描述了它們的個性特徵。
Miraitowa is a character "that embodies both old tradition and new innovation," says the description.
其中描述稱，Miraitowa「將古老傳統與創新融為一體」。
"(Miraitowa) has an old-fashioned charm that reflects tradition and also has a high-tech, cutting edge vibe. It has strong sense of justice, and is very athletic. The Mascot has a special power allowing it to move any where instantaneously," it says.
「Miraitowa不僅有著傳統魅力，還帶有高科技的前沿感。他極具正義感，而且體格健壯。它有瞬間移動到任何地方的超能力。」
Miraitowa is said to be "very good friends" with Someity, who is a "cool character with cherry tactile sense and supernatural power. "
據稱，Miraitowa和Someity是「非常要好的朋友」。 Someity「性格沉著冷靜，具有櫻花的觸覺與超能力。」
"(Someity) is usually calm, however, it gets very powerful when needed. It has a dignified inner strength and a kind heart that loves nature. It can talk with stones and the wind. It can also move things by just looking at them," according to the profile.
「Someity通常很冷靜，但有需要時它會變得非常強大。它信念堅定，心地善良，熱愛大自然。它可以與石和風對話，能用目光移動物體。」
Mascots have been used at the Olympic Games since 1968 to represent the culture of the host country. There have been mascots of all shapes and sizes -- from dachshunds to bears, Greek gods to alien-like hybrids that incorporated aspects of the host's culture, history or wildlife.
自1968年以來，人們就用奧運吉祥物來代表主辦國的文化。從臘腸犬到小熊，從希臘古典神話的神再到酷似外星人的機器人，奧運吉祥物的外形和大小各式各樣，融合了主辦國的文化、歷史和野生動物等各個方面的元素。
The Tokyo Olympics are set to begin on July 24, 2020, and run through until August 9.
東京奧運會將於2020年7月24日開幕，8月9日閉幕。
The Paralympics will take place between August 25 and September 6.
東京帕運會將在2020年8月25日至9月6日之間舉行。