Well I will challenge this.

然而我却想挑战一下这个标准
I don't think I'm the only one who does challenges.

况且我也不是唯一一个提出挑战的人
Anthony Giddens, I think, gets very close to what I am describing,

安东尼·吉登斯就与我的想法十分接近
though probably he doesn't stick his neck out as much as I do.

尽管他没有向我这样激进
My fundamental argument is that

我的基本论点是
Weber's distinction between class and status is a historical distinction.

韦伯对阶级与地位进行了历史上的划分
And this is not accidental that this is an English speaking person, Runciman,

对于讲英语的朗西曼来说
who reads the notion of status the way how he reads it.

对地位的理解源自英文这点并不意外
Because if you know a little German,

然而只要你会点德语的话
and you try to read Weber in German-- you know

当阅读德语版的韦伯作品时便会得知
that the word status is actually translated from the word Stand.

地位一词实际由德语Stand翻译而来
And Stand, well it can be translated into English as status,

将它翻译成英语中的地位也不算错