“Geisha,”pronounced /ˈgeɪ ʃә/, is a proper noun. Like all Japanese nouns, there are no distinct singular or plural variants of the term. The word consists of two kanji, 芸 (gei) meaning "art" and 者 (sha) meaning "person" or "doer." The most direct translation of geisha into English would be "artist" or "performing artist."
“Geisha”，发音为/geɪʃә/，是一个专有名词。 像所有日语名词一样，该术语没有明显的单数或复数变体。 这个词由两个汉字组成，芸（gei）意思是“艺术”，而者（sha) 意思是“人”或“实干家”。 “艺伎”翻译成英文就是“艺术家”或“表演艺术家”。

A geisha is a traditional Japanese entertainer. Often confused with a courtesan, or a prostitute, geisha instead are known for their distinct make-up and attire, their elegant and graceful dance, and their demure conversation. Evolving in the mid-eighteenth century, from the pleasure houses of Japan where courtesans would entertain the samurai, the first geisha were actually men, who entertained the guests with drums and music. However, the men were gradually replaced with female dancers, referred to as geiko, who proved much more successful and popular. The term geiko is still used to refer to senior geisha who have passed all their exams; junior geisha still in training are called maiko.
艺伎是传统的日本艺人。 但人们经常误解艺伎就是妓女，因其独特的化妆和服装、优雅的舞蹈和娴静的谈话而名于天下。 在十八世纪中期，日本的绅士们将娱乐武士的娱乐场所演变，第一位艺伎实际上是男人，他们用鼓和音乐来招待客人。 然而，男性逐渐被女性舞者取代，被称为geiko，时间证明后者更易成功且更受欢迎。 geiko一词仍然用于指通过所有考试的高级艺伎; 仍在训练中的初级艺伎被称为舞伎。

The geisha saw their peak numbers in the 1920s, with over 80,000 practicing women. But modern times, with a struggling Japanese economy and a more casual attitude towards business meetings and parties, have been hard on the geisha, and only 1000 to 2000 are left employed. Still, like many cultural traditions, the geisha has proven versatile, and many geisha houses are redesigning their traditions to be more suitable to modern demands.
20世纪20年代艺伎们见证了从事艺伎数量巅峰期，因为那个时候从事艺伎培训的女性人数远远大于80，000 人。但步入现代社会，随着日本经济的起起落落以及对商务会议和派对对传统严肃庄重的礼仪规则要求降低，极大冲击了艺伎行业的发展，从事艺伎的人数直线下降— 只剩下1000到2000人。 然而，和许多文化传统一样，我们一致赞同艺伎是多才多艺的艺人，为了适合现代社会的需求和艺伎行业的发展，人们正重新设计艺伎表演场所的传统元素。

（英语https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha；兰泽葳蕤编译）