四成英國人不喜歡或讀不懂莎翁作品

He may be the crowning jewel in Britain's cultural crown, with commemorative events to mark to the 400th anniversary of his death dominating museums, galleries, television and theatre for months.

莎士比亞也許是英國文化的瑰寶，連續(xù)好幾個(gè)月博物館、畫廊、電視和劇院都被莎士比亞逝世400周年的紀(jì)念活動(dòng)所占據(jù)。

But British people understand and like the works of William Shakespeare significantly less than those abroad, a survey has shown.

然而一項(xiàng)研究顯示，英國人對莎士比亞作品的了解和喜愛程度比國外的人少得多。

Four in ten Britons claim they do not think Shakespeare’s works are relevant to the modern day, simple enough to grasp or even enjoy, according to the study for the British Council.

英國文化協(xié)會(huì)委托開展的這項(xiàng)研究稱，四成英國人表示，他們認(rèn)為莎士比亞的作品和現(xiàn)代沒什么關(guān)聯(lián)，理解起來比較費(fèi)勁，更談不上喜愛。

The YouGov poll, commissioned to find the economic boost Shakespeare gives to Britain, found countries including India, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, South Africa and China have significantly higher appreciation for the Bard than his British homeland.

YouGov受委托開展這項(xiàng)調(diào)查的初衷是為了找出莎士比亞對英國經(jīng)濟(jì)的貢獻(xiàn)。調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)，包括印度、墨西哥、巴西、土耳其、南非、中國在內(nèi)的國家的人們對莎士比亞的喜愛遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過了莎翁的故鄉(xiāng)英國。

The report questioned 18,000 respondents in 15 countries, with 78 percent of those polled having experience of Shakespeare plays in some form.

這項(xiàng)研究調(diào)查了15個(gè)國家的1.8萬人，其中有78%的受訪者曾觀看過某種形式的莎士比亞戲劇。

Overall, 76 percent said they liked his plays and sonnets, 69 percent understood them and felt they were still relevant.

總體來看，76%的受訪者稱自己喜歡莎士比亞的戲劇和十四行詩，69%的人可以理解莎士比亞的作品并感到這些作品依然和時(shí)代相通。

In the UK, however, just 59 percent said they liked Shakespeare’s work, with a significant 34 percent choosing to disagree. It placed 11th out of the 15 countries surveyed in terms of making positive judgment about Shakespeare.

然而，在英國，只有59%的人表示自己喜歡莎士比亞的作品，多達(dá)34%的人表示不喜歡看莎翁作品。在給予莎士比亞正面評價(jià)方面，英國在受調(diào)查的15個(gè)國家當(dāng)中排名第11。

Just 19 percent of those outside the UK, many of whom will be reading or watching plays in translation, chose to dislike it.

在英國以外的其他國家，很多人都是閱讀莎翁作品的譯本或觀看翻譯成其他語言的莎翁戲劇，這部分人群中只有19%表示不喜歡莎翁作品，

Respondents from Germany showed strong dislike for Shakespeare, with just 44 percent saying they like it and 42 percent thinking it had any relevance.

德國的受訪者對莎翁作品表現(xiàn)出強(qiáng)烈的反感，只有44%的德國人稱自己喜歡莎翁作品，只有42%的德國人認(rèn)為它們依然和時(shí)代相通。

Rosemary Hilhorst, director of Shakespeare Lives for the British Council, said: “Four hundred years after his death, Shakespeare’s work continues to play a vital role in educating and entertaining people around the world.

英國文化協(xié)會(huì)“永恒的莎士比亞”活動(dòng)主管蘿絲瑪麗•希爾霍斯特說：“在莎士比亞去世400年后，他的作品繼續(xù)在教育和娛樂世界民眾方面發(fā)揮著重要作用。

“As well as bringing pleasure to millions of people, his works make a valuable contribution to the UK’s standing in the world and the economy.”

“在給無數(shù)民眾帶去快樂的同時(shí)，他的作品還給英國的世界地位和經(jīng)濟(jì)做出了寶貴的貢獻(xiàn)。”