第1464期:K-drama fever

It may not be a real illness but K-drama fever is sweeping Asia with as much force as an infectious disease.

这可能不是一种真正的疾病，但韩剧热正在席卷亚洲，其影响力不亚于传染病。

 
The latest hit show to come out of South Korea has already claimed over 440 million victims in China alone, where it's being simulcast. 

来自韩国的最新热播节目仅在中国就已造成超过 4.4 亿受害者，该节目正在中国同步播出。

Many millions more are glued to their screens across the continent.

数以百万计的人被粘在整个非洲大陆的屏幕上。

‘Descendants of the Sun’ is the latest in a long line of TV dramas to come out of Korea which have taken Asia by storm. 

《太阳的后裔》是一系列从韩国上映并席卷亚洲的电视剧中的最新一部。

The usual theme of star-crossed lovers is still very much there but there's a twist which many of its fans say gives this drama a distinctive flavour. 

命运多舛的恋人通常的主题仍然存在，但有一个转折点，许多粉丝说它给这部剧带来了独特的味道。

It's a military romance which is set in a fictional European country.

这是一部以虚构的欧洲国家为背景的军事爱情片。

Ms Gao from Beijing said, "The military theme does not usually appear frequently in TV shows so combined with the romantic theme, this is not like other Korean soap operas."

来自北京的高女士说：“军事题材在电视剧中并不经常出现，所以结合浪漫题材，这和其他韩剧不太一样。”

The female lead, played by Song Hye-kyo, is a surgeon, while her male counterpart, played by Song Joong-ki, is a special forces captain.

女主宋慧乔饰演外科医生，男主宋仲基饰演特种部队队长。

"Unlike most Korean dramas which are about a rich guy who falls in love with a poor, golden-hearted girl, the story feels more like the love story of two evenly-matched adults," says Chen Yuanni, from Beijing.

来自北京的陈元妮说：“与大多数韩剧讲述一个有钱人爱上一个可怜的金心女孩的故事不同，这个故事更像是两个势均力敌的成年人的爱情故事。”

But it's not just Asia which has seen a boom in the popularity of foreign-language TV dramas in recent years. 

但近年来，外语电视剧的热度不只亚洲。

Since the Danish crime drama, The Killing, was first aired on the BBC in 2011, the nation has been gripped by so-called Nordic Noir.

自 2011 年丹麦犯罪剧《杀戮》首次在 BBC 播出以来，这个国家一直被所谓的北欧黑色所吸引。

 What surprises some is that it's not only thrillers, such as The Bridge, which have captured the imagination of British viewers.

令一些人感到惊讶的是，吸引英国观众想象力的不仅仅是惊悚片，比如《大桥》。

 There have also been ratings successes for shows such as Borgen - about coalition politics – and 1864 – a drama about an obscure 19th century war between Denmark and Prussia.

诸如关于联合政治的《博根》和 1864 年（关于丹麦和普鲁士之间一场不起眼的 19 世纪战争的戏剧）等节目也取得了收视率的成功。

So why do these international dramas appeal when the cultrual references are so remote from the experience of the viewers?

那么，当文化参考与观众的体验如此遥远时，为什么这些国际剧会吸引人呢？

 Perhaps the answer lies in this piece of advice for aspiring scriptwriters from the BBC's Writersoom: "Engaging characters are at the heart of all good drama, no matter how mainstream or unusual your idea may be." 

也许答案就在 BBC 的 Writersoom 给有抱负的编剧的这条建议中：“引人入胜的角色是所有好戏剧的核心，无论你的想法多么主流或不寻常。”

So if the characters are strong enough, it doesn't matter if they're from Sichuan, Seoul or Sweden.

因此，如果角色足够强大，无论他们来自四川、首尔还是瑞典都无所谓。

词汇表

K-drama 韩国电视剧
(something) fever （事物）热，火
a hit show 非常受欢迎的片子
to simulcast （和电视台）同步播放
the latest in a long line of 一系列（韩剧）里最新的一部
to take (somewhere) by storm （在某处）大获成功
star-crossed lovers 不幸的恋人们
a twist 变化，出乎意料的情节
a flavour 特色，风格，体验
a military romance 发生在军队里的爱情故事
to be set (somewhere) （以某处）为背景
a soap opera 肥皂剧
to resonate 产生共鸣
a lead 主角
a counterpart （职能或地位）相对应的事物或人，男主角
crime drama 犯罪剧
to air 播出，播放
Nordic Noir 北欧犯罪推理小说或片子
a thriller 惊悚片
to capture the imagination 抓住想象力，令人神往
a ratings success 高的收视率
an engaging character 吸引人的角色