中英双语新闻——214 Obama lacks edge in duel

 　　US president Barack Obama and Republican nominee 1 Mitt 2 Romney had their first round of presidential debates on October 3. These debates are widely regarded as one of the key moments in the US election campaign.

 
　　十月三日，美国现任总统贝拉克?奥巴马以及共和党候选人米特?罗姆尼进行了二人的首轮总统竞选辩论。这次辩论被公认为是美国大选中最为关键的时刻之一。
 
　　The two candidates addressed key issues including tax policies, healthcare and the role of the government. Judging from numerous media analyses and polls after the event, it was Romney who emerged with the upper hand. He was presidential, articulate and strong. Obama, on the other hand, was “stumbling, rambling 3, dull-edged” and spent most of the debate on the defensive 4, said an article in The Atlantic.
 
　　两位候选人就一些关键议题进行了演说，包括：税收政策，医疗制度以及政府角色等。从众多的媒体分析和事后投票来看，罗姆尼占据上风。他很有总统相，口齿清晰，令人信服。而作为辩论另一方的奥巴马，用《大西洋月刊》上的一篇文章的话说，口误不断，离题万里，反应迟钝，大部分时间只是在进行防御性辩解。
 
　　It seems Romney’s hard work paid off. According to The New York Times he has been doing debate preparation since June. Meanwhile, Obama’s campaign team has been telling journalists how little time he has had to prepare due to his heavy workload 5 as incumbent 6.
 
　　罗姆尼前期的努力似乎十分奏效。《纽约时报》报道称，罗姆尼从六月起就开始为辩论做准备。同时，奥巴马的竞选团队也一直向记者表示，因为还属任职期间，奥巴马工作负担很重，因此准备时间很少。
 
　　The next two debates are scheduled for October 16 and 22. Their outcome will have a strong influence on those who haven’t yet decided 7 how to vote. Perhaps the president should spend more time honing his debating skills.
 
　　接下来的两轮辩论分别定于10月16日和22日举行。他们辩论的结果将对那些尚未确定投票对象的选民们产生巨大的影响。也许总统先生应该多花点时间好好练习一下辩论技巧。
 
　　So, how does a candidate prepare for these verbal duels 8?
 
　　那么，作为总统候选人，该如何准备应对这一场场唇枪舌战呢？
 
　　Candidates enjoy the perk 9 of having a prep team to arrange mock debate sessions and give them feedback. The prep team’s key task is to put together a briefing book on policy for the candidate, in addition to a position book detailing the opponent’s stance on key issues.
 
　　总统候选人有一份“特权”，他们可以让竞选团队来安排模拟辩论赛，听听他们的反馈。竞选团队的主要任务是整理出该候选人的施政纲领，此外还要详述对手在重要议题上的立场。
 
　　The team also tries to anticipate potential questions right down to their possible phrasing, said Tad Devine in a recent interview with the BBC. Devine is a senior adviser 10 who helped with previous presidential debates.
 
　　竞选团队还要设法预测出所有可能出现的问题，甚至是每一句可能使用的措辞，曾参与前几届总统辩论工作的高级顾问泰德?迪瓦恩近日在接受BBC采访时如是说。
 
　　A candidate is generally advised to stick to familiar territory, using tried and tested material. Sharp one-liner attacks known as “zingers” are a key part of this approach and can be very effective.
 
　　候选人一般会接受建议，紧扣自己熟悉的领域，并使用验证过的可靠材料。一些调侃性的犀利反驳是该竞选方案中的重要且奏效的一环。
 
　　Romney is said to have been came in handy on October 3. He said: “Mr President, practicing zingers, which you’re entitled, as the president, to your own airplane and to your own house, but not to your own facts.”
 
　　据称，这招在罗姆尼10月3日的辩论中就派上了用场。他说：“总统先生，作为一名总统，你有资格对着自己的飞机和房子练习反驳措辞，但不要对着自己的政绩这样做。”
 
　　One of the most important rules, says Devine, is to have a central message that you drive home to the audience repeatedly. Also make sure you answer the question, and do so right away. “Once you’ve answered, you can go on and talk about what you want to talk about,” says Devine.
 
　　迪瓦恩说，最重要的一条原则便是，你要反复向观众强调同一种中心思想。同时，要确保自己对答如流。“只要你给出答案，你可以继续下去，高谈阔论一番。”
 
　　Another rule is never to show disdain 11 for the opponent, but Obama has apparently 12 forgotten this. “Professorial” is the word media outlets 13 used most frequently to describe Obama’s mannerism 14. He was busy taking notes and didn’t make a lot of eye contact with either Romney or the cameras.
 
　　另一条原则是永远不要轻视对手，很明显奥巴马忘了这点。各大媒体常用“学者派头”来形容奥巴马的言谈举止。他忙于记笔记，疏于与罗姆尼或镜头做眼神交流。
 
　　Whereas Romney managed to “keep a choirboy smile pasted on his face”, the president was quick to drop his friendliness 15 and adopted “the look of a long-suffering headmaster enduring the excuses of a bright student he is going to expel,” said a New York Times article.
 
　　当“罗姆尼的脸上始终保持少年般微笑”时，奥巴马却迅速地丢弃自己的亲和力，他“看起来就像是一位长期受苦的校长，隐忍着他打算开除的天才学生做自我辩护。”
 
　　It is no secret that Obama doesn’t like Romney, but after the first debate he might admit that Romney is a formidable opponent after all.
 
　　奥巴马不喜欢罗姆尼，这点可谓众人皆知。但在首轮辩论之后，他也许要承认，罗姆尼终究是位强大的对手。