四成英國人不喜歡或讀不懂莎翁作品大綱

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，連續好幾個月博物館、畫廊、電視和劇院都被莎士比亞逝世400週年的紀念活動所佔據。

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

然而一項研究顯示，英國人對莎士比亞作品的瞭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.

英國文化協會委託開展的這項研究稱，四成英國人表示，他們認爲莎士比亞的作品和現代沒什麼關聯，理解起來比較費勁，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受委託開展這項調查的初衷是爲了找出莎士比亞對英國經濟的貢獻。調查發現，包括印度、墨西哥、巴西、土耳其、南非、中國在內的國家的人們對莎士比亞的喜愛遠遠超過了莎翁的故鄉英國。

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

這項研究調查了15個國家的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並感到這些作品依然和時代相通。

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34%的人表示不喜歡看莎翁作品。在給予莎士比亞正面評價方面，英國在受調查的15個國家當中排名第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，這部分人羣中只有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出強烈的反感，只有44%的德國人稱自己喜歡莎翁作品，只有42%的德國人認爲它們依然和時代相通。

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.

英國文化協會“永恆的莎士比亞”活動主管蘿絲瑪麗•希爾霍斯特說：“在莎士比亞去世400年後，他的作品繼續在教育和娛樂世界民衆方面發揮着重要作用。

“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.”

“在給無數民衆帶去快樂的同時，他的作品還給英國的世界地位和經濟做出了寶貴的貢獻。”