美國流行寶寶"性別揭祕"聚會
Baby showershave been popular in the UK for a decade or more. But will the bizarre new US trend of ‘gender reveal’ parties for expectant couples catch onin the same way?
“迎嬰聚會”在英國已經流行了十幾年了，但新興起的“性別揭祕”新奇聚會在美國的準爸媽中也會如此風靡嗎？
YouTube is flooded with home videos of expectant American couples revealing the sex of their baby in front of throngsof over-excited friends and family - by cutting a cake.
YouTube視頻網站上最近涌現出大量的家庭視頻，錄下了美國的準爸爸準媽媽們通過切蛋糕來揭祕胎兒性別的一刻，周圍聚滿了激動的親友。
So how does a Gender Reveal party work? At the routine 20-week scan (when babies in the womb are checked from head to toe with ultrasound) the couple ask the sonographerto determine the baby’s sex, but to keep it a secret from them.
那麼“性別揭祕”聚會是如何進行的呢？在例行的20周孕檢（胎兒在子宮裏接受超聲全面檢查）時，準爸媽會讓超聲醫師判斷胎兒性別，但要對他們保密。
Instead, the gender is written down and sealed in an envelope. The envelope is then passed to a baker or friend who makes a large celebration cake in either pink or blue sponge- depending on whether the couple are expecting a girl or a boy.
醫師會把性別寫下，裝進信封封好口，然後把信封交給製作聚會大蛋糕的蛋糕師或者一位好友。根據胎兒性別，做出粉色或者藍色海綿蛋糕。
The cake is iced in a neutral colour, and friends and family are invited over to try to guess the sex of the baby. Guests are encouraged to arrive wearing the colour relating to the sex they think the baby is going to be.
蛋糕被凍成中和色。參加聚會的親友要猜猜寶寶的性別。大家還鼓勵賓客認爲寶寶是哪種性別，就穿相應顏色的衣服。
The culmination of the party is the cutting of the Gender Reveal cake by the expectant couple. As the cake is cut - and the sex finally revealed by the colour of the sponge - cue congratulations from the throng.
聚會的高潮是準爸媽切“性別揭祕”蛋糕的一刻。切開後，蛋糕的顏色就代表寶寶的性別，這時賓客會歡呼慶祝。
Unfortunately, if you look past the mayhemof well-wishers, balloons and popping champagne corks on these videos, you can sometimes see the father-to-be is having to try his hardest to looked thrilled when he hears he’s having a girl. Then there’s the mum-to-be with the tight-lipped smile who’s just found out she’s having her third boy in a row.
但不幸的是，如果你忽略掉這些視頻裏忙亂的祝福者、氣球、彈出的香檳瓶塞，有時你會看到，準爸爸在聽到是女孩時，竭盡全力裝出高興的表情，而準媽媽在聽到要連生三個男孩時勉強笑笑。
Sometimes these things are probably best celebrated in private. . .
有些時候這種聚會還是私下舉辦比較好。
