SECTION 3

STEPHANIE: Hello, Trevor.

史蒂芬妮：你好，特雷弗。

TREVOR: Hello, Stephanie.

特雷弗：你好，史蒂芬妮。

You said you wanted to talk about the course I'm taking on literature for children.

你说你想要和我谈谈我正在学的关于儿童文学的课程。

STEPHANIE: That's right. I'm thinking of doing it next year, but I'd like to find out more about it first.

史蒂芬妮：是的。我正在考虑明年修读这门课，但首先我想要了解更多关于它的信息。

TREVOR: OK, well, as you probably know, it's a one-year course.

特雷弗：好的，你可能已经知道了，这门课程为期一年。

It's divided into six modules, and you have to take all of them.

分为六个模块，你需要全部修读。

One of the most interesting ones, for me, at least, was about the purpose of children's literature.

至少对我来说，其中最有趣的一个是关于儿童文学的目的的模块。

STEPHANIE: You mean, whether it should just entertain children or should be educational as well.

史蒂芬妮：你的意思是，儿童文学是否是仅用于儿童的娱乐，还是也应当具有教育意义？

TREVOR: Right, and whether the teaching should be factual - giving them information about the world - or ethical, teaching them values.

特雷弗：是的，还有教学是否应该是基于事实的——是向他们传达关于世界的信息——还是应该是道德层面的，教导他们价值观。

What's fascinating is that the writer isn't necessarily conscious of the message they're conveying.

引人注意的一点是，作者并不一定能意识到他们所传达的信息。

For instance, a story might show a child who has a problem as a result of not doing what an adult has told them to do, implying that children should always obey adults.

比如，某个故事可能会说一个孩子由于没有做大人让他们做的事而遇到麻烦，这暗示着孩子总是应该听大人的话。

STEPHANIE: I see what you mean.

史蒂芬妮：我理解你的意思。

TREVOR: That module made me realise how important stories are - they can have a significant effect on children as they grow up.

特雷弗：这一模块的课程让我意识到故事的重要性——他们会在孩子的成长过程中产生重大影响。

Actually, it inspired me to have a go at it myself, just for my own interest.

事实上，它激励我为了自己的兴趣去尝试。

I know I can't compete with the really popular stories, like the Harry Potter books - they're very good, and even young kids like my seven-year-old niece love reading them.

我知道我无法与真正流行的故事竞争，比如《哈利·波特》系列丛书——它们非常棒，甚至像我七岁的侄女一样的小孩都爱读。

STEPHANIE: Mm. I'm very interested in illustrations in stories.

史蒂芬妮：嗯。我对故事里的插图非常感兴趣。

Is that covered in the course?

这也包含在课程里面吗？

TREVOR: Yes, there's a module on pictures, and how they're sometimes central to the story.

特雷弗：是的，有关于图画的课程，以及有些时候他们是如何对故事起到关键作用的。

STEPHANIE: That's good.

史蒂芬妮：非常好。

I remember some frightening ones I saw as a child and I can still see them vividly in my mind, years later!

我记得小时候看到一些可怕的东西，多年以后仍然可以在我的脑海里清晰地浮现出来！

Pictures can be so powerful, just as powerful as words.

图片可以如此的强大，就像文字一样。

I've always enjoyed drawing, so that's the field I want to go into when I finish the course.

我一直很喜欢画画，所以当我完成课程时，我想要进入这个领域。

I bet that module will be really helpful.

我敢打赌，这个模块将非常有用。

TREVOR: I'm sure it will.

特雷弗：我相信它会很有用的。

We also studied comics in that module, but I'm not convinced of their value, not compared with books.

我们还在那个模块中学习了漫画，但我不相信它们的价值，它们是不能与书籍相比的。

One of the great things about words is that you use your imagination, but with a comic you don't have to.

文字的一个好处是在阅读时你可以运用你的想象力，但是阅读漫画就不必使用想象力。

STEPHANIE: But children are so used to visual input - on TV, video games, and so on.

史蒂芬妮：但是孩子们习惯于视觉输入——电视、电子游戏等等。

There are plenty of kids who wouldn't even try to read a book, so I think comics can serve a really useful purpose.

有很多孩子甚至不会尝试去读书，所以我认为漫画可以起到非常有用的作用。

TREVOR: You mean, it's better to read a comic than not to read at all?

特雷弗：你的意思是，读漫画比什么都不读要更好？

Yes, I suppose you're right.

没错，我觉得你说的对。

I just think it's sad when children don't read books.

我只是觉得孩子们不读书是件令人悲哀的事。

STEPHANIE: What about books for girls and books for boys?

史蒂芬妮：关于给男孩读的书和给女孩读的书呢？

Does the course go into that?

这个课程有研究到这个问题吗？

TREVOR: Yes, there's a module on it.

特雷弗：是的，课程里面有一个模块说到这个问题。

For years, lots of stories, in English, at least, assumed that boys went out and did adventurous things and girls stayed at home and played with dolls.

多年来，至少有许多英语故事假设男孩们出去做冒险活动，女孩们呆在家里玩娃娃。

I was amazed how many books were targeted at just one sex or the other.

令我惊讶的是，许多书针对的是一种性别或另一种性别。

Of course this reflects society as it is when the books are written.

当然，这也反映了写书时的社会情况。

STEPHANIE: That's true.

史蒂芬妮：有道理。

So it sounds as though you think it's a good course.

那么听起来你好像认为这门课程挺不错的。

TREVOR: Definitely.

特雷弗：当然。

TREVOR: Have you been reading lots of children's stories, to help you decide whether to take the course?

特雷弗：你有没有读过很多儿童故事，帮助你决定要不要修读这门课程？

STEPHANIE: Yeah. I've gone as far back as the late seventeenth century, though I know there were earlier children's stories.

史蒂芬妮：读过。我已经读到了十七世纪末的儿童故事，虽然我知道还有更早的儿童故事。

TREVOR: So does that mean you've read Perrault' s fairy tales?

特雷弗：那么你是否读过佩罗的童话故事？

Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, and so on.

《灰姑娘》，《睡美人》，等等。

STEPHANIE: Yes. They must be important, because no stories of that type had been written before, these were the first.

史蒂芬妮：读过。它们一定非常重要，因为这种类型的故事以前没有过，它们是最早的一批。

Then there's The Swiss Family Robinson.

然后还有《来自瑞士的罗宾逊一家》。

TREVOR: I haven't read that.

特雷弗：我没读过。

STEPHANIE: The English name makes it sound as though Robinson is the family's surname, but a more accurate translation would be The Swiss Robinsons, because it's about a Swiss family who are shipwrecked, like Robinson Crusoe in the novel of a century earlier.

史蒂芬妮：它的英文名听起来好像罗宾逊是这个家族的姓氏，但更精确的翻译将是《瑞士一家人的罗宾逊奇遇记》，因为它是关于一个遭遇海难的瑞士家庭，就像一个世纪前的小说中的鲁宾逊·克鲁索伊一样。

TREVOR: Well I never knew that!

特雷弗：天哪我从来没有听说过！

STEPHANIE: Have you read Hoffmann's The Nutcracker and the Mouse King?

史蒂芬妮：你读过霍夫曼的《胡桃夹子和老鼠国王》吗？

TREVOR: Wasn't that the basis for Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker?

特雷弗：这不是柴可夫斯基的芭蕾舞剧《胡桃夹子》的原型吗？

STEPHANIE: That's right.

史蒂芬妮：是的。

It has some quite bizarre elements.

这本书里面有很多相当奇异的元素。

TREVOR: I hope you've read Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince.

特雷弗：希望你读过奥斯卡·王尔德的《快乐王子》。

It's probably my favourite children's story of all time.

这可能是我最喜欢的儿童故事了。

STEPHANIE: Mine too! And it's so surprising, because Wilde is best known for his plays, and most of them are very witty, but The Happy Prince is really moving.

史蒂芬妮：我也是！而且这非常令人惊讶，因为王尔德是以他的戏剧而闻名，而且他的戏剧中大多数都非常诙谐，但是《快乐王子》真的非常令人感动。

I struggled with Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings - three long books, and I gave up after one.

我挣扎着去读托尔金的《指环王》系列——三本长篇小说，然而尝试读了一本之后我就放弃了。

TREVOR: It's extremely popular, though.

特雷弗：不过《指环王》相当受欢迎。

STEPHANIE: Yeah, but whereas something like The Happy Prince just carried me along with it.

史蒂芬妮：是的，但《快乐王子》那样的故事可以让我顺畅读下去。

The Lord of the Rings took more effort than I was prepared to give it.

而阅读《指环王》却要付出比预期更多的努力。

TREVOR: I didn't find that - I love it.

特雷弗：我不这么想——我还挺爱读的。

STEPHANIE: Another one I've read is War Horse.

史蒂芬妮：我还读了一本书叫《战马》。

TREVOR: Oh yes. It's about the First World War, isn't it?

特雷弗：噢对。它讲的是一战时的故事，对不对？

Hardly what you'd expect for a children's story.

很难想象这是给孩子们读的故事。

STEPHANIE: Exactly, but it's been very successful.

史蒂芬妮：确实是，不过这本书还挺成功的。

Have you read any ...

你读过……