長(zhǎng)盛不衰的《辛普森一家》

Ever since it was created 30 years ago, The Simpsons, the longest running prime-time TV show in the country, has become part of US life. So when TV critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz ranked the 100 greatest comedies and dramas broadcast in the US, it came as no surprise that The Simpons was their top choice.

30年前，《辛普森一家》誕生，從此它便成為占據(jù)美國(guó)電視黃金檔最長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的節(jié)目，也成了美國(guó)人生活的一部分。所以當(dāng)電視評(píng)論員艾倫·塞賓沃爾和馬特·佐勒·塞茨列出美國(guó)最偉大的100部喜劇和電視劇時(shí)，《辛普森一家》不出所料成為他們的首選。

This was the show that changed the very concept of cartoons in Western society. Before it appeared, cartoons were considered a way to learn and have fun, not serious adult entertainment. The Simpsons changed this. The genius of the show is that it has something to offer both adults and children.

這是一部改變西方社會(huì)對(duì)于動(dòng)畫片認(rèn)識(shí)的節(jié)目。在它出現(xiàn)之前，動(dòng)畫片被視作是學(xué)習(xí)和娛樂的一種方式，而非成人娛樂。而《辛普森一家》改變了這點(diǎn)。其過人之處就在于節(jié)目?jī)?nèi)容老少咸宜。

It’s a hugely entertaining program that’s also full of satire and clever humor. A remark by Chitra Ramaswamy in The Guardian gave a sense of the esteem in which The Simpsons is held: “Nothing before or since has matched its capacity to be at once so profoundly clever and so unbelievably stupid.”

這是一部非常有趣的節(jié)目，充滿了諷刺和機(jī)智的幽默。齊特拉·拉馬斯瓦米在《衛(wèi)報(bào)》中對(duì)《辛普森一家》懷有敬重之意，“它擁有深刻的智慧，同時(shí)又傻得令人難以置信。這種能力前無(wú)古人，后無(wú)來(lái)者。”

The show’s creator Matt Groening, and the brilliant team that works with him, make fun of the US government, social customs, and of course, the idea of family life. But unlike most classic US prime-time TV characters, the Simpsons are a dysfunctional family.

該節(jié)目的創(chuàng)作者馬特·格羅寧，以及與他合作的才華橫溢的工作團(tuán)隊(duì)，一起打趣美國(guó)政府、社會(huì)習(xí)俗，當(dāng)然，還有家庭生活的觀念。然而，和大多數(shù)美國(guó)經(jīng)典黃金檔的電視角色不同，辛普森一家是個(gè)功能失調(diào)的家庭。

Bart, the boy, is always in trouble – both at home and at school. That may be in part because of his paternal example. Homer Simpson, perhaps the most iconic character, is a beer-swilling, overweight slob who is normally found in front of the TV. And Marge, Homer’s wife and the mother of the family, spends most of her time cooking, cleaning or trying to fix the messes that Bart and Homer make.

家中的男孩巴特總是在惹麻煩 —— 無(wú)論是在家里還是學(xué)校。在某種程度上，這或許是他跟著父親有樣學(xué)樣的關(guān)系。荷馬·辛普森大概是(劇中)最具標(biāo)志性的人物，是個(gè)通常坐在電視機(jī)前喝著啤酒、體重超標(biāo)的懶漢。荷馬的妻子、家中的媽媽瑪吉絕大多數(shù)時(shí)間都在下廚、打掃或者試圖收拾巴特和荷馬的爛攤子。

The smartest member of the family is daughter Lisa, who excels at school but is no goody-goody – Lisa never misses an opportunity to challenge authority. The youngest member of the family is baby Maggie, who will likely be as much of a handful as her brother and sister when she grows up – if she ever grows up, that is.

這個(gè)家中最聰明的成員是女兒麗薩，她在校表現(xiàn)出色卻并不懂得討好賣乖 —— 麗薩從不錯(cuò)過任何一個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)權(quán)威的機(jī)會(huì)。家中最小的成員是嬰兒瑪姬，她在長(zhǎng)大之后很有可能像他哥哥姐姐那樣難以管教 —— 要是她長(zhǎng)大的話，絕對(duì)會(huì)是這樣。

But although the Simpsons are a problem family, viewers are always on their side. One of the reasons the show has remained so popular all these years is that the characters are so likeable. Millions of us identify with them. They are a working class family struggling to make ends meet. They aren’t perfect, but then, who is? And after 30 years, this is still what strikes a chord with millions of viewers worldwide.

但盡管辛普森一家是個(gè)問題家庭，觀眾總是站在他們這邊。這個(gè)節(jié)目多年來(lái)熱度居高不下的原因之一是劇中的人物都很討人喜歡。數(shù)以百萬(wàn)計(jì)的觀眾們都與他們產(chǎn)生了共鳴。辛普森一家是個(gè)努力維持生計(jì)的工薪階層家庭。他們并不完美，但是，誰(shuí)又是完美的呢?在30年后的今天，這一點(diǎn)依然能在全世界數(shù)百萬(wàn)的觀眾中引發(fā)共鳴。