[08.8.24纽约时报] London’s Countdown to 2012 Begins With Questions

Truthcheck

London’s Countdown to 2012 Begins With Questions

By PETER BERLIN
Published: August 24, 2008

BEIJING — If there were any doubts that the 2012 Olympics in London would be different from those in Beijing, they vanished as soon as the mayor of London appeared during the closing ceremony Sunday night.

The mayor, Boris Johnson, appeared after Guo Jinlong, his Beijing counterpart, and Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee, had given speeches.

Guo and Rogge were thin, erect and serious, encased in creased dark suits. Johnson shambled out, his middle button undone, a hand in his pocket. He waved, pointed, pumped his fist and grinned: a naughty schoolboy out with the grown-ups.

Johnson was there for one of the many rituals built into the Games. Guo passed the Olympic flag to Rogge, who passed it to Johnson — a relay symbolizing the passing of the Olympics from one city to another.

How well London will carry that flag is a question its representatives have found themselves asked repeatedly over the last two weeks.

What can they do to follow this no-expenses-spared Olympics, with its spectacular arenas, clockwork organization and attention to detail? The first problem for London is simply one of cash. Estimates for the cost of the Beijing Games, apart from the Beijing organizing committee’s operating budget, start at $40 billion. And that does not account for the difference in labor costs, which are considerably lower in China than they will be in London.

Everyone involved with the London Games is clear on their numbers: a $3.7 billion operating budget for the organizing committee; a $17.2 billion budget for building everything. For London, the trap is to avoid being accused of wasting money on a short-lived event, while not being seen as skimping.

“It is unlikely that you will see a Games of this size and scope and stature ever again,” Sebastian Coe, the chairman of the London committee, said at a news conference.

The I.O.C. is caught in the same trap. This was its party, and China spent $40 billion on it. Yet the I.O.C. can hardly gloat about how much money went into an event that lasts just 17 days.

The I.O.C.’s solution is to stress what the Games leave behind.

Beijing is a huge, fast-growing and even faster-modernizing city that was short of sports venues. The Games will leave a legacy of arenas here.

That is not a legacy London needs. It has two 80,000-seat venues — Wembley and Twickenham — and a host of other sports venues.

“Our priority is to leave a legacy for the community,” Coe said. “Our message has been clear and unambiguous: to use the London Games to drive the participation in Olympic sports.

“No Games has produced a sustainable shift in participation.”

The London organizers say that the majority of the city’s Olympic venues already exist. They include Wembley and Wimbledon for tennis. Lord’s Cricket Ground will have to be tweaked for archery. Earl’s Court, which will house volleyball, is an exhibition hall, not a sports arena, and parts of it date from the late 1930s. Greenwich Park, site of the equestrian events; Hyde Park, where the triathlon will be held; and Regent’s Park, the road cycling venue, are existing venues only in the sense that the parks are already there. The same goes for Horse Guards Parade, a rather surreal choice to host beach volleyball.

Wembley and the North Greenwich Arena, which will house badminton, are reminders of how badly planning in London has often gone wrong in recent years. Both were delivered late and massively over budget. The North Greenwich Arena, originally the Millennium Dome, cost an estimated $1.9 billion. Wembley was recently rebuilt. It was scheduled for completion in 2006 but opened in 2007 and cost $1.5 billion.

Despite the huge budgets, a modern Olympics depends heavily on those who provide their labor for free. One of the defining elements in Beijing has been the legions of young volunteers.

Paul Deighton, the chief executive of the London Olympic committee, said he could not hope to duplicate their numbers.
“One of the great strengths of China is the ability to mobilize so many resources and people,” he said. “We will give the individuals bigger roles and more independence. That is a model that works best for the British.”

The volunteers in Beijing have been more than matched in numbers by the security forces. Terrorism is a shadow that hangs over any mass event. Beijing has not seen terrorist attacks in recent years, but London has — notably on July 7, 2005, the day after London won the right to host the Games.

London, Coe said, “is a huge, global, capital city. There will be a balance. The Games must be enjoyable, and the city will not be locked down.”

The police and soldiers were again everywhere in Beijing on Sunday. While the show put on by the hosts Sunday night was not an epic narrative like the opening ceremony, it was still spectacular, huge and, except for the athletes’ entry, meticulously choreographed.

Then the British appeared, with a dance skit including a London bus and members of three dance companies. Clearly, they were playing far from home, with limited resources. Even so, it looked chaotic and under-rehearsed.

Jimmy Page almost rescued the moment, with a demonstration of the simple power of the electric guitar. David Beckham received what may have been the biggest cheer for any non-Chinese athlete at the Olympics, just for kicking one soccer ball toward the crowd.

It was a powerful demonstration of how to get a lot from a little.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/25/sports/olympics/25london.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

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本来想翻译的，但发现自己实力不够，连题目都不会翻。所以只转载出来，希望有高手可以帮帮忙。

amojo

【08.8.24纽约时报】London’s Countdown to 2012 Begins With Questions
London’s Countdown to 2012 Begins With Questions
伦敦奥运会倒计时：在疑问中开始

By PETER BERLIN
Published: August 24, 2008

BEIJING — If there were any doubts that the 2012 Olympics in London would be different from those in Beijing, they vanished as soon as the mayor of London appeared during the closing ceremony Sunday night.
北京－如果说对于2012年伦敦奥运会与北京奥运会应该有所不同这点人们有所疑问的话， 那么当伦敦市长出席在星期天晚上的闭幕式时，这些疑问全部消失了。

The mayor, Boris Johnson, appeared after Guo Jinlong, his Beijing counterpart, and Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee, had given speeches.
紧随在北京市长郭金龙后出现的伦敦市长， Boris Johnson， 还有Jacques Rogge， 国际奥林匹克委员会主席，都发表了演讲。

Guo and Rogge were thin, erect and serious, encased in creased dark suits. Johnson shambled out, his middle button undone, a hand in his pocket. He waved, pointed, pumped his fist and grinned: a naughty schoolboy out with the grown-ups.
郭金龙和Rogge都偏瘦，挺拔并且严肃，身着熨烫过的深色套装。Johnson笨拙地走出，他中间的扣子没有扣好，一只手插在兜里。他挥手，指向观众，握拳深吸并微笑：像一群成人中的一个顽皮、没有规矩的男学生。

Johnson was there for one of the many rituals built into the Games. Guo passed the Olympic flag to Rogge, who passed it to Johnson — a relay symbolizing the passing of the Olympics from one city to another.
Johnson去那儿是为了众多仪式中的一个。郭金龙将奥林匹克旗传给Rogge，然后Rogge再将它传给Johnson－这个传递象征着将奥林匹克从一个城市传到另一个。

How well London will carry that flag is a question its representatives have found themselves asked repeatedly over the last two weeks.
伦敦会把这面旗帜扛的多好？（我猜是在说奥运会办得多好）伦敦代表们发现在近两周来他们被问到这个问题最多。

What can they do to follow this no-expenses-spared Olympics, with its spectacular arenas, clockwork organization and attention to detail? The first problem for London is simply one of cash. Estimates for the cost of the Beijing Games, apart from the Beijing organizing committee’s operating budget, start at $40 billion. And that does not account for the difference in labor costs, which are considerably lower in China than they will be in London.
在紧接着这届不节约投入任何费用（意思就很奢侈，不知道怎么翻译），壮观的舞台，钟表装置一样准确的组织工作和注意力？(不知道怎么翻译and attention to detail)的奥运会后，他们能做什么？伦敦奥运会的首要问题简单来说就是资金问题。北京奥运会的花销，除了北京奥组委的运作预算意外，估计在400亿刀以上。这还不算雇佣人工的差价，在中国雇佣人工的价格比在伦敦低非常的多。

Everyone involved with the London Games is clear on their numbers: a $3.7 billion operating budget for the organizing committee; a $17.2 billion budget for building everything. For London, the trap is to avoid being accused of wasting money on a short-lived event, while not being seen as skimping.
每个参与筹备伦敦奥运会的人都清楚他们的数字：37亿刀用于奥组委的预算，172亿刀预算用于建设场地。对伦敦来说，问题在于避免被指责浪费资金于短期的事件，同时避免被视为过于抠门。

“It is unlikely that you will see a Games of this size and scope and stature ever again,” Sebastian Coe, the chairman of the London committee, said at a news conference.
“你不太可能再看到一届奥运会有这样的规模、范围和高度，”Sebastian Coe， 伦敦奥委会的主席，在一场新闻发布会中说道。

The I.O.C. is caught in the same trap. This was its party, and China spent $40 billion on it. Yet the I.O.C. can hardly gloat about how much money went into an event that lasts just 17 days.
国际奥委会也面临同样的问题。这是它的盛会，中国花了400亿刀。 而IOC仍然不能满足于一个只17天的项目花了多少钱（这句有点绕，我翻译对了么）

The I.O.C.’s solution is to stress what the Games leave behind.
IOC的解决方式是，重点关注奥运会后会留下什么。

Beijing is a huge, fast-growing and even faster-modernizing city that was short of sports venues. The Games will leave a legacy of arenas here.
北京是一个巨大的，快速增长的，并正更加快速现代化的城市，它缺少运动场馆。奥运会将在这留下一笔场地的遗产。

That is not a legacy London needs. It has two 80,000-seat venues — Wembley and Twickenham — and a host of other sports venues.
而伦敦不需要这些。它有两座可容纳8万观众的场馆－Wenbley和Twickenhan－和其他运动的场馆。

“Our priority is to leave a legacy for the community,” Coe said. “Our message has been clear and unambiguous: to use the London Games to drive the participation in Olympic sports.
“我们优先考虑为社区（公众）留下一笔遗产，”Coe 说，“我们的通报已经写得清楚明确：用伦敦奥运会来推动公众参与到奥林匹克运动。“

“No Games has produced a sustainable shift in participation.”
还没有奥运会曾产生一个可以忍受的公众参与的提高效果。

The London organizers say that the majority of the city’s Olympic venues already exist. They include Wembley and Wimbledon for tennis. Lord’s Cricket Ground will have to be tweaked for archery. Earl’s Court, which will house volleyball, is an exhibition hall, not a sports arena, and parts of it date from the late 1930s. Greenwich Park, site of the equestrian events; Hyde Park, where the triathlon will be held; and Regent’s Park, the road cycling venue, are existing venues only in the sense that the parks are already there. The same goes for Horse Guards Parade, a rather surreal choice to host beach volleyball.
伦敦的组织者说，大部分的奥运场馆已经存在。他们包括Wembley和Wimbledon的网球场，Lord‘s Cricket Ground将用于射箭比赛。Earl's Court，将举行排球比赛，它是一个展览厅，不是运动场馆，并且它的建筑中有一部分建于1930年代。Greenwich Park， 举办马术比赛；Hyde Park, 那里三项（游泳、自行车、跑步）赛事将举办；而Regent's Park,公路自行车赛场馆，说它是现成的场馆只是因为公园是已经存在的了。还有Horse Guards Parade, 一个更加离奇的选择：用来举办沙滩排球赛。

Wembley and the North Greenwich Arena, which will house badminton, are reminders of how badly planning in London has often gone wrong in recent years. Both were delivered late and massively over budget. The North Greenwich Arena, originally the Millennium Dome, cost an estimated $1.9 billion. Wembley was recently rebuilt. It was scheduled for completion in 2006 but opened in 2007 and cost $1.5 billion.
Wembley和 the North Greenwich Arena，将举行羽毛球比赛，他们能说明近几年伦敦的筹划经常出错。他们都于最近交付并大幅超出预算。The North Greenwich Arena，原本是the Millennium Dome（千禧年圆顶？？），估计价值19亿刀。Wembley于最近重建，它原定于2006完工但2007才开放，价值15亿刀。

Despite the huge budgets, a modern Olympics depends heavily on those who provide their labor for free. One of the defining elements in Beijing has been the legions of young volunteers.
尽管预算庞大，一个现代的奥运会严重依赖于那些免费提供服务的人力。北京奥运会的一个定义性的元素（？？无法表达了）就是众多的年轻的志愿者们。

Paul Deighton, the chief executive of the London Olympic committee, said he could not hope to duplicate their numbers.
“One of the great strengths of China is the ability to mobilize so many resources and people,” he said. “We will give the individuals bigger roles and more independence. That is a model that works best for the British.”
Paul Deighton, 伦敦奥委会的经理主管人员说，他不指望有他们那么多的数量。
”中国的伟大力量之一就是动员这么多资源和人力的能力。“他说，”我们将给个人更大的角色和更多的自主性。那是最适合不列颠的模式。“

The volunteers in Beijing have been more than matched in numbers by the security forces. Terrorism is a shadow that hangs over any mass event. Beijing has not seen terrorist attacks in recent years, but London has — notably on July 7, 2005, the day after London won the right to host the Games.
北京的志愿者们比安保部队还要多。对任何大型事件来说，恐怖主义都是悬浮于上的阴影。北京今年来没有发生恐怖主义袭击，但伦敦有－尤以2005年7月7日的事件文明，那是在伦敦赢得奥运举办权的第二天。

London, Coe said, “is a huge, global, capital city. There will be a balance. The Games must be enjoyable, and the city will not be locked down.”
伦敦，Coe说，“是一个巨大的，全球性的，金融城市。享受奥运会，并且城市将不会封锁，这将会有一个平衡。

The police and soldiers were again everywhere in Beijing on Sunday. While the show put on by the hosts Sunday night was not an epic narrative like the opening ceremony, it was still spectacular, huge and, except for the athletes’ entry, meticulously choreographed.
周日，北京的警察和士兵随处可见。当天晚上主办城市的表演不是像开幕式一样的一个史诗般的故事， 它仍然壮观，宏伟，并且，没有运动员的参与，而是细致的设计舞蹈动作。

Then the British appeared, with a dance skit including a London bus and members of three dance companies. Clearly, they were playing far from home, with limited resources. Even so, it looked chaotic and under-rehearsed.
然后英国人出现了，随着一个舞蹈小喜剧，包括一辆伦敦巴士和来自三个舞蹈公司的成员们。很明显，他们从遥远的家乡来，带着有限的原材料。尽管如此，它看起来混乱并经过排练。

Jimmy Page almost rescued the moment, with a demonstration of the simple power of the electric guitar. David Beckham received what may have been the biggest cheer for any non-Chinese athlete at the Olympics, just for kicking one soccer ball toward the crowd.
Jimmy Page 几乎拯救了这个时刻，用一个简单的电吉他的力量。David Backham收到了在奥运会上对非中国的运动员来说也许是有史以来最大的欢呼，仅仅因为他将一颗足球踢向人群。

It was a powerful demonstration of how to get a lot from a little.
这是一个从很少得到很多的有力实证。

Truthcheck

谢谢2楼的翻译，结合你的翻译我再纠正和增添了一些。以下是完整版

伦敦奥运会倒计时，在疑问中开始

（北京讯）如果还有人怀疑2012年伦敦奥运会能否超越北京奥运会的话，那么当伦敦市长在星期天晚上的闭幕式现身时，这些疑问全部消失了。

在国际奥委会主席罗格致辞之后，伦敦市长Boris Johnson紧随在北京市长郭金龙之后出场。

郭金龙和罗格都偏瘦，姿态挺拔而且严肃，身着挺括的深色西装。而Johnson笨拙地走出来，松着中间的纽扣，一只手插在口袋里。他招手，指向观众，挥动着拳头并微笑致意：就像一个和成年人出行的顽皮小男生。

Johnson出场是为了完成奥运会众多仪式中的一项。郭金龙把奥运会会旗递给罗格，罗格又再将旗传给Johnson——这个传递象征着奥运会从一个城市传到另一个。

伦敦能不能扛好这面旗？这是伦敦代表们在近两周被经常问到的问题。

他们怎样才能做到这种不计成本的奥运会，保证一流的场馆，严密的组织工作，对细节的体贴到位？伦敦的首要问题就是资金。估算一下北京奥运会的开销，除开北京组委会的运作经费，也至少在400亿美元以上。这还没考虑人工成本的差别，中国的人工要比伦敦的低得多。

每个参与伦敦奥运会的人都清楚知道这些数字：37亿美元用于奥组委的运作预算，172亿美元用于周边建设。对伦敦来说，关键在于既避免被指责浪费资金用于短期项目，又不显得吝啬。

“你不太可能再看到有这种规模、范围和水平的奥运会。”伦敦委员会主席Sebastian Coe在一次新闻发布会中提到。

国际奥委会也面临着同样的问题。这是奥林匹克的盛会，中国为此投资了400亿美元。但国际奥委会却不看重到底有多少钱花在了只有17天的活动上。

国际奥委会的态度是关注奥运会之后能留下什么。

北京是一个巨大，快速成长，并以更快的速度现代化的城市，但它缺少运动场所。奥运会将留下各种体育场馆作为遗产。

而伦敦不需要这些。它有两座可以容纳8万观众的体育馆——Wenbley和Twickenhan——和许多其他的体育场馆。

“我们优先考虑为公众留下一笔遗产，” Coe 说，“我们的信息很明确：用伦敦奥运会来提升奥林匹克运动的参与度。”

“还没有一届奥运会能使公众参与度有可持续的转变。”

伦敦组织者说，市内大部分奥运场馆已经存在。它们包括Wembley和Wimbledon的网球场。Lord’s Cricket Ground（板球场）会改造成射箭场。给排球比赛提供场地的Earl's Court（伯爵宫），是一个展览厅，不是体育场馆，并且其中部分建筑建于1930年代。Greenwich Park（公园）举办马术比赛；Hyde Park（公园）举办铁人三项赛；Regent’s Park（公园）举办公路自行车赛。这些公园都是现成的场馆，因为它们很早就建好了。同样地还有Horse Guards Parade（皇家骑兵卫队阅兵场），一个更加离奇的选择，用来举办沙滩排球赛。

羽毛球比赛地Wembley和 the North Greenwich Arena，可以说明伦敦近年来的组织工作有多么糟糕。它们都是逾期交付的而且大幅度超出预算。the North Greenwich Arena，前身是the Millennium Dome，估计花费19亿美元。Wembley最近重建，原定于2006年完工但2007年才开放，耗资15亿美元。

虽然预算庞大，但是现代奥运会主要依赖于那些免费提供劳动力的人们。北京奥运会一个特色就是许许多多年轻的志愿者。

伦敦奥委会主管Paul Deighton说，他不指望能有同等的数量。

“中国的优势之一就是动员这么多资源和人力的能力。”他说，“我们将给每个人更大的责任和更多的自主性。这是最适不列颠的模式。”

北京志愿者在数量上却比不过安保部队。对任何大型事件来说，恐怖主义都是悬浮于上的阴影。北京近年来没有发生恐怖袭击。但伦敦有，尤以2005年7月7日的事件闻名，那是在伦敦赢得奥运主办权的第二天。

伦敦，据Coe说，“是一个巨大的，全球性的，首都城市。我们将实现平衡。既保证奥运会的精彩，也确保城市将不会被封锁。”

周日，北京的警察和士兵还是随处可见。当天晚上主办城市的表演不是像开幕式一样的史诗般的故事，但是它仍然壮观，宏伟，经过细致地舞蹈编排（除了运动员入场以外）。

接着英国人伴随着一个舞蹈小品登场。小品由一辆伦敦巴士和来自三个舞蹈公司的演员参与演出。显然，他们远离主场演出，资源有限。即便如此，表演看起来很混乱，而且没有排练好。

Jimmy Page几乎拯救了这个演出，展示出了电吉他的纯朴力量。贝克汉姆则收获了可能是奥运会上对非中国运动员来说最热烈的欢呼，却仅仅因为他将一个足球踢向人群。

这就有力证明了如何仅凭少量付出获得大量回报。

onlyonly

其实不用比的吧!  安全第一, 享受比赛的乐趣!!