New Muppet Helps Give Afghan Girls Role Model
芝麻街阿富汗布偶 女力新榜樣
By Christopher Mele

“Sesame Street” has introduced its first Afghan Muppet, and she has a mission. The hope is that the Muppet, called Zari, will become a strong role model for girls in a country with a poor record of promoting women’s rights, according to the production company Sesame Workshop.
「芝麻街」引進了這個節目的第一個阿富汗布偶，她負有一個使命。節目製作公司「芝麻工作室」說，在一個推展女權紀錄很差的國家，希望布偶「查莉」能成為女孩健全的榜樣。

Zari has multicolored hair and wears a head scarf with her school uniform. She will appear only in the Afghan version of the children’s television show, called “Baghch-e-Simsim,” which translates to “Sesame Garden.”
查莉有多彩的頭髮、穿校服、戴頭巾。她只會出現在這個兒童電視節目的阿富汗版本中，稱為「芝麻花園」。

Zari, whose name means “shimmering,” is an eager 6-year-old who will focus on girls’ empowerment, health and emotional well-being, the production company said.
製作公司說，查莉這個名字的意思是「閃亮」，她是熱情的6歲女孩，將聚焦於女孩的賦權、健康和情緒健康福祉（幸福感）。

The director of communications for Sesame Workshop, Philip Toscano, said the Muppet was based on research aiming to develop a character that would resonate with viewers.
芝麻工作室的公關主管菲立普．托斯卡諾表示，這個布偶是根據研究產生，研究的目標是開發一個能與觀眾產生共鳴的角色。

“We’ve been in Afghanistan for five years,” he said. “In our effort to create more content, and relevant content, this was a natural step in production.”
他說：「我們已在阿富汗五年了。我們努力創造更多內容、有意義的內容，這是製作節目自然的一步。」

Zari is the latest in the show’s lineup of international characters, which includes Muppets in Mexico, Germany, Bangladesh, Egypt and many other countries.
這個節目中的國際角色包括在墨西哥、德國、孟加拉、埃及和其他許多國家的布偶，查莉是最新的一個。

The debut of the character is notable in a country that imposes strict limits on women’s lifestyles and rights. There have been efforts to improve conditions for Afghan women since the fall of the Taliban government 14 years ago, but many of the gains are seen as fragile.
在一個女性生活方式和權利受到嚴格限制的國家，這個角色初次亮相值得注意。自從神學士政權14年前垮台後，各方一直致力改善阿富汗婦女的處境，但許多成果相當脆弱。

The new Muppet is a way for children of both sexes to identify with a strong young character, Sherrie Westin, the executive vice president of global impact and philanthropy for Sesame Workshop, said in an interview.
芝麻工作室負責全球影響與慈善工作的執行副總裁雪莉．韋斯汀受訪時說，新的布偶角色是讓男孩與女孩去與一個健全的年幼角色認同的一種方式。

“It’s a way of making sure we are not just teaching but we are modeling, which is very powerful,” she said, adding that research has found that depictions of confident, educated girls have helped shaped boys’ opinions as well. “We know children learn best when they can identify themselves with characters on the screen.”
她說：「這種方式確保我們不只言教，我們也身教，而這是非常強而有力的。」她接著說，研究發現，對於有自信、受過教育的女孩的描述，也有助於塑造男孩的看法。「我們知道當兒童能與螢幕上的角色認同時，學習成效最好。」

Zari will appear in each episode, Toscano said. The first of the 26 new episodes, which are 25 minutes each, aired last Thursday. The U.S. State Department has helped fund each of the five seasons of the show in Afghanistan.
托斯卡諾說，查莉在每一集都會出現。上個星期四播出全新26集的第一集，每集25分鐘。這個節目在阿富汗已經播出的五季，每季都獲美國國務院贊助。

It is produced in Kabul and features live-action films about the traditions and culture of life in Afghanistan. Zari is played by a local Afghan performer, Toscano said.
節目在喀布爾製作，特色是有關阿富汗人生活傳統和文化的真人影片。托斯卡諾說，查莉是由一名阿富汗當地的表演者扮演。

She will appear speaking directly to viewers, interacting with children in person and interviewing a variety of Afghan professionals.
她將會在節目中直接對著觀眾說話、親身與兒童互動，並訪問阿富汗各種專業人士。

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/12/world/asia/afghan-sesame-street-introduces-zari-a-muppet-and-role-model-for-girls.html

2016-04-24/聯合報/D2版/紐約時報賞析 田思怡譯

說文解字看新聞 田思怡

文中的Muppet（布偶）第一個字母大寫，是專有名詞，原本專指韓森（Jim Henson）1955年創造的一群滑稽、逗趣的布偶，Muppet這個字也是韓森所創，結合marionette（牽線木偶）和puppet（木偶）。

韓森的Muppet於1969年首次在美國兒童節目「芝麻街」亮相，後來更成為一系列電視節目和電影的明星，包括「大青蛙布偶秀」（The Muppet Show）。迪士尼公司買下Muppet版權後，拍成「布偶歷險記」（The Muppets）等電影。

這篇報導的主角是在阿富汗播出的「芝麻街」創造的一個阿富汗少女布偶「查莉」，透過這個角色來灌輸阿富汗兒童有關女孩的賦權、健康和情緒健康福祉（girl’s empowerment, health and emotional well-being）。

賦權（empowerment）這個字常用於女權運動，意思是提升女性的自主性和社會參與。情緒健康福祉（emotional well-being）也是現代流行用語，因為現代人壓力大，需要注意情緒健康。

阿富汗的女權紀錄極差，最有名的例子是時代雜誌2010年以被削鼻的阿富汗少女艾莎為封面。艾莎（Aesha Maohammadzai）12歲被迫嫁給神學士士兵，遭到丈夫和夫家虐待，18歲試圖逃跑時，慘遭丈夫割下耳鼻。

Some Warriors Are Happy to Pass Up a 3-Pointer. Really.
勇士兩分部隊的生存之道
By Scott Cacciola

Amid their record-breaking march, the Golden State Warriors have made more 3- pointers this season than any team in NBA history. The ability to launch shots from intergalactic ZIP codes seems like a requirement for employment. Stephen Curry has gotten so good at it that he has somehow made the halfcourt heave look passé.
金州勇士隊本賽季締造新紀錄的過程中，投進的三分球比NBA史上任何其他隊伍都多。從如星際般遙遠地區投籃的能力似乎是上場討生活的必要條件。柯瑞如此擅長投三分球，以致他已讓半場投籃顯得不再那麼稀奇了。

But on a team cluttered with long-distance technicians, Festus Ezeli counts himself as a member of a smaller, less renowned group – a group that has largely resisted the seductive pull of the 3-point line. These guys are like Bolshoi dancers who cannot stand on their tippy toes or veterinarians who are allergic to cats.
但在一個充滿遠距離投籃技師的團隊裡，厄席利自認為屬於一個較小、較不知名的群體，而這一小群人大體上抗拒著三分線的誘惑。這些傢伙就像是無法用腳趾尖站立的波修瓦芭蕾舞團舞者，或是對貓過敏的獸醫。

Meet the Warriors’ curiously subdued 2-point crew.
讓我們來看看勇士隊這些低調到令人好奇的兩分球成員吧。

“I know my role,” said Ezeli, a reserve center and layup specialist who has not so much as sniffed the 3-point line in three NBA seasons, “and that is not it. I love certainty. I love dunking.”
在NBA三個賽季裡甚至未投過三分球的替補中鋒兼上籃專家厄席利說：「我知道我的角色，那並非我的角色。我喜歡有把握。我喜歡灌籃。」

Not so long ago, the slam dunk dominated sports highlight shows. But as the Warriors eclipsed the record they now share with the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls for the most victories in a single season – they continue to push the 3-point shot into the spotlight.
不久前，灌籃在體育精彩鏡頭集錦中還享有主宰地位，但隨著勇士隊打破原本跟1995-96年賽季芝加哥公牛隊共享的單季最多勝紀錄，勇士隊也繼續讓三分球成為鎂光燈的焦點。

Led by Curry, who weeks ago broke his own record for 3-pointers made in a season, the Warriors sink an average of 13 3-pointers a game while connecting on 41.6. percent of their attempts, leading the league in both categories. Curry and Klay Thompson have combined to attempt 1,536 3-pointers this season. And then there are players like Andrew Bogut and Shaun Livingston, who have combined to attempt 13.
在數周前打破自己所保持單季最多三分球紀錄的柯瑞帶領下，勇士隊每場比賽平均投進13顆三分球，命中率為41.6%，兩項數據都在聯盟中領先。本季柯瑞和湯普森三分球共出手1536次。而另一方面，也有像伯加特與李文斯頓這樣的球員，兩人三分球合計出手僅13次。

Last month, during an otherwise nondescript victory against the New Orleans Pelicans, Bogut, the team’s starting center, did something that he had not done in 1,102 days: He attempted a 3-pointer. More surprising, he made it, prompting his teammates to celebrate as if they had just clinched another championship.
上個月勇士隊擊敗紐奧良鵜鶘隊的比賽，雖然其他方面並不起眼，球隊先發中鋒伯加特卻做了件1102天來從未做過的事：他投了顆三分球。更令人驚訝的是他投進了，而這讓他的隊友慶祝得像是他們剛剛奪下另一個總冠軍。

For those who are not members of the team’s 3-point parade, life inside the line tends to be more muted. Video clips of their layups and midrange jumpers do not go viral – not that they necessarily care, not with the Warriors continuing to make history.
對這些不是隊上三分球部隊成員的人來說，三分線內的日子往往會更悄無聲息。他們上籃與中距離跳投的影音短片並未在網路上瘋傳，而這不表示他們一定在意，只要勇士隊繼續創造歷史。

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/12/sports/basketball/for-warriors-2-point-scorers-the-long-ball-casts-a-long-shadow.html

Video：New Neighbor on Afghan ‘Sesame Street’
A 6-year-old girl named Zari is the new Muppet character in the Afghan version of “Sesame Street.”
http://nyti.ms/1SJG3po

2016-04-24/聯合報/D2版/紐約時報賞析 陳韋廷譯