聽上去以為是笑談,但在美留學的3名中國學生真的只憑動了動嘴皮子便一炮走紅。
Sun Yuchen, 23, who majored in East Asian studies at the University of Pennsylvania, has always dreamed about launching a TV station or a newspaper. But this dream is still a long way away. So how about a talk show, like Phoenix TV’s Behind the Headlines with Wentao, he thought.
23歲的孫宇晨就讀于賓夕法尼亞大學(以下簡稱:賓大)東亞研究專業(yè)。他一直夢想著能夠創(chuàng)辦一家電視臺或報紙。而夢想總是遙不可及。所以他想,何不創(chuàng)辦一檔類似鳳凰衛(wèi)視《鏘鏘三人行》這樣的脫口秀節(jié)目呢。
Sun shared his idea with Gui Jiaxun, 22, a double major in engineering and business at the University of Pennsylvania, and Hou Bocheng, 22, an economics major who graduated from Temple University in 2012. They were intrigued by his idea.
孫宇晨同好友桂家勛和侯柏成交流了自己的想法。22歲的桂家勛在賓大主修工程學及商科雙學位,22歲的侯柏成2012年畢業(yè)于天普大學經濟系。聽完孫宇晨的想法,他們都躍躍欲試。
Since Sun had always dreamed about working in the media industry and had done an internship at Nanfang Weekend, he was selected to host the program like Dou Wentao on Phoenix TV.
因為孫宇晨一直夢想從事媒體工作,而且有過在《南方周末》的實習經歷,所以他被選作該檔節(jié)目的主持人,相當于《鏘鏘三人行》節(jié)目中的鳳凰衛(wèi)視主持人竇文濤。
In their first three episodes, the three students talked about big issues like racial discrimination in the US and intellectual property rights. But the audience’s response was lacklustre.
在他們制作的前三期節(jié)目中,這三位留學生探討了一些諸如美國種族歧視和知識產權這樣的熱門事件。而觀眾反應平平。
“We thought, maybe the topics were too common or not relevant enough to our target audience — young Chinese back at home,” says Sun.
“我們認為,可能是話題太過普通或是不夠貼合我們的目標觀眾——國內年輕人的需求。”孫宇晨說。
Analyzing their problem, Sun realized that they are in a completely different cultural surrounding and that it might be better to take the approach of a cultural comparison talk show aiming to let more Chinese understand US society and culture. This change of direction turned out to be an ace.
通過分析問題所在,孫宇晨意識到他們所處的文化環(huán)境截然不同;要是打造一檔跨文化對比的脫口秀節(jié)目,來讓更多的中國人了解美國的社會與環(huán)境,這種方式可能會更好。事實證明,這一調整成為該節(jié)目的制勝法寶。
What is the American attitude toward yellow traffic lights? Which Chinese actress is most attractive in the eyes of Americans? What can you do with $100 (613 yuan) in the US?
美國人如何看待交通黃燈?美國人眼中,誰是最具魅力的中國女星?在美國,100美元(合613元人民幣)又能做些什么?
These are some of the topics that resulted in several million hits on their program, the episodes of which were uploaded to major video websites like Youku.com and Tudou.com. Discussions of the videos also took off.
諸如此類的話題為他們的節(jié)目帶來了幾百萬的點擊率,有幾期甚至被上傳到優(yōu)酷和土豆這樣大型視頻網站上,從而引發(fā)熱議。
For Sun, another important aim of the program is to offer viewers an insight into the daily lives of foreigners. He believes that as a developing country, China can learn a lot from other countries.
對于孫宇晨而言,該節(jié)目的另一個宗旨就是讓觀眾了解外國人的日常生活。他認為,作為一個發(fā)展中國家,中國可以從其他國家學到很多東西。
In an episode about running yellow lights in the US after a new traffic regulation was introduced in China, the three students shared their experience of driving in the US and discussed many interesting details of US automobile culture and how driving in the country is regulated.
《新交規(guī)》頒布之后,他們做了一期關于在美國闖黃燈的節(jié)目。這三名留學生與觀眾分享了各自在美國的駕車經歷,探討了許多有關美國汽車文化的有趣細節(jié),以及在美國開車需要遵守哪些規(guī)則。
Soon after launching their show, it became one of the most viewed programs in the people and society section of the host websites.
他們的節(jié)目播出后,迅速成為許多網站人文社會類別中點擊率最高的節(jié)目之一。
But according to Sun, their mentality toward making the program has changed since they became “famous” online.
而孫宇晨也表示,隨著三人在網絡上的走紅,他們制作節(jié)目時的心態(tài)也有所改變。
“Initially, our program was aimed at expressing our own thoughts and views, but now, with millions of Chinese watching and discussing it, it has become a source for public discussions,” Sun says. “We want to inspire young Chinese and raise their awareness of various issues so that we can finally make our own country a better place.”
“起初,我們做節(jié)目就是想表達自己的看法和觀點,而現(xiàn)在,數(shù)百萬中國觀眾收看節(jié)目并熱烈討論,我們的節(jié)目內容已經成了大家熱議的話題,”孫宇晨說。“我們希望能夠激勵到中國青年,讓他們更加關注不同的時事話題,這樣我們也能讓自己的祖國變得更美好。”