英語(yǔ)視頻暢談歐美人文風(fēng)情52：構(gòu)筑科幻世界成為下一個(gè)J.K.羅琳!

　　In J.R.R.'s world, Gandalf is one of five wizards sent by the Valar to guide the inhabitants of Middle Earth in their struggles against the dark force of Sauron. Gandalf's body was mortal, subject to the physical rules of Middle Earth, but his spirit was immortal as seen when he died as Gandalf the Grey and resurrected as Gandalf the White.

　　在J.R.R.托爾金(魔戒作者)的世界里，甘道夫是在與索倫的黑暗勢(shì)力抗?fàn)幹校S拉派來(lái)引領(lǐng)中土世界居民的五個(gè)巫師之一。甘道夫的軀體會(huì)死亡，受制于守中土世界的物理規(guī)則，但他的靈魂是不朽的，從他以灰袍甘道夫身分死去，然后以白袍甘道夫復(fù)活上可見(jiàn)一斑。

　　According to the Wachowski's script, an awakened human only has to link up and hack the neon binary code of the Matrix to learn how to fly a helicopter in a matter of seconds. Or if you are the One, or one of the Ones, you don't even need a helicopter. You just need a cool pair of shades.

　　根據(jù)華卓斯基(駭客任務(wù)導(dǎo)演)的劇本，覺(jué)醒的人類(lèi)只需要連結(jié)并駭入母體中如霓虹燈閃爍的二進(jìn)位編碼，就能在幾秒鐘之內(nèi)學(xué)會(huì)如何駕駛一架直升機(jī)?；蚴侨绻闶蔷仁乐?，或是救世主之一，你甚至不需要直升機(jī)。你只需要一副很酷的墨鏡。

　　Cheshire cats can juggle their own heads. iPads are rudimentary. No Quidditch match ends until the Golden Snitch is caught. And the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is most certainly 42.

　　柴郡貓(艾莉絲夢(mèng)游仙境里的裂嘴貓)可以?huà)佀瓊冏约旱念^。iPad是最基本的。沒(méi)有一場(chǎng)魁地奇能在金探子被抓到之前結(jié)束。而對(duì)于生命、宇宙及萬(wàn)物的終極答案幾乎確定是42。

　　Just like real life, fictional worlds operate consistently within a spectrum of physical and societal rules. That's what makes these intricate worlds believable, comprehensible, and worth exploring.

　　就像現(xiàn)實(shí)生活，虛幻世界在一種物理范疇及社會(huì)規(guī)則下持續(xù)運(yùn)作。那就是讓這些複雜的世界可信、可理解、值得探索的事物。

　　In real life, the Law of Gravity holds seven book sets of Harry Potter to millions of bookshelves around the world. We know this to be true, but we also know that ever since J.K. typed the words wizard, wand, and "Wingardium Leviosa," that Law of Gravity has ceased to exist on the trillions of pages resting between those bookends.

　　在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活，萬(wàn)有引力定律在全世界數(shù)百萬(wàn)個(gè)書(shū)架上支撐七套書(shū)的哈利波特小說(shuō)。我們知道這是真的，但我們同樣也知道自從J.K.羅琳打出了巫師、魔杖、以及“溫咖癲啦唯啊薩(飛行咒)”時(shí)，萬(wàn)有引力定律已停止存在于置于書(shū)架間的無(wú)數(shù)書(shū)頁(yè)中。

　　Authors of science fiction and fantasy literally build worlds. They make rules, maps, lineages, languages, cultures, universes, alternate universes within universes, and from those worlds sprout story after story after story.

　　科幻小說(shuō)及幻想文學(xué)的作者確實(shí)建造出了世界。他們制定規(guī)則、繪出地圖、列出家系、創(chuàng)造語(yǔ)言、文化、宇宙、在宇宙中的另一個(gè)宇宙，從那些世界中萌芽出一個(gè)又一個(gè)再一個(gè)的故事。

　　When it's done well, readers can understand fictional worlds and their rules just as well as the characters that live in them do, and sometimes, just as well or even better than the reader understands the world outside of the book.

　　當(dāng)這功夫做得好，讀者可以理解虛幻世界以及他們的規(guī)則，就跟生活在其中的角色一樣清楚理解，而有時(shí)候，就跟讀者理解書(shū)外世界一樣清楚、或甚至更清楚。

　　But how? How can human-made squiggles on a page reflect lights into our eyes that send signals to our brains; that we logically and emotionally decode as complex narratives that move us to fight, cry, sing, and think; that are strong enough not only to hold up a world that is completely invented by the author, but also to change the reader's perspective on the real world that resumes only when the final squiggle is reached?

　　但怎么做到的?人類(lèi)在紙頁(yè)上的潦草筆記怎么能將光線(xiàn)反射進(jìn)入眼里，發(fā)送信號(hào)到我們的腦中;怎么讓我們?cè)谶壿嬌稀⑶榫w上都解讀成使我們想要戰(zhàn)斗、哭泣、歌唱、還有思考的復(fù)雜故事;怎么能強(qiáng)大到不只能支撐一個(gè)完全由作者發(fā)明的世界、還能改變讀者對(duì)于現(xiàn)實(shí)世界的觀(guān)點(diǎn)，而那是讀到最后一頁(yè)潦草筆記才能回去的世界?

　　I'm not sure anyone knows the answer to that question, yet fantastical, fictional worlds are created everyday in our minds, on computers, even on napkins at the restaurant down the street. The truth is your imagination and a willingness to figuratively live in your own world are all you need to get started writing a novel.

　　我不確定有任何人知道那問(wèn)題的答案，但奇幻、虛幻的世界每天都在我們的腦中、在電腦上、甚至在街道上餐廳的餐巾紙上被創(chuàng)造出來(lái)。事實(shí)是，你的想像力、以及比喻性地住在你自我世界的意愿，就是你所有需要開(kāi)始寫(xiě)小說(shuō)的東西。

　　I didn't dream up Hogwarts or the Star Wars' Cantina, but I have written some science thrillers for kids and young adults. Here are some questions and methods I've used to help build the worlds in which those books take place.

　　我并沒(méi)有想像出霍格華茲或是星際大戰(zhàn)的酒吧，但我為孩子和年輕人寫(xiě)過(guò)一些科幻冒險(xiǎn)小說(shuō)。這里是一些問(wèn)題和方法，那是我用來(lái)幫助建造那些書(shū)本內(nèi)容發(fā)生的世界。

　　I start with a basic place and time. Whether that's a fantasy world or a futuristic setting in the real world, it's important to know where you are and whether you're working in the past, present, or future.

　　我從一個(gè)基本的地點(diǎn)和時(shí)間開(kāi)始。不論那是個(gè)奇幻的世界，或是真實(shí)世界的未來(lái)主義場(chǎng)景，很重要的是知道你在哪里，還有不管你是在過(guò)去、現(xiàn)在、或是在未來(lái)發(fā)展的。

　　I like to create a timeline showing how the world came to be, what past events have shaped the way it is now. Then I brainstorm answers to questions that draw out the details of my fictional world:

　　我喜歡繪出一條時(shí)間軸顯示出世界怎么變成這樣的，過(guò)去什么事件形塑了它現(xiàn)在的樣子。然后我腦力激蕩出那些勾勒出我的虛構(gòu)世界中細(xì)節(jié)種種問(wèn)題的答案：

　　What rules are in place here? This covers everything from Laws of Gravity (or not) to the rules of society and the punishments for individuals who break them.

　　在那地方有什么規(guī)則?這涵蓋了一切，從萬(wàn)有引力定律(或沒(méi)有重力)，到社會(huì)規(guī)范以及對(duì)那些違反規(guī)范的個(gè)人之處罰。

　　What kind of government does this world have?

　　這個(gè)世界擁有怎樣的政府?

　　Who has power, and who doesn't?

　　誰(shuí)握有權(quán)力，誰(shuí)沒(méi)有?

　　What do people believe in here?

　　人們?cè)谶@里相信什么?

　　And what does this society value most?

　　這社會(huì)最重視什么?

　　Then it's time to think about day-to-day life.

　　然后是時(shí)候想想日常生活。

　　What's the weather like in this world?

　　在這個(gè)世界天氣是怎么樣的?

　　Where do the inhabitants live and work and go to school?

　　居民在哪生活、工作、上學(xué)?

　　What do they eat and how do they play?

　　他們吃什么、他們?cè)趺赐?

　　How do they treat their young and their old?

　　他們?nèi)绾螌?duì)待他們的年輕人和長(zhǎng)輩?

　　What relationships do they have with the animals and plants of the world? And what do those animals and plants look like?

　　他們和那世界的動(dòng)物以及植物之間有什么關(guān)系?那些動(dòng)物和植物看起來(lái)像什么?

　　What kind of technology exists?

　　有什么樣的科技存在?

　　Transportation? Communication? Access to information? There's so much to think about!

　　交通運(yùn)輸?通訊傳播?取得資訊的方式?有很多要思考!

　　So, spend some time living in those tasks and the answers to those questions, and you're well on your way to building your own fictional world.

　　所以，花些時(shí)間活在那些任務(wù)以及問(wèn)題的答案里，你就會(huì)穩(wěn)穩(wěn)地走在建立你自己的虛幻世界的路上。

　　Once you know your world as well as you hope your reader will, set your characters free in it and see what happens. And ask yourself, "How does this world you created shape the individuals who live in it? And what kind of conflict is likely to emerge?"

　　一旦你了解你的世界，就像你希望你的讀者們了解得一樣清楚時(shí)，釋放你的角色們，并看看會(huì)發(fā)生什么事。然后問(wèn)你自己：你創(chuàng)造出的世界如何形塑居住在其中的人們?有怎樣的沖突可能會(huì)出現(xiàn)?

　　Answer those questions, and you have your story.

　　回答那些問(wèn)題，然后你就有你自己的故事。

　　Good luck, future world-builder!

　　祝你好運(yùn)，未來(lái)的創(chuàng)世者!