Translation
This is a sample of my translation from Chinese news articles to English.
愛無「殭」界
吸血新世紀 Twilight
2008年12月4日
【明報專訊】《哈利波特-混血王子的背叛》原定今年11月底在歐美等地上映，但臨時押後映期，令《吸血新世紀》冷手執個熱煎堆，此片改編自同名人氣小說Twilight，講述殭屍與高中女生的浪漫愛情故事，瘋魔歐美無數少女讀者，就算兩位主角寂寂無聞，但在密集宣傳下加上小說的威力，《吸》片上月20日在美國開畫仍順利榮登票房冠軍，上映一周勁收1億美元(約港幣7.8億元)，更把男女主角：羅拔畢迪臣(Robert Pattinson)和姬絲汀史超域(Kristen Stewart)捧為新一代金童玉女。
《吸血新世紀》不單勁收，而且屬於刀仔鋸大樹，成本僅3700萬美元(約港幣2.9億元)，現已歸本有餘，其實此片由獨立電影公司Summit炮製，該公司之前開6部戲都遭遇滑鐵盧，《吸》片可說孤注一擲，幸好一擊即中，並隨即宣布開拍續集New Moon。
《吸》片成功，可謂全靠女性，有調查指觀眾中佔七成是25歲以下女性，她們早已爭購預售門票，首映禮前還有fans街霸位，爭相一睹主角風采。有影評指此片未必適合中年人，但就像《歌舞青春》這類作品，完全為青少年而設。嘉芙蓮赫域姬(Catherine Hardwicke)更創下女導演最高周末開畫紀錄，打破1998年美美列達(Mimi Leder)執導《末日救未來》的4110萬美元佳績。
兩主角走紅
不過，最大的功臣其實是原著作者--34歲的家庭主婦史蒂芬妮梅爾(Stephenie Meyer)，故事講述俊朗吸血殭屍遇上平凡少女，既想吸她的血，但又情不自禁愛上她，他要抑壓野獸本性，又要保護她不被其他殭屍搶走。有個充滿魅力的壞情人兼愛到驚天動地的情節，擺明是要滿足少女讀者的幻想，難怪05年推出時即榮登《紐約時報》暢銷書榜首。隨後同系列的New Moon、Eclipse及Breaking Down也延續氣勢，4本小說總銷量直逼1000萬本，史蒂芬妮更被稱為「羅琳第2」。
《吸》片之前，兩位主角：22歲的羅拔畢迪臣及18歲的姬絲汀史超域寂寂無聞；姬絲汀在02年驚慄片《房不勝防》飾演茱迪科士打(Jodie Foster)女兒，長大後又演出過《非常爆…內幕》、《浪蕩天涯》、彭氏兄弟的荷李活作品《鬼差》，但全部不是擔正做主角。
羅拔畢迪臣的演出經驗更少，最印象深刻的演出，也不過在《哈利波特﹕火盃的考驗》飾演張秋舊男友西追，出場時間一瞬即逝。最初電影公司公布由他飾演《吸血新世紀》主角Edward時，小說讀者曾狠批他貌醜樣衰，破壞主角形象。連原著作者獲悉讀者的激烈反應後都向羅拔道歉，覺得找他演出反而害了他。不過，觀眾向來善變，羅拔經過包裝後，觀眾刮目相看，大讚他充滿懾人魅力！
羅拔已被視為新彗星，剛獲美國《娛樂周刊》選為今年10位突破新星之首，另外亦登上《人物》雜誌百大性感男士榜。由神憎鬼厭到人見人愛，他也難以適應﹕「現在外出都被狗仔隊跟蹤，我怕承受不到壓力，快變酒鬼了！」
不過，他與姬絲汀在續集的片酬由200萬美元狂加至1200萬美元(約港幣9360萬元)，激增達6倍，在這個萬物皆喊衰退的時勢，什麼也得到補償了吧。
文：黃錦華
Love Without Boundaries - “Twilight” (December 4, 2008)
[Ming Pao Daily] “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is originally set out to be released in North America by the end of November, but decides to push back the date at the last moment, causing “Twilight” to conveniently slide into the timeslot. The movie, which loosely follows the popular novel of the same name, talks about the romance between a vampire and a high school mortal girl; this book has enchanted countless of young female readers all over Europe and North America. Even if the two lead roles are not very well-known, but under the publicity and the novel’s attraction, “Twilight” has landed first place in the American theatres on Nov 20 when it first came out. Within one week, it has earned USD$100,000,000 (approx. HK$780,000.000); on top of that, the movie has pushed the male and female leads - Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart - into the new generation of on-screen golden couple.
Not only did “Twilight” earn a lot, it is also a case in which spending a small cost of USD$37,000,000 (approx. HK$290,000,000) to make the film and having an unexpectedly successful result. This movie is actually created by Summit, an independent film company. The company had released six movies in the past and they had all failed to become a hit, so choosing to film “Twilight” is almost a gamble; luckily, it hits a jackpot this time around, and the company immediately announces the filming of its sequel, “New Moon”.
The success of “Twilight” can be said on its dependence of the female population. A survey has pointed out that 70% of the audiences are women under 25 years old. They are the ones who buy their tickets through pre-sale in advance and there are even fans that spent the night on the street long before the start of the premier in order to witness the actors and actresses of the film. Some reviews comment that this movie may not suit the taste of middle-aged audiences; it’s similar to works like “High School Musical”, which are entirely made for younger viewers. Catherine Hardwicke has even broken the record of Mimi Leder’s 1998 film “Deep Impact”, which has the earning of $41,100,000 on the first weekend of its release.
The Two Main Roles Become Popular
But the main reason for the film’s success is the novel’s author - 34 year-old house wife Stephenie Meyer. The plot is about how a handsome vampire meets a normal human girl; he wants nothing but to drink her blood, but at the same time, he falls in love with her despite the danger. Not only does he have to control his animalistic instincts, but he also needs to protect her against other vampires. This book includes scenes of attractive yet bad-ass lovers, as well as the portrayal of love as an intense, earthshaking emotion; it’s obvious that the story aims to fulfill every teenage girl’s fantasy. Therefore, it’s no wonder that “Twilight” immediately climbed to the first place of “New York Times” list of bestsellers back in 2005. Following the first of its series are “New Moon”, “Eclipse”, and “Breaking Dawn”; 10,000,000 copies of the four books were sold; Meyer is even named “J.K. Rowling No.2”.
Before “Twilight”, the two lead actor and actress, 22 year-old Robert Pattinson and 18 year-old Kristen Stewart, were not household names. In 2002, Stewart played Jodie Foster’s daughter in horror film “Panic Room”. Later, she was seen in “What Just Happened”, “Into the Wild”, and the Pang brothers’ Hollywood flick “The Messengers”, but she wasn’t playing the lead in any of them. Robert Pattinson has even less experiences in his acting career; the most well-known role he had played is Cho Chang’s ex, Cedric Diggory, in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”, who only had a very brief appearance. When Summit first announced that Edward would be played by Pattinson, fans of the novels had severely criticized that his looks would ruin the vampire’s supposedly Adonis-like beauty. Even Meyer had apologized to him after she had known of the violent reaction of her fan-base, thinking that the film would make his career in the future worse. But audiences are constantly mercurial, and after re-packaging, the audiences are pleasantly surprised by the new look and begin to admire his striking appearance.
Pattinson is now seen as the new comet. He has just been chosen by America’s “Entertainment Weekly” as the first of the top 10 New Breakout Stars. He is also in the list of top 100 sexiest men of the “People” magazine. From being hated and criticized, to being loved and adored, he admits that it’s difficult to adapt, “Now, whenever I head out, there are paparazzi following me. I’m afraid I can’t stand the pressure and become a drunk!”
But, Stewart and Pattinson’s pay-checks in filming the sequel have increased six times from USD$2,000,000 to USD$12,000,000. In a time when everything is in a state of recession, at least they will have some kind of compensation.
愛無「殭」界
吸血新世紀 Twilight
2008年12月4日
【明報專訊】《哈利波特-混血王子的背叛》原定今年11月底在歐美等地上映，但臨時押後映期，令《吸血新世紀》冷手執個熱煎堆，此片改編自同名人氣小說Twilight，講述殭屍與高中女生的浪漫愛情故事，瘋魔歐美無數少女讀者，就算兩位主角寂寂無聞，但在密集宣傳下加上小說的威力，《吸》片上月20日在美國開畫仍順利榮登票房冠軍，上映一周勁收1億美元(約港幣7.8億元)，更把男女主角：羅拔畢迪臣(Robert Pattinson)和姬絲汀史超域(Kristen Stewart)捧為新一代金童玉女。
《吸血新世紀》不單勁收，而且屬於刀仔鋸大樹，成本僅3700萬美元(約港幣2.9億元)，現已歸本有餘，其實此片由獨立電影公司Summit炮製，該公司之前開6部戲都遭遇滑鐵盧，《吸》片可說孤注一擲，幸好一擊即中，並隨即宣布開拍續集New Moon。
《吸》片成功，可謂全靠女性，有調查指觀眾中佔七成是25歲以下女性，她們早已爭購預售門票，首映禮前還有fans街霸位，爭相一睹主角風采。有影評指此片未必適合中年人，但就像《歌舞青春》這類作品，完全為青少年而設。嘉芙蓮赫域姬(Catherine Hardwicke)更創下女導演最高周末開畫紀錄，打破1998年美美列達(Mimi Leder)執導《末日救未來》的4110萬美元佳績。
兩主角走紅
不過，最大的功臣其實是原著作者--34歲的家庭主婦史蒂芬妮梅爾(Stephenie Meyer)，故事講述俊朗吸血殭屍遇上平凡少女，既想吸她的血，但又情不自禁愛上她，他要抑壓野獸本性，又要保護她不被其他殭屍搶走。有個充滿魅力的壞情人兼愛到驚天動地的情節，擺明是要滿足少女讀者的幻想，難怪05年推出時即榮登《紐約時報》暢銷書榜首。隨後同系列的New Moon、Eclipse及Breaking Down也延續氣勢，4本小說總銷量直逼1000萬本，史蒂芬妮更被稱為「羅琳第2」。
《吸》片之前，兩位主角：22歲的羅拔畢迪臣及18歲的姬絲汀史超域寂寂無聞；姬絲汀在02年驚慄片《房不勝防》飾演茱迪科士打(Jodie Foster)女兒，長大後又演出過《非常爆…內幕》、《浪蕩天涯》、彭氏兄弟的荷李活作品《鬼差》，但全部不是擔正做主角。
羅拔畢迪臣的演出經驗更少，最印象深刻的演出，也不過在《哈利波特﹕火盃的考驗》飾演張秋舊男友西追，出場時間一瞬即逝。最初電影公司公布由他飾演《吸血新世紀》主角Edward時，小說讀者曾狠批他貌醜樣衰，破壞主角形象。連原著作者獲悉讀者的激烈反應後都向羅拔道歉，覺得找他演出反而害了他。不過，觀眾向來善變，羅拔經過包裝後，觀眾刮目相看，大讚他充滿懾人魅力！
羅拔已被視為新彗星，剛獲美國《娛樂周刊》選為今年10位突破新星之首，另外亦登上《人物》雜誌百大性感男士榜。由神憎鬼厭到人見人愛，他也難以適應﹕「現在外出都被狗仔隊跟蹤，我怕承受不到壓力，快變酒鬼了！」
不過，他與姬絲汀在續集的片酬由200萬美元狂加至1200萬美元(約港幣9360萬元)，激增達6倍，在這個萬物皆喊衰退的時勢，什麼也得到補償了吧。
文：黃錦華
Love Without Boundaries - “Twilight” (December 4, 2008)
[Ming Pao Daily] “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is originally set out to be released in North America by the end of November, but decides to push back the date at the last moment, causing “Twilight” to conveniently slide into the timeslot. The movie, which loosely follows the popular novel of the same name, talks about the romance between a vampire and a high school mortal girl; this book has enchanted countless of young female readers all over Europe and North America. Even if the two lead roles are not very well-known, but under the publicity and the novel’s attraction, “Twilight” has landed first place in the American theatres on Nov 20 when it first came out. Within one week, it has earned USD$100,000,000 (approx. HK$780,000.000); on top of that, the movie has pushed the male and female leads - Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart - into the new generation of on-screen golden couple.
Not only did “Twilight” earn a lot, it is also a case in which spending a small cost of USD$37,000,000 (approx. HK$290,000,000) to make the film and having an unexpectedly successful result. This movie is actually created by Summit, an independent film company. The company had released six movies in the past and they had all failed to become a hit, so choosing to film “Twilight” is almost a gamble; luckily, it hits a jackpot this time around, and the company immediately announces the filming of its sequel, “New Moon”.
The success of “Twilight” can be said on its dependence of the female population. A survey has pointed out that 70% of the audiences are women under 25 years old. They are the ones who buy their tickets through pre-sale in advance and there are even fans that spent the night on the street long before the start of the premier in order to witness the actors and actresses of the film. Some reviews comment that this movie may not suit the taste of middle-aged audiences; it’s similar to works like “High School Musical”, which are entirely made for younger viewers. Catherine Hardwicke has even broken the record of Mimi Leder’s 1998 film “Deep Impact”, which has the earning of $41,100,000 on the first weekend of its release.
The Two Main Roles Become Popular
But the main reason for the film’s success is the novel’s author - 34 year-old house wife Stephenie Meyer. The plot is about how a handsome vampire meets a normal human girl; he wants nothing but to drink her blood, but at the same time, he falls in love with her despite the danger. Not only does he have to control his animalistic instincts, but he also needs to protect her against other vampires. This book includes scenes of attractive yet bad-ass lovers, as well as the portrayal of love as an intense, earthshaking emotion; it’s obvious that the story aims to fulfill every teenage girl’s fantasy. Therefore, it’s no wonder that “Twilight” immediately climbed to the first place of “New York Times” list of bestsellers back in 2005. Following the first of its series are “New Moon”, “Eclipse”, and “Breaking Dawn”; 10,000,000 copies of the four books were sold; Meyer is even named “J.K. Rowling No.2”.
Before “Twilight”, the two lead actor and actress, 22 year-old Robert Pattinson and 18 year-old Kristen Stewart, were not household names. In 2002, Stewart played Jodie Foster’s daughter in horror film “Panic Room”. Later, she was seen in “What Just Happened”, “Into the Wild”, and the Pang brothers’ Hollywood flick “The Messengers”, but she wasn’t playing the lead in any of them. Robert Pattinson has even less experiences in his acting career; the most well-known role he had played is Cho Chang’s ex, Cedric Diggory, in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”, who only had a very brief appearance. When Summit first announced that Edward would be played by Pattinson, fans of the novels had severely criticized that his looks would ruin the vampire’s supposedly Adonis-like beauty. Even Meyer had apologized to him after she had known of the violent reaction of her fan-base, thinking that the film would make his career in the future worse. But audiences are constantly mercurial, and after re-packaging, the audiences are pleasantly surprised by the new look and begin to admire his striking appearance.
Pattinson is now seen as the new comet. He has just been chosen by America’s “Entertainment Weekly” as the first of the top 10 New Breakout Stars. He is also in the list of top 100 sexiest men of the “People” magazine. From being hated and criticized, to being loved and adored, he admits that it’s difficult to adapt, “Now, whenever I head out, there are paparazzi following me. I’m afraid I can’t stand the pressure and become a drunk!”
But, Stewart and Pattinson’s pay-checks in filming the sequel have increased six times from USD$2,000,000 to USD$12,000,000. In a time when everything is in a state of recession, at least they will have some kind of compensation.