莎士比亚在英国的受欢迎程度竟然不高?

(伦敦)一份周二出版的调查显示，在莎士比亚逝世400周年之际，他在英国之外获得了比在本土更高的人气，但也促成了英国的繁荣，提高了英国的影响力。

The British Council, which commissioned the YouGov survey of 18,000 people from 15 countries, said the results showed that internationally Shakespeare is widely known, liked and understood.

英国文化委员会委托YouGov对来自十五个国家的一万八千人进行调查，结果显示莎士比亚为全球人知晓和喜爱。

"Four hundred years after his death, Shakespeare’s work continues to play a vital role in educating and entertaining people around the world," said the Council’s Rosemary Hilhorst in a statement.

该委员会的Rosemary Hilhorst在声明中表示：“在他死去之后四百年，莎士比亚的作品仍旧在人们的教育、娱乐方面发挥着重要作用。”

The Council, which fosters cultural relations between Britain and other countries, said Shakespeare’s influence internationally helps generate a positive attitude towards the UK.

英国文化委员会旨在促进英国和其他国家间的文化关系。它表示莎士比亚的国际影响力为英国塑造正面的国际形象提供了莫大帮助。

Over a third of people questioned said Shakespeare made them feel more positive about Britain in general, with the greatest number of respondents holding this view in Brazil (57 percent) and India (62 percent).

超过三分之一的受访者表示，莎士比亚让他们对英国有更好的印象，而在巴西和印度有更多人持相同观点(巴西57%，印度62%)。

The survey also found Shakespeare was more popular (65 percent) in terms of being liked, understood and still regarded as relevant today overseas than in his home country (59 percent).

这项调查还发现，莎士比亚在英国之外更为人熟知和喜爱——在这一人群中有65%不是英国人，而在英国人中只有59%如此。

But his popularity in other English-speaking countries such as Australia and the United States was significantly lower than in the non-English speaking countries polled including China, Turkey and Mexico.

然而，他在澳大利亚、美国这样的英语国家中却没有向非英语国家(中国、土耳其、墨西哥)中这样高的人气。

The British Council said his popularity had a direct influence on Britain’s economy, not just in terms of attracting visitors to Shakespeare’s theaters but also contributing to the country’s standing in the world which had the knock-on effect of attracting tourists.

英国文化委员会表示，莎士比亚的高人气对英国经济有直接影响。并不仅仅因为他的戏剧作品吸引着观众们，还因为他给这个国家带来的文化效应吸引着旅客们到英国观光。

William Shakespeare’s work, which includes 38 plays and 154 sonnets has been translated into over 80 languages and is performed throughout the world. The precise date of his death is not known but his funeral was held on April 25, 1616

威廉·莎士比亚共著有38部喜剧和154首十四行诗。他的作品被翻译成80种语言，并在全世界内上演。他具体于何时逝世不为人们所知，但是他的葬礼举办于1616年4月25日。