The term "soap opera" was coined by the American press in the 1930s to denote the extraordinarily popular genre of serialized domestic radio dramas, which, by 1940, represented some 90% of all commercially-sponsored daytime broadcast hours. The "soap" in soap opera alluded to their sponsorship by manufacturers of household cleaning products; while the "opera" part came from the fact that they were about dilemmas and other dramatic or melodramatic situations.
“肥皂劇”這個詞是20世紀30年代由美國媒體創造的，用來指風靡一時、到1940年已經占據了約90％的日間商業性廣播時間的家庭類系列廣播劇。“肥皂劇”中的“肥皂”一詞暗指它們的贊助商多為家庭洗滌用品生產商，而稱之為“劇”則因為它們表現的往往是人所面臨的困境以及其他戲劇或情節劇般的情形。
The Appeal of the Soap 肥皂劇的魅力
Many people watch soaps because it pleases us to see and hear other people’s problems, which in turn distracts us from our own. However, a soap opera has no real victims as the characters, of course, are fictional. However, we like to make guesses about their actions and reactions based on our knowledge of them. We like to see them develop as we get to know them and we enjoy learning about the complex relationships between characters.
許多人喜歡看肥皂劇是因為我們樂于知曉他人的麻煩，由此轉移我們對自身煩惱的注意力。然而，肥皂劇中的受害者并不真正存在，因為那些人物毫無疑問都是虛構的。盡管如此，我們還是樂此不疲地根據我們對他們的了解來猜測他們的舉動和反應。在熟悉他們之后，我們就喜歡看著他們一步步走下去，樂于了解人物間復雜的關系。
We become semi-experts on our favourite soaps, and our encyclopaedic knowledge of them, fuelled by the above points, gives us great pleasure. In a voyeuristic manner, we like to watch other people’s lives, as, in the case of soap operas, they are just like ours, but more interesting.
我們成為我們所鐘愛的肥皂劇準專家，對他們全方位的了解給我們帶來了極大的樂趣。我們喜歡窺視別人的生活，因為在肥皂劇中，他們的生活就是我們生活的寫照，只是更有趣些而已。
From the point of view of broadcasters, soaps are good because they are very cheap to produce, yet have huge audiences and can, therefore, generate huge revenues. They can often run for years without coming to an end--Days of Our Lives is more than 40 years old. Sets are used again and again, special costumes are not required and little or no location filming is ever needed.
對電視臺來說，肥皂劇的受寵是因為它們的制作成本很低，但卻擁有龐大的觀眾群，因此能帶來巨額的收入。它們往往可以連續播放好些年還不結束——《我們的生活》就已演了四十多年。布景被不斷地重復利用，不需要特制服裝，外景拍攝很少或根本沒有。
They are also quick to produce--each minute of recording taking only one hour to film. This may sound like a lot, but on film sets, it can often take days just to successfully direct a mere few seconds of action.
此外，它們所需的制作時間很短，一分鐘的錄像僅需拍攝一小時。這聽起來似乎很多，但實際上，如果是拍攝電影的話，成功拍攝一個幾秒鐘的情節常常要花好幾天的時間。
Channels maintain an unspoken agreement that their soaps are not scheduled for the same time. This is because a planned ratings war would not help either broadcaster, as has been proven by past experience.
各頻道之間有一個心照不宣的共識，即它們不在同一時間播肥皂劇。這是因為，過去的經驗已證明，各電視臺間收視率的比拼對大家都沒好處。
Advertising slots in soaps are expensive to purchase, but guarantee large numbers of viewers seeing the advert. There are also numerous opportunities for the programme makers to sell themed items based on their soap; this merchandising can be expected to have a very large market.
在肥皂劇中插播廣告的費用非常昂貴，但能保證大批觀眾看到廣告。另外，制片商還有無數的機會去銷售以該肥皂劇為基礎的衍生商品，而這種營銷方式也將會占據很大的市場。
The Appetite of the Audience 觀眾的需求
Soap fans are notoriously loyal, but even loyal fans are enraged when they feel that they are being talked down to by networks. In an age where reality television still rules the ratings, fans of daytime television want to see more reality infused into their soaps--and that means fewer resurrections of characters that have died years earlier.
肥皂劇迷們是出了名的忠誠，但當感覺被電視網耍了的時候，再忠誠的劇迷也會火冒三丈。在這個電視真人秀仍主宰收視率的年代，日間電視迷們希望看到肥皂劇中融入更多的真實因素，而這就意味著他們不愿意看到那些早已去世的人物被重新搬上銀屏。
While ultimately an asset, soap opera viewers can also be a major liability to the soaps. Procter & Gamble has often found its products the target of boycotts by viewers who were dissatisfied with decisions made on its soap operas.
從根本上說，肥皂劇迷是財富，但有時他們也會成為電視劇最大的束縛。寶潔公司就經常發現自己的產品成了那些對劇情不滿的觀眾們的抵制對象。
Fanatical viewers flood studios, magazines and web sites with mail stating their disinterest in certain storylines or romantic pairings. Networks execs may then change the course of a storyline based upon this fan mail. However, this mail is often generated by a far smaller percentage of the viewing population than it would appear. As a storyline is changed to appease the minority, the viewing majority then ends up disappointed.
狂熱的觀眾會向電臺、雜志和網站發去鋪天蓋地的郵件，表達自己對某處劇情或劇中戀人配對的不滿。電視網的監制們往往會根據這種劇迷來信改變故事情節的發展。可是，這類郵件看似代表眾多觀眾的意見，但卻通常出自極小部分觀眾之手。情節改編后，那個少數群體得到了滿足，多數觀眾卻非常失望。
With some soaps having been on the air for more than 30 years, some viewers wonder if the soaps haven’t told every story that there is to tell. It is often very true that storylines are rehashed over and over, just with different characters. Soaps need to remain contemporary: life and society are both constantly evolving. There will always be stories to tell. But the soap opera genre is about more than just about telling stories--and if that is a widely-held belief, it needs to be changed.
有些肥皂劇已播了三十多年，一些觀眾開始懷疑它是否已經把所有能講的故事都講完了。很多情況下，故事情節的確被重復了無數遍，區別僅僅是經歷的人物不同而已。生活和社會都在不斷變遷，肥皂劇也需要跟上時代。故事總是層出不窮的，但肥皂劇不能僅限于講故事——如果這一觀念被廣泛認可的話，那么我們就得換換腦筋了。 |
大學英語---