2012年伦敦奥运会吉祥物的由来（中英文）

　　伦敦2012年奥运会及残奥会的吉祥物——文洛克和曼德维尔跟大家见面后，很多人都关心吉祥物的故事。伦敦奥运会吉祥物源于波尔顿的一个铸造厂。最后两滴钢水从新奥林匹克体育场主梁的钢柱上滴落,一位年迈的炼钢工人把这两个钢块带回了家,将它们雕刻成型,随后它们奇迹般地有了生命力。这两个在奥运会和残奥会的英雄启发下诞生的吉祥物独自踏上了伦敦奥运会的征途。

　　格兰特·亨特(艾丽斯广告公司):我们一开始被要求创造一个吉祥物,一个能将全英国的年轻人与体育联系起来的吉祥物。这两个吉祥物是为数字时代而设计的。它们的眼睛是摄像机,因此它们会把沿途的见闻观察、记录下来。它们身上还有英国的标志——出租车的车前灯。(文洛克)蝶型螺母头是以奥林匹克体育场为原型。它还代表了领奖台的三个阶梯。曼德维尔身上还有残奥会的三色带标志。

　　记者:我们能在哪里找到它们?我们能在哪里见到它们?

　　亨特:它们会在数字网络空间这样的地方活灵活现,所以今后大家可以上网跟它们玩,还能按自己的想法改变吉祥物。

　　然而就它们所表达的含义而言,为什么奥运吉祥物在奥运会组织方眼中会如此重要呢?有一个人知道这个问题的答案,他就是2012伦敦奥组委主席科勋爵。

　　科勋爵:我觉得吉祥物对奥运会很重要,因为它们把人们和奥运会联系在了一起。它们是有形的产物。

　　记者:为什么你认为这些吉祥物会引发公众的想象力呢?

　　科:我想它们会引发公众的想象力,因为它们背后有故事。这些吉祥物不是我们草率地信手拈来的。这背后是有历史的。我们要借它们来颂扬我们的历史,我们要让年轻人对它们产生共鸣。

　　记者:这是一个相当大胆的设计。之前的奥运会徽招来褒贬不一的评价,难道你不曾想让吉祥物来得传统一点?

　　科:在伦敦,人们对这个问题一向很坦诚。我们要与众不同。你知道的,我们在这上面花了很多精力,广泛征求意见,试图了解这个国家的历史底蕴。吉祥物把我们的理解最好地体现了出来。

　　准备好吧,将来文洛克和曼德维尔会更多地出现在你的生活中。由于它们和我们是完全互动的,你的生活也会更多地出现在他们生活中。

　　Meet Wenlock and Mandeville, London’s 2012 Olympic and Paralympic mascots. Their story begins in a 2)foundry in Bolton. The last two drops of steel fall from the 3)girders of the new Olympic stadium. An elderly steelworker takes them home and fashions them into figures, which magically come to life. The mascots, inspired by Olympic and Paralympic heroes, set out on a journey to London and the games themselves.

　　Grant Hunter (Iris Advertising): Our original 4)brief asked us to actually create a mascot, which would engage and kinda get young people across the UK into sports. The mascots have been designed for the digital age. The eye’s actually a camera, so it asks them to record and examine things on their journey. They also have the British icon, taxi headlights. The wing-nut head shape’s based on the Olympic stadium. And it also represents the three podium places. Mandeville’s is actually based on the Paralympic symbol, the Agitos.

　　Reporter: And where can we find them? Where will we see them?

　　Hunter: They’re really gonna come to life in the kinda digital kinda space, so in the future, you will be able to go online, say you kind of play and kind of make the mascot as you see fit.

　　But for all that they represent, why do Olympic organizers place such importance on mascots? One man who should know is the face of the 2012 Games, Lord Coe.

　　Lord Coe: I think mascots are important to the Games because they connect people to the Games. They’re a very 5)tangible product. www.ryedu.net

　　Reporter: And why do you think these mascots will 6)capture the public’s imagination?

　　Coe: I think they’ll capture the public imagination because there is a story behind them. You know, we’ve not just settled on something that was a 7)cursory thought. There is a history. We want it to celebrate our history. We want it to connect with young people.

　　Reporter: It’s quite a bold design. After the mixed reaction that the logo got, were you not tempted just to go for something traditional?

　　Coe: We’ve always been open about this in London. We wanted to do things differently. We’ve put an extraordinary amount of work into this, understanding, you know, in consultation and talking to people the length and breadth of the country. This is what we think best represents what we’ve been told.

　　So prepare to see an awful lot more of Wenlock and Mandeville in your lives, and because they are fully interactive, a lot more of your life in theirs.