"You'll each have four hours with Effie for presentation and four with me for content," says Haymitch. "You start with Effie, Katniss."
“你们俩分别用四个小时跟艾菲学习礼仪，四个小时跟我学习访谈技巧。”黑密斯说。“你先跟艾菲学，凯特尼斯。
On the other hand, I'm relieved that we can stop the pretense of being friends. Obviously, whatever thin connection we'd foolishly formed has been severed. And high time, too. The Games begin in two days, and trust will only be a weakness. Whatever triggered Peeta's decision -- and I suspect it had to do with my outperforming him in training -- I should be nothing but grateful for it. Maybe he's finally accepted the fact that the sooner we openly acknowledge that we are enemies, the better.
话反过来讲，我们不用再佯装朋友，也让我松了口气。显然，在我们之间十分愚蠢地建立的微弱的联系也从此被斩断了。这么做也恰逢其时，猎杀游戏两天后开始，彼此信任只能成为一个人的弱点。不管皮塔是出于什么做出的决定——我怀疑这跟我的成绩比他的好有关——我对这个决定只有感激。也许他也意识到了，我们互为彼此的对手，这样的事实越早接受就越好。
"Good," I say. "So what's the schedule?"
“好吧，”我说，“那，新计划是什么？
Betrayal. That's the first thing I feel, which is ludicrous. For there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first. Between Peeta and me. And trust has not been part of the agreement. We're tributes. But the boy who risked a beating to give me bread, the one who steadied me in the chariot, who covered for me with the redheaded Avox girl, who insisted Haymitch know my hunting skills… was there some part of me that couldn't help trusting him?
背叛，这是我的第一感觉。可说来可笑，只有建立了信任，才谈得上背叛，而我和皮塔之间的信任也非白纸黑字，板上钉钉，毕竟我们是彼此竞争的“贡品”。可那个冒着挨打的危险给我面包、开幕式时在战车上拉着我的手、在红发艾瓦克斯面前替我遮掩、又坚持对黑密斯说我会打猎的人…却不能让我完全信任？
I can't imagine what Effie will have to teach me that could take four hours, but she's got me working down to the last minute. We go to my room and she puts me in a full-length gown and high-heeled shoes, not the ones I'll be wearing for the actual interview, and instructs me on walking. The shoes are the worst part. I've never worn high heels and can't get used to essentially wobbling around on the balls of my feet. But Effie runs around in them full-time, and I'm determined that if she can do it, so can I. The dress poses another problem. It keeps tangling around my shoes so, of course, I hitch it up, and then Effie swoops down on me like a hawk, smacking my hands and yelling, "Not above the ankle!" When I finally conquer walking, there's still sitting, posture -- apparently I have a tendency to duck my head -- eye contact, hand gestures, and smiling. Smiling is mostly about smiling more. Effie makes me say a hundred banal phrases starting with a smile, while smiling, or ending with a smile. By lunch, the muscles in my cheeks are twitching from overuse.
我想象不出艾菲教我什么，要用四个小时，但她肯定会教到最后一分钟。我和艾菲来到我的房间，她让我穿上一件坠地长裙和高跟鞋，这套服装不是我接受采访时真正要穿的衣服，然后她教我走路的姿势。穿高跟鞋是我最难适应的，我以前从未穿过高跟鞋，踩着高跟鞋用脚豆颤颤巍巍地走路，我还真不习惯。可艾菲不是整日穿着高跟鞋来往穿梭于各处吗？于是我下了决心，既然她行，我也能行。接下来裙子又带来了新问题，它总是绊我的脚，所以，我干脆把裙子提起来，艾菲一见就像鹰一样扑过来，猛拍我的手背，喊着：“裙子不能高过脚踝。”我最后终于克服了高跟鞋。接着还要学坐姿、站姿――显然我很爱低头――目光的接触、手势、微笑。微笑主要是如何保持的问题。艾菲让我说出一百个单调的词语，开始时微笑，说的过程中微笑，结束时也要微笑。一直到了吃饭的时候，我脸上的肌肉还在抽搐。
"Well, that's the best I can do," Effie says with a sigh. "Just remember, Katniss, you want the audience to like you."
“好啦，我已经尽最大努力了。”艾菲说着，舒了口气。“记住，凯特尼斯，你要让观众喜欢你。
"And you don't think they will?" I ask.
“你觉得他们不会喜欢我吗？”我问。
"What?" I finally ask.
“怎么样？”我终于开口问道。
"They're betting on how long I'll live!" I burst out. "They're not my friends!"
“他们要打赌我能活多久。”我突然发起脾气，“他们不是我朋友！
"Well, try and pretend!" snaps Effie. Then she composes herself and beams at me. "See, like this. I'm smiling at you even though you're aggravating me."
“哎，试一试，假装是。”艾菲打断我。之后她平静地对我微笑着。“看，就像这样，即使你惹我生气，我仍在对你微笑。
"Not if you glare at them the entire time. Why don't you save that for the arena? Instead, think of yourself among friends," says Effie.
“如果你老是瞪了他们，就不会。你干嘛不把那犀利目光留到竞技场去？现在，你要感觉自己是和朋友在一起。”艾菲说。
"I'm trying to figure out what to do with you," he says. "How we're going to present you. Are you going to be charming? Aloof? Fierce? So far, you're shining like a star. You volunteered to save your sister. Cinna made you look unforgettable. You've got the top training score. People are intrigued, but no one knows who you are. The impression you make tomorrow will decide exactly what I can get you in terms of sponsors," says Haymitch.
“我在想该怎么办？”他说，“以什么姿态把你呈现在公众面前，应该是有魅力的？孤傲的？凶猛的？到目前为止，你已经是一颗新星了。你自愿救出自己的妹妹，西纳的造型也使你令人难忘，你的成绩也很高，你已经激起了观众的浓厚兴趣，可还没人知道你是谁。我想让你在明天的访谈中你给人留下深刻印象，好得到赞助。”黑密斯说。
Peeta and Haymitch seem in pretty good moods, so I'm thinking the content session should be an improvement over the morning. I couldn't be more wrong. After lunch, Haymitch takes me into the sitting room, directs me to the couch, and then just frowns at me for a while.
皮塔和黑密斯的兴致似乎都很高，所以我想访谈技巧训练到明早肯定大有功效。但我这么想可是大错特错了。吃过午饭，黑密斯把我带到会客室，指挥我做到沙发上，然后皱着眉头看了我一会。
"Yes, it feels very convincing," I say. "I'm going to eat." I kick off my heels and stomp down to the dining room, hiking my skirt up to my thighs.
“是的，还挺真诚的。”我说，“我要吃饭了。”我踢掉高跟鞋，咚咚咚地跑到餐厅，把裙子撩到了大腿根。
"What's Peeta's approach? Or am I not allowed to ask?" I say.
“皮塔是什么方式？我是不是不能问啊？”我说。
"I do not!" I say.
“我没有。”我说。
Having watched the tribute interviews all my life, I know there's truth to what he's saying. If you appeal to the crowd, either by being humorous or brutal or eccentric, you gain favor.
我以前看过无数对“贡品”的采访，我知道他说的是有道理的。如果一个选手能吸引观众，无论是幽默的、凶残的或古怪的，他就会得到观众的喜爱。
"Fine!" I snarl. Haymitch takes the role of the interviewer and I try to answer his questions in a winning fashion. But I can't. I'm too angry with Haymitch for what he said and that I even have to answer the questions. All I can think is how unjust the whole thing is, the Hunger Games. Why am I hopping around like some trained dog trying to please people I hate? The longer the interview goes on, the more my fury seems to rise to the surface, until I'm literally spitting out answers at him.
“好吧！”我吼道。黑密斯扮作记者，而我尽力以对自己有利的方式回答问题，可我却做不到，我对黑密斯刚才说得话太生气了，也没有心绪回答问题。我脑子里挥之不去的只有一个念头——这一切——猎杀游戏——是多么的不公平。我为什么要像跳梁小丑一样去讨好那些我痛恨的人？访谈进行的时间越长，我越发无法掩饰心中的愤怒，最后我简直是把对问题回答喷射到他的脸上。
"Please. I don't know where you pulled that cheery, wavy girl on the chariot from, but I haven't seen her before or since," says Haymitch.
“好啦，我不知道那天在战车上的你怎么那么活泼阳光，反正在那之前或自那以后我就再没看见过你那样。”黑密斯说。
"Likable. He has a sort of self-deprecating humor naturally," says Haymitch. "Whereas when you open your mouth, you come across more as sullen and hostile."
“他是可爱型，他天生有一种自我嘲讽式的幽默，”黑密斯说，“可你一开口，就给人一种沉闷不乐或是敌对的感觉。
"And you've given me so many reasons to be cheery," I counter.
“可你们也没给我太多高兴的理由啊。”我反驳道。
"But you don't have to please me. I'm not going to sponsor you. So pretend I'm the audience," says Haymitch. "Delight me."
“你不用讨好我，我又不会赞助你，就假设我是观众吧。”黑密斯说，“要想办法让我高兴。
"Then lie! Make something up!" says Haymitch.
“那就撒谎吧！编出点故事！”黑密斯说。
"But I don't want them to! They're already taking my future! They can't have the things that mattered to me in the past!" I say.
“可我不想让他们了解我！他们已经剥夺我的未来，他们不能得到过去属于我的生活！”我说。
"All right, enough," he says. "We've got to find another angle. Not only are you hostile, I don't know anything about you. I've asked you fifty questions and still have no sense of your life, your family, what you care about. They want to know about you, Katniss."
“好啦，够了，”他说，“我们需要到别处去找天使了。不仅你充满敌意，而且我对你也一无所知，我已经问了你五十个问题，可对你的生活、你的家人、你喜欢的事物仍然摸不着头脑，观众想要了解你，凯特尼斯。
"Well, you better learn fast. You've got about as much charm as a dead slug," says Haymitch.
“那，你最好赶快学会。你的个人魅力与一个死鼻涕虫相差无几。”黑密斯说。
"I'm not good at lying," I say.
“我不善于撒谎。”我说。
"Humble," I echo.
“卑微。”我随着他说了一句。
"That you can't believe a little girl from District Twelve has done this well. The whole thing's been more than you ever could have dreamed of. Talk about Cinna's clothes. How nice the people are. How the city amazes you. If you won't talk about yourself, at least compliment the audience. Just keep turning it back around, all right. Gush."
“你就说，不敢相信来自十二区的孩子能表现得这么棒。这一切都远远超出了你的想象。说说西纳设计的服装，人们有多么好，这城市让你多么吃惊。如果你不想说自己，至少可以夸赞一下观众。只要不冷场就行了，好吗？你只要滔滔不绝地说！
Ouch. That hurts. Even Haymitch must know he's been too harsh because his voice softens. "Here's an idea. Try acting humble."
噢，这么说太伤人了。黑密斯也一定意识到自己说话过来头，他的声音柔和下来。“我有一个主意，你假装自己很卑微吧！
The next hours are agonizing. At once, it's clear I cannot gush. We try me playing cocky, but I just don't have the arrogance. Apparently, I'm too "vulnerable" for ferocity. I'm not witty. Funny. Sexy. Or mysterious.
剩下的几个小时真是太痛苦了。没多久，我就意识到我不可能滔滔不绝。黑密斯又尝试把我塑造成高傲自大的形象，可我又没那么傲慢。我外形瘦小，显然无法表现凶残的样子。同时，我又不是智慧型，滑稽型、性感型或神秘型。
By the end of the session, I am no one at all. Haymitch started drinking somewhere around witty, and a nasty edge has crept into his voice. "I give up, sweetheart. Just answer the questions and try not to let the audience see how openly you despise them."
训练即将结束时，我什么都没练成。黑密斯已经开始喝酒，说的话也略带有嘲谑和厌倦。“我放弃了，亲爱的。到时你就直接回答问题，不要让观众看出来你对他们有多么的不屑就行了。
I hate her, too, with her knowing reproachful eyes that call me a coward, a monster, a puppet of the Capitol, both now and then. For her, justice must finally be happening. At least my death will help pay for the life of the boy in the woods.
我连她也恨，她在用她会说话的眼睛责怪我，把我看成懦夫、怪物、凯匹特的玩偶，无论现在还是过去她都这样。对她来说，正义终有一天会到来。至少我的死可以为那个在树林里死去的男孩做出赔偿。
I have dinner that night in my room, ordering an outrageous number of delicacies, eating myself sick, and then taking out my anger at Haymitch, at the Hunger Games, at every living being in the Capitol by smashing dishes around my room. When the girl with the red hair comes in to turn down my bed, her eyes widen at the mess. "Just leave it!" I yell at her. "Just leave it alone!"
那天的晚饭是在我自己房间吃的，我要了好多食物，直吃到快要呕吐了为止。吃完后我把杯盘碗盏全都打得粉碎，来发泄对黑密斯、对猎杀游戏、对所有凯匹特人的愤恨。红发女孩进来为我铺床，看到屋子里一团糟，也吃惊得睁大了眼睛。“别管了，”我冲她喊道，“什么也别管。
But instead of fleeing the room, the girl closes the door behind her and goes to the bathroom. She comes back with a damp cloth and wipes my face gently then cleans the blood from a broken plate off my hands. Why is she doing this? Why am I letting her?
听到我喊，女孩不但没走，反而把门关上，进了浴室。她从浴室拿出一块布，轻轻的为我擦脸，又把我手上被盘子划破的地方擦拭干净。她为什么要这么做？我为什么让她这么做？
"I should have tried to save you," I whisper.
“我当时本该救你的。”我低声说。
She shakes her head. Does this mean we were right to stand by? That she has forgiven me?
她摇了摇头，她是不是在说我们当时没管她是对的？是不是说在她已经原谅了我？
She taps her lips with her fingers then points to my chest. I think she means that I would just have ended up an Avox, too. Probably would have. An Avox or dead.
她用手指轻轻拍着嘴唇，然后又指着我的胸脯。我想她的意思是如果这样做我也会变成一个艾瓦克丝的。也许吧，那就变成一个艾瓦克丝吧，要么就死去。
I spend the next hour helping the redheaded girl clean the room. When all the garbage has been dropped down a disposal and the food cleaned away, she turns down my bed. I crawl in between the sheets like a five-year-old and let her tuck me in. Then she goes. I want her to stay until I fall asleep. To be there when I wake up. I want the protection of this girl, even though she never had mine.
过了会，我帮着红发女孩收拾房间，过了一个小时，房间里的碎渣和饭菜全部收拾干净，她把我的床放下来。我像一个五岁的孩子一样缩进被单里，任由她给我拽好被角。然后她走了。我告诉她要等我睡着后再走，醒来时她要在旁边。我要这个女孩保护我，尽管她从未得到过我的保护。
"No, it was wrong," I say.
“不，那样做不对。”我说。
In the morning, it's not the girl but my prep team who are hanging over me. My lessons with Effie and Haymitch are over. This day belongs to Cinna. He's my last hope. Maybe he can make me look so wonderful, no one will care what comes out of my mouth.
第二天一早，出现在我身边的不是红发女孩，而是形象设计团队。我跟艾菲和黑密斯所学课程已经结束。今天我属于西纳，他是我最后的希望了。也许他可以使我看上去精神漂亮，这样就没人会在乎从我嘴里说出什么。
Then Cinna enters with what I assume is my dress, but I can't really see it because it's covered. "Close your eyes," he orders.
这时西纳走进来，他手里拿着的应该就是我的服装，但服装盖在布下面，我看不到。“闭上眼睛。”他命令道。
The team works on me until late afternoon, turning my skin to glowing satin, stenciling patterns on my arms, painting flame designs on my twenty perfect nails. Then Venia goes to work on my hair, weaving strands of red into a pattern that begins at my left ear, wraps around my head, and then falls in one braid down my right shoulder. They erase my face with a layer of pale makeup and draw my features back out. Huge dark eyes, full red lips, lashes that throw off bits of light when I blink. Finally, they cover my entire body in a powder that makes me shimmer in gold dust.
化妆师一直为我忙个不停，直至下午很晚才结束。完妆后，我的皮肤像光亮的丝缎，胳膊上画上了镂空花纹，二十个造像完美的指甲上也画上火焰图案。之后，维妮亚给我做头发，先用红绳编出图案，从左耳开始，绕过后面的头发，最后梳成一条辫子从右肩垂下。他们用厚厚的粉底把我的脸涂成白色，然后再在上面画出线条。大大的黑眼睛、饱满的红嘴唇、浓密的长睫毛。最后，用金粉涂抹全身，使之闪烁着熠熠的金光。
"Can I open my eyes?" I ask.
“我可以睁开眼了吗？”我问。
I can feel the silken inside as they slip it down over my naked body, then the weight. It must be forty pounds. I clutch Octavia's hand as I blindly step into my shoes, glad to find they are at least two inches lower than the pair Effie had me practice in. There's some adjusting and fidgeting. Then silence.
穿衣时，柔滑的里衬顺着我光滑的裸体垂下，可接着我感到衣服很沉，应该有四十磅重。我抓住着奥克塔维娅的手，摸索着穿上鞋子，我很高兴发现这双鞋子比跟艾菲练习时穿的那双要低两英寸。我一开始站立不稳，但调整适应了一会就好了。接下来，周围一片寂静。
I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun.
我不漂亮，我不美丽，但我像太阳一样熠熠生辉。
"Yes," says Cinna. "Open them."
“是的，”西纳说，“睁开眼吧。
For a while, we all just stare at me. "Oh, Cinna," I finally whisper. "Thank you."
有那么一会，大家都注视着我。“噢，西纳，”我终于轻声说道，“谢谢你。
"Twirl for me," he says. I hold out my arms and spin in a circle. The prep team screams in admiration.
“转一圈，让我看看。”他说。我举起双臂，旋了一圈。整个形象设计团队的人发出无比钦敬的欢呼。
The creature standing before me in the full-length mirror has come from another world. Where skin shimmers and eyes flash and apparently they make their clothes from jewels. Because my dress, oh, my dress is entirely covered in reflective precious gems, red and yellow and white with bits of blue that accent the tips of the flame design. The slightest movement gives the impression I am engulfed in tongues of fire.
站在落地镜前的这个人一定是个外星生物。光泽的皮肤、莹亮的眼睛、泛着珠光的衣服。我的衣服，噢，我的衣服上镶满了闪闪发光的宝石，红色、黄色、白色，宝石镶缀成火焰的图案。我的身体只要轻微移动，就给人以被熊熊的火焰包围的感觉。
Cinna dismisses the team and has me move around in the dress and shoes, which are infinitely more manageable than Effie's. The dress hangs in such a way that I don't have to lift the skirt when I walk, leaving me with one less thing to worry about.
西纳让其他人解散，然后让我穿着衣服和鞋子在室内走动，穿着这双鞋比穿着艾菲的那双鞋走起路来容易多了。裙子自然下垂，我走路时也不用提着它，这样我就又少了一件要操心的事。
"So, all ready for the interview then?" asks Cinna. I can see by his expression that he's been talking to Haymitch. That he knows how dreadful I am.
“那么，参加访谈节目的一切都准备好啦？”西纳问。我从他的表情可以看出他已经和黑密斯谈过了，他知道我的心绪有多糟。
"I'm awful. Haymitch called me a dead slug. No matter what we tried, I couldn't do it. I just can't be one of those people he wants me to be," I say.
“糟透了，黑密斯叫我死鼻涕虫，我无论怎么努力都不行。我做不好，我成不了他要求的那种人。”我说。
Cinna thinks about this a moment. "Why don't you just be yourself?"
西纳想了想。“那你干嘛不就做你自己。
Cinna takes my icy hands in his warm ones. "Suppose, when you answer the questions, you think you're addressing a friend back home. Who would your best friend be?" asks Cinna.
西纳把我冰冷的手放在他温暖的手里。“你在回答问题的时候，你可以想象自己在对家乡的一位朋友说话。谁是你最好的朋友呢？”西纳问。
"Myself? That's no good, either. Haymitch says I'm sullen and hostile," I say.
“我自己？那也没什么好的。黑密斯说我太严肃，而且怀有敌意。”我说。
"Well, you are… around Haymitch," says Cinna with a grin. "I don't find you so. The prep team adores you. You even won over the Gamemakers. And as for the citizens of the Capitol, well, they can't stop talking about you. No one can help but admire your spirit."
“啊，你说话…总是离不开黑密斯。”西纳说着，裂开嘴笑了。“我觉得你不是这样的，形象设计团队的人也都很喜欢你。你甚至赢得了大赛组织者的认可。至于凯匹特城的人，他们全在谈论你，大家都敬佩你的精神。
My spirit. This is a new thought. I'm not sure exactly what it means, but it suggests I'm a fighter. In a sort of brave way. It's not as if I'm never friendly. Okay, maybe I don't go around loving everybody I meet, maybe my smiles are hard to come by, but I do care for some people.
我的精神，这是一个新说法。我不肯定这是什么意思，但这好像是说我是一个斗士，很勇敢，好像没有说我不友好的意思。好吧，也许我并不能把爱给予我见到的每一个人，也许我少有笑容，可我确实很关心一些人。
"What about me? Could you think of me as a friend?" asks Cinna.
“那我呢？你能把我当成朋友吗？”西纳问。
"Gale," I say instantly. "Only it doesn't make sense, Cinna. I would never be telling Gale those things about me. He already knows them."
“盖尔”我立刻回答。“可这也没用，西纳，我不可能跟盖尔说我的事，他都知道。
Of all the people I've met since I left home, Cinna is by far my favorite. I liked him right off and he hasn't disappointed me yet. "I think so, but --"
在我离家后见到的所有人中，西纳是我最喜欢的。第一次见他，对他印象就很好，直到现在他也还没让我失望。“我想是的，可――
"Even if what I think is horrible?" I ask. Because it might be, really.
“就算那些我觉得可怕的事也照实说？”我问，因为这事有可能发生。
"Especially if what you think is horrible," says Cinna. "You'll try it?"
“实话实说，特别是说到你觉得可怕的事情。”西纳说，“你会努力的，对吧？
As Cinna turns the doorknob, I stop his hand. "Cinna…" I'm completely overcome with stage fright.
西纳旋动门把手，我拦住了他。“西纳…”我对于登上舞台觉得怕极了。
I nod. It's a plan. Or at least a straw to grasp at.
我点点头，这也是个办法，至少是最后的一棵救命稻草。
"I'll be sitting on the main platform with the other stylists. You'll be able to look right at me. When you're asked a question, find me, and answer it as honestly as possible," says Cinna.
“我和其他的造型师一起坐在贵宾台上，你一眼就可以看到我。问问题时，你看着我，然后尽量诚实地回答。”西纳说。
Too soon it's time to go. The interviews take place on a stage constructed in front of the Training Center. Once I leave my room, it will be only minutes until I'm in front of the crowd, the cameras, all of Panem.
很快时间就到了。电视访谈在训练场前搭起的一个舞台上进行。我一旦走出这个房间，不消几分钟，就会出现在观众、摄像机和所有帕纳姆国人的面前。
We meet up with the rest of the District 12 crowd at the elevator. Portia and her gang have been hard at work. Peeta looks striking in a black suit with flame accents. While we look well together, it's a relief not to be dressed identically. Haymitch and Effie are all fancied up for the occasion. I avoid Haymitch, but accept Effie's compliments. Effie can be tiresome and clueless, but she's not destructive like Haymitch.
我们在电梯里碰到了十二区设计团队的其他人员。波西娅和她的团队下了很大力气。皮塔身穿带有火焰图案的黑色套装，显得精神漂亮。我们两个在一起看起来还很和谐，万幸没有穿得一模一样。黑密斯和艾菲也为出席这个场合而精心打扮了一番。我尽量避开黑密斯，只接受了艾菲的赞扬。艾菲也许有点笨拙和招人烦，但她却不像黑密斯那样爱打击别人情绪。
"Remember, they already love you," he says gently. "Just be yourself."
“记住，他们已经爱上了你。”西纳轻声说，“就做你自己。
When the elevator opens, the other tributes are being lined up to take the stage. All twenty-four of us sit in a big arc throughout the interviews. I'll be last, or second to last since the girl tribute precedes the boy from each district. How I wish I could be first and get the whole thing out of the way! Now I'll have to listen to how witty, funny, humble, fierce, and charming everybody else is before I go up. Plus, the audience will start to get bored, just as the Gamemakers did. And I can't exactly shoot an arrow into the crowd to get their attention.
电梯门开来，其他的“贡品”正排队等候登台。我们二十四个人在这个访谈过程中都坐在舞台后方的弧形长凳上，我排最后，或倒数第二，因为每个区的女孩都会先说。我多么希望自己是第一个，让这一切早点结束！但是现在，我要观看所有人的表演：聪明、滑稽、卑微、凶猛或魅力十足。到时候，观众也像大赛组织者那样感到厌烦，而我也不能向观众射上一箭来吸引他们的注意力。
What? I thought we abandoned that when Peeta asked for separate coaching. But I guess that was a private, not a public thing. Anyway, there's not much chance for interaction now, as we walk single-file to our seats and take our places.
什么？皮塔要求分开训练时，我以为我们就放弃了这个念头，可这也只是私下里而非公开的。管它呢，反正我们也没有太多互动的机会了。我们各自走到自己的座位上坐下。
Right before we parade onto the stage, Haymitch comes up behind Peeta and me and growls, "Remember, you're still a happy pair. So act like it."
就要登台了，黑密斯来到我和皮塔身后，吼道：“记住，你们仍是快乐的一对，就这样表现。
Just stepping on the stage makes my breathing rapid and shallow. I can feel my pulse pounding in my temples. It's a relief to get to my chair, because between the heels and my legs shaking, I'm afraid I'll trip. Although evening is falling, the City Circle is brighter than a summer's day. An elevated seating unit has been set up for prestigious guests, with the stylists commanding the front row. The cameras will turn to them when the crowd is reacting to their handiwork. A large balcony off a building to the right has been reserved for the Gamemakers. Television crews have claimed most of the other balconies. But the City Circle and the avenues that feed into it are completely packed with people. Standing room only. At homes and community halls around the country, every television set is turned on. Every citizen of Panem is tuned in. There will be no blackouts tonight.
刚一登台时，我呼吸急促，太阳穴嘣嘣跳，小腿发抖，生怕自己会跌倒在台上。坐下来后，才松了口气。尽管已是夜晚，可城市环形广场却亮如白昼。台上有一排加高的椅子是为贵宾准备的，前排是设计师的座位。观众对他们的作品品头论足时，摄像机镜头就会对准他们。右侧大楼上的超大露台是为大赛组织者保留的位置，其他的阳台上架满摄像机。城市广场以及周围的道路站满了观众，大家只能站着。无论住家或公共大厅，电视都已打开。整个帕纳姆国已是万人空巷。今晚不会停电。
This year, Caesar's hair is powder blue and his eyelids and lips are coated in the same hue. He looks freakish but less frightening than he did last year when his color was crimson and he seemed to be bleeding. Caesar tells a few jokes to warm up the audience but then gets down to business.
今年，凯撒的头发撒上了蓝色化妆粉，他的睫毛和嘴唇也是蓝色系，看上去很奇特但不恐怖。去年，他涂成深红色系，好像在流血。凯撒先讲了些笑话来烘托气氛，接着进入正题。
Caesar Flickerman, the man who has hosted the interviews for more than forty years, bounces onto the stage. It's a little scary because his appearance has been virtually unchanged during all that time. Same face under a coating of pure white makeup. Same hairstyle that he dyes a different color for each Hunger Games. Same ceremonial suit, midnight blue dotted with a thousand tiny electric bulbs that twinkle like stars. They do surgery in the Capitol, to make people appear younger and thinner. In District 12, looking old is something of an achievement since so many people die early. You see an elderly person, you want to congratulate them on their longevity, ask the secret of survival. A plump person is envied because they aren't scraping by like the majority of us. But here it is different. Wrinkles aren't desirable. A round belly isn't a sign of success.
这时，凯撒弗里克曼――此节目四十多年的主持人――精神抖擞地跨上舞台。四十多年来他的形象几乎没有任何改变，这还真有点可怕，同一张脸，同一个发型――他的脸抹着雪白的化妆粉，头发在历届比赛染中成不同颜色――连穿得礼服也一样：深蓝色礼服上点缀着上千个发光的小灯泡，像夜空的星星一样闪烁。在凯匹特，人们通过整形手术来使自己显得更年轻、更苗条。在十二区，面容沧桑是一种成就，因为许多人已经先他而去。如果看到老人，简直可以向他们祝贺，询问长寿秘诀。胖人也遭人嫉妒，因为他不用像我们一样为一日三餐而奔波。可在这就不同了。有皱纹不好，大腹便便也不是成功的标志。
I spotted Cinna as soon as he took his place, but even his presence cannot relax me. 8, 9, 10. The crippled boy from 10 is very quiet. My palms are sweating like crazy, but the jeweled dress isn't absorbent and they skid right off if I try to dry them. 11.
西纳一出现我就看到了他，可有他在场，我也无法摆脱紧张情绪。接着是八区，九区，十区。十区来的坡脚男孩很安静。我的手掌在拼命出汗，镶珠的衣服根本不吸汗，我想擦擦汗，可浑身的汗水径直扑簌簌地淌下来。十一区。
Each interview only lasts three minutes. Then a buzzer goes off and the next tribute is up. I'll say this for Caesar, he really does his best to make the tributes shine. He's friendly, tries to set the nervous ones at ease, laughs at lame jokes, and can turn a weak response into a memorable one by the way he reacts.
每位选手的访谈只有三分钟，然后蜂鸣器嘀嘀作响，下一位选手上场。平心而论，凯撒确实已尽全力使每位选手展示自己的优点。他和蔼可亲，尽量消除选手紧张情绪，讲话略带调侃，即使回答不理想，也可以通过他的方式让受访者给人留下深刻印象。
The girl tribute from District 1, looking provocative in a see-through gold gown, steps up the center of the stage to join Caesar for her interview. You can tell her mentor didn't have any trouble coming up with an angle for her. With that flowing blonde hair, emerald green eyes, her body tall and lush… she's sexy all the way.
一区的女选手穿着金色透明长裙，显得性感撩人，她走到舞台中心接受凯撒的采访。可以看得出她的指导老师毫不费力就找到了她出镜的落点，她一头飘逸的金发，祖母绿的眼睛，高挑匀称的身材…她从头到脚散发着性感的气息。
I sit like a lady, the way Effie showed me, as the districts slip by. 2, 3, 4. Everyone seems to be playing up some angle. The monstrous boy from District 2 is a ruthless killing machine. The fox-faced girl from District 5 sly and elusive.
按照艾菲教我的方式，我像一位淑女似的坐在那里。第二、三、四区的选手都结束了访谈，每个人似乎都找到了合适自己的表现角度。二区的男选手简直就像一部野蛮的杀人机器。五区来的女孩长着一张狐狸脸，显得狡黠难斗。
The boy tribute from District 11, Thresh, has the same dark skin as Rue, but the resemblance stops there. He's one of the giants, probably six and a half feet tall and built like an ox, but I noticed he rejected the invitations from the Career Tributes to join their crowd. Instead he's been very solitary, speaking to no one, showing little interest in training. Even so, he scored a ten and it's not hard to imagine he impressed the Gamemakers. He ignores Caesar's attempts at banter and answers with a yes or no or just remains silent.
十一区的男孩名叫萨里什，和露露一样长着黑皮肤，但他们的相似之处仅此而已。他身材高大，足有六英尺半高，像牛犊一样结实，可我发现他拒绝了职业选手要他加入的要求。相反，他独来独往，不和任何人讲话，对训练也不敢兴趣。即使如此，他还拿了十分，不难发现他给大赛组织者留下深刻印象。他对凯撒的调侃不予理睬，只回答是或不是，不然就是沉默。
Rue, who is dressed in a gossamer gown complete with wings, flutters her way to Caesar. A hush falls over the crowd at the sight of this magical wisp of a tribute. Caesar's very sweet with her, complimenting her seven in training, an excellent score for one so small. When he asks her what her greatest strength in the arena will be, she doesn't hesitate. "I'm very hard to catch," she says in a tremulous voice. "And if they can't catch me, they can't kill me. So don't count me out."
露露穿着蜘蛛网状的长裙，身上还有两只翅膀，飘飘欲仙似地来到凯撒面前。台下观众看到如此不可思议的纤弱选手时，一片寂静。凯撒笑容可掬，表扬她虽然人小却取得七分的出色成绩。当问道她在竞技场最大的优势是什么时，她毫不犹豫地回答：“我很难抓到。”她的声音微微颤抖，“如果他们找不到我，就杀不了我，所以别想淘汰我。
"I wouldn't in a million years," says Caesar encouragingly.
“我不会淘汰你，一万年也不会。”凯撒鼓励她道。
If only I was his size, I could get away with sullen and hostile and it would be just fine! I bet half the sponsors are at least considering him. If I had any money, I'd bet on him myself.
要是我也长得像他那么高大该有多好，即使表情阴郁、充满敌意也毫无关系。我打赌至少有一半的赞助人正考虑给他花钱。如果我有钱，我也会赌他赢。
And then they're calling Katniss Everdeen, and I feel myself, as if in a dream, standing and making my way center stage. I shake Caesar's outstretched hand, and he has the good grace not to immediately wipe his off on his suit.
接着有人喊出了凯特尼斯伊夫迪恩的名字。我觉得像做梦一样站起身，走到舞台中央。我和凯撒握了握手，他的教养使没有立刻在衣服上擦掉沾得满手的汗水。
"So, Katniss, the Capitol must be quite a change from District Twelve. What's impressed you most since you arrived here?" asks Caesar.
“那么，凯特尼斯，凯匹特一定跟十二区有很大区别吧。你到这里后印象最深刻的是什么？”凯撒问道。
What? What did he say? It's as if the words make no sense.
什么？他说什么？好像我没听懂他的话。
I rack my brain for something that made me happy here. Be honest, I think. Be honest.
我在大脑中拼命搜索着让我高兴的事。‘要诚实’我对自己说。‘诚实’
My mouth has gone as dry as sawdust. I desperately find Cinna in the crowd and lock eyes with him. I imagine the words coming from his lips. "What's impressed you most since you arrived here?"
我的嘴像锯末一样干。我拼命找到西纳，眼睛死盯着他。我在心里想象着这些话就是从他嘴里说出来的。“你到这里后印象最深刻的是什么？
Caesar laughs, and vaguely I realize some of the audience has joined in.
凯撒笑起来，我隐约觉得有些观众也跟着笑起来。
"The lamb stew," I get out.
“炖羊肉。”我终于说出话来啦。
"The one with the dried plums?" asks Caesar. I nod.
“和李子干一起炖的那种？”凯撒问。我点点头。
"Oh, I eat it by the bucketful." He turns sideways to the audience in horror, hand on his stomach. "It doesn't show, does it?" They shout reassurances to him and applaud. This is what I mean about Caesar. He tries to help you out.
“噢，我用桶吃。”他扭身面向观众，捂着肚子做出恐怖的表情。“从这里看不出来，能看出来吗？”观众喊着，说看不出来，然后是一阵掌声。我就说过凯撒很棒，他总能替人打圆场。
Cinna raises one eyebrow at me. Be honest.
西纳扬起眉毛看着我。要诚实。
"Now, Katniss," he says confidentially, "When you came out in the opening ceremonies, my heart actually stopped. What did you think of that costume?"
“呐，凯特尼斯，”他满怀信心地说confidentially，“你在开幕式上出场的时候，我的心跳都停止了。你觉得那服装怎么样？
"You mean after I got over my fear of being burned alive?" I ask.
“你是说在我担心自己被活活烧死之后？”我问。
Big laugh. A real one from the audience.
观众一片大笑，这次是观众发自内心的笑声。
Cinna, my friend, I should tell him anyway. "I thought Cinna was brilliant and it was the most gorgeous costume I'd ever seen and I couldn't believe I was wearing it. I can't believe I'm wearing this, either." I lift up my skirt to spread it out. "I mean, look at it!"
虽然我一直为不知怎么说话而忐忑不安，可现在的这些话必须要说，要对我的朋友西纳说。“我觉得西纳很了不起，那衣服是我见过的最棒的衣服，当我穿上那套衣服的时候，我简直不敢相信自己的眼睛，就像现在我穿的这身衣服一样。”我拉起长裙，把它铺展开来。“喏，你瞧瞧！
As the audience oohs and ahs, I see Cinna make the tiniest circular motion with his finger. But I know what he's saying. Twirl for me.
观众发出“唔”“啊”的声音。我看到西纳用手微微打着圆圈，我知道他在说，‘转身，我看看。’
I spin in a circle once and the reaction is immediate.
我马上旋转了一圈，观众也做出热烈的反应。
"Yes. Start then," says Caesar.
“是的，就从那里说起吧。”凯撒说。
"Don't stop!" he says.
“不要停！”他说。
"Oh, do that again!" says Caesar, and so I lift up my arms and spin around and around letting the skirt fly out, letting the dress engulf me in flames. The audience breaks into cheers. When I stop, I clutch Caesar's arm.
“噢，再转一圈！”凯撒说。所以我抬起手臂，转了一圈又一圈，裙子随着我的转动飘了起来，我也被包围火焰起来。观众发出热烈的欢呼。我停下来，抓住凯撒的胳膊。
Caesar wraps a protective arm around me. "Don't worry, I've got you. Can't have you following in your mentor's footsteps."
凯撒像保护我似的，用手臂环住我。“别担心，我已经抓住了你，你的指导老师已经马失前蹄，我不会让你步其后尘的。
"I have to, I'm dizzy!" I'm also giggling, which I think I've done maybe never in my lifetime. But the nerves and the spinning have gotten to me.
“我不行了，我头晕！”我也咯咯地笑起来，发出了我以前从未有过的爽朗笑声。可突然紧张情绪又回来了，我的头很晕。
I glance at the Gamemakers on the balcony and bite my lip. "Um… all I can say, is I think it was a first."
我瞥了一眼露台上的大赛组织者，咬着嘴唇。“唔…我能说的就是，这只是第一次。
Everyone's hooting as the cameras find Haymitch, who is by now famous for his head dive at the reaping, and he waves them away good-naturedly and points back to me.
摄像机镜头马上对准黑密斯，大家都在注视他。他已经因为在收获节仪式上一头栽到台下而出了名。他温和地向摄像记者挥手，示意他们别再拍他，然后又指指我。
"It's all right," Caesar reassures the crowd. "She's safe with me. So, how about that training score. E-le-ven. Give us a hint what happened in there."
“没关系的，”凯撒对观众说，“她跟我一起很安全。那么，训练课程怎么样。十…一…分，给我们透露点训练时的秘密。
"You're killing us," says Caesar as if in actual pain. "Details. Details."
“瞧，你总是欲言又止，你想要我们的命吗？”凯撒说着，装出好像真的痛苦得要命的样子。“细节，细节。
The cameras are right on the Gamemakers, who are chuckling and nodding.
摄像机对准了大赛组织者，他们也边点头，边吃吃地笑着。
But instead of warmth, I feel an icy rigidity take over my body. My muscles tense as they do before a kill. When I speak, my voice seems to have dropped an octave. "I swore I would."
这时，一股冰冷的感觉传遍我全身，我身体僵硬，肌肉紧绷，似乎已经为一场厮杀做好了准备。我说话的音调好像也降了八度，“我发誓，我会的。
"Let's go back then, to the moment they called your sister's name at the reaping," says Caesar. His mood is quieter now. "And you volunteered. Can you tell us about her?"
“那，让我们再回顾一下收获节上你妹妹的名字被喊出来的瞬间。”凯撒说，他的情绪已经稳定下来。“你自愿代替她参加猎杀游戏，你能跟我们说说她吗？
You could hear a pin drop in the City Circle now.
此时的圆形广场一片寂静，掉一根针也能听到。
Be honest. Be honest. I swallow hard. "She asked me to try really hard to win." The audience is frozen, hanging on my every word.
要诚实，要诚实。我强忍着内心的痛楚。“她要我尽全力在比赛中获胜。”观众的气氛十分凝重，我说的每一个字都在空中回荡。
"What did she say to you? After the reaping?" Caesar asks.
“仪式结束后，她对你说了什么？”凯撒问。
"I bet you did," says Caesar, giving me a squeeze. The buzzer goes off. "Sorry we're out of time. Best of luck, Katniss Everdeen, tribute from District Twelve."
“我肯定你能做到。”凯撒说，紧紧拥抱了我一下。蜂鸣器响了。“对不起，我们时间到了。祝你好运，凯特尼斯伊夫迪恩，来自十二区的‘贡品’
No. No, not all of you. But maybe Cinna. I don't think I'm imagining the sadness on his face. "Her name's Prim. She's just twelve. And I love her more than anything."
不，不，当着这么多人，我说不出来。也许可以对着西纳说。我觉得他听到这话时，脸上掠过一丝痛苦表情，这决不是我凭空想象。“她叫波丽姆，只有十二岁，我爱她胜过一切。
The Gamemaker who fell in the punch bowl shouts out, "She's not!"
大赛组织者的一个成员，那个跌倒在击打球上的人大声喊着：“她不能说。
"And what did you say?" prompts Caesar gently.
“你怎么回答？”凯撒温柔地问道。
"Thank you," I say. "Sorry. My lips are sealed."
“谢谢你。”我说。“很遗憾，我的嘴被封住了。
I address the balcony. "I'm not supposed to talk about it, right?"
我对露台上的大赛组织者说：“我不能说，对吧？
The applause continues long after I'm seated. I look to Cinna for reassurance. He gives me a subtle thumbs-up.
我坐下后，掌声仍经久不息。我看着西纳，希望得到他的肯定，他朝我微微翘起大拇指。
I'm still in a daze for the first part of Peeta's interview. He has the audience from the get-go, though; I can hear them laughing, shouting out. He plays up the baker's son thing, comparing the tributes to the breads from their districts. Then has a funny anecdote about the perils of the Capitol showers.
皮塔访谈刚开始时，我还没从刚才的谈话中完全摆脱出来，有些心不在焉。观众对他的访谈报以热烈的回应，我可以听到观众发出的笑声和喊声。他扮足了面包师儿子的角色，把其他“贡品”比作来自其他区的面包。他讲了一个凯匹特淋浴有多危险的笑话。
"Tell me, do I still smell like roses?" he asks Caesar, and then there's a whole run where they take turns sniffing each other that brings down the house. I'm coming back into focus when Caesar asks him if he has a girlfriend back home.
“跟我说，我身上还有玫瑰味吗？”他问凯撒。然后他们相互嗅闻彼此，博得观众的阵阵笑声。我渐渐回过神来。这时凯撒问他在家乡是否有女朋友。
Peeta hesitates, then gives an unconvincing shake of his head.
皮塔不知如何作答，然后似是而非地摇摇头。
"Handsome lad like you. There must be some special girl. Come on, what's her name?" says Caesar.
“肯定有一个与众不同的女孩，能配上你的漂亮女孩。得啦，说吧，她叫什么名字？”凯撒说。
Peeta sighs. "Well, there is this one girl. I've had a crush on her ever since I can remember. But I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was alive until the reaping."
皮塔叹了口气。“哎，确是有一个女孩，记不清从何时起，我就深深爱上了她。可我肯定直到收获节仪式，她都不知道有我这个大活人。
Sounds of sympathy from the crowd. Unrequited love they can relate to.
观众发出同情的声音，是单相思啊。
"I don't know, but a lot of boys like her," says Peeta.
“我不知道，可很多男孩都喜欢她。”皮塔说。
"She have another fellow?" asks Caesar.
“她爱着别人吗？”凯撒问。
"I don't think it's going to work out. Winning… won't help in my case," says Peeta.
“我觉得这恐怕不成。赢了…也没用”皮塔说。
Peeta blushes beet red and stammers out. "Because… because… she came here with me."
皮塔脸涨得通红，吞吞吐吐地说：”因为…因为…她和我一起到这儿来了。
"So, here's what you do. You win, you go home. She can't turn you down then, eh?" says Caesar encouragingly.
“那，这样吧，你赢得比赛，回到家，她就没理由拒绝你了，嗯？”凯撒给他鼓劲，说道。
"Why ever not?" says Caesar, mystified.
“为什么呢？”凯撒说道，一头雾水。