莎士比亚人气最高的国家居然不是英国!

On the 400th anniversary of his death, Shakespeare is more popular abroad than in Britain and makes a significant contribution to the UK's prosperity and influence, according to a survey published on last Tuesday.

根据上周二的一项调查显示，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，这也对提升英国的繁荣及影响力作出了巨大贡献。

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了调查，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.

该委员会的罗斯玛丽·希尔霍斯特在声明中表示：“在莎翁去世四百年之后，他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交流。该委员会表示，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（57%）和印度（62%）有更多人持相同观点。

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). 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.

这项调查还发现，莎士比亚在英国之外更为人熟知和喜爱。其中海外比例达到了65%，而在英国本土这一比例只有59%。但是，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。