The "creepy clown" craze that began in the US has gone global, with incidents reported in the UK, Australia and Canada.
美国兴起的“恐怖小丑”狂潮已蔓延至全球，英国、澳大利亚、加拿大均有报告相关事件。
The craze began in the US in August with reports of people dressed as clowns trying to lure children into the woods in South Carolina.
今年8月，这股狂潮在美兴起，据报道，在南卡罗来纳州，有人扮成小丑，试图引诱孩子进入树林。
A number of people have also reported being terrified by clowns holding weapons in public.
许多人还报告称受到在公共场合持武器的小丑的惊吓。
An eight-month pregnant woman in the UK was forced into premature labor after a person dressed as a clown scared her.
英国一名怀胎8月的女子受到扮成小丑的人的惊吓后被迫早产。

Police in the UK are warning against participating in the hoax.
英国警方对参与恶作剧的行为发出警告。
To ease public hysteria and for the safety of Ronald himself, McDonald's is limiting the appearances of its iconic Ronald McDonald clown mascot across the US.
为了缓和公众的过激情绪以及小丑罗纳德自身的安全，麦当劳正在全美限制其标志性吉祥物罗纳德·麦当劳小丑的露面。
Professional clowns have condemned the craze.
专业小丑对这一热潮发起了谴责。
"This is nothing to do with clowning, it's to do with people hijacking a costume and for some sinister reason trying to scare people," Rob Bowker, a spokesman for the U.K.-based Clowns International, a clown organization founded in 1947, told the Guardian.
英国“国际小丑”的发言人罗勃·鲍克在接受《卫报》采访时表示：“这一热潮和小丑本身无关。这是与那些抢了服装、并试图用一些恶毒的理由去吓唬别人的人有关。”