(单词翻译:单击)
中英文本
The world’s oldest head of government takes center stage in Malaysia
世界上最年长的政府首脑成为马来西亚的焦点
AN AGING STRONGMAN.
一个是垂垂老矣的铁腕人物。
A CORRUPT protégé.
一个是腐败的宠儿。
An opposition leader jailed on trumped-up charges.
一个是因莫须有的罪名被判入狱的反对派领导人。
Each of the central players in Malaysia’s election on May 9 was making a return to the political theater,
5月9日马来西亚大选的每一位核心人物都是重返政治舞台的熟脸，
but recast allegiances made for an upset that few predicted.
然而，出人意料的是，重铸的忠诚反而催生了混乱。
At almost 93 years old,
在年近93岁高龄之际，
Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad handed the ruling coalition its first defeat since independence,
马来西亚前总理马哈蒂尔·穆罕默德给执政联盟带来了该联盟自独立以来的第一次失败，
and returned to his old job, this time as the world’s oldest head of government.
之后，他回到了他原来的岗位，再次出任马来西亚总理，成为了世界上年龄最大的政府首脑。
For his political encore,
为了他的这次政治“加演”，
Mahathir defected from the ruling coalition he helped build to unite a fractious opposition in its bid to unseat the scandal-dogged incumbent Najib Razak.
马哈蒂尔脱离了他曾帮助建立的执政联盟，加入了一个难以驾驭的反对派试图推翻丑闻缠身的现任总理纳吉布·拉扎克的队伍。
“I tried to advise him,” he told TIME in an interview on the campaign trail.
“我试过给他提建议，”马哈蒂尔在竞选途中接受本刊采访时表示。
“But it didn’t work. So eventually I decided I would go against him.”
“但没有用。所以我只能站到他的对立面了。”
A doctor by training, Mahathir spent his 22 years in power until 2003 bringing the former British colony to industrial modernization.
马哈蒂尔原本是科班出身的医生，执政22年后，到了2003年才带领这个前英国殖民地国家走上了工业现代化的道路。
At campaign stops across the country, in remote clearings ribbed by rice paddies and in urban parking lots,
在全国各地的竞选站点，无论是稻田纵横交错的偏远空地，还是城市里的停车场，
Mahathir was feted with chants of “Long live Tun,” a historic honorific.
马哈蒂尔都受到了民众齐唱“Long live Tun”圣歌——这是一个具有历史意义的敬语——这样的礼遇。
Mahathir has vowed to restore the rule of law, to rebuild institutions and to correct what he terms his “biggest mistake”:
他立誓要恢复法治，重整制度，纠正他所谓的他犯下的“天大的错误”：
installing Najib, whose alleged links to embezzled funds in a sovereign investment fund could see him face criminal charges. (He denies wrongdoing.)
任命纳吉布为总理，后者被指涉嫌挪用主权投资基金，可能会面临刑事指控。(纳吉布否认自己存在不法行为。)
On election night, Mahathir claimed victory with a warning to Najib not to frustrate the will of the people.
选举当晚，马哈蒂尔宣布获胜，他警告纳吉布不要辜负人民的意愿。
Across the country, joyful Malaysians sang the national anthem and waved cell-phone lashlights.
在全国各地，喜气洋洋的马来西亚人唱着国歌，挥舞着开了闪光灯的手机以示庆贺。
“Mahathir made Malaysia known around the world,” said Debbie Ambok, a voter in Langkawi.
“马哈蒂尔让马来西亚成了举世闻名的国家，”兰卡威的选民黛比·安博克说。
Mahathir is not free from controversy, after cracking down on political opponents and the judiciary when previously in power.
马哈蒂尔自己也并非毫无争议，此前，他曾在执政期间镇压政治对手和该国的司法系统。
In 1999, he saw his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim imprisoned on what many called politically motivated charges of corruption and sodomy.
1999年，他眼看着自己的前副手安瓦尔·易卜拉欣因腐败和鸡奸指控入狱，而很多人都称那些指控存在政治动机。
Having received a royal pardon on a second charge, Anwar has been lined up as Mahathir’s successor—
安瓦尔后来被再次指控，但他获得了王室赦免后，被列入了马哈蒂尔接班人的行列——
but the nonagenarian Prime Minister told TIME he foresees staying in office for at least two years and possibly three.
但这位90多岁的总理对本刊透露，他预计自己至少还会执政两年，也可能是三年。
“I don’t want to stay very long, but in the initial stages we need to solve a lot of problems,” he said.
“我并不想继续呆太久，但首先我们还有很多问题有待解决，”他说。
“The others do not have the experience.”
“而其他人又都没有足够的经验。”
At his first press conference back on the world stage,
在重返世界舞台后的第一次新闻发布会上，
Mahathir acknowledged that some might still view him as a “dictator.”
马哈蒂尔承认，一些人可能仍视他为“独裁者”。
“All those things are in the past,” he said, “and we have work to do for the future of our country.”
“那些事情都过去了，”他说，“为了我们国家的未来，我们还有工作要做。”
译文由可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载。
重点讲解
1. take center stage 成为焦点
a well-written script could allow them to take center stage and liven things up a bit.
一个好剧本或许能让他们成为关注的中心和焦点，而且令角色更为丰富生动。
2. trumped up 捏造
But Margaret accepted our trumped up stories as though they were true.
玛格丽特却对我们编造出来的故事信以为真。
3. in its bid to 努力……
But it is facing unexpected problems in its bid to snatch Guerrero from the PRD.
但它要从国家行动党手中努力获得格雷罗州的支持，也要面对意料之外的问题。
4. by training 科班出身的
Ms. Chan, a lawyer by training, said the novel is now being resubmitted to major publishers.
身为专业律师的陈达西说，他们现在正在把这部小说重新投给大型出版社。
