(单词翻译:单击)
The House of Golden Teardrops nestled among the sprawling northern suburbs of Bangkok seems an unlikely hothouse for a new generation of badminton stars.
位于曼谷北郊的甜点工厂“金色泪滴之屋”看上去并不像是孕育新一代羽毛球明星的地方。
But this dessert factory has already produced one world champion, and there could be more in the pipeline, if its owners have any say in the matter.
但这家工厂已经培养出了一位世界冠军,而且它的所有者认为,将来可能会有更多羽毛球冠军从这里诞生。
Thailand's teenage world champion Ratchanok Inthanon first picked up a badminton racket here as a young child. Her parents moved to the plant from their home near the border with Cambodia to help make sweet dumplings and other tasty Thai treats. The owner, Kamala Thongkorn, worried that young Ratchanok might run into vats of boiling water and super-heated sugar dotting the factory. She suggested that the girl might like to play badminton at the court built to the side of the plant. Ms. Kamala's sons were already showing promise and went on to represent their country.
当泰国不到20岁的世界冠军拉差诺•因达农(Ratchanok Inthanon)还是个孩子的时候,就在这里第一次拿起羽毛球拍。她的父母把家从泰柬边境附近搬到这间制作汤圆和其他泰国美食的工厂。由于担心年幼的拉差诺会跌入厂区内零散置放的开水桶和滚烫的熬糖锅,工厂主Kamala Thongkorn建议她在厂区旁边的球场打羽毛球。当时Kamala的几个儿子已经在这方面显露出潜力,代表国家参赛。
Today, one of Ms. Kamala's sons, Pattapol Ngernsrisuk, 33, is Ms. Ratchanok's coach. And the single badminton court attached to the factory has mushroomed into a full-blown, 18-court badminton school that has attracted players from around the world and is giving Thailand hope that it can churn out a slew of new players to compete at the highest levels of one of Asia's most popular sports.
现在,Kamala的一个儿子、33岁的Pattapol Ngernsrisuk是拉差诺的教练。而之前紧挨工厂的那个单块羽毛球场已经迅速扩张为一所拥有18块球场的成熟培训学校,吸引了来自全世界的学员。这所学校可以培养出一批有实力参加羽毛球最高水平竞技的新选手,也给泰国带来了希望。羽毛球是亚洲最受欢迎的运动项目之一。
Eighteen-year-old Ms. Ratchanok's victory at last week's world championships in Guangzhou, China, has already re-energized interest in a sport where the traditional powers include Indonesia, South Korea and China. Ms. Ratchanok is now a bona fide celebrity, re-telling her rags-to-riches story on television talk shows and hob-nobbing with the country's prime minister. On Wednesday, she took part in a special exhibition doubles match with Bangkok's unusually fleet-footed police chief, defeating her opponents with a flurry of deft slices and careening smashes.
现年18岁的拉差诺上周在中国广州举行的羽毛球世锦赛上夺冠,重新激发了人们对这项由印尼、韩国和中国等传统羽球强国所把持运动项目的兴趣。拉差诺现在真正成了名人,一次又一次地在电视节目中讲述她脱贫致富的故事,还与泰国总理寒暄。周三她参加了一场特别的双打表演赛,对阵动作步法异常迅速的曼谷警察局长。拉差诺凭藉一系列 厉的斜击球和斜扣球打败了对手。
But while Ms. Ratchanok's natural talent is readily apparent, some badminton insiders also point to the influence of the Banthongyod sweet factory.
拉差诺确实天赋秉异,但一些业内人士也指出,Banthongyod羽毛球学校的影响也不容忽视。
Ms. Kamala used her earnings from the factory to hire a Chinese coach to train her sons as their careers blossomed. As her interest in the sport grew, she also built more courts and set loose the coach, Xie Zhuhua, on some of the other up-and-coming players, including a young Ms. Ratchanok.
Kamala用工厂的利润聘请了中国教练谢芝华,在她的儿子羽毛球事业取得发展时加以指导。随着她对这项运动的兴趣日渐浓厚,Kamala又建起了更多块球场,让谢芝华训练其他有潜力的选手,其中就包括拉差诺。
Seven years ago, Mr. Pattapol hung up his racket to help Mr. Xie coach a new batch of youngsters and also teach his young charges some lessons learned from the international badminton circuit.
七年前,Pattapol挂拍退役,帮助谢芝华训练新学员,向后辈传授国际羽毛球比赛中的经验和教训。
Mr. Pattapol, who represented Thailand in the 2004 Olympics and was once ranked No. 9 as a doubles player, bristles at suggestions that Ms. Ratchanok's success is the result of applying Chinese coaching techniques.
Pattapol曾代表泰国参加了2004年奥运会,双打排名一度升至第9位。他对于将拉差诺的成功归因于采用中国训练技巧的说法感到不悦。
At first we coached the children following Chinese methods, which are very good for building up strength and speed, he says as children thrash at shuttlecocks behind him. But I often wondered why we couldn't win. We would still lose to Malaysia and Indonesia.
他说,“最初我们是按照中国的方法来训练小球员,这对于力量和速度的提高十分有效。但我们仍然不能赢球,会输给马来西亚和印尼,我常常不明白其中的问题所在。”说这番话时,小球员们正在他身后挥拍训练。
So, Mr. Pattapol explains, I added things I learned from international players to develop more skills. I needed to add more weapons a knife and a gun, or the fluid combination of the right shots and timing to kill an opponent.
Pattapol解释道,“我从国际羽坛的其他选手身上借鉴了经验,我需要融入更多战术技巧,将击球和对赛场上时机的把握流畅地结合起来击败对手。”
Today the school has 250 students, including around 40 who board at the premises, and 12 coaches, including three Chinese nationals who help build up speed and stamina. Mr. Pattapol's next move is to install more exercise bikes and other gym equipment to better develop his players, and he's looking at adapting some techniques learned from sports psychologists, too.
目前,这家羽毛球学校共有250名学员,其中包括约40名寄宿学员,教练共有12名,其中包括三位训练速度和体力的中国籍教练。Pattapol接下来将会在学校配备更多健身脚踏车和其他体育器材,帮助学员们更好的训练。此外,他还考虑采用一些从运动心理学家那里学来的方法。
The Chinese coaches mostly stay at the school, while I travel on the road with the players, he says. We have to show that we Thais can create our own champions.
他表示,“中国籍教练通常都会待在学校,而我自己会和运动员们一起外出参赛。我们要向大家展示泰国有能力打造出自己的羽毛球冠军。”
Twelve-year-old Pattarasuda Chaiwan is one of Mr. Pattapol's new proteges. Originally from Lampang in northern Thailand, Pattarasuda began playing at the age of five, mimicking her elder brother. She was invited to join the school after meeting Mr. Pattapol at a tournament in Chiang Mai, with her school fees paid by Ms. Kamala, who also sponsored Ms. Ratchanok. The matriarch's investment quickly paid off, with Pattarasuda winning a junior tournament in Singapore at the age of 10 and defending her title the following year.
12岁的Pattarasuda Chaiwan是Pattapol的新门徒之一,她来自泰国北部的南邦府,从5岁就开始模仿哥哥打羽毛球。Pattarasuda在清迈的一次比赛中遇到了Pattapol,并受邀进入其羽毛球学校,曾资助过拉差诺的Kamala帮她交了学费。Kamala的付出很快就获得了回报,Pattarasuda 10岁那年在新加坡青少年羽毛球锦标赛中夺冠,并在次年卫冕。
Pattarasuda says she is now training hard to compete at her first senior event, the upcoming All Thailand. (national league)
Pattarasuda说,目前正在为自己的首个高级组比赛──泰国全国羽毛球联赛──进行艰苦训练。
I sometimes feel tired because of all the training, Pattarasuda says, but I don't give up. I want to be a champion, just like Mei, referring to Ms. Ratchanok by her nickname.
Pattarasuda说,“训练有时会让自己感到很累,但是不能放弃,我希望能像拉差诺一样成为冠军。”
In fact, the two share the same bedroom at the school dormitory, where Pattarasuda rises every morning at 5.30 am to fit in 90 minutes of practice before going to classes at a regular school at 7 a.m.
事实上,Pattarasuda和拉差诺在学校同住一间宿舍,她每天早晨5:30起床,进行90分钟训练之后,早7点再到正规学校里去上学。
The long-term goal from all this smashing and lobbing is to win Thailand a gold medal the next Olympics in 2016, says Ms. Kamala. It's a goal Ms. Ratchanok says she shares.
Kamala说,所有训练的长远目标就是在2016年下届奥运会上为泰国赢得一枚羽毛球金牌。而这也是拉差诺的奋斗目标。
First, though, she wants to defeat one of the few players she has never beaten, China's former world champion Wang Yihan, whom she might face at the China Masters tournament in September.
不过,在尚未被她击败的为数不多的对手中,拉差诺首先想打败的是中国前世界冠军王仪涵。她们俩可能会在9月份的中国羽毛球大师赛上相遇。
Then, maybe, Ms. Ratchanok says, she and her team-mates might be able to go to the beach for a spot of relaxation.
拉差诺说,这场比赛过后,她和她的队友或许就可以去海边放松一下了。