He may be the crowning jewel in Britain's cultural crown, with commemorative events to mark to the 400th anniversary of his death dominating museums, galleries, television and theatre for months.

莎士比亚也许是英国文化的瑰宝，连续好几个月博物馆、画廊、电视和剧院都被莎士比亚逝世400周年的纪念活动所占据。

But British people understand and like the works of William Shakespeare significantly less than those abroad, a survey has shown.

然而一项研究显示，英国人对莎士比亚作品的了解和喜爱程度比国外的人少得多。

Four in ten Britons claim they do not think Shakespeare’s works are relevant to the modern day, simple enough to grasp or even enjoy, according to the study for the British Council.

英国文化协会委托开展的这项研究称，四成英国人表示，他们认为莎士比亚的作品和现代没什么关联，理解起来比较费劲，更谈不上喜爱。

The YouGov poll, commissioned to find the economic boost Shakespeare gives to Britain, found countries including India, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, South Africa and China have significantly higher appreciation for the Bard than his British homeland.

YouGov受委托开展这项调查的初衷是为了找出莎士比亚对英国经济的贡献。调查发现，包括印度、墨西哥、巴西、土耳其、南非、中国在内的国家的人们对莎士比亚的喜爱远远超过了莎翁的故乡英国。

The report questioned 18,000 respondents in 15 countries, with 78 percent of those polled having experience of Shakespeare plays in some form.

这项研究调查了15个国家的1.8万人，其中有78%的受访者曾观看过某种形式的莎士比亚戏剧。

Overall, 76 percent said they liked his plays and sonnets, 69 percent understood them and felt they were still relevant.

总体来看，76%的受访者称自己喜欢莎士比亚的戏剧和十四行诗，69%的人可以理解莎士比亚的作品并感到这些作品依然和时代相通。

In the UK, however, just 59 percent said they liked Shakespeare’s work, with a significant 34 percent choosing to disagree. It placed 11th out of the 15 countries surveyed in terms of making positive judgment about Shakespeare.

然而，在英国，只有59%的人表示自己喜欢莎士比亚的作品，多达34%的人表示不喜欢看莎翁作品。在给予莎士比亚正面评价方面，英国在受调查的15个国家当中排名第11。

Just 19 percent of those outside the UK, many of whom will be reading or watching plays in translation, chose to dislike it.

在英国以外的其他国家，很多人都是阅读莎翁作品的译本或观看翻译成其他语言的莎翁戏剧，这部分人群中只有19%表示不喜欢莎翁作品，

Respondents from Germany showed strong dislike for Shakespeare, with just 44 percent saying they like it and 42 percent thinking it had any relevance.

德国的受访者对莎翁作品表现出强烈的反感，只有44%的德国人称自己喜欢莎翁作品，只有42%的德国人认为它们依然和时代相通。

Rosemary Hilhorst, director of Shakespeare Lives for the British Council, said: “Four hundred years after his death, Shakespeare’s work continues to play a vital role in educating and entertaining people around the world.

英国文化协会“永恒的莎士比亚”活动主管萝丝玛丽•希尔霍斯特说：“在莎士比亚去世400年后，他的作品继续在教育和娱乐世界民众方面发挥着重要作用。

“As well as bringing pleasure to millions of people, his works make a valuable contribution to the UK’s standing in the world and the economy.”

“在给无数民众带去快乐的同时，他的作品还给英国的世界地位和经济做出了宝贵的贡献。”