Latin Americans reluctantly rally behind Argentina 拉美民眾極不情願替阿根廷加油

Latin Americans reluctantly rally behind Argentina
拉美民眾極不情願替阿根廷加油
2014-07-20◎俞智敏

With a reputation for arrogance and illusions of European-styled grandeur, Argentines have long been the objects of scorn and the butt of jokes across Latin America. But for at least 90 minutes when Argentina takes on Germany in the World Cup final, most Latin Americans will put aside their irritation with their proud neighbors as they look to Lionel Messi and his teammates to salvage what’s left of the region’s soccer pride.

素以傲慢和以歐洲式風格妄自尊大的阿根廷，在拉丁美洲一直是其他國家藐視和譏諷的對象。但當阿根廷和德國在世界盃足球賽決賽中對決的90分鐘裡，多數拉美民眾還是會暫時放下對這個驕傲鄰國的厭惡替球星梅西和隊友加油，以挽回拉美僅剩的足球尊嚴。

That Argentina has stepped into the role as the region’s flag bearer is a cruel reversal for many. An online poll in 19 countries taken by YouGov together with The New York Times prior to the World Cup found that in most Latin American countries surveyed people said the team they rooted against was Argentina, which has won the title twice.

由阿根廷來扮演拉美足壇領袖的角色，對許多人而言都是殘酷的逆轉。YouGov公司和紐約時報在世界盃前針對拉美19國進行的民調顯示，多數拉美民眾都說最不支持的球隊就是阿根廷隊，阿根廷過去曾兩度贏得世界盃冠軍。

The animosity toward Argentina stems from the country’s settlement by waves of European immigrants beginning in the late 19th century, a demographic marker that long fueled perceptions of economic and cultural superiority over their more indigenous or African-descended neighbors. Even the Italian-influenced Spanish spoken on the streets of Buenos Aires is out of step with the language elsewhere.

拉美民眾對阿根廷的敵意源自阿國於19世紀晚期開始引進大量歐洲移民，這項人口指標讓阿國一直自認在經濟和文化上較人口以美洲原住民和非洲後裔佔多數的其他鄰國更為優越。就連阿國首都布宜諾斯艾利斯街頭常聽到、深受義大利語影響的西班牙語口音，也和其他國家口音明顯不一致。

But not everyone is dancing the tango, least of all fans in Brazil. The mere presence of their eternal rival playing a final in Brazil’s soccer cathedral, Rio’s Maracana stadium, is for many a pill too hard to swallow even if they would like to see their loss to Germany avenged.

但並非所有人都願隨著探戈樂音起舞，更別提巴西球迷。就算巴西人很想見到有人替巴西隊慘遭德國隊屠殺的恥辱復仇，光是想到死對頭阿根廷隊要在巴西足球聖地、里約熱內盧的馬拉卡納球場上參加決賽，就會讓許多人吞不下這口氣。

新聞辭典

butt：名詞，指笑柄或嘲弄的對象，如：He was fed up with being the butt of their jokes.（他受夠了被他們當成笑柄。）

root for：動詞片語，指支持某人或某事、替某人加油打氣，如：We’re rooting for the underdog.（我們支持弱勢的一方。）文中使用root against則指不支持某人或某事、喝倒采。

a bitter pill （to swallow）：指不得不忍受的情況，如：We found his deception a bitter pill to swallow.（他的欺騙讓我們難以下嚥。）