美国国家公共电台 NPR--Supporters of Brittney Griner continue to call for Russia to release her

Supporters of Brittney Griner continue to call for Russia to release her

Transcript¹

NPR's A Martinez talks to Terri Jackson, executive director of the union representing WNBA players, about star player Brittney Griner, who is on trial in Russia on drug charges.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

WNBA star Brittney Griner went on trial in Russia today, arriving in handcuffs, months after her arrest at a Moscow airport two days before Russia invaded Ukraine. Prosecutors² today alleged³ that she was carrying vape cartridges⁴ containing hash oil. The U.S. Embassy official said Griner in court seemed to be doing well as can be expected and that she wants people to know that she's keeping up the faith. Terri Jackson is executive director of the Women's National Basketball Players Association, the union for the WNBA players. She told me Brittney Griner is a superstar in Russia as well as the U.S.

TERRI JACKSON: They know who they have. They know that they have an American, a highly decorated American as an Olympian, as a WNBA player. She's a hero in their country. I mean, they love women's basketball. They take their championships very seriously. And let's be clear - she's given them more than a few.

MART?NEZ: When Griner was first taken into custody⁵, Jackson says, the Players Association was hoping she'd be released well in advance of this month's WNBA All-Star Game. But it's been 4 1/2 months. The All-Star Game is a week from Sunday.

JACKSON: We are 130-plus days in. And quite honestly, A, I don't even know why I'm counting days. It makes me angry and frustrated⁶. Some days, I'm confused waking up as to what, quote-unquote, "day" it is today, you know, for BG. And I didn't even want to get caught up in that in the beginning. But I'll tell you and your listeners, you know, we call our members the 144. Twelve teams, twelve roster⁷ spots on a team, roughly, so we call them the 144. And we've been saying, lately, we're not the 144 without BG. I mean, literally⁸, just emotionally, we're not the same without her. And ironically, painfully, the WNBA All-Star Game is on Day 143. That is amazing to me, amazing to me. Again, I don't want to get caught up...

MART?NEZ: Right.

JACKSON: ...In counting days and get caught up in the so-called symbolism of that. But I can't ignore that. We are not the 144 without her.

MART?NEZ: You mentioned how Brittney Griner is a hero in Russia, that she's loved there because she wins. She's a champion in Russia. But the fact that she has to play in Russia, in addition to playing in the WNBA, what does that say about how America sees professional female athletes in leagues?

JACKSON: Yeah. As painful as all of this is, you know, it's going to force us. It's going to force us to have a real conversation about pay equity⁹ - or inequity, for that matter. We have a phrase in the WNBPA. It's bet on women. And it's about truly what the words say, betting on them, investing in them, supporting them. Whether they're in Russia or Turkey or Spain, France, WNBA players are global ambassadors of the sport. They're playing year-round to ensure that they can make enough money.

MART?NEZ: Terri, if one day relations between the U.S. and Russia cool off, could you see any members of the WNBA ever playing professionally in Russia again?

JACKSON: I don't know. I don't know. I guess I want to see what cooling off looks like. But I think this is hard. This is difficult. This is one that we're not going to soon forget, nor should we.

MART?NEZ: The fact that it's taken this long, though, do you think the U.S. has failed Brittney Griner?

JACKSON: Not yet. I'm not giving it that. I'm hopeful she's back very soon, and you and I can just, you know, follow up on this conversation by then. But...

MART?NEZ: I mean, she could face up to a 10-year sentence at a penal¹⁰ colony if she's convicted.

JACKSON: Well, you know what - but you know what? That's Russia's process, right? Her team on the ground in Russia will go through the methodical steps of that process. But we know at the end of the day that this government is going to do whatever it takes to get BG home. What we want is to know that she is the high - a high priority, the highest priority, quite honestly. She's one of ours, so we want to know that she's the highest priority of the Biden administration. You know what else we want? We want President Biden, our elected official, to have a meeting - a sit-down, a face-to-face - with Cherelle Griner, BG's wife, because you know what? She deserves that. She deserves that.

MART?NEZ: That has not happened yet?

JACKSON: That has not happened. And, you know, this is Day 130-plus. Like, we want her home. We want her home.

MART?NEZ: That was Terri Jackson, executive director for the Women's National Basketball Players Association. We reached out to the White House, where officials say they are working aggressively for Griner's release and are keeping in touch with members of her family.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

3 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

4 cartridges   

子弹( cartridge的名词复数 )； （打印机的）墨盒； 录音带盒； （唱机的）唱头

参考例句：

• computer consumables such as disks and printer cartridges 如磁盘、打印机墨盒之类的电脑耗材
• My new video game player came with three game cartridges included. 我的新电子游戏机附有三盘游戏带。

5 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

6 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 roster   

n.值勤表，花名册

参考例句：

• The teacher checked the roster to see whom he would teach this year.老师查看花名册，想了解今年要教的学生。
• The next day he put himself first on the new roster for domestic chores.第二天，他把自己排在了新的家务值日表的第一位。

8 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

9 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

10 penal   

adj.刑罚的；刑法上的

参考例句：

• I hope you're familiar with penal code.我希望你们熟悉本州法律规则。
• He underwent nineteen years of penal servitude for theft.他因犯了大窃案受过十九年的苦刑。