VOA常速英语2013--洛杉矶不同的圣诞老人大受欢迎（在线收听）

Diverse Santas a Big Hit in LA 洛杉矶不同的圣诞老人大受欢迎

LOS ANGELES — In many western cultures, Santa Claus is traditionally depicted as Caucasian man with a white beard in a red suit.  But around the United States, this  symbol of Christmas comes in many colors. In one Los Angeles shopping mall non-traditional Santas are a tradition.

He's known as “Saint Nicholas”, “Kris Kringle”, “Father Christmas”, or simply ….

他被大家称为“圣尼古拉斯”,“克里斯·克宁”,“圣诞老人”,或者简单的一句…

'Santa. Yeah he's a good person.

“圣诞老人。是的,他是个好人。

He brings joy to a child and I really want to thank him for that,' said Jason Mata.

他给孩子们带去欢乐,我真的很想感谢他,杰森·马塔说道。

Jason Mata and his family come to the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Mall every year to see this particular Santa Claus because he speaks Spanish.

杰森·玛塔和他的家人每年都会来到鲍德温山克伦肖广场购物中心看看这位会说西班牙语的特殊圣诞老人。

“Go to school, be kind to your parents, do your homework, and enjoy life…be a kid," said a Spanish-speaking Santa.

“去上学,孝敬你的父母,记得做作业,享受孩子的生活,”一口西班牙语的圣诞老人说道。

During the holiday season, many U.S. shopping malls set up display areas where children can meet Santa and tell him what they want for Christmas.

在节日期间,许多美国购物中心会设置展示区域，这样孩子们就能见上圣诞老人一面，告诉他自己想要什么。

Most of those who put on the red suit to greet the children are white.

大多数人穿上红装迎接身着白色的孩子们。

But, according to Mall Marketing Director, Rachel Erickson, a Spanish-speaking Kris Kringle has been a part of their Multicultural Santa Program for more than a  decade, because the neighborhood is so diverse.

但是根据购物中心营销总监,雷切尔·埃里克森所说,说西班牙语的克里斯克多年来一直是多元文化项目的一部分圣程序,因为附近的社区是如此与众不同。

“The demographic speaks to the Santa program that we have and we absolutely want make sure that our Santas are representative and culturally reflective of our  neighbors," said Erickson.

“人员部门谈到了我们之前有过的圣诞老人的项目,我们绝对希望确保我们的圣诞老人具有代表性并且在文化上能为我们的邻居展现出来。”埃里克森说道。

The Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Mall is located in the heart of L.A.'s Latino and African American neighborhoods.

鲍德温山克伦肖广场购物中心位于洛杉矶核心地带的拉丁裔和非裔美国人社区。

So the shopping center has two Santas-one Latino and one African-American.

因此,购物中心有两位圣诞老人—一位是拉丁裔，另一位则是非裔美国人。

Langston Patterson portrays the black Santa and he says the kids get very excited.

兰斯顿·帕特森装扮成黑色圣诞老人，而且他表示孩子们都非常兴奋。

“It's a joy to see the kids jump around like grease in a skillet when they see Santa Claus and their very happy and focused.

“很快乐看到孩子们看到圣诞老人时像鱼儿见了水一样跳来跳去,他们非常高兴。

And I enjoy the parents and they enjoy me,"said Patterson.

我喜欢父母们，而且他们也喜欢我,”帕特森说道。

Patterson is the only Santa that Sheila Ford's son has ever known.

帕特森是希拉·福特的儿子唯一认识的圣诞老人。

“We make it a trip-a special trip - every year.

“我们每年都会旅行-一次特殊的旅行。

And it's really a surprise he still believes in him and that's because they connect.

孩子相信圣诞老人真让人吃惊,这是因为他们之间的联系。

And they connect because he looks like him," said Ford.

而他们之间的联系是因为他看起来就像圣诞,”福特说道。

And that personal connection gives extra meaning to the holiday.

而且人与人之间的联系使得假期具有额外的意味。