世博与文化:用英语介绍旗袍(在线收听

 在世博园宝钢大舞台的中国元素展区,有一个极富老上海特色的旗袍现场展示区,其中的旗袍盘扣现场制作环节吸引了众多游人驻足。如果用英语,我们要怎样介绍这种精致的传统服饰呢?

“旗袍”在英语中有一个固定的词,不过是一个loanword,外来语,写做cheongsam,是从广东话Cantonese里来的。我们也可以拼写为qipao或者chipao:
The cheongsam is a body-hugging one-piece Chinese dress for women; the male version is the changshan. It is known in Mandarin Chinese as the qipao or chipao, and is also known in English as a mandarin gown. 
旗袍是中国一种紧身的连衣女子服饰,男子的被称为长衫。英语中也用mandarin gown来表示这种服饰。
清朝时候的旗装是很宽松的,1900年之后,在上海,旗袍的样式发生了改变:
The modernized version is noted for accentuating the figures of women, and as such was popular as a dress for high society. As Western fashions changed, the basic cheongsam design changed too, introducing high-necked sleeveless dresses, bell-like sleeves, and the black lace frothing at the hem. By the 1940s, cheongsam came in a wide variety of fabrics with an equal variety of accessories. 
现代版的旗袍很贴身,更能显出女子的身材,为上流社会的女性所推崇。旗袍的式样也跟随西方时尚而变化,出现了高领无袖、喇叭状袖子和黑色蕾丝泡泡镶边的款式。到上世纪四十年代,旗袍已经有很多种不同材质和配饰。
旗袍和长衫的那种标志性小立领被称为mandarin collar,a short unfolded stand-up collar style,而旗袍的那种盘扣被称为frog,或者Chinese frog,frog在这里不是青蛙的意思哦,意为一种用细绳做的扣饰:
A frog (sometimes referred to as a Chinese frog) is an ornamental braiding for fastening the front of a garment that consists of a button and a loop through which it passes.
盘扣是一种装饰性的编织状扣子,用来扣住一件衣服的前襟。
  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/listen/read/179310.html