K-drama fever

[00:00.37] It may not be a real illness but K-drama fever is sweeping Asia with as much force as an infectious disease.这可能不是一种真正的疾病，但韩剧热正在席卷亚洲，其影响力不亚于传染病。

[00:07.65] The latest hit show to come out of South Korea has already claimed over 440 million victims in China alone, where it's being simulcast. 来自韩国的最新热播节目仅在中国就已造成超过 4.4 亿受害者，该节目正在中国同步播出。

[00:16.68] Many millions more are glued to their screens across the continent.数以百万计的人被粘在整个非洲大陆的屏幕上。

[00:20.70] ‘Descendants of the Sun’ is the latest in a long line of TV dramas to come out of Korea which have taken Asia by storm. 《太阳的后裔》是一系列从韩国上映并席卷亚洲的电视剧中的最新一部。

[00:27.97] The usual theme of star-crossed lovers is still very much there but there's a twist which many of its fans say gives this drama a distinctive flavour. 命运多舛的恋人通常的主题仍然存在，但有一个转折点，许多粉丝说它给这部剧带来了独特的味道。

[00:37.26] It's a military romance which is set in a fictional European country.这是一部以虚构的欧洲国家为背景的军事爱情片。

[00:41.53] Ms Gao from Beijing said, "The military theme does not usually appear frequently in TV shows so combined with the romantic theme, this is not like other Korean soap operas."来自北京的高女士说：“军事题材在电视剧中并不经常出现，所以结合浪漫题材，这和其他韩剧不太一样。”

[00:52.82] The female lead, played by Song Hye-kyo, is a surgeon, while her male counterpart, played by Song Joong-ki, is a special forces captain.女主宋慧乔饰演外科医生，男主宋仲基饰演特种部队队长。

[01:01.85] "Unlike most Korean dramas which are about a rich guy who falls in love with a poor, golden-hearted girl, the story feels more like the love story of two evenly-matched adults," says Chen Yuanni, from Beijing.来自北京的陈元妮说：“与大多数韩剧讲述一个有钱人爱上一个可怜的金心女孩的故事不同，这个故事更像是两个势均力敌的成年人的爱情故事。”

[01:15.14] But it's not just Asia which has seen a boom in the popularity of foreign-language TV dramas in recent years. 但近年来，外语电视剧的热度不只亚洲。

[01:21.41] Since the Danish crime drama, The Killing, was first aired on the BBC in 2011, the nation has been gripped by so-called Nordic Noir.自 2011 年丹麦犯罪剧《杀戮》首次在 BBC 播出以来，这个国家一直被所谓的北欧黑色所吸引。

[01:31.19] What surprises some is that it's not only thrillers, such as The Bridge, which have captured the imagination of British viewers.令一些人感到惊讶的是，吸引英国观众想象力的不仅仅是惊悚片，比如《大桥》。

[01:37.72] There have also been ratings successes for shows such as Borgen - about coalition politics – and 1864 – a drama about an obscure 19th century war between Denmark and Prussia.诸如关于联合政治的《博根》和 1864 年（关于丹麦和普鲁士之间一场不起眼的 19 世纪战争的戏剧）等节目也取得了收视率的成功。

[01:50.51] So why do these international dramas appeal when the cultrual references are so remote from the experience of the viewers?那么，当文化参考与观众的体验如此遥远时，为什么这些国际剧会吸引人呢？

[01:57.29] Perhaps the answer lies in this piece of advice for aspiring scriptwriters from the BBC's Writersoom: "Engaging characters are at the heart of all good drama, no matter how mainstream or unusual your idea may be." 也许答案就在 BBC 的 Writersoom 给有抱负的编剧的这条建议中：“引人入胜的角色是所有好戏剧的核心，无论你的想法多么主流或不寻常。”

[02:11.09] So if the characters are strong enough, it doesn't matter if they're from Sichuan, Seoul or Sweden.因此，如果角色足够强大，无论他们来自四川、首尔还是瑞典都无所谓。