Sarah Brown doesn't do media interviews. These days, she prefers to stay in the background, sticking to her role as a wife and mother of two and leaving the politics to her husband—new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
莎拉．布朗不接受媒體專訪。這些日子以來，她寧可躲在幕後，堅守她為人妻、為兩個孩子母親的角色，把政治留給丈夫：英國新首相布朗。
As Brown takes office, his spouse will take over from Cherie Blair as the new First Lady of 10 Downing Street. And while it's too soon to know what her style will be, it's clear that she will be the antithesis of her flamboyant predecessor. She also seems unlikely to partake in aggressive lecture tours, and if she does it's doubtful she'll charge more for her services at a charity event than the actual funds raised, as Cherie did at a cancer-research charity dinner in Australia in 2005.
隨著布朗走馬上任，他的配偶將從雪莉．布萊爾接棒，出任唐寧街十號新第一夫人。雖然現在要斷言她未來的行事風格仍嫌過早，但顯然將和她前任浮誇做作的風格形成強烈對照。她似乎也不可能積極投入巡迴演說；即使她真的去做，她是否會在慈善活動中，索價比真正募得的款項還高，不無疑問。雪莉2005年到澳洲為一場癌症研究慈善晚宴募款時就獅子大開口。
Sarah Brown, 43, has shown no political aspirations of her own. Where the Blairs adopted the Clintonesque, two-for-the-price-of-one model, the country's new political leaders appear to have reverted back to the more traditional political package. Demure, self-effacing and discreet, Sarah Brown has played the wife-in-the-background role to perfection. She has made no effort to keep her own name and career—as the single Sarah Macaulay, she headed a successful PR company—and is reported to have wasted no time in ordering "Sarah Brown"-monogrammed stationery when she married Brown seven years ago.
43歲的莎拉．布朗本身未露任何政治野心。如果說，布萊爾夫婦採行柯林頓夫婦檔買一送一的模式，英國新上任的政治領袖，似乎正回歸比較傳統的政治包裝。莎拉．布朗內歛端莊、態度謙遜、謹慎低調，她完美扮演幕後夫人的角色。她一點也不眷戀自己的聲名和事業，婚前，單身的莎拉．麥考利是一家成功的公關公司老闆，但當她在七年前和布朗結婚時，據了解，她立刻在第一時間以莎拉布朗首字母SB花押字訂購文具。
The British media have universally applauded her modest, reserved image, pointedly comparing her to Cherie. Headlines from newspapers like The Daily Mail and The Sunday Times have included zingers like "Greedy, Graceless and Grandiose Not Sarah Brown" and "Can no one turn off Cherie, the cash-in machine"
英國媒體普遍對她低調含蓄的形象讚譽有加，直截了當拿她和雪莉做個比較。「英國每日郵報」和「星期泰晤士報」等報標題，像《貪得無厭、有失風雅、裝腔作勢？莎拉．布朗不來這套》及《沒有人可以關掉雪莉這台提款機嗎》，無不一針見血。
During Tony Blair's years in office, Cherie's silhouette in wide-legged trousers and big coat jackets was likened to that of a whale. If Sarah Brown were to wear the same ensemble, she'd more likely be praised for her stylishly conservative look and for adding a touch of fun with her choice of heels.
布萊爾在位那幾年，雪莉褲管寬鬆搭配大夾克式外套的身影，曾被比做鯨魚。如果莎拉．布朗要做同樣的服裝搭配，她可能因時髦保守的形象，加上她選的高跟鞋增加一點趣味而比較可能受到好評。
Still, Cherie isn't disappearing from the headlines just yet. As a top lawyer, she's been hired by the owner of a London strip club to challenge the imminent smoking ban introduced by her husband's government. Sarah Brown's tenure at Downing Street may be more dignified, but chances are it won't be quite as interesting.
但雪莉一時還不會從媒體標題消失，身為一流律師，她應倫敦一家脫衣舞俱樂部聘請，將挑戰她丈夫布萊爾政府所引進即將生效的禁菸令。莎拉．布朗在唐寧街的日子可能比較尊貴，但可能沒那麼有趣了。
《詞解》
antithesis 對照
flamboyant 浮誇做作
charity event 慈善活動
political aspirations 政治野心
two-for-the-price-of-one model 買一送一模式
reverted back 回歸
demure 內歛端莊
self-effacing 自我謙遜
PR company 公關公司
monogrammed 將姓名首字母組成的花押字
stationery 文具
zingers 一針見血
stylishly 時髦
imminent 即將生效
strip 脫衣舞