VOA常速英语:Comic Book Fans Combine Fantasy Costumes, Role Playing

Underneath their makeup, cosplayers are ordinary people, who, now and then, get to be extraordinary.
在妆容的背后，这些扮装者就是普通人，而在此时此刻，却变得非凡。

“You get into the costumes, you get into a new character. You get to be somebody else for a day.”
“穿上戏装，就进入了新角色。一整天都得装成某个人。”

Cosplayers sometimes buy costumes and masks, but most of them create their own outfits and often compete in contests at events such as Comicpalooza,a convention that showcases genres including comic books, science fiction and fantasy, as well as gaming.
扮装者有时会购买戏装和面具，但多数人会自己动手制作装备，并拿到活动期间举办的大赛中竞媲，比如Comicpalooza。Comicpalooza是集漫画书、科幻小说、魔幻小说以及游戏等风格为一体的聚会。

“They get to really show off different types of craftsmanship and there is a lot of pride in that and a lot of professionalism for some of them.”
“人们实打实地炫耀各种类型的手工艺术，充斥着骄傲感，有些人甚至达到了专业水准。”

“We are part of a group of leather-smith. We’re working under a master of Smith, and everything you see here, we actually had a part in creating.”
“我们是制皮工匠组织的人，我们在一位大师手下工作，这里所有你看见的一切，事实上我们都有参与制作。”

While many cosplayers may seem like extroverts who enjoy showing off in public,quite a few are introverts who are more comfortable with a mask or makeup covering their face.
尽管许多扮装者可能看起来活泼外向，喜欢在公众场合炫耀自己，但却有很多内敛之人，他们在面具或乔装遮脸之后才感到更加舒适。

One self-proclaimed introvert is Jim, who came to Comicpalooza from San Antonio, Texas.
一名自称内向的受访者名叫吉姆，从德州圣安东尼奥来到这里。

“It helps me socialize and it has really helped me a lot.”
“它帮助我社交，真的帮助我很多。”

Jim says he often recommends it to young people he meets who may suffer from shyness.
吉姆说他经常把这个聚会推荐给遇见的年轻人，他们也饱受害羞内向的困扰。

“Because they might be introverted just like I was. So, [I am] kind of helping them come out and be able to talk and socialize.”
“因为他们可能像我曾经一样内向，所以，我是在帮助他们走出来、聊天、社交。”

Cosplay helps this year old get the girl.But for most cosplayers, the real thrill is just getting into costume.
扮装帮助这位男士找到女朋友。但对于大多数扮装者来说，真正的兴奋与欣喜正是套上戏服那会。

“And it is really exciting, you know, just to step outside of your life and really be somebody new.”
“走出真实生活，成为另外一个人，这真是令人兴奋。”

There are cosplay events all over the world now and an international competition is held every year at the World Cosplay Summit in Japan.
现在全世界各地都举办扮装盛会，而在日本全球装扮峰会上每年都会举办一场国际性比赛。