US president Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney had their first round of presidential debates on October 3. These debates are widely regarded as one of the key moments in the US election campaign.
十月三日，美国现任总统贝拉克•奥巴马以及共和党候选人米特•罗姆尼进行了二人的首轮总统竞选辩论。这次辩论被公认为是美国大选中最为关键的时刻之一。
The two candidates addressed key issues including tax policies, healthcare and the role of the government. Judging from numerous media analyses and polls after the event, it was Romney who emerged with the upper hand. He was presidential, articulate and strong. Obama, on the other hand, was “stumbling, rambling, dull-edged” and spent most of the debate on the defensive, said an article in The Atlantic.
两位候选人就一些关键议题进行了演说，包括：税收政策，医疗制度以及政府角色等。从众多的媒体分析和事后投票来看，罗姆尼占据上风。他很有总统相，口齿清晰，令人信服。而作为辩论另一方的奥巴马，用《大西洋月刊》上的一篇文章的话说，口误不断，离题万里，反应迟钝，大部分时间只是在进行防御性辩解。
It seems Romney’s hard work paid off. According to The New York Times he has been doing debate preparation since June. Meanwhile, Obama’s campaign team has been telling journalists how little time he has had to prepare due to his heavy workload as incumbent.
罗姆尼前期的努力似乎十分奏效。《纽约时报》报道称，罗姆尼从六月起就开始为辩论做准备。同时，奥巴马的竞选团队也一直向记者表示，因为还属任职期间，奥巴马工作负担很重，因此准备时间很少。
The next two debates are scheduled for October 16 and 22. Their outcome will have a strong influence on those who haven’t yet decided how to vote. Perhaps the president should spend more time honing his debating skills.
接下来的两轮辩论分别定于10月16日和22日举行。他们辩论的结果将对那些尚未确定投票对象的选民们产生巨大的影响。也许总统先生应该多花点时间好好练习一下辩论技巧。
So, how does a candidate prepare for these verbal duels?
那么，作为总统候选人，该如何准备应对这一场场唇枪舌战呢?
Candidates enjoy the perk of having a prep team to arrange mock debate sessions and give them feedback. The prep team’s key task is to put together a briefing book on policy for the candidate, in addition to a position book detailing the opponent’s stance on key issues.
作为总统候选人的一份特权，他们总统可以让竞选团队来安排模拟辩论赛，听听他们的反馈。竞选团队的主要任务是整理出该候选人的执政介绍书，此外还要详述对手在重要议题上的立场。
