导读：第16届亚运会(Asian Games)将于明年11月在广州举办，志愿者招募工作正紧锣密鼓地进行着。对广州而言，这不仅仅是一场体育盛会，更是一改冷漠形象，大打友善牌的绝佳时机。年轻的志愿者们成了这项工程中最重要的一环！

　　今年19岁的方展君是华南农业大学英语专业的学生。当有同学问老师做亚运会志愿者有没有报酬时，她低着头没有说话。后来，方展君说：“听到这样的问题，全班同学都在大笑，但我却觉得很羞愧。其实，在这个城市，年轻人会有这样的想法一点也不足为奇。” FANG Zhanjun, a 19-year-old English major at South China Agricultural University, stared down at her feet when some of her classmates boldly asked the teacher whether they would get paid for volunteering for the Asian Games. "The whole class burst out laughing, but I felt really ashamed," said Fang. "And I don't think this idea is uncommon among young people in this city."
方展君是第16届亚运会首批志愿者中的一员，其将于2010年11月在广州举办。 She was among the first group of volunteers for the 16th Asian Games, which will be held in Guangzhou in November 2010.

　　这并非她第一次做志愿者：去年暑假期间，她曾在首都体育馆为北京奥运会服务。那时，一名来自大连的男志愿者给她留下了深刻的印象：为了来体育馆做引座员，他甚至辞掉了自己的工作。 Fang is a veteran volunteer: she was at the Capital Gymnasium during the Beijing Olympics last summer. She had been impressed by a male volunteer from Dalian who told her that he was quitting his job to become an usher at the gymnasium.

　　方展君说：“他的行为深深打动了我，我要把这种奉献精神带到广州。” "It touched me a lot. And I wanted to bring this spirit of dedication to Guangzhou," said Fang.

　　位于华南的沿海城市广州曾是中国市场经济改革的领头羊。但另一方面，广州的口碑却并不太好--人们常抱怨广州市民缺乏无私精神。对外来者而言，当地的粤语口音也显得很古怪难懂。因此，广州政府和年轻人们想借助此次亚运会及志愿者工作改善城市形象。 The southern coastal city of Guangzhou spearheaded China's market economic reform. But it has received unfavorable comments in another area - it is criticized for its lack of altruistic awareness. The Cantonese accent also seems strange to outsiders. So local authorities and young people see the Games and volunteering as important ways to bolster the city's image.

　　据广州亚运会组委会称，截至6月底已有131512人申请志愿者工作。而上海仅在20天内就有200000人申请为2010年世博会服务。相比之下，广州的数字有些黯然失色。 According to the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (GAGOC), 131,512 people had applied for volunteer positions by the end of June. However, when that figure is compared with the 200,000 applicants that the 2010 World Exposition in Shanghai attracted in 20 days, it doesn't seem so glamorous.

　　组委会志愿者招募负责人林艳芬解释说：“我们希望这个数字到明年7月能达到560000人，这样一来就有更多的年轻人能参与其中。” "We hope to find 560,000 volunteers for the Games by July of next year so that more young people can actively take part," explained Lin Yanfen, deputy director of GAGOC's volunteer section.

　　林艳芬还说：“亚运会不像奥运会那么有名，推广力度也不够。所以很多人根本不知道明年广州将举办这项活动。而且，要激发周边地区年轻人的热情也并非轻而易举的一件事。” "The Asian Games aren't as famous as the Olympics and the promotion wasn't sufficient, so not many people knew that it would be held in Guangzhou next year," said Lin. "What is more, it wasn't easy to excite the enthusiasm of young people in the surrounding area."

　　语言障碍打消了其他省市学生前来帮手的念头。上个月，组委会在辽宁大学做活动推广，一些学生说出了他们的担忧。“我和朋友们都很想去广州参加志愿者工作，但是我们不会说广东话，所以担心不能胜任志愿者工作。”19岁的辽宁省大四学生张慧如说。 The language barrier has discouraged students from other provinces from coming to help. When the organizing committee tried to promote the event at Liaoning University last month, some students spoke about their worries. "My friends and I were interested in volunteering in Guangzhou, but we were afraid that we wouldn't do a very good job because we don't speak Cantonese," said Zhang Huiru, 19, a Liaoning senior.

　　与此同时，广东年轻人的问题则更加现实。“我们在街上寻找志愿者时，一些人会问志愿者工作有没有交通、伙食补贴及其他报酬。”林艳芬说。 Meanwhile, for young people in Guangdong, the problem has been more practical. "When we went looking for volunteers on the street, some asked whether we offered transportation and meal subsidies, or they wanted to know what they would get in exchange for volunteering," commented Lin.

　　考虑到当地年轻人都很喜欢港台流行文化，为了吸引他们，组委会还特别邀请林志玲、刘德华等名人前来助阵。 To attract local young people who've been affected by Hong Kong and Taiwan pop culture, the organizing committee asked celebrities like Chiling Lin and Andy Lau to help out.

　　此外，组委会还创立了“志愿者荣誉”制度，以便给其一种成就感。依照该制度，每位亚运会志愿者都会得到一个评分，分数根据他们的服务时间长短从0到5不等。高分数者可以获得各种奖赏。 It also started a "volunteer credit" system to give youngsters a sense of fulfillment. Under this system, Asian Games volunteers will receive a score from one to five, depending on the number of hours they serve. A high score can lead to various awards.

　　林艳芬说：“我们希望借助这个活动改善广州的冷漠形象。为了让城市显得更友好，我们甚至已努力推广普通话。虽然有些困难，但人们还是能在日常生活中感觉到有所转变。” "We took this event as a chance to change the indifferent image of Guangzhou," said Lin. "We even tried to promote Mandarin to make the city seem friendlier. Even if the transition was a little bit hard, people can feel a change in daily life."

　　19岁的萧厦是广东外语外贸大学大三的学生，也是一名亚运会媒体中心的志愿者。他很赞同这种切实的改变。 Xiao Sha, 19, a junior at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, who had already volunteered for the Asian Games media center, enjoys the tangible change in the environment.

　　萧厦说：“以前，我们要是在食堂用普通话聊天，别人会用看外星人的眼光看我们。如今好了，如果你去外面就餐，服务生会用普通话和你打招呼。地铁里的广播也是普通话的，这对我来说方便多了。” "In the past, when I chatted with friends in Putonghua in a canteen, people might stare at us like we had come from another planet, but now when you go to some restaurants, waitresses will greet you in Putonghua," said Xiao, who's from Shanxi. "And in the subway, the information is in Putonghua, which is really convenient for me."