访谈节目的小秘密—为什么主持人坐在右边？

爱思英语编者按：主持人为什么都坐右边？估计没人想过这个问题吧。其实是有原因的。骄傲的主持人们不希望客人喧宾夺主，所以在位置安排上玩了一个小花招，不管请来的是天皇巨星还是国家总统，观众的注意力更多还是放在了主持人身上。

Why do hosts always place their desks to the right?
为什么电视节目主持人总把自己的桌子放在右边？

Because it makes them seem powerful. In Western culture, we read from left to right, and we watch theater and television that way, too. Our eyes end up on the right side of the screen—where the host sits. In the theory of stagecraft, it's understood that a rightward placement telegraphs royalty. So no matter how famous the guest may be, sitting to the left makes him or her seem subservient.
因为这让他们看上去更有威势。西方文化中，人们的阅读方式是从左到右，看戏和看电视也是这样。我们的眼睛最终停留在屏幕的右边——主持人所在之处。舞台艺术理论表明，右边的位置能彰显庄严。所以不管嘉宾是多显赫的人物，左边的位子都让他/她显得卑微。

Stage designers hold that guests make a stronger impression if they enter from stage left, crossing in front of the host and shifting the audience's focus ever so briefly.
舞美师认为如果嘉宾从舞台左侧进入时会给观众带来更深刻的印象。嘉宾随后穿过镜头，从主持人面前走过，只会稍微转移一下观众的注意力。

Alternative interview formats can telegraph more nuanced power dynamics. On The View, for instance, the hosts sit grouped around the same table, with the guest at the center, signaling a more egalitarian (and feminine) atmosphere. On Politically Incorrect, host Bill Maher sat between rival guests—a setup that emphasized his role as moderator and the importance of argument among ideological opposites.
其他采访形式彰显了更细微的权利机制。电视节目《观点》中，主持人都围坐在一张桌子边，嘉宾坐中间，营造了一种平等而稍有阴柔的气氛。《不识时务》节目中，主持人Bill Maher坐在对立的嘉宾之间，表明自己作为调和者的身份，也强调了意识形态争论的重要性。更多信息请访问：http://www.engbus.cn/

The few hosts who've deviated from the right-side desk arrangement haven't fared well. Dick Cavett, who started out as a morning and midday host, tried to import the non-desk interview setup he'd used in other time slots to his namesake late-night show. It never approached the popularity of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, and eventually ABC phased Cavett out.
一些不遵守右手边法则的主持人就栽了大跟头。Dick Cavett一开始当早间和午间节目主持人时，试图在自己的同名晚间秀中引进其他时间段节目中使用过的“无桌化”采访模式。他的节目从未像Johnny Carson的今夜脱口秀那样成功，ABC电视台最终也逐渐淘汰了Cavett的节目。