加拿大總理的襪子外交

The first time could have been chalked up to charming idiosyncrasy. The second seemed like an effort to bring some levity to a complicated situation. But the third and fourth (and fifth and so on) times that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada wore themed socks on a public occasion, it seemed clear that something more calculated was going on.

第一次可以歸爲可愛的癖好。第二次像是企圖給錯綜複雜的局面帶來一點輕快。但加拿大總理賈斯汀·特魯多(Justin Trudeau)第三和第四（第五以及更多）次在政治場合穿主題襪子，似乎清楚表明這其中有更蓄意的成分。

You’ve heard of fashion diplomacy, or frock diplomacy? The practice whereby a female politician, or the wife of a world leader, uses clothing to convey unspoken messages about a platform or position, or as a form of outreach?

聽說過時尚外交或禮服外交吧？一名女性政治人物或一位國家領導人的妻子，利用服裝就一個話題或一種狀況傳達無言的信息，或作爲一種對外推廣的形式。

Well, this is clearly sock diplomacy. It’s a new tactic in the political playbook.

那麼，這顯然就是襪子外交了。這是政治攻略中的一項新戰術。

And it reached an apogee of sorts on Sunday, when Mr. Trudeau marched in Toronto’s Gay Pride Parade wearing a rainbow-striped pair printed with the words “Eid Mubarak” in recognition of the Islamic festival that marks the end of Ramadan, and which coincided with this year’s parade. Yes, he honored two communities with one pair of socks. And he did so while also supporting local industry: They were made by a Toronto-based company, Halal Socks, and cost $14.99. All that doesn’t happen by accident.

上週日，這種戰術似乎達到了某種頂峯，當時特魯多穿着一對彩色條紋圖案的襪子，出現在多倫多同性戀驕傲遊行的隊伍中，襪子上印着“Eid Mubarak”（開齋節快樂）的字樣，旨在歡慶標誌着齋月結束的伊斯蘭節日，該節日碰巧與今年的遊行是同一天。沒錯，他以一雙襪子同時向兩個羣體致了敬。與此同時他還支持了本地產業：那雙襪子是由總部在多倫多的公司清真襪業(Halal Socks)生產，價值14.99美元。所有這一切並非偶然。

It also followed closely on an appearance in regular rainbow socks for a Pride flag-raising on June 14 in Ottawa, and one on the syndicated TV show “Live with Kelly and Ryan” on June 5 in patriotic maple leaf socks — which he also wore in 2015 at a gathering of Canada’s provincial heads of government.

不久前，這位總理曾在6月14日於渥太華舉行的驕傲升旗儀式上穿過一雙普通的彩虹襪，在6月5日參加聯播電視節目《凱利與瑞安真情對話》(Live with Kelly and Ryan)時穿過一雙愛國主義的楓葉圖案襪子——這雙襪子他在2015年參加加拿大省級政府領導人的一次聚會時也穿過。

There was another smart socks show in May during a NATO meeting in Brussels, when Mr. Trudeau wore one blue sock and one pink, each with the NATO flag emblazoned on the side.

在今年5月於布魯塞爾舉行的北約(NATO)會議上，還有過一次精彩的襪子秀，當時特魯多穿了一隻藍色襪子和一隻粉色襪子，每隻襪子的一側都印着醒目的北約旗幟。

And that followed a much documented meeting with Enda Kenny, then the prime minister of Ireland, to which Mr. Trudeau wore “Star Wars” socks (it was International “Star Wars” Day). I could go on, but you get the idea.

在那之前，還有一次多有記載的與愛爾蘭總理恩達·肯尼(Enda Kenny)的會面，當時特魯多穿了一雙《星球大戰》主題的襪子（那天是國際星球大戰日）。我還可以列舉更多，不過我想你已經知道我在說什麼。

In each case, Mr. Trudeau’s socks were not just fun, though they kind of were, especially compared with the usual politician’s navy or black; they also contained a message of solidarity. Rarely have a man’s ankles said so much.

在這每個場合中，特魯多穿的襪子不只是爲了有趣，儘管它們的確有些好玩，尤其是與普通政客的海軍藍和黑色襪子相比；它們也包含一種團結的信息。很少有一個男人的腳踝能傳達出這麼多信息。

It’s pretty clever. Men, after all, have significantly fewer options than women when it comes to implicit communication via clothing.

這是非常聰明的做法。畢竟，在通過服裝表達含蓄信息方面，男人的選擇比女人少多了。

Unlike Hillary Clinton with her white pantsuits, they can’t use color to support an idea. They can’t really wear suits by different tailors for every country they visit to support local industry, the way Michelle Obama often did and the Duchess of Cambridge does.

男性政客不能像希拉里·克林頓(Hillary Clinton)穿白色衣褲套裝一樣，用顏色來支持一種觀念。他們不能真的在出訪各個國家時穿由不同的設計師設計的套裝，就像過去的米歇爾·奧巴馬(Michelle Obama)和現在的劍橋公爵夫人所做的一樣。

Wearing a themed tie might be a bit obvious. Occasion-appropriate cuff links would probably be too hard for anyone to spot. But socks? They’re subtle enough not to be distracting, but visible enough that you can’t miss the point. That’s an original solution to the problem. And it’s working.

戴主題領帶可能會有點扎眼。佩戴與場合相配的袖釦則有可能難以讓人注意到。但襪子呢？它們足夠低調，不會讓人分心，但也足夠顯眼，不會讓人錯過。這是解決這個問題的很有獨創性的辦法。而且很有效。

Mr. Trudeau’s socks have begun to take on a life of their own, chronicled, and mostly celebrated, by observers everywhere.

特魯多的襪子已經開始有了自己的生命，被各地的觀察人士一一記錄在案，而且大多數時候是表示稱讚。

There are, of course, those who take exception to a head of government wearing what have historically been treated as joke, or kitsch, accessories.

當然，一位政府首腦穿着歷來被當作笑話或刻奇的裝飾品，也招致一些人的反感。

The point being that the socks reinforce the early criticism of Mr. Trudeau, voiced during his campaign for office, as a lightweight. (On the other hand, you could also see them as his attempt to own that stereotype and reverse it, now that he’s in power.)

他們想說的是，襪子強化了特魯多在競選公職早期受到的指責，即他不夠嚴肅。（但換個角度看，如今他已經上任，你也可以說他這是在嘗試承認這種刻板印象，並扭轉它。）

And there are those who pointed out, vis-à-vis the Eid/Pride twofer, that many Muslim countries persecute or sometimes even kill gay citizens, and accused Mr. Trudeau of eliding the issue in his desire to acknowledge everyone at once.

也有人指出，說到同時致敬開齋節/驕傲遊行，許多穆斯林國家會迫害、甚至殺害同性戀公民，由此指責特魯多爲了照顧到所有人，無視了這些問題。

But over all, the socks have been a source of, well, pride and applause on an international scale — a symbol both of Mr. Trudeau’s ability to embrace multiculturalism and of his position as a next-gen leader not bound by antiquated traditions and mores. Besides, they’re a good icebreaker. (See: Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany bending down to admire Mr. Trudeau’s choice at NATO.) After all, even when there’s no obvious theme to celebrate, Mr. Trudeau rarely chooses the plain pair, opting for argyle or stripes instead, among other patterns. When he met the chairwoman of Xerox, he was wearing a diamond style. She complimented him.

但總的來說，襪子已經成爲在國際層面獲得驕傲與掌聲的東西——既象徵着特魯多支持多元文化主義的能力，也顯示出他作爲不受過時傳統與習俗約束的下一代領袖的立場。此外，它們也是一個不錯的活躍氣氛的選擇。（比如：德國總理安格拉·默克爾曾特意彎下腰看特魯多爲北約會議選擇的襪子。）畢竟，即便沒有明顯的主題要慶祝，特魯多也很少穿普通的襪子，而是偏好菱形或條紋等圖案。與施樂公司的女董事長會面時，他就穿了一雙鑽石風格的襪子，並獲得了她的稱讚。

While it’s doubtful Mr. Trudeau will immediately inspire a copycat trend of funky sock-wearing among other world leaders — even those, such as President Emmanuel Macron of France, who appear to be like-minded — it has nevertheless opened up possibilities for the future.

特魯多不太可能在其他世界領導人中激起穿時髦襪子的風潮——雖說包括法國總統埃馬紐埃爾·馬克龍(Emmanuel Macron)在內的一些領導人似乎的確與他志趣相投——但它爲未來打開了更多的可能。

In the meantime, the world watches, and waits, for Mr. Trudeau’s next sock statement.

與此同時，世界在關注和等待着特魯多的下一場襪子聲明。