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Col Needham’s Internet Movie Database 科尔．尼达姆的网络电影数据库

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Get a closer look at the Internet’s No.1 source for film information  更深入了解网络第一的电影信息来源

IMDb founder and Chief Executive Col Needham is a confessed movie nerd. Growing up in Manchester, England, his earliest memories were formed in movie theaters – seeing Star Wars when it was released in 1977, he recalled, when the cinema was “so full that people had to sit in the aisles.” So when at age 12 he got his first computer – a do-it-yourself kit – he began using the new technology to keep track of the movies he had seen.

网络电影数据库（简称IMDb）的创办人暨总裁科尔．尼达姆坦承自己是个电影狂。他成长于英国曼彻斯特，人生中最早的记忆就在电影院里成形──回想当初，他在1977年观看当年推出的《星际大战》，那时电影院「全场爆满，因此有的人必须坐在走道上」。于是，他在十二岁获得人生的第一部计算机之后（那是一套自己动手组装的机组），就开始利用这种新科技来追踪记录自己看过的电影。

“I’d be watching movies and would notice all of these connections between films. I was a big Cary Grant  fan, so putting all of the information in a little database, for example, helped me keep track of which Cary Grant films I’d seen,” he said. “It’s a bit geeky, but it worked out all right in the end.”

「我看电影的时候，都会注意到每部片之间的所有关联。举例来说，我是卡莱．葛伦的超级影迷，因此把所有信息集中在一个小数据库里，就能帮助我确认自己看过哪几部卡莱．葛伦的电影，」他说：「这样实在有点御宅，可是最后的结果还不错。」

A hobby transforms into a business  嗜好转变为事业

Needham’s obsessive hobby evolved into the Internet Movie Database, the online resource that allows users to sift through information about 1.5 million movies and TV programs and 3.2 million cast and crew members. Each month more than 57 million unique visitors use the website to search for details such as what movie their favorite actor might star in next or who directed that movie they just saw on TV. Those who shell out $15.95 per month get access to IMDbPro, where more detailed information resides.

尼达姆深深着迷其中的这项嗜好演变成了网络电影数据库。这个在线资源可让用户详查各种信息，内容涵盖一百五十万部左右的电影和电视节目，以及三百二十万个演员和工作人员。每个月都有超过五千七百万名（在线）访客利用这个网站查询各种详细信息，例如他们最喜爱的演员接下来可能会演出哪一部电影，或者他们刚在电视上看到的那部电影是哪位导演的作品。使用者如果愿意付出每个月十五点九五美元的会费，即可登入存有更详细资的IMDbPro进阶区。

The site celebrated its 20th anniversary in October. Needham, 43, spoke about IMDb’s information vetting process, how he handles the demands of often egotistical industry folk, and the site’s new look.

这个网站在十月欢度廿周年。四十三岁的尼达姆谈到网络电影数据库的信息查核程序，以及他如何因应往往很自我中心的业界人士的需求，此外，他也谈及网站的新样貌。

A conversation with Col  访谈科尔

Q: With so many credits listed, how can you be sure the information is reliable?

问：网站上罗列的参与作品数据那么多，你如何能确定这些信息确实可靠？

A: We have a set of expert editors. So when information comes in, it goes first to them – there might be a person that’s an expert of trivia or quotes or director’s credits, or who knows a lot about upcoming projects.

答：我们有一群专业编辑。我们收到的信息都会先交给他们──其中某个人可能是花絮新闻的专家，或者熟悉名人说过的话，或者精通各个导演的作品，或者对即将推出的新片计划了如指掌。

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nerd [nɝd] n. 书呆子; 计算机迷

aisle [aɪl] n.（戏院，列车，教堂等座席间的）通道，走道

do-it-yourself [ˋduɪtjɚˋsɛlf] adj. 自己动手的 of, relating to, or designed to be done by an amateur or as a hobby

keep track of someone or something 了解...的动态(或线索); 记录 to continue to be informed or know about someone or something

geeky [ˋgikɪ] adj. 科技狂的, 御宅族的 boring and not fashionable

work out 能够解决 to prove successful, effective, or satisfactory

reside [rɪˋzaɪd] v. 留驻, 存在 be present

vet [vɛt] v. 调查；检查 examine carefully

credits [ˈkrɛdɪts] pl, n 制作人员名单 a list of those responsible for the production of a film or television program

reliable [rɪˋlaɪəb!] adj. 可信赖的；可靠的

trivia [ˋtrɪvɪə] n. 琐事; 微不足道的细节

quote [kwot] n.【口】引语，引文

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Q: What happens if the so-called experts get the trivia or credits wrong?

问：这些所谓的专家如果把花絮新闻或参与过的作品搞错了呢？

A: We have had cases where somebody has said, ‘I’m not attached to this film,’ and then we look, and it’s their agent that’s actually told us about it. And surprise, a week later, they are publicly attached to the film. We get a tip from an agent or from the [people] themselves or somebody involved in the production. We are …. very plugged in there. But obviously, things can change.

答：我们遇过这样的状况──某个人说：「我没有参与这部电影。」然后我们检查之后却发现事实上当初取得消息的来源就是对方的经纪人。然后，你猜怎么着？这个人在一个星期后就公开宣布是这部电影的一员了。我们的消息来源可能来自经纪人，可能来自从业人员本身，也可能来自参与电影制作的工作人员。我们…因为关系密切而熟知内情。不过，事情显然都不免出现变化。

Q: Do you often get calls from celebrities asking that you remove, say, an unflattering news story that’s linked on their page or an embarrassing old credit?

问：你会不会常常接到名人的电话，要求删除网页上关于他们的负面新闻，或是他们自己觉得难堪的旧作？

A: The credits are the bread and butter. We want to list every credit for everybody, and there’s nothing they can do. We never remove factually correct information. So if somebody made this film, if this piece of information about somebody is the truth, we will always publish that. If somebody wants something removed, we’re not going to remove it just because they want it removed.

答：作品经历是这个网站的谋生之道，我们要把每个人的所有作品都列出来，他们对于这点是无能为力的。我们从不移除根据事实的正确信息。如果有人拍了这部片，如果这则关于某人的消息是真的，我们就一定会注销来。如果有人想要把某东西删除掉，我们不会只因为他们想这么做就照做。

Q: You recently redesigned the website, and it seems users have had a mixed reaction.

问：你近来重新设计了网站，使用者对于这项改变似乎褒贬不一。

A: We’ve got a really big group of users who are absolutely loving it, and they’re getting on and enjoying it. It’s much more about helping you make that viewing decision, so there’s an emphasis on show times in theaters, purchasing options and linking directly to movies and TV shows that are available online. For some people who are perhaps very accustomed to where things specifically are on a page, it’s taken them longer to adjust.

答：有很多使用者都非常喜爱这个新版本，而且他们也都愈来愈熟悉并享受着网站的内容。这次改版的重点更在于协助使用者做出观影决定，所以特别强调戏院放映时间表、购票选项以及直接链接至网络上的电影与电视节目信息。有些人可能已经很习惯哪些东西摆在页面的什么特定位置，所以需要多花一点时间来适应。

－by Amy Kaufman

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tip [tɪp] n. 内部情报，秘密消息 a piece of inside information, esp in betting or investing

plug in (to something) 关系密切而熟悉内情的 to become attached to something; to become attached to some sort of network or system

bread and butter 生计，谋生之道 a basic means of support or income; source of livelihood; sustenance

get on 进展; 进步 to make progress; continue

show time 表演时刻 the time at which an entertainment, such as the showing of a movie, is scheduled to start

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confessed [kənˋfɛst] adj. 已公开承认的; 已招供的 admitting to having a characteristic which is often considered not acceptable

sift through 筛选, 过滤 to examine all parts of something

shell out 付款 to pay or give money for something, especially when one does not want to

egotistical [ˏigə`tɪstɪk!] adj. 自大的; 自负的 considering oneself to be better or more important than other people; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance

unflattering [ʌnˋflætərɪŋ] adj. 准确无误的 making someone look less attractive or seem worse than usual; acknowledging few or no good aspects; unfavorable

factually [ˋfæktʃʊəlɪ] adv. 真实地；确实地 based on fact and accurate information

accustomed to 习惯于 familiar with something; used to something

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Interview with IMDb Founder Col Needham: How IMDb Began