世界各國領袖之間到底是怎樣通電話的?

According to the New York Times, US foreign allies "were blindly dialling in to Trump Tower" in the days after the national election.

據《紐約時報》報道，在美國大選後的這些日子裏，美國的海外盟友們都“不假思索的往特朗普大廈打電話”。

But what is normal procedure for conversations between world leaders?

那麼，世界各國領袖之間通電話的正常程序是怎樣的？

Here are some of the steps taken to smooth out the process and avoid potential pitfalls, from linguistic misunderstandings to prank callers.

以下是保證通話能順暢進行所採取的一些步驟，它們還能避免出現從語言不通造成誤會到惡作劇電話等各類潛在的外交陷阱。

"Hello, can I speak to the president?" is not an off-the-cuff request an operator is ever likely to hear from a world leader.

電話接線員不太可能有機會從一國領袖那裏聽到“哈囉，麻煩找一下總統”這樣的隨意請求。

By the time the initial pleasantries are exchanged between heads of state, the groundwork will have been done behind the scenes by the leaders' respective staff.

在兩國政府首腦相互寒暄之前，他們各自的團隊就已經在幕後做好了鋪墊工作。

"When there is an established relationship between two countries, it might be as simple as one situation room calling its counterpoint and saying my head of state wants to speak to yours," says Stephen Yates, who worked as deputy national security adviser to former US Vice-President Dick Cheney.

曾擔任前美國副總統迪克·切尼副國安顧問的葉望輝表示：“當兩國有已確立的關係時，通話就可能簡單到一國的特情室致電給另一國的特情室，說我們的元首想和你們的元首通話。”

When countries are in less frequent contact, an ambassador may make the first formal request on their leader's behalf.

如果兩國之間的聯繫不是那麼頻繁的話，可能會先由一國大使代表國家領導人提出正式的請求。

They will set out the proposed agenda and reasons for the call and, if agreed, the reciprocal team would then work it into busy schedules.

他們會列出有關的聯繫日程以及通話原因，如果雙方同意，接聽一方將會把通話列入忙碌的日程中。

World leaders are typically well briefed before speaking to each other.

通常在通話之前，領導人都已經收到了簡要的情況彙報。

In the US, the president is given a dossier from the National Security Council (NSC), the principal US advisory body on national security and foreign policy.

在美國，總統會從國家安全委員會--這是美國的安全及外交事務顧問部門--那裏得到一份檔案彙編。

If it is a simple courtesy call, the information provided may be basic, including details on who initiated contact, and two or three recommended talking points.

如果只是一次簡單的禮節性交流，事前所彙報的可能就只是一些基本的信息，包括是誰先提請進行聯絡，以及兩到三個推薦的話題。

There may also be some need-to-know personal information, such as a reminder to ask after a sick husband or wife.

此外，還可能包括一些需要知道的私人信息，比如提醒總統問候對方最近抱恙在身的丈夫或夫人。

If the topic is sensitive, the NSC will offer the president an additional short briefing, and then listen in on the call.

如果通話的議題比較敏感，國家安全委員會將會爲總統提供一個額外的簡報，然後會在通話中旁聽。

World leaders usually have various people listening in on their conversations, including aides and interpreters.

世界領導人的通話通常都會有很多人旁聽，包括副手和翻譯等等。

Even when leaders speak another language fluently, they often choose to conduct official calls in their mother tongue.

哪怕領導人本身能夠流利地說另一國的語言，在官方通話中，他們通常使用的還是母語。

"Sometimes that is down to national pride, but it's also to avoid misunderstandings and protect nuance," says Kevin Hendzel, a former White House linguist.

前白宮語言顧問凱文·亨塞爾表示：“有時候這是一個國家尊嚴的問題，但是更多的是爲了避免誤會和保障溝通當中的微妙信息。”

US presidential translators will have passed security clearances, background checks and even sat polygraph tests, before they become privy to sensitive information involved in high-level diplomacy.

美國總統的翻譯必須經過安全調查、背景審覈，甚至測謊測試，然後才能獲准在高層外交當中有對敏感信息的知情權。

"There are no novices that work at the presidential level," says Mr Hendzel. "It takes a great deal of time for an interpreter to reach this stage. They are also experts in the subject matter, and they know getting a form of address wrong can be a deal breaker."

“在總統級別的工作中不會有新手存在，”亨塞爾說，“翻譯要達到這個級別需要花大量的時間。他們同時還是某些具體議題的專家，並且知道哪怕搞錯一個稱呼都可能壞事。”

Prank calls to presidents are rare, but not unheard of.

打給元首的惡作劇電話很少見，但也並非從未有過。

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy fell victim to hoax in January, when a radio presenter phoned imitating the new separatist leader of Catalonia.

今年1月，西班牙總統馬里亞諾·拉霍伊就曾被耍過，當時一個電臺主持人打給他，假裝自己是加泰羅尼亞的分離派新領袖。