It may not be a real illness but K-drama fever is sweeping Asia with as much force as an infectious disease.

　　“韩剧热”或许不是一种真正的疾病，但其席卷亚洲之势丝毫不亚于一种传染病。

　　The latest hit show to come out of South Korea has already claimed over 440 million victims in China alone, where it's being simulcast. Many millions more are glued to their screens across the continent.

　　最新的热门韩剧单在中国就已经吸引了超过4.4亿观众，获得多个平台的同时播放。亚洲还有众多观众正在观看。

　　But it's not just Asia which has seen a boom in the popularity of foreign-language TV dramas in recent years. Since the Danish crime drama, The Killing, was first aired on the BBC in 2011, the nation has been gripped by so-called Nordic Noir.

　　但近年来并非只有亚洲流行看国外电视剧。自从2011年丹麦版犯罪电视剧《谋杀》在英国广播公司播出以来，英国也掀起了观看北欧犯罪推理小说或影片的热潮。

　　So why do these international dramas appeal when the cultural references are so remote from the experience of the viewers? Perhaps the answer lies in this piece of advice for aspiring scriptwriters from the BBC's Writersoom: "Engaging characters are at the heart of all good drama, no matter how mainstream or unusual your idea may be."

　　那么为什么在文化背景与观众的生活经验有很大差异的情况下，这些国际电视剧还能走红呢?也许英国广播公司的知名编剧Writersoom道出了真相：“吸引人的角色是所有好剧的核心，不管你的观念多么主流或者非同一般。”

　　So if the characters are strong enough, it doesn't matter if they're from Sichuan, Seoul or Sweden.

　　所以不管来自四川，首尔还是瑞典，只要角色够给力就好。