Each spring in west London, the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club will hold a rowing race on the Thames. Members of both teams are traditionally known as blues, with Cambridge in light blue and Oxford dark blue.

每年春天，牛津大学赛艇队和剑桥大学赛艇队都会在西伦敦的泰晤士河上进行赛艇。两个团队的成员都身着蓝色服装，剑桥是浅蓝色，而牛津是则深蓝色。

The tradition was started in 1829 by Charles Merivale, a student at St John's College, Cambridge, and his schoolfriend Charles Wordsworth who was at Oxford. Cambridge challenged Oxford to a race at Henley-on-Thames. The second race occurred in 1836，with the venue moved from Westminster to Putney. Over the next couple of years, there was disagreement over where the race should be held, with Oxford preferring Henley and Cambridge preferring London. Cambridge therefore raced Leander Club in 1837 and 1838. Following the formation of the Oxford University Boat Club, racing between the two universities resumed and the tradition continues to the present day, with the loser challenging the winner to a re-match annually with the exception of the two world wars.

这个传统始于1829年，由分别在牛津和剑桥大学念书的两个好朋友——剑桥大学的查尔斯梅里韦尔和牛津大学的查尔斯一起。那年，剑桥向牛津发起挑战，在泰晤士河畔的亨利决一胜负。第二次比赛是在1863年，比赛路线改到从威斯敏斯特到帕特尼。在接下来的几年间，关于比赛场埤，两所大学总有争议。牛津比较喜欢亨利，而剑桥更倾向于伦敦。所以，剑桥在1837年和1838年就和利安得俱乐部进行了比赛。之后，牛津成立了大学赛艇俱乐部，两所大学的比赛才得以继续，并且延续至今。除了两次世界大战期间，每年，上一届比赛的输家都会向对手发起挑战，要求再次比赛。

The event is a popular one, not only with the alumni of the universities, but also with rowers in general and the public. An estimated quarter of a million people watch the race live from the banks of the river from Putney to Mortlake, around seven to nine million people on TV in the UK, and an overseas audience estimated by the Boat Race Company at around 120 million.

这个活动很受欢迎，对这个活动感兴趣的不仅是两所大学的校友，它还吸引了许多公众的目光。比赛当天，多达25万观众将齐集泰晤士河从普特尼到莫特湖的河道两岸，见证这一激动人心的比赛。大约有700万到900万的英国人会在电视上收看这一比赛。据赛艇公司的估计，海外观众人数将达到1.2亿。

Despite being three times the length of an Olympic course, the entire event is over in just 20 minutes, a fact which should not overshadow the six months of sweat and toil which the teams endure in preparation for the big day.

虽然比赛河段的长度是奥林匹克运动会比赛赛道长度的3倍，整个比赛会在20分钟内就全部结束，但这并不能抹杀队员们为了这一重要时刻所付出的为期6个月的汗水和努力。

There are plenty of river vantage points for spectators, many of them conveniently close to pubs. A top-hat at a rakish angle and a half-empty bottle of expensive champagne" might help you wheedle your way into some of the more glamorous riverside parties that accompany this event.

河道旁边有很多理想的观看地点，这些地方通常离酒吧很近。一顶微倾的帽子， 半杯价格不菲的香槟没准就能帮你融入和比赛同时进行的河边聚会。

During the past 181 years, the race has been held for 155 times. Despite a phenomenal dead-heat which occurred in 1877，Cambridge won 79 times, 4 times more than Oxford. The 2009 boat race took place on 29 March at 15; 40 BST, with Oxford winning. The next race is scheduled to start on Saturday, 3 April 2010 at 4: 30 pm. Who will win this time, let's wait for the result and good luck to both Oxford and Cambridge!

在过去的181年间，比赛一共进行过155次。除了 1877年出现了一次罕见的平局，剑桥一共赢了79次，比牛津要多4次。2009年的赛艇是在3月29日，英国夏令时15:40开始的，牛津获胜。2010年的比赛定于4月3日16: 30进行。那么这次哪个大学会取胜呢，让我们拭目以待吧。祝牛津和剑桥好运。