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SEOUL, South Korea — In the heart ofSeoul’s famous Gangnam neighborhood lies the “Beauty Belt,” a grouping ofstreets lined with hundreds of cosmetic surgery joints.
(首爾，韓國) 在首爾中心著名的江南區的附近坐落著被稱為“美麗地帶”的整容手術一條街。
Untold numbers of Koreans — as well asChinese and Southeast Asian tourists— have trekked to this district, seeking apointed nose, rounded eyes, a slimmer jaw line and even a gentler smile,considered graceful in some East Asian countries.
數不清的韓國人---還有中國和東南亞的游客---經過長途跋涉來到這塊地方，想要得到高挺的鼻子，大眼睛，尖下巴甚至是一個溫柔的笑臉，這些在某些東亞國家都被認為是美麗的特征。
South Koreans are the most cosmeticallyenhanced people in the world, according to the International Society ofAesthetic Plastic Surgeons. In this hyper-competitive society, plastic surgeryis often seen as a prerequisite to job and relationship success.But what if you can’t afford these high-endclinics?
據國際整形外科醫生協會統計，韓國人是世界上整形程度最高的人。在競爭激烈的社會中，整形手術常被視為實現就業和良好人脈關系的必備條件。但要是負擔不起高檔診所該怎么辦呢？
Turns out, there’s an alternative: do-it-yourselfcosmetic enhancements.It’s popular among anxious Korean teenswho lack the funds to purchase the rarified good looks plastered on subway andbus advertisements. Taken together, a “VIP package” of procedures such as aneye lift, nose job, and even a popular jaw bone-cutting operation can fetchmore than $10,000.
有一個選擇：自己給自己做整形這一方法在一些渴望美貌的韓國青少年中頗受歡迎，因為他們無力支付地鐵和巴士廣告上的那種精致的美容手術。一個“VIP套餐”，包括開眼，隆鼻，有時甚至還有熱門的下頜削骨手術，加起來可能超過10000美元。
Impatient for such treatments, theseyoungsters are taking the burden upon themselves to carve out a better face.Enter the DIY craze, a potentially hazardous fad among high school friends whoself-apply cheap and scantly regulated tools bought online.
出于對這種手術迫不及待的渴望，這些年輕人自己擔負起把臉雕琢得更漂亮的重任，他們加入了DIY狂潮-------在高中學生間流行的、頗具危險的時尚。他們用在網上買的廉價且不正規的工具給自己整形。
The process usually doesn’t involveself-mutilation (although there are exceptions). But cosmetic surgeons insistit is potentially dangerous because it involves trying to contort andmanipulate bodies that have not fully matured — offering the potential forharm.
這些整形通常不會傷害到自己（雖然也有例外）。但整形醫生們堅持認為它們是有潛在風險的，因為這些青少年的身體還未發育成熟，可能會造成傷害。
Na and Choi, both 17, told GlobalPostthat two years ago, after seeing Korean talk show guests demonstrate variousshape-changing gadgets, they started buying the products online. Since then,they have suffered all sorts of facial injuries — thankfully, none of thempermanent
Na和Choi，都只有17歲，告訴《環球郵報》：兩年前，在看了韓國綜藝節目嘉賓演示了各種整形小工具后，她們就開始從網上買這些東西。從那以后，她們忍受了各式各樣的面部傷痛—不過謝天謝地，這些傷痛都不是永久性的。
“Wewant to become pretty without spending all the money,” said Na, aged 17. “Weknow that these methods aren’t approved of, but lots of our peers do it. Girls[in our all-girls school] like girls who look pretty.” At times, the “patients”are as young as 12 or 13. “Weknow about the dangers, but we don’t think the dangers will come to us,” she said. (Because they’re minors, the two friends askedGlobalPost not to use their full names, per South Korean standards.)
“我們想要不怎么花錢就能變得漂亮，”17歲的Na說。“我們知道這些方法是不可取的，但是很多我們的同齡人都這么做。（在我們女校）女孩子都喜歡漂亮的女孩子。”有時候，這些“病人”甚至只有十二三歲。“我們知道有風險，但我們覺得這些風險不會發生在我們身上。”她說。（因為是未成年人，她們要求《環球郵報》依據韓國規定不要使用她們的全名。）
