愚人節惡作劇完美進階五部曲大綱
There's nothing quite like a good prank. Whether you're simply channeling the summer camp classic of sticking a sleeping bunkmate's hand into a cup of warm water or plotting an elaborate Ocean's Eleven heist-like scenario to pull one over on a buddy, when it all comes together in hilarious humiliation, you can't help but crack a proud grin.
炮製一出高妙的惡作劇給人的滿足感實在無與倫比。不管你僅是套用夏令營經典惡作劇招數，將熟睡室友的手放進一杯溫水裏，還是對好友上演《十一羅漢》裏那精妙設計的攔路搶劫劇情，只要讓他人醜態畢露，引發爆笑，你總會禁不住自豪地奸笑起來。
And there's no better time than now to talk to a couple experts on everything you need to know to appropriately bask in the tomfoolery this year.
而此時正是向專家們請教今年該怎樣盡情“愚人娛己”的最佳時機。
So, why do we pull pranks anyway? According to Tim Nyberg, author of The Practical Joker's Handbook and The Practical Joker's Handbook: The Sequel, such wanton acts of entertaining deviousness break the monotony of the everyday. "Pranks are the part of the seasoning that makes life interesting," he said. "A sure cure for boredom is planning and executing a creative practical joke."
話又說回來，我們爲何要開玩笑呢？根據《惡作劇者實用手冊》和《惡作劇者實用手冊（續）》的作者蒂姆·紐伯格的說法，這些淘氣的娛人詭計打破了日常生活的單調。“惡作劇是爲我們生活添加趣味的調味料，”他說，“要打破沉悶，一個絕對有效的做法就是策劃並實施一個富有創意的惡作劇。”
Nyberg cited a number of motives from "just for the hell of it" to the joy of preying on a friend's gullibility. Or, for revenge, of course. Ah ye the payback prank. While the phrase "an eye for an eye, makes the world blind" is often attributed to Gandhi, we're pretty sure that even Mahatma would return the favor of a whoopee cushion slipped onto his seat by sprinkling itching powder into the perpetrator's jockstrap.
紐伯格列舉了形形色色的惡作劇動機，從“就爲了好玩”，到享受輕易騙到朋友的樂趣。當然還有，爲了報復。啊，對了，還有報復惡作劇。我們都知道“以眼還眼（即以牙還牙），世界只會更盲目”的名言出自甘地，但我們還是能肯定，如果這位聖雄也遭遇過坐上放屁墊子這樣的惡作劇，他也會回敬這位始作俑者的——在其運動內褲裏撒上癢粉。
"Is there any motive other than revenge?" said comedian and writer Streeter Seidell, whose years-long war of escalating pranks with fellow CollegeHumor employee Amir Blumenfield have become an Internet sensation. "Even the initial prank in a war is likely spurred by some offense you feel needs to be rectified," he added.
“除了報復，惡作劇還有別的理由嗎？”喜劇演員、“大學幽默”網站的作家史崔特·賽德爾說道。他與“大學幽默”網站的同事阿默·布魯曼菲爾德之間那長達數年、不斷升級的惡作劇大戰在網絡上引起熱議。他還說道：“引發惡作劇輪番大戰的第一個捉弄把戲很可能不過是別人一次不經意的冒犯，但卻激起了你的‘報復’心理。”
But maybe you don't have any grievances that need to be addressed. Maybe you just want to have some devilish fun at another's expense. In that case, Nyberg advised setting your sights on your friend preferably one with a good sense of humor. "It's always best when both parties (eventually) find humor in the prank," he explained.
不過你也可能沒有什麼冤屈特別需要平反的。你可能只想從別人身上獲得這種邪惡的快意。如果是這樣，紐伯格建議大家把對象限定在朋友圈裏，最好是富有幽默感的人。“如果雙方（最終）都能從惡作劇裏找到幽默的樂趣，那就再好不過了。”他解釋道。
Speaking from the perspective of someone who has been on both ends of the joke, Seidell echoed Nyberg's suggestion. "I can always forgive Amir for whatever caliber of prank he pulls because he's my friend and we work together every day," he said. "But if some random person decided to pull something on me just for fun, I can't say I'd be as forgiving."
站在惡作劇施受雙方的角度，賽德爾也贊同紐伯格的建議。“無論阿默開什麼玩笑我都能原諒他，因爲他是我的朋友，我們每天在一起工作，”他說，“但如果是一個隨便的什麼人想來愚弄我，拿我尋開心，我可不敢說我會如此寬容。”
After picking your mark, whether for revenge or not, now you've just got to figure out what you're going to do. Whether you decide to turn all your target's clocks forward by two hours so they think they're crazy late for work or to set up a Craigslist "casual encounters" ad with their e-mail, it should fit their personality.
選定對象後，不管是爲了報復還是其他目的，現在你只需確定接下來要做什麼就可以了。不管你是決定將所有目標對象的時鐘調快兩個小時，讓他們以爲自己要遲到了而發狂，還是用他們的郵箱地址在分類廣告網站Craigslist的“邂逅”欄目中登廣告尋找性伴侶，都得符合他們的個性。
"Play on their idiosyncrasie" said Nyberg. "The more creative, the better for both parties." But no matter what you do, Seidell advises to be careful not to take things too far like sending someone to the hospital, destroying property or trying to pull off something that will get you locked up in jail for a night.
“要針對他們的特質來開玩笑，”紐伯格說，“（惡作劇）越有創意，雙方就越能體會到箇中的樂趣。”但不管你開什麼玩笑，賽德爾建議大家要小心掌握分寸，玩笑別開過火，別搞得對方要進醫院，或毀壞財物，又或是做出什麼犯法的事以致自己得在監獄裏呆上一晚。
"I think I'd draw the line at a broken toe. And if your prank goes really, really wrong you should just lie and say you had nothing to do with it. Then flee the country," Seidell said. With any luck, your prank will go off without a hitch, making it important that you're there for the reaction, otherwise, you'll be missing your reward.
“我想我的底線就是到讓腳趾受傷這樣的事。如果你的惡作劇實在弄得太過火，那你最好就撒謊說你跟這事毫無關係，然後潛逃出國，”賽德爾說。如果你運氣好，弄出的惡作劇沒造成什麼問題，那你務必要留下來看看大家的反應，否則，你將會錯過你的“回報”。
"Even unoriginal little pranks can be a lot of fun to watch if the reaction is great," Seidell said. "Make sure you thank the mark for being a good sport," recommended Nyberg. "Again, the goal should be that both parties find humor in the prank."
“假如反應熱烈的話，即使是一些非原創的小惡作劇也能給旁觀者帶來極大樂趣，”賽德爾說。“一定要感謝那個被捉弄的對象爲大家帶來了樂子，”紐伯格建議道，“再次強調，（惡作劇的）目的是爲了讓雙方都能從惡作劇中感受到樂趣。”
Finally, if you find yourself the target of a practical joke this April Fools' Day, be sure to enjoy it. "Compliment the prankster," said Nyberg, who even suggested sending a thank you note. "Include a gift card to a local restaurant," he suggested. "The card, marked with a monetary amount, say $50, has been used except for $1."
最後，如果你發現自己在這個愚人節成了惡作劇的對象，請務必享受這一切。“要讚美那個開玩笑的人，”紐伯格說，他甚至還建議大家給對方寄一張感謝卡。“再附上一張當地餐館的贈券，”他提議，“上面標有一定的贈送消費金額，比如50美元，但實際上已被用得只剩下1美元。”
"Of course, the recipient won't know this until they try to pay for their meal with it."
“當然，收到贈券的人要到用它買單時纔會發現這件事。”
