Asking residents in a city where a seismic(地震般的；重大的) political event has just taken place ‘How do you feel?’ demands chutzpah(胆大妄为；厚脸皮) – this struck me as I walked around Magdeburg(马格德堡，萨克森-安哈尔特州首府), Germany on Monday. The night before, the far-right populist(民粹主义的), anti-immigrant, pro-Kremlin party Alternative für Deustchland (AfD) had landslide 44% win in Saxony-Anhalt(萨克森-安哈尔特州，德国东部州)’s state elections, sending shock waves to Berlin, across Germany and way beyond. Regardless of how people in the capital voted, it felt like a bit of an affront(冒犯；侮辱) to probe. Given the radical plans of the victors, a party classified by domestic intelligence as “rightwing extremist”, that is what I wanted to know. But from the 21-year-old Guinean-German paramedic I met at the central bus station, collecting donations for a local hospice, to the elderly couple returning to their apartment after a stroll down the Elbe river, almost everyone I met opened up to me warmly.
在一座刚刚发生政治地震的城市里，问居民“你感觉如何？”需要极大的胆量——周一我在德国马格德堡走访时，这种感觉一直萦绕心头。前一晚，极右翼民粹主义、反移民、亲克里姆林宫的政党德国选择党（AfD）在萨克森-安哈尔特州选举中以44%的得票率大获全胜，冲击波传至柏林、整个德国乃至更远的地方。无论首都的人们如何投票，贸然打探都像是一种冒犯。但鉴于获胜者的激进计划——该党被国内情报机构列为“右翼极端主义”——这正是我想了解的。然而，从我在中央汽车站遇到的为当地临终关怀机构募捐的21岁几内亚裔德国急救员，到在易北河畔散步后返回公寓的老夫妇，我遇到的几乎每个人都热情地向我敞开了心扉。
Judith, 88, was initially reluctant(不情愿的) to talk, but shared some of her life story. Her experience as an eight-year-old refugee, forced to leave Poland in 1946 and eventually ending up move with her family in Magdeburg, had shaped her outlook on life, her successful career as a project engineer – as well as her politics.(她8岁时成为难民，1946年被迫离开波兰，最终随家人辗转来到马格德堡，这段经历塑造了她的人生观、她作为项目工程师的成功事业——以及她的政治立场。) The news that AfD had not only won the election, but by such a wide margin(差距；幅度), was “heartbreaking”, she said.
88岁的朱迪思起初不愿多谈，但还是分享了一些人生经历。她8岁时成为难民，1946年被迫离开波兰，最终随家人辗转来到马格德堡。这段经历塑造了她的人生观、她作为项目工程师的成功事业——以及她的政治立场。她说，AfD不仅赢得选举，而且以如此大的优势获胜，这消息“令人心碎”。
Huy, from Vietnam, who runs a newsagents in the city centre, was also reticent(沉默寡言的), but laughed and rolled his eyes as he sold the last copy of that day’s local paper, Die Volksstimme(《人民之声》，马格德堡当地报纸), and pointed to the headline that read: “Landslide in Saxony-Anhalt”. Shaking his head, he said: “44%!” “I don’t want to think what it might mean … but maybe it will all be OK?” His question hung in the air.
来自越南的Huy在市中心经营一家报刊亭，他也不愿多谈，但当他卖出当天最后一份当地报纸《人民之声》时，他笑着翻了翻白眼，指着标题念道：“萨克森-安哈尔特 landslide”。他摇摇头说：“44%！”“我不想去想这意味着什么……但也许一切都会好起来？”他的问题悬在空中。