Election nights are party time(派对时光) in Washington. The bars and restaurants fill up and the city rocks(沸腾；震撼). For diplomats, it’s an opportunity – but it’s also a long night, as you trek(长途跋涉) across the party scene in search of(寻找) insight and illumination. Invariably, it has its moments(有精彩时刻). I recall being at the Washington Post party on the night of the presidential election on 8 November 2016. Washington is an overwhelmingly Democrat city and the atmosphere was raucously optimistic, reflecting Hillary Clinton’s small but consistent lead in the polls.(华盛顿是民主党占绝对优势的城市，气氛喧闹乐观，反映出希拉里在民调中小幅但稳定的领先。) As the first results came in a shocked hush(寂静) fell across the room. People gathered in small, murmuring groups. Within 30 minutes, half the guests had left.
选举之夜是华盛顿的派对时光。酒吧和餐厅座无虚席，整座城市沸腾起来。对外交官而言，这是机会——但也是一个漫长的夜晚，因为你要辗转于各个派对现场，寻找洞见和启发。这样的夜晚总会有难忘的时刻。我记得2016年11月8日总统选举夜，我参加了《华盛顿邮报》的派对。华盛顿是民主党占绝对优势的城市，当时气氛热烈乐观，反映出希拉里·克林顿在民调中小幅但稳定的领先。随着第一批结果传来，整个房间陷入震惊的寂静。人们三五成群，低声议论。不到30分钟，一半的客人已经离开。
In contrast(相比之下), I recall speaking to Nancy Pelosi(南希·佩洛西，美国民主党政治人物), the queen of the Democrats, at a watch party(观选派对) on 6 November 2018, for the midterms during Trump’s first presidency. I asked her what I should put in my overnight report to London, given that(鉴于；考虑到) most results wouldn’t be in(尚未出炉). She said, with striking confidence, that I should predict that the Democrats would retake(夺回) the House of Representatives. She was right: the Democrats flipped(翻转（席位）) 41 Republican seats. It gave Pelosi a second term as speaker of the House and gave the world the enjoyable theatre of her sitting directly behind Trump at his State of the Union(国情咨文演讲) speeches, rolling her eyes(翻白眼) at the bombast(夸夸其谈).
相比之下，我记得2018年11月6日特朗普首个总统任期内中期选举的观选派对上，我与“民主党女王”南希·佩洛西交谈。我问她，鉴于大多数结果尚未出炉，我当晚发给伦敦的报告该怎么写。她信心十足地说，我应该预测民主党将夺回众议院。她说对了：民主党翻转了41个共和党席位。这使佩洛西第二次出任众议院议长，也给世界带来了一出好戏——在特朗普的国情咨文演讲中，她坐在他正后方，对那番夸夸其谈翻白眼。
So what judgments will the current generation of British diplomats have made about the extraordinary political earthquake of Tuesday night, and its implications for British interests and the handling of our most important bilateral relationship for the next two years?(那么，当前这批英国外交官会如何判断周二晚上那场非同寻常的政治地震？这对英国利益以及未来两年我们最重要的双边关系的处理又意味着什么？)
那么，当前这批英国外交官会如何判断周二晚上那场非同寻常的政治地震？这对英国利益以及未来两年我们最重要的双边关系的处理又意味着什么？