Well, how do you get to Carnegie Hall? Just ask the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. 嗯，你要怎樣才能在卡內基音樂廳登台？就問問大英烏克麗麗樂隊吧。
Our Neal Curry caught up with this plucky band before it hit the road for its big gig. 本台的尼爾．柯瑞在這個撥彈樂團出發前往盛大表演之前訪問了他們。
It resembles a scene from a gangster movie, a motley crew assembles in the tunnels and back alleys of London carrying what looks at first glance like violin cases. 這看起來像黑幫電影的場景，混雜的一群人集結在倫敦的地道與後巷中，提著乍看像是小提琴琴盒的東西，
But these contain a very different kind of instrument -- ukuleles. 但這裡面裝著非常不一樣的樂器──烏克麗麗。
The miniature guitar was born in Portugal, raised in Hawaii and adopted by an unlikely film star from the north of England. 這種迷你吉他在葡萄牙誕生，於夏威夷發揚，被來自英格蘭北部一位其貌不揚的電影明星採用。
George Formby's toothy grin and merry music making endeared him to a generation, but left the ukulele forever associated with comedy. 喬治．方比的露齒微笑和歡樂的音樂演奏，讓他受到整個世代喜愛，但也讓烏克麗麗和喜劇永遠脫不了關係。
When we first started, hardly anybody was doing it, apart from some George Formby fans. 我們剛開始彈烏克麗麗的時候，幾乎沒有人在彈，除了一些喬治．方比的影迷。
Our style of music wasn't exactly coherent with their stuff, so we went on a different path. 我們的音樂風格和他們不完全一致，所以我們走不同的路。
Over the years, we've seen in every country we go to -- Sweden, Australia, Canada, absolutely everywhere, Japan -- 這些年來，我們在每個到過的國家都看到——瑞典、澳洲、加拿大，就是任何地方，日本——
ukulele clubs, ukulele enthusiasts and some really great players. 烏克麗麗俱樂部、烏克麗麗愛好者和一些真的很傑出的演奏者。
We've been playing together now for 22 years, which is quite sort of incredible, really. 我們一起彈奏到現在已經二十二年了，實在有點不可思議，真的。
So, we're more like a family than a band, and I mean that in every sense of the word. 所以說我們比較像個家庭甚於樂團，我說的完全就是這個意思。
You know, sometimes we love each other; sometimes we can't stand each other. 你知道，有時候我們彼此相愛，有時候又受不了彼此。
The orchestra is known for its unique interpretations of a wide range of music, from movie themes such as Monty Norman's "James Bond Theme" 該樂團有名的是它對廣大類型的音樂做了獨特詮釋，從像是蒙第‧諾曼「詹姆斯龐德主題音樂」這樣的電影主題曲，
to metal bands such as Motorhead and Black Sabbath to popular singers such as Adele's "Rolling in the Deep." 到機車頭和黑色安息日這類的金屬樂樂團，到流行歌手，例如愛黛兒的〈Rolling in the Deep〉。
The orchestra has played to packed venues from Sydney Opera House to London's Royal Albert Hall 該樂團曾在好幾個座無虛席的場地演奏，從雪梨歌劇院到倫敦的英國皇家亞伯廳，
and will perform at Carnegie Hall in New York next month. 下個月則將在紐約卡內基音樂廳表演。
The ukulele orchestra has had some famous fans, from George Harrison to David Bowie, and their music has been remixed by famous DJs. 這個烏克麗麗樂隊有好些知名的樂迷，從喬治．哈里遜到大衛．鮑依，他們的音樂還曾被知名DJ們拿來混音。
Whether in the clubs of Ibiza or the cathedrals of classical music, they aim to leave listeners with a smile on their face. 不論是在伊比薩的夜店或古典音樂的聖堂，他們都希望在聽眾臉上留下笑容。
And what is it that makes them smile? 是什麼讓他們微笑呢？
I think maybe it's just the sound of the thing, and it's a bit like a terrier, a dog, you know, who's sort of very friendly. 我想也許就是這個東西的聲音，有點像梗犬，那種還滿親人的狗狗。
But actually, if it's yapping around your ankles too much, you get a bit bored with it... fed up with it, you know? 不過，說真的，如果在你的腳邊叫太久，你會感覺有點無聊……有點受不了牠，對嗎？