國際橋牌社
For those of you unfamiliar with the political history of Taiwan, here is Island Nation, the country’s first-ever political drama.
對於台灣政治歷史不熟悉的人，不妨從觀賞台灣的第一部政治劇「國際橋牌社」開始。
(who are) unfamiliar with~-ever加於形容詞後，作為強調
Through great attention to historical accuracy, the series tells the story of how Taiwan overcame obstacles to become the full-blown democracy it is today.
這部劇忠實地呈現歷史，訴說台灣如何一路突破阻礙，轉型為成熟民主國家的故事。
accurate(adj.)準確的precision(n.)精密度、精確性overcome=get overobstacle(n.)阻礙、障礙obstruction(n.)障礙物、妨礙full-blown=completely developed充分發展的
Set against the backdrop of the post-martial law era, Island Nation takes the audience to a time when challenges laid ahead, as our predecessors were working to steer the country on the path toward democracy.
時空背景設於戒嚴之後，國際橋牌社讓觀眾看到民主的路上有多少阻礙，而前人又是如何奮力帶領國家走向民主。
impose martial law實施戒嚴lie=existforerunner(n.)先驅steer(v.)駕駛、引導
At that time, a successful transition to political freedom was by no means a foregone conclusion; any misstep could have undermined their efforts.
在當時，要轉型成自由的政治型態絕對不是理所當然，任何差錯都可能讓先前的努力付諸流水。
transition(n.)轉變、過渡transitional(adj.)變遷的、過渡的transitional phase過渡期foregone conclusion=a predicted resultundermine(v.)削弱、危害sabotage(v.)蓄意、暗中破壞
In the first season of the series, actor Yang Lieh plays a president who is sympathetic to the pro-democracy movement.
在第一季，楊烈飾演支持民主運動的總統，
sympathetic(adj.)同情的、贊同的sympathy(n.)同情心
As the first Taiwanese-born president, he exercises outstanding political wisdom in dealing with the old guards of his party and the opposition amid calls for political reform and democratization.
作為首任在台灣土生土長的總統，他展現了過人的政治手腕，身處改革與民主化的聲浪之中，同時與朝野兩黨的派系元老斡旋。
the old guard保守份子conservative(adj.)保守的the ruling party執政黨the opposition (party)反對黨democracy(n.)民主democratic(adj.)民主的democratization(n.)民主化
Apart from the lives of historical figures, the series also follows the fortunes of fictional characters such as journalists, dissidents and the president’s bodyguard, as they are bound together by the times they live in.
除了描寫歷史人物的生平，劇中也呈現記者、異議分子、和總統隨扈等虛構角色的故事是如何在時代浪潮下交織。
dissident(n.)異議份子、反對者dissenter(n.)異議份子bind-bound-bound捆綁、團結
Many people have contributed to the authenticity of the series, including those working for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) and the Presidential Office, where the production team was allowed to shoot a few scenes.
為了確保劇情忠於歷史，國際橋牌社動員了許多人力，包含在國防部和總統辦公室就職的人員，而劇組也有獲准到這兩處拍攝幾個場景。
contribute to 為～帶來貢獻authentic(adj.)真正、可信的authenticity(n.)真實性、可信度where…=at which...
Also, the late Air Force General Shen Yi-ming helped to ensure that the scriptwriters were historically accurate about the role of Taiwan’s military in the Great Desert Program of 40 years ago.
另外，在一個四十年前大漠計劃的場景中，已故空軍上將沈一鳴也有協助確保劇本的真確性。
Produced by Mark Twain Productions, Island Nation was released on January 20, just weeks after Taiwan’s presidential election.
國際橋牌社由馬克吐溫國際影像公司製作，於1月20日釋出，正好是台灣總統大選結束後，
Produced by…分詞構句
If anything, it is a celebration of this island nation’s hard-won democracy.
可說是對於台灣得來不易的民主的頌揚。
if anything真要說的話、甚至，用於提出相反的看法celebration(n.)慶祝、頌揚、歌頌hard-won得來不易的