immigration

immigration 移民

 

NB: Please note this is not a word for word transcript² of the audio programme

Gary:Today’s “big story” is migration¹. We’ll focus on some of the issues and, of course, the language behind the topic, and we’ll look at how migration is reported in the news. 

The International Organisation³ for Migration is based in Geneva. It has members from more than a hundred countries, and works with migrants and governments to set up policies to ‘manage migration flows for the benefit of all’. I spoke⁴ on the telephone to the IOM’s spokesperson Jean-Philippe Chauzy, and I wondered first of all if he could provide us with a working definition of the term “migrant”.

Clip       Jean-Philippe Chauzy

Well, yes. The general definition is for someone who will leave his or her own country to work abroad for a period of time – several months, years. Now, if looking for broader definition, also looking at people who decide to circulate（流通，循环）, in other words migrate from one country to another, following opportunities on global labour market. Or, at other end of spectrum（范围，系列）, people smuggled（走私）across borders in clandestine⁵ fashion and will end up in exploitative networks – enforced labour or sexual exploitation（性虐待，性剥削）.

Gary:Migration itself isn’t a new phenomenon. In fact, during the 19th-century, roughly one in ten people could be classed as an international migrant. But how does this compare with the situation today? I asked Jean-Philippe Chauzy why people choose to leave their country of birth, and how many people are doing this.

 

Clip       Jean-Philippe Chauzy

Well, first, I think fair to say no country in world unaffected by international migration flows. Today, most countries are countries of origin/transit/destination for migrants – or all three. The numbers we have: stock number for international migrants today worldwide, hovering⁷ around 175 migrants, roughly one person in 35. In more developed regions of world, percentage is higher: 1 in 10.

Gary: Well, as you say, those are quite staggering figures. And I guess people are moving for different reasons?

Jean-Philippe: Yes absolutely. If you’re looking at economic migration, mostly it’s the lack of socio-economic prospects⁸ at home that will push people to leave, to migrate in search of better opportunities. And that’s one of main “push” factors. But you could also look at issue of bad governance（统治，支配）; and also fact you have people who flee （逃避）conflict, civil strife⁹, ecological¹⁰ degradation（退化）. All these are push factors.

Gary: And if there are these push factors that lead people to migrate, I guess you might refer as well to “pull factors”, what are these pull factors? What might these pull factors be?

Jean-Philippe: Amongst the pull factors, the fact that migrants know will find better paid employment in the country of destination – most of the time in informal sector¹¹. There’s also fact that in many countries, large Diasporas will facilitate the arrival of the migrants. Also fair to say now highly sophisticated（诡辩的，久经世故的）criminal networks, that are operating, smuggling¹² or trafficking networks operation worldwide, and that are making huge amounts of money, billions of dollars every year, helping¹³ migrants to cross borders illegally – these are smugglers; or helping migrants cross borders illegally, to keep those migrants in exploitative networks – we’re looking now at trafficking networks.

Gary: Could we look at another couple of terms that often appear in news stories, one is remittances¹⁴ and the other is to do with the brain drain（人才外流）. Maybe let’s start with the brain drain?

Jean-Philippe: Well, the brain drain, this expression has been around for decades, it qualifies, the fact that skilled human resources are leaving developing countries and are benefiting developed countries, in other words a doctor or nurse might be trained in a developing country and then person will find employment in more developed country and leave country of origin. Of course, a great loss for the country of origin.

Gary: Is there anything we can do about this brain drain?

Jean-Philippe: Well, we’re saying at IOM migration can be and should be associated to development of countries of origin. You can ask qualified¹⁵ migrants to go back to countries of origin for short periods of time, so they can transfer their knowledge and skills. The other thing is, migration can be assoc to development if looking at issue of remittances – money sent back by Diaspora to country of origin. The figures are quite staggering. World Bank figures for Africa hover⁶ around 80 billion dollars a year. In other words, amount of remittances in Africa is higher than development aid. So has to be way to capitalise on these remittances, to make sure they contribute to economic development of the home country.

Gary: The benefits of migration can be substantial. The country of origin can benefit economically when migrants send money back to their families at home. Migrant workers can acquire skills and knowledge to take home to their own communities. And the country of destination may be able to use migrant workers to fill job vacancies（职务空缺）, where they don’t have enough skilled labour of their own. But not everyone is a winner: there can be problems as well as benefits. 

Clip Jean-Philippe Chauzy 

 

A lot of people want to migrate but there are few channels to allow them to do so legally. What most would-be migrants will do is look at ways of using smuggling and trafficking networks. That has very serious impact – on well-being¹⁶ of migrant who might find self in dangerous and exploitative situation. But also on host country because irregular migrants will never be able to integrate（整合）. Won’t be able to send children to school, rights abused. One of the other aspects, because fewer channels to migrate legally, and because turn to smuggling, this benefits highly-organised criminal networks, making billion of dollars smuggling and trafficking people – it’s become in a way the new slave trade.

Gary:Jean-Philippe Chauzy of the International Organisation for Migration. In the final part of today’s programme, I’d like to play you part of a report I saw on BBC television news. The report explains how Britain’s health service has been hiring nurses from the Philippines because of a shortage of trained staff in British hospitals. As we’ve discovered in The Big Story today, there can be winners and losers in this type of exchange. For example, you’ll hear about the financial benefits for those who find work in Britain. But you’ll also hear about a “brain drain” taking place in the Philippines as a result. The reporter is Clive Myrie. (本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 clandestine   

adj.秘密的，暗中从事的

参考例句：

• She is the director of clandestine operations of the CIA.她是中央情报局秘密行动的负责人。
• The early Christians held clandestine meetings in caves.早期的基督徒在洞穴中秘密聚会。

6 hover   

vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫

参考例句：

• You don't hover round the table.你不要围着桌子走来走去。
• A plane is hover on our house.有一架飞机在我们的房子上盘旋。

7 hovering   

鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
• I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

8 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

9 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

10 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

11 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

12 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

13 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

14 remittances   

n.汇寄( remittance的名词复数 )；汇款，汇款额

参考例句：

• He sends regular remittances to his parents. 他定期汇款给他父母。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Remittances sometimes account for as much as 20% of GDP. 在这些国家中，此类汇款有时会占到GDP的20%之多。 来自互联网

15 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

16 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。