经济学人10:世界最大的上市公司们的透明度如何?

 　　Business.

　　商业。

　　Corporate¹ transparency.

　　公司透明度。

　　Measuring mud.

　　度量一团烂泥。

　　How transparent² are the world's biggest listed companies?

　　世界最大的上市公司们的透明度如何？

　　ARE you cheating on your spouse³? If so, please stand up and declare it. Total silence? What virtuous⁴ readers The Economist⁵ has.

　　你有欺骗你的伴侣吗？如果有，请站出来，（大声）承认你的所作所为。一言不发？《经济学家》的读者们都是这样的品德高尚啊。

　　Trying to measure corruption⁶ is a bit like surveying adultery. Those who indulge in it are unlikely to admit it. So when surveying big companies, Transparency International (TI), an anti-corruption watchdog, asks a different question: how transparent are you?

　　尝试去估量（组织机构的）贪腐的程度深浅，看起来有点像是调查（人们的）通奸的情况如何。那些在这方面放纵自己的人们不太可能承认自己的行为。所以当透明国际，一个反腐败检查组织，在调查大公司的透明度时，问了一个不太一样的问题：你们有多透明？

　　Its latest survey, "Transparency in Corporate Reporting", looks at the world's 105 biggest listed firms. It measures three things. First, a company's internal rules and procedures to prevent corruption. Second, the transparency of its organisational structure. Third, TI asks whether a firm publishes detailed⁷ financial information about its activities in every country where it operates, including how much it pays in taxes and royalties⁸ to each government.

　　该组织去年的调查工作，"公司报表中的透明度"，涉及了全球105家最大的上市公司。调查衡量了三项指标。首先，公司内部杜绝贪腐规定与程序。其次，公司的组织结构透明度。再次，透明国际询问他们是否在每一个有自己公司运营的国家，都公开了，关于各项经济活动的详细财务报告，其中的信息包括公司付了多少税费和"使用费"给当地政府。

　　Most firms in the sample have strict rules barring bribery¹⁰. The average score on this count was 69%, up from 47% in 2009, the last time TI conducted a similar exercise. Many firms also disclose ample details about which holding company owns which subsidiary, and so forth¹¹. Of the 105 companies, 45 scored a perfect 100% for organisational transparency.

　　抽样样本中，大多数公司都有严格的规定，以用来禁绝行贿受贿。在这方面的平均得分是69%，较2009年，上一次透明国际进行同类调查时的数字——47%，上涨了不少。很多公司也披露了大量的，关与母公司与子公司控股情况等等方面的详细信息。而在105家公司中，有45家在组织结构透明度中得到了完美的100分。

　　On the third measure, however, most firms remained tight-lipped. This does not mean they have done anything illegal. Suppose a mining firm pays $10m to a government for a licence to dig. The fee may be legitimate¹², but the government may wish to keep it secret, to make it easier to embezzle¹³. A company that is completely transparent may find it hard to win any more contracts from dodgy governments, which, alas¹⁴, control a lot of the world's natural resources. Statoil, Norway's state-controlled oil-and-gas firm, was by far the best performer (see table), yet it scored only 50% on this measure. More than a third of firms scored zero; the average was a meagre 4%.

　　尽管如此，对第三项调查，多数公司三缄其口。这并不意味着它们做了什么违法的事情。假设一个矿业公司为获得一张开采通行证而付给当地政府1000万美元，此费用或许是正当合法的，但是该政府也许希望对此秘而不宣，以方便日后挪用。一个完全透明的公司，会发现很难从那些滑头的政府手中赢得更多的合约，可惜的是，后者掌控着全球大量的自然资源。挪威国有控股的石油天然气公司，Statoil是至今为止，在此项调查中表现做好的，但是在此项标准上，它也只得到了50%。三分之一以上的公司得了零分；而平均分是微不足道的4%。

　　Campaigners have long complained that money from oil and minerals props¹⁵ up predatory governments, and lobbied firms to publish what they pay. Big Western miners and drillers have taken heed¹⁶: the top five on TI's list are all involved in natural resources. Many firms, however, are reluctant to answer probing questions from Western busybodies: Gazprom, Russia's state-owned gas giant, scores zero on the first and third measures.

　　那些以权谋私的政府是靠着源自原油和矿产的资金来维系生存的，政治运动家们对此抱怨已久，他们也一直在游说公司们公开支付的各项费用。而西方采矿大亨和石油巨头对此都很注意：透明国际在此项列表中的前五名都涉及自然资源产业。但是，然而，面对国际透明度这个西方好事者的刨根问底，许多公司都不愿回应：俄气，俄罗斯国有天然气巨子，在第一和第三项标注上都是零分。

　　TI's calculations are open to challenge. Do Amazon, Google and Berkshire Hathaway deserve to be ranked near the bottom? Probably not. These firms may not disclose as much as TI would like, but they are not in businesses where one is ever asked to bribe⁹ a cabinet minister to win a mining concession¹⁷. TI does a good job of focusing attention on a serious problem. But like The Economist's adultery survey, its results should be taken with a handful of salt.

　　透明国际的计算标准令人质疑的。亚马逊、谷歌以及伯克希尔?哈撒韦（CEO：巴菲特），这些公司都该排名垫底吗？可能不该。这些公司或许不会如透明国际希望的那样，披露自己的信息，但是，它们也不在那些"腐败高发"行业中，在那些行业中，人们总会被（客观情况）要求着，为赢得开采特权，而去向内阁总理行贿。透明国际在将注意力集中在严重的问题这方面，做得很好。但是就像是《经济学家》的通奸调查，它的结论不能全信（"应该添把盐进去，才对"）。

1 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

2 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

3 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？

4 virtuous   

adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的

参考例句：

• She was such a virtuous woman that everybody respected her.她是个有道德的女性，人人都尊敬她。
• My uncle is always proud of having a virtuous wife.叔叔一直为娶到一位贤德的妻子而骄傲。

5 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

8 royalties   

特许权使用费

参考例句：

• I lived on about £3,000 a year from the royalties on my book. 我靠着写书得来的每年约3，000英镑的版税生活。 来自辞典例句
• Payments shall generally be made in the form of royalties. 一般应采取提成方式支付。 来自经济法规部分

9 bribe   

n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通

参考例句：

• He tried to bribe the policeman not to arrest him.他企图贿赂警察不逮捕他。
• He resolutely refused their bribe.他坚决不接受他们的贿赂。

10 bribery   

n.贿络行为，行贿，受贿

参考例句：

• FBI found out that the senator committed bribery.美国联邦调查局查明这个参议员有受贿行为。
• He was charged with bribery.他被指控受贿。

11 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

12 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

13 embezzle   

vt.贪污，盗用；挪用(公款；公物等)

参考例句：

• I suppose they embezzle a lot.我想他们贪污了不少。
• The cashier embezzled $50,000 from the bank and ran away.银行的出纳盗用了五万美元，并且逃跑了。

14 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

15 props   

小道具； 支柱( prop的名词复数 )； 支持者； 道具； （橄榄球中的）支柱前锋

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The government props up the prices of farm products to support farmers' incomes. 政府保持农产品价格不变以保障农民们的收入。

16 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

17 concession   

n.让步，妥协；特许(权)

参考例句：

• We can not make heavy concession to the matter.我们在这个问题上不能过于让步。
• That is a great concession.这是很大的让步。