经济学人287:希腊商业 残酷的命运

　　Business
商业报道
Business in Greece
希腊商业
Outrageous¹ fortune
残酷的命运
Survivors² of the crisis are those that move fast and think creatively
经济危机的生还者是那些行动迅速具有创造性思维的人。
APOSTOLOS KAISIDIS is thankful that in 2008, after nearly half a century dealing³ in cars, his family firm moved out of Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, to a cheaper place 50km away, and started repairing vehicles as well as selling them.
APOSTOLOS KAISIDIS非常庆幸在2008年，几乎汽车买卖半个世纪后，把他的家庭公司从希腊的第二大城市—塞萨洛尼基搬到了50公里以外更加便宜的地方并且跟卖车一样开始了汽车修理业务。
If it hadn't, we would probably be bankrupt now, he says.
如果它没有这样的话，我们现在很有可以能已经破产了，他说道。
In crisis-ridden Greece, companies have had to adapt to survive.
在危机笼罩下的希腊，公司们不得不适者生存。
2_副本.jpgOnly about 50,000 new cars are expected to be bought in Greece this year, down from 220,000 in 2009, partly because loans are scarce.
今年预计希腊只有50，,00辆新车的购买量，从2009年的220,000降了下来，部分原因是缺乏贷款。
But with more ageing bangers on the roads, the repairs side of his business has been busy.
但是随着路上有更多的旧车，他公司的维修业务很繁荣。
Since April 2008 the number of businesses registered with IKA, Greece's biggest social-security fund, has dropped by 119,000, or 38%.
自从2008年4月起IKA，希腊最大的社会保证基金，登记注册的业务数量已经跌到了119,000，或者38%。
In such a brutal⁴ climate, businesses have had to do much more than just tighten⁵ their belts.
在如此残酷的环境下，商业不得不想更多的办法而不是仅仅勒紧裤腰带。
Relocating is one popular survival strategy.
重新选址是一个比较常见的生存策略。
Whereas Mr Kaisidis has moved his firm out to the sticks to cut costs, Anna Maria Mazaraki, the owner of nine jewellery shops in Athens, is taking advantage of weak commercial rents and moving some stores to more upmarket sites.
因此Kaisidis先生把他的公司从街区搬了出去以便节省花费，Anna Maria Mazaraki，希腊9家珠宝店的拥有者，正在利用廉价的商业租金的优势并且把一些商店搬到高级网站上去。
That ensures higher footfall and gives customers the impression she must be doing well, she says.
这样可以保证更高的访问量和给顾客们她可能做得很好的印象，她说道。
Others are moving their headquarters—but not necessarily their operations—out of Greece, to get access to cheaper funding.
其它公司是把他们的总部而不必然是他们的运营机构搬出希腊来获取廉价的融资。
Last year Fage, the country's leading purveyor⁶ of yogurt, and Coca-Cola Hellenic, the world's second-largest bottler of Coke, moved to Luxembourg and Switzerland respectively.
去年Fage，这个国家重要的酸奶厂商，和可口可乐，世界上第二大的可乐公司，分别搬到了卢森堡和瑞士。
Now Viohalco, the country's biggest metals processor, is being acquired by its Belgian subsidiary.
现在Viohalco,这个国家最大的金属加工商，正在获取它的比利时补贴。
Considering that they come from a nation of seafarers, Greek business folk can be rather inward-looking when marketing⁷ their wares⁸.
由于它们来自一个航海者国度，希腊商人们在销售商品时更加偏向于内部。
But the dire⁹ state of the domestic economy is prompting some of them to seek new customers abroad.
但是糟糕的国内经济环境促使他们中的一部分人开始在国外寻找新客户。
Dodoni, a dairy company, is setting up ice-cream outlets¹⁰ in Russia and Ukraine, to add to its portfolio¹¹ in Bulgaria and Cyprus.
一个奶制品公司Donoi正在俄罗斯和乌拉圭开冰淇淋批发商店来增加它在保加利亚和塞浦路斯的证券投资组合。
Korres, a cosmetics¹² firm, is developing its presence in Germany, France, Russia and Scandinavia.
而化妆品公司Korres，正在德国、法国、俄罗斯和斯堪的纳维亚发展它的分支机构。
World Excellent Products, set up in 2011 by five young Greeks, exports premium-quality olive oil to 20 countries.
2011年由5个年轻的希腊人设立的World Excellent Products，出口一流的橄榄油到20个国家。
Although Greece produces about one-tenth of the world's olive oil, much of its output is exported in bulk to Italy, where it is bottled, branded and sold at a markup¹³.
尽管希腊生产了世界十分之一的橄榄油，它的大部分产品都大量批发到意大利，在那里装瓶，贴商标并且以化妆品出售。
Despite such efforts, Greek exports as a share of GDP are still just over half of the euro-zone average.
尽管有上面的那些努力，希腊出口作为GDP的一部分仍然刚刚超过欧元区平均水平的一半。
If petroleum¹⁴ products are excluded, goods exports are still lower than in 2008.
如果石油产品被排除，商品出口仍然比2008年低。
A survey of Greek sales managers, by Athens University of Economics and Business, found that only 26% of them saw exporting as an important strategic response to the crisis.
由希腊经管学院对希腊销售经理做的一个调查显示仅仅他们中的26%将出口作为应对危机的重要策略。
Their priorities were seeking new domestic markets and making more use of the internet.
他们首选寻找新的国内市场和更多的利用互联网。
At least they were right about the last bit.
至少他们是现在的最后一点。
Digilex, founded in 2011 in Athens, designs websites, e-commerce systems and mobile apps to retailers¹⁵ looking to cut costs and expand their reach.
2011年在希腊设立的Digilex为希望减少开支和扩大他们覆盖范围的零售商设计网站、电子商务系统和移动应用。
One of its creations is Snatch.gr, an online platform selling a range of cheap of products, either sourced from companies going into liquidation¹⁶, or imported from China.
它的作品之一是Snatch.gr,一个销售一些列便宜货物的网络平台，它的货物来源既有国内破产公司，又有中国的进口产品。
The biggest challenge is bureaucracy, says Digilex's co-founder, Alex Ehrmann: it took four months to set up the company.
最大的挑战是官僚主义，Digilex的共同创办人说道，Alex Ehrmann：它花了四个月的时间设立公司。
Taxibeat, a cab-hailing mobile app started in 2010, has expanded to various European cities as well as Rio de Janeiro, So Paulo and Mexico City.
一个2010年叫出租车的手机应用Taxibeat，已经扩展到了欧洲的绝大部分城市如里约热内卢、圣保罗和墨西哥城。
Globo, whose mobile apps let employees use their own devices for work, has divested¹⁷ part of its Greek business to focus on international clients.
公司Globo的手机应用让雇员使用它们的设备工作，已经丢弃了他们希腊业务的一部分而专注于国际客户。
It has been the best performer on London's FTSE AIM Index this year.
它今年的伦敦FTSE AIM指数表现最好。
Perhaps Greece's most visible business trend is the proliferation of bakeries, frozen-yogurt shops, cafés, and souvlaki stalls.
可能希腊最可预见的商业趋势是甜点店的增开，酸奶冰淇淋店，咖啡管和羊肉摊。
Many have been set up by professionals who, having lost their cushy jobs, invested their savings¹⁸ and redundancy pay-offs in starting a new venture.
这些店大部分是由那些失去他们轻松工作而投资他们的存款和多余的收入到新企业的专业从业者们设立。
This boom in entrepreneurial spirit may be the silver lining¹⁹ to the big, dark economic cloud that still hangs over Greece.
这种企业精神的繁荣可能是笼罩在希腊上空的巨大黑暗的经济乌云的一线曙光。
1.move out 迁出； 搬出；出发； 开始旅行
As the economy recovers, some of those people will move out of their shared homes and buy their own.
随着经济恢复增长，一些人会搬出与人合住的房子，或者是买一套房子。
Parts of britain's car industry would move out.
部分汽车产业可能会迁出英国。
2.as well as 既…又…；除…之外
Yet they provoke fear as well as wonder.
然而他们也激起了恐惧以及困惑。
That implies criticism as well as support.
这句话暗示着夫妻间的相互支持以及相互批评。
3.expect to 期许
We might also expect to see more trade in services.
我们也许还可以期望看到服务贸易的增多。
Experts expect to throw away some early work.
专家们希望把自己的早期作品置之度外。
4.much more 更加；多
It was much more difficult than on land.
这比在陆地上难多了。
The verdict matters much more than the punishment.
陪审团的裁决比惩罚本身更加重要。

1 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

2 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

3 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

4 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

5 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

6 purveyor   

n.承办商，伙食承办商

参考例句：

• Silence, purveyor of gossip, do not spread that report. 快别那样说，新闻记者阁下，别散布那个消息。 来自互联网
• Teaching purpose: To comprehensively understand the role function and consciousness composition of a news purveyor. 教学目的：全面深入的理解新闻传播者的角色功能和意识构成。 来自互联网

7 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

8 wares   

n. 货物, 商品

参考例句：

• They sold their wares at half-price. 他们的货品是半价出售的。
• The peddler was crying up his wares. 小贩极力夸耀自己的货物。

9 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

10 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。

12 cosmetics   

n.化妆品

参考例句：

• We sell a wide range of cosmetics at a very reasonable price. 我们以公道的价格出售各种化妆品。
• Cosmetics do not always cover up the deficiencies of nature. 化妆品未能掩饰天生的缺陷。

13 markup   

n.加价，涨价，利润

参考例句：

• This mean that international delivery will line markup from today.这意味着国际快递将从今天起全线涨价。
• Our products are expensive,and distributors and retailers always want a large markup.我们的产品很贵，经销商和零售商总是要求高额利差。

14 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

15 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

16 liquidation   

n.清算，停止营业

参考例句：

• The bankrupt company went into liquidation.这家破产公司停业清盘。
• He lost all he possessed when his company was put into liquidation.当公司被清算结业时他失去了拥有的一切。

17 divested   

v.剥夺( divest的过去式和过去分词 )；脱去（衣服）；2。从…取去…；1。（给某人）脱衣服

参考例句：

• He divested himself of his jacket. 他脱去了短上衣。
• He swiftly divested himself of his clothes. 他迅速脱掉衣服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

19 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。