经济学人:斥巨资收留流浪汉 法国政府做错了什么

 　　Homelessness in France

　　法国的流浪者问题

　　Down and out in Paris

　　露宿巴黎街头的流浪汉们

　　Tolerance¹ has its limits

　　包容的底限

　　Sundy nights in Paris are busy on the northern tip of the Canal Saint-Martin. On either side of the water, two groups form long ordered queues, albeit² for different reasons. One queue is for those hoping to buy something to eat from a new gourmet³ hamburger truck (hour-long waits are normal). The other queue, almost all young North African men, is for those hoping to find a seat on a bus to a homeless shelter on the outskirts⁴ of the city.

　　周日夜晚，巴黎的圣马丁运河北面热闹非凡。运河的两岸，动机不一的两组人井然有序地排着长队。其中一组人是为了从一家新开的美食汉堡车上购买食品（为此排上几个小时的队毫无稀奇）。而另一组几乎全是北非男性，他们的目的是为了坐上一辆开往城郊流浪者之家的巴士。

　　Paris is no stranger to such contrasts. Luxury and penury⁵ have always coexisted there in uneasy tension. But now a growing number of homeless are stretching the limits of the city’s generosity⁶.

　　此般鲜明对比在巴黎早已习以为常。奢华和贫困两种现象一直以来都并存于这个城市，其紧张关系也令人不安。而今，随着流浪者数量的激增，巴黎包容的底限正不断被拉长。

　　“It is easier to be homeless in Paris than any other city in the European Union,” says Julien Damon, a sociologist⁷ at Sciences Po, a university. Paris is a magnet for the transient. Parisian police are more tolerant of the homeless than those in other European cities and rarely trouble rough sleepers⁹—an approach that has deep cultural roots. In European surveys French respondents are the most likely to see homelessness as a product of unemployment and the least likely to see it as the result of drug or alcohol addiction¹⁰.

　　“比起欧盟其他城市，巴黎更容易滋生流浪汉。”巴黎政治大学（Sciences Po）的社会学家朱利安·达蒙（Julien Damon）说道。巴黎吸引了大量流动人口。而巴黎警方对于流浪汉的态度，也比欧洲其他城市的要包容得多，几乎从不为难那些流浪汉。这一态度深刻在其文化之中。在诸多欧洲诸国的记者调查中，在法国流浪的主因通常是失业，而非吸毒或酗酒。

　　Nobody knows how many homeless there are in Paris. Data collection is meagre and infrequent. The last meaningful estimate by INSEE, France’s national statistics office, dates from the mid¹¹ 2000s and pegged¹² the number, including those sleeping rough or in emergency shelters on any given night at around 12,000. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the number is considerably¹³ higher today. Despite a big expansion in shelter capacity since 2004, demand still outstrips¹⁴ supply. Calls to an emergency number run by Samusocial de Paris, a government-funded charity that allocates¹⁵ beds in emergency shelters, doubled between 2009 and 2010.

　　巴黎流浪汉的具体数字无人知晓。因为这些数据收集得很少，开展频率也很低。法国统计局（INSEE）最近一项较有意义的数据统计始于2005年左右。据该统计数据显示，街头与庇护所的流浪汉都包括在内，每晚流浪人数约在12000左右。而根据一些非正规数据，现今的流浪人数要比其高得多。2004年以来，专供流浪者的庇护所容量扩大了不少，但仍然供不应求。Samusocial de Paris是一家专为流浪者安排临时住所的公立慈善机构。该机构在2009年至2010年间接到的紧急电话数相比过去翻了一番。

　　The faces of the homeless are changing too. Twenty years ago, the typical homeless person in Paris was likely to be a single, middle-aged¹⁶ French man. Now, the homeless are more likely to be younger, with a family and foreign-born. Interpreters have become indispensable figures at most Paris soup kitchens. Joint¹⁷ patrols of French and Romanian police, each officer wearing his own national uniform, help deal with an influx¹⁸ of Roma from eastern Europe.

　　与此同时，这些流浪者也在改头换面。20年前，巴黎流浪汉的代表一般都是未婚的中年法籍男性。而今，流浪汉趋于年轻化，并常带有家属或外国籍。在巴黎的众多施粥场（向穷人免费开放的食堂）翻译成了不可或缺的职业。而法国和罗马尼亚的警察则分别穿着自己国家的制服，在巴黎街头巡逻，应付大批来自东欧的吉普赛人。

　　“Our problem is too much bureaucracy and centralisation,” explains Mr Damon. Dealing¹⁹ with homelessness, he argues, should be the exclusive responsibility of the Paris city council. Instead, at least 12 different government bodies are charged with caring for the homeless in Paris.

　　“我们面临的问题是政府过度的官僚化和集权化。”达蒙表示。他又称，解决流浪汉问题应是巴黎市议会独自承担的义务。但相反的是，巴黎政府中至少有12个不同部门在负责这一问题。

　　Overlapping²⁰ responsibility means duplication. Paris has three separate publicly funded groups that transport homeless people to shelters. Some complain about being woken up over the course of an evening by different homeless services. Philippe Redom, a 56-year-old rough sleeper⁸ and former chef, prefers to remain in his alcove²¹ outside an office block. The shelters are “too big and there is no privacy”.

　　义务重叠则说明工作重叠。巴黎市有三家独立的公立组织负责安排流浪汉留宿。而一些流浪者抱怨称，一个晚上会被多个流浪者服务机构给吵醒。Philippe Redom是一名56岁的流浪汉，之前曾担当过厨师。他表示宁可呆在壁凹里，也不愿去留宿处，因为那些地方“太大了，没有一点隐私。”

　　As spaces in shelters are in short supply Paris rents hotel rooms. A report in 2011 by the Cour des Comptes, France’s national auditor²², warily²³ noted²⁴ that more than 90% of the Samusocial’s annual budget of 116m ($150m) went to hotels. In September the French government announced 50m in emergency spending on housing the homeless in Paris.

　　由于那些留宿处供应紧俏，巴黎政府开始向旅馆租借房间。法国国家审计法院（Cour des Comptes）于2011年做了一份报告，报告中谨慎地指出，慈善机构Samusocial年均预算额为1.16亿欧元（约1.5亿美元），其中90%以上都花在了旅馆开支上。同时，法国政府于今年九月对外声称，在紧急安排巴黎流浪者们住宿上，其开销高达5000万欧元。

　　Some of those funds would be better spent on collecting better data, yet the most useful fix would be for rough sleepers to go closer to the top of the queue for permanent public housing, as happens in London with good results. The problem is not just that there are not enough houses, but also that the wrong people tend to get them. However welcoming the streets of Paris, the homeless would do better with a roof over their heads.

　　这些资金若花费在改善数据收集上，将会更有意义。但是目前，流浪者问题最为有效的解决手段还是让更多人长期进入公共住所，这一政策已在伦敦得到施行，并取得颇佳的成果。但问题并非在于住所不足，而是其现居者并非最为需要者。然而，这些流浪汉们很喜爱巴黎大街，露宿街头对他们来说或许更为快活。 翻译：沈骜

　　1.homeless shelter 收容所

　　例句:Is there a homeless shelter in this town?

　　这个镇上有为无家可归者提供的避难所吗？

　　2.alcohol addiction 酗酒

　　例句:Untreated drug and alcohol addiction also make it hard for a couple to repair a bad marriage.

　　无药可救的沉迷毒品和酒精也会使挽救婚姻变得异常困难。

　　3.emergency shelter 紧急避难所

　　例句:The structure was a designated emergency shelter.

　　教堂结构被设计成一个紧急避难所。

　　4.soup kitchen 救济站

　　例句:I have volunteered at soup kitchens, retirement²⁵ homes, public libraries and parks.

　　我在救济站、养老院，公共图书馆和公园都做过志愿者。

1 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

2 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

3 gourmet   

n.食物品尝家；adj.出于美食家之手的

参考例句：

• What does a gourmet writer do? 美食评论家做什么？
• A gourmet like him always eats in expensive restaurants.像他这样的美食家总是到豪华的餐馆用餐。

4 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

5 penury   

n.贫穷，拮据

参考例句：

• Hardship and penury wore him out before his time.受穷受苦使他未老先衰。
• A succession of bad harvest had reduced the small farmer to penury.连续歉收使得这个小农场主陷入了贫困境地。

6 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

7 sociologist   

n.研究社会学的人，社会学家

参考例句：

• His mother was a sociologist,researching socialism.他的母亲是个社会学家，研究社会主义。
• Max Weber is a great and outstanding sociologist.马克斯·韦伯是一位伟大的、杰出的社会学家。

8 sleeper   

n.睡眠者，卧车，卧铺

参考例句：

• I usually go up to London on the sleeper. 我一般都乘卧车去伦敦。
• But first he explained that he was a very heavy sleeper. 但首先他解释说自己睡觉很沉。

9 sleepers   

n.卧铺（通常以复数形式出现）；卧车( sleeper的名词复数 )；轨枕；睡觉（呈某种状态）的人；小耳环

参考例句：

• He trod quietly so as not to disturb the sleepers. 他轻移脚步，以免吵醒睡着的人。 来自辞典例句
• The nurse was out, and we two sleepers were alone. 保姆出去了，只剩下我们两个瞌睡虫。 来自辞典例句

10 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

11 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

12 pegged   

v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的过去式和过去分词 )；使固定在某水平

参考例句：

• They pegged their tent down. 他们钉好了账篷。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She pegged down the stairs. 她急忙下楼。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

14 outstrips   

v.做得比…更好，（在赛跑等中）超过( outstrip的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Technology daily outstrips the ability of our institutions to cope with its fruits. 技术发展的速度超过了我们的制度所能应付其成果的程度。 来自辞典例句
• The significance of the foreign exchange market outstrips its impressive size. 外汇市场的意义超出了它给人的印象尺度。 来自互联网

15 allocates   

分配，分派( allocate的第三人称单数 )； 把…拨给

参考例句：

• The state allocates huge funds for the development of aid-agriculture industries. 国家拨出大批资金，发展支农工业。
• The value that then I create value allocates part to discuss. 于是我把价值创造的价值分配分别开来论述。

16 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

17 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

18 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

19 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。

20 overlapping   

adj./n.交迭（的）

参考例句：

• There is no overlapping question between the two courses. 这两门课程之间不存在重叠的问题。
• A trimetrogon strip is composed of three rows of overlapping. 三镜头摄影航线为三排重迭的象片所组成。

21 alcove   

n.凹室

参考例句：

• The bookcase fits neatly into the alcove.书架正好放得进壁凹。
• In the alcoves on either side of the fire were bookshelves.火炉两边的凹室里是书架。

22 auditor   

n.审计员，旁听着

参考例句：

• The auditor was required to produce his working papers.那个审计员被要求提供其工作底稿。
• The auditor examines the accounts of all county officers and departments.审计员查对所有县官员及各部门的帐目。

23 warily   

adv.留心地

参考例句：

• He looked warily around him,pretending to look after Carrie.他小心地看了一下四周，假装是在照顾嘉莉。
• They were heading warily to a point in the enemy line.他们正小心翼翼地向着敌人封锁线的某一处前进。

24 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

25 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。