经济学人:自由交换 美墨两国的经济隔阂比墙还厚(下)

 　　The sniping is unfair.

　　这样的指责其实是不公正的。

　　Unexpected shocks prevented the deal from reaching its full potential.

　　意想不到的危机使得这份协定没办法充分展示其潜力。

　　Both the peso crisis of 1994-95 and the global financial crisis dealt blows to trade between the two countries.

　　1994年至1995年的比索危机以及全球金融危机对美墨两国的贸易造成了巨大的打击。

　　So did the American border controls introduced after the attacks of September 11th 2001, which raised the cost of moving goods and people.

　　再加上2001年9月11日美国本土遭受袭击之后推行的边境控制，更是提高了商品运输和人们出行的流通成本，同样也对两国贸易构成打击。

　　美墨两国的经济隔阂比墙还厚1.jpeg

　　The rapid, disruptive growth of China also interfered¹ with North American integration².

　　中国经济迅疾而又极具颠覆性的发展也影响到北美经济一体化进程。

　　The Chinese economy, accounting³ for more than 13% of global exports and around 25% of global manufacturing value-added, exerts an irresistible⁴ pull on global supply chains.

　　占到全球出口总额13％以上，全球制造业增加值约25%的中国经济，对全球供应链有着难以抗拒的吸引力。

　　Nor is NAFTA chiefly responsible for the woes⁵ of the American worker.

　　然而对于美国的工人来说，北美自由贸易协定并不是他们痛苦的主要来源。

　　In a recent essay Brad DeLong, an economic historian at the University of California, Berkeley, reckoned NAFTA might be blamed for net job losses of the order of 0.1% of the American labor⁶ force—fewer jobs than the American economy adds in a typical month.

　　加州伯克利大学的经济学史家布拉德帝龙在最近的一篇论文中指出，美国劳动力人口中只有0.1％的净裁员可以归咎于北美自由贸易协定，而这个数目比美国经济体一个月内增加的工作岗位数还要少。

　　Even without NAFTA, manufacturing jobs would have dwindled⁷.

　　即使北美自由贸易协定没有签署，制造业的工作岗位也还是会减少。

　　The strong dollar and better transport and communications technology made it more attractive to produce abroad.

　　坚挺的美元、优质的运输以及发达的通信技术都使得将工厂开在国外如此吸引人。

　　Automation hastened the persistent⁸ long-term decline in industrial employment that is familiar in all rich economies— even in export powerhouses such as Germany.

　　自动化则加速了长久以来工业领域就业的下滑，这一现象在发达国家很常见，即便是如德国这样的出口大国。

　　Most important, the failure to agree a trade deal with Mexico would not have altered North American geography.

　　最为重要的是，与墨西哥达成贸易协定的失败并不会改变北美的地理情况。

　　Mexico shares a 3,200km-long border with the world’s largest economy.

　　墨西哥与美国，世界上最大的经济体接壤，边境线达3200千米之远。

　　It is almost inevitable⁹ that America will be Mexico’s largest trading partner (America currently accounts for more than 70% of Mexican exports and more than 50% of its imports) .

　　几乎不可避免，美国将成为墨西哥最大的贸易伙伴 (现今墨西哥出口量超过70％销往美国，进口量超过50%源于美国。)

　　Deep familial and cultural ties across the border shrink the distance between them even more.

　　美墨两国间深厚的家族和文化渊源进一步缩短了两国间的距离。

　　Mexico cannot help but be critically dependent on its neighbor’s economy.

　　墨西哥只能紧紧地依附于其邻国美国的经济。

　　And America unquestionably benefits when Mexico, which has the world’s tenth-largest population and 15th-biggest economy, is more prosperous.

　　毫无疑问，当墨西哥这个拥有世界上第10大人口、第15大国土的国家更加繁荣昌盛时，美国也会受益更多。

　　A richer Mexico would buy more American goods and services and provide more ideas, talent and innovation.

　　更加富裕的墨西哥会从美国购买更多的商品和服务，并为之提供更多的想法、人才和革新。

　　It would also be better placed to manage migration¹⁰, and a stronger diplomatic partner.

　　墨西哥也许可以更好地处理移民问题，成为美国更为强大的外交伙伴。

　　Eliminating tariffs¹¹ on Mexico would not instantly transform it into Canada, but the notion that higher trade costs between the two economies would serve American interests better is, at best, short-sighted.

　　免除墨西哥商品的关税不会使墨西哥立即转变为加拿大那样的国家，调高美墨两国之间的贸易成本会对美国更加有利的观点，充其量只是一种目光短浅的看法。

　　No wall can insulate America against events to its south, and Americans’ own well-being¹² is intimately linked to the welfare of their around 125m Mexican neighbors.

　　没有哪一堵墙可以将美国的事件与南方的墨西哥隔绝开，毕竟美国自身的经济状况与拥有1.25亿人口的墨西哥邻国的福祉紧密相连。

　　It is hard to blame Americans for seeing globalization as a zero-sum affair.

　　美国人将全球化视为一场零和博弈也并不完全是他们的过错。

　　Stagnant¹³ pay, rising inequality and government complacency as industrial regions suffered long-term decline have obscured the benefits of trade and created fertile ground for populists.

　　工业区逐年衰落，停滞不前的薪酬、加剧的不平等和政府自满遮盖了国家从贸易中取得的利益，也为民粹主义者的嘲讽创造了契机。

　　As a result Americans feel let down by NAFTA.

　　因此，美国人对北美自由贸易协定倍感失望。

　　Yet NAFTA has itself been let down by American leaders, who neither made the case that higher living standards are a positive-sum game, nor allowed the benefits of growth to be broadly shared.

　　美国领导层同样对北美自由贸易协定失望不已，但是他们既没有认识到该协定是一个可以同时提高本国人民生活水平的正和博弈，也阻止了其发展成果广泛共享，北美自由贸易协定在实施过程中也受到很多阻碍。

　　If the upshot is the disintegration¹⁴ of the North American economy, those on both sides of the Rio Grande will be worse off.

　　如果说这份贸易协定带来的结果是北美经济的分崩离析，只怕美墨两国情况都会更加糟糕。

　　1.financial crisis 金融危机

　　例句:This financial crisis had a much greater impact on Main Street.

　　这次金融危机对老百姓的影响更为深远。

　　2.worse off 每况愈下

　　例句:The migrant workers are worse off than the average city dwellers¹⁵.

　　民工生活苦于一般城里人。

　　3.let down 使失望；放下

　　例句:I was already feeling a little let down.

　　我已经感到有点儿失望了。

　　4.trade deal 贸易协定

　　例句:They have been negotiating a bilateral¹⁶ trade deal.

　　他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。

1 interfered   

v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉

参考例句：

• Complete absorption in sports interfered with his studies. 专注于运动妨碍了他的学业。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I am not going to be interfered with. 我不想别人干扰我的事情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

3 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

4 irresistible   

adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的

参考例句：

• The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
• She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。

5 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

6 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

7 dwindled   

v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Support for the party has dwindled away to nothing. 支持这个党派的人渐渐化为乌有。
• His wealth dwindled to nothingness. 他的钱财化为乌有。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

9 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

10 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。

11 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

12 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。

13 stagnant   

adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的

参考例句：

• Due to low investment,industrial output has remained stagnant.由于投资少，工业生产一直停滞不前。
• Their national economy is stagnant.他们的国家经济停滞不前。

14 disintegration   

n.分散，解体

参考例句：

• This defeat led to the disintegration of the empire.这次战败道致了帝国的瓦解。
• The incident has hastened the disintegration of the club.这一事件加速了该俱乐部的解体。

15 dwellers   

n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They have transformed themselves into permanent city dwellers. 他们已成为永久的城市居民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。