英语PK台 第790期:翻译入门(9)

 China’s Consumption Downgrade: Skip Avocados, Cocktails¹ and Kids

不生孩子、不约会：中国迎来“消费降级”时代？

Chen Siqi doesn’t eat out so much anymore. Li Keli cut down on travel and takes her son to a public playground instead. Wang Jiazhi stopped dating. Welcome to China’s “consumption downgrade” culture, a potentially worrisome development for Beijing and the world.

陈思琦不怎么出去吃饭了。利可丽减少了旅游开支，转而带儿子去公共游乐场。王家志不再出去约会了。欢迎了解中国的“消费降级”文化，这一发展对北京和世界来说可能是一个令人担忧的问题。

For years, the conversation in China was about “consumption upgrades.” As the economy took off, China’s middle class — now more than 400 million strong and still growing — decided² to spend those bigger paychecks. It traded up from local brands to Nikes, from cheap phones to iPhones, from tea to $5 Starbucks lattes.

多年来，中国讲的都是“消费升级”。随着经济起飞，中国的中产阶级——如今超过4亿人，并且仍在不断增长——决定把自己增加的收入花出去。中产阶级把国产牌子换成了耐克，便宜手机换成了iPhone，茶叶换成了5美元的星巴克拿铁。

Today, China’s economy is slowing, and shopping has slowed with it. The stock market is slumping³. China’s currency has lost some of its value. The trade war with President Trump⁴ has left many Chinese feeling pessimistic. China’s consumer culture has by no means ground to a halt. But in the streets and on the Chinese internet, the talk is about cutting back in ways big and small.

如今，中国的经济正在放缓，消费也随之降温。股市暴跌。中国的货币贬值。与特朗普总统的贸易战让许多中国人感到悲观。中国的消费文化并没有停止。但在街头和中国的互联网上，人们谈论的是从大大小小各个方面减少开支。

Quit avocado. Ride bikes instead of taxis. Drink beer instead of cocktails — and make sure that beer isn’t craft. Order a medium-size milk tea instead of a large. Give up the gym, and take up dancing in public squares like a grandmother. Some people joke about eating meat instead of tofu, as American tariffs⁵ have made imported soybeans more expensive. Perhaps most worrisome for China’s leaders, many young Chinese are increasingly reluctant to have children.

不吃牛油果。骑车而不是打车。喝啤酒，不喝鸡尾酒——而且还不要精酿啤酒。点中杯奶茶，不点大杯。放弃健身房，像大妈那样去跳广场舞。一些人开玩笑说要用吃肉替代豆腐，因为美国关税已经让进口大豆变得更加昂贵。可能对中国领导人来说最为忧心的，就是年轻中国人越来越不愿生孩子。

A Chinese consumption downgrade could be felt around the world. Chinese spenders have been a key driver of their country’s economic growth in recent years. China, in turn, has played a major role in global growth. On paper, the Chinese economy looks strong. Look closer, and the cracks begin to show. Retail⁶ sales this year have grown at their slowest pace in more than a decade. Wages in the private sector⁷ are growing at their slowest pace since the global financial crisis. The stock market has fallen by one-fifth.

世界各地都能感受到中国的消费降级。近年来，中国的消费者一直是中国经济增长的主要动力。而中国也在全球增长中发挥重要作用。表面上看，中国经济看起来很强劲。仔细看，裂缝开始显现。今年的零售额增长速度为十多年来最缓慢的。私营部门的工资增长速度为自全球金融危机以来最慢。股票市场下跌了五分之一。

1 cocktails   

n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物

参考例句：

• Come about 4 o'clock. We'll have cocktails and grill steaks. 请四点钟左右来，我们喝鸡尾酒，吃烤牛排。 来自辞典例句
• Cocktails were a nasty American habit. 喝鸡尾酒是讨厌的美国习惯。 来自辞典例句

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 slumping   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的现在分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Hong Kong's slumping economy also caused a rise in bankruptcy applications. 香港经济低迷，破产申请个案随之上升。
• And as with slumping, over-arching can also be a simple postural habit. 就像弯腰驼背，过度挺直也可能只是一种习惯性姿势。

4 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

5 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。

6 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

7 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。