Financial dealings, investment issues, and money and banking matters often seem complicated and confusing. But the Museum of American Finance, which reopened its doors this week in the heart of Manhattan's financial district, wants to show the public that Wall Street and the international financial world can be better understood, and enjoyed, when armed with the right information.
金融交易、投资问题、货币和银行业务经常使很多人感到错综复杂、困惑难解。不过，位于纽约曼哈顿金融区中心的美国金融博物馆却可以帮助人们更好地理解和欣赏华尔街以至整个国际金融世界。
After a $9 million makeover and a move to Wall Street, the Museum of American Finance has a new home. The affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute is now in the historic former headquarters of the Bank of New York, located a block away from the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE.
在耗资9百万美元重新整修并搬迁到华尔街之后，美国金融博物馆的新家终于落成并对外开放了。美国金融博物馆附属于史密森学会，现址是具有历史意义的前纽约银行总部，距离纽约股票交易所仅隔一条街。
With a residence in the oldest American bank, founded in 1784 by the nation's first Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, the museum's location is in itself a part of financial history. But the revamped, relocated museum wants to be more than a historical building. It aims to be an entertaining display center, an engaging learning facility and an interactive space where the public can explore the world of finance. And the museum's president Lee Kjelleren says he hopes people will also gain some insight into their own financial choices.
美国金融博物馆坐落在1784年由美国第一任财政部长汉米尔顿创建的美国银行遗址上，博物馆所在地本身就是美国金融史的一部分。但是重新整修、搬迁新址的美国金融博物馆希望展现给人们的并不仅仅是一个历史建筑。它要成为一个既有娱乐性又有知识性的互动式展览中心，让公众尽情探索金融世界的奥秘。博物馆馆长谢乐仁说，他希望人们能从中得到启发，并且把学到的知识运用到他们个人的金融决策中去。
"Our purpose is to help visitors make more effective financial decisions. There's a practical utility in coming here. We're creating public benefit through showcasing the breadth, importance and richness of our financial history," he said.
谢乐仁说：“我们的目的是帮助参访者学以致用。他们来这里参观，所了解的知识具有实用价值。通过展示我们金融历史的广阔范围、重要性和丰富内涵，我们希望公众从中受益。”
Kjelleren says the museum serves as an interpreter of current financial issues as well as a guardian of America's collective financial memory. It does the latter through numerous artifacts, including ticker tape from the stock market crash of 1929, a treasury bond signed by President George Washington in 1792, and a 60 pound gold bar prospected during the California Gold Rush and recovered from an 1857 shipwreck.
谢乐仁说，这个博物馆既是现实金融问题的诠释者，又是美国整体金融发展足迹的守护者。博物馆通过各种各样的历史文物，包括1929年股市大崩溃时的收报机纸条、华盛顿总统1792年签署的政府债券，以及在加利福尼亚淘金热时挖掘出来的一块重达60磅的金块。这个金块是从一艘在1857年失事的沉船中找到的。
In addition to objects and original documents, the museum has video installations and audio clips discussing various aspects of finance, such as bonds, stocks and commodities. In one video, former CEO of the New York Stock Exchange John Thain talks about the city and the 217-year-old financial landmark's significance.
除了实物和原始文献以外，博物馆还通过录像和录音短片，探讨诸如债券、股票和商品等方面的金融问题。在一个纪录片中，前纽约股票交易所首席执行官约翰.塞恩正在讲述纽约这个具有217年历史的金融之都的重要性。
"New York City has always been the heart of the US financial system," Thain explained. "It's really where the Exchange has been located since its very beginning and it really is still the capital of not only the US, but the world's financial market place."
他说：“纽约市历来都是美国金融体系的核心。从一开始，纽约股票交易所就坐落在这里，这里目前仍然是美国以至全世界金融市场的首都。”
Due to increased security, tours at the NYSE were discontinued after the September 11, 2001 attack on the nearby World Trade Center. Museum president Kjelleren says he wants his space down the street to become the Exchange's de facto visitors' center. He says tourists interested in the Exchange now have a place to go and learn more.
自从2001年9月11日恐怖分子袭击并摧毁了纽约世贸大厦以后，出于安全考虑，纽约股票交易所的参观游览项目被取消了。不过谢乐仁说，美国金融博物馆就在纽约股票交易所附近，这个博物馆能代替股票交易所成为这里的参访中心。他说，对交易所感兴趣的游客现在能有地方参观，而且更能增长见识。
Curator and finanical historian Richard Sylla says everyone has something to learn at the museum, even the Wall Street wheelers and dealers. He says he hopes they too will be attracted by the museum's offerings.
博物馆的金融历史学家查德.西拉说，每一个参访者都能各取所需，包括那些在华尔街上呼风唤雨的交易商们。他希望博物馆琳琅满目的展品能把各种各样的人都吸引过来。
"I think Wall Street's going to learn from this museum, the American people are going to learn from this museum, foreigners are going to really visit what is the first financial history museum in the world," he said.
西拉说：“我认为，华尔街的老手也能从博物馆得到好处，美国的老百姓更能从中受益，外国人更会来参观这个世界上独一无二的金融历史博物馆。”
With the US dollar still dropping against the euro, the subprime mortgage and credit crisis headlining business news, and oil prices reaching the 100-dollar mark, maybe we could all benefit from a better understanding of money, and how it makes the world go around.
目前，美元对欧元持续贬值，次级房贷和信贷危机仍占据商业新闻的头版头条，石油价格接近每桶100美元的高位，面对金融市场的起伏动荡，或许我们都能从对货币更透彻的理解中受益，从而懂得金钱到底是如何推动世界的。 |