Inflation is hitting U.S. consumers hard. The last era of severe inflation was in the 1970s, when prices and wages spiraled upward. This time, while the official inflation rate is still relatively moderate, wages are stagnating and prices for essentials like food and fuel are rising.
上一次严重的通胀时期是在1970年代，当时物价和薪资水平呈螺旋式上升。而这一次，虽然官方的通胀率仍然相对温和，薪资增长停滞，但诸如食品和燃油等生活必需品的价格正在上涨。
Ashwarya and Alok Sharma and their two children emigrated to the United States from India 10 years ago. They are now U.S. citizens. Like most Americans, they are feeling the financial pinch from inflation. Consumer prices overall are rising at a 2.7 percent annual rate, while average hourly wages increased by just fraction of one percent.
艾西瓦娅和阿洛克·夏尔玛以及他们的两个孩子10年前从印度移民到美国。他们现在是美国公民。像大多数美国人一样，他们正感受到通胀带来的压力。总体消费者价格同比现在是2.7%，但是工资的上升幅度远不到1%。
Alok Sharma says something has to give. “It is hitting both ways because you don’t get well paying jobs, and you don’t get a raise. And then inflation hits you on the other side," she said.
阿洛克·夏尔玛说，这简直让人难以忍受。“打击是双方面的，因为找不到薪水好的工作，而且甭想加薪，另一方面通货膨胀正对你造成打击。”
Economists say energy and food costs are driving inflation, and Americans are looking for answers. The Sharmas live in a suburban neighborhood north of Washington D.C. They work in the computer field and commute 65 kilometers round trip each day to work. Gasoline prices have risen about 26 cents per liter during the past year.
经济学家说能源和食品价格上涨是造成通胀的首要因素，美国民众正在想办法对付。夏尔玛一家住在华盛顿特区北部的郊区。他们从事计算机行业，每天上下班往返65公里。过去一年来每公升汽油价格已上涨了大约26%。
Alok Sharma says that is taking a big bite out of his family's budget. “Our gas bill has gone up 40, 50 percent," he said.
阿洛克·夏尔玛说，这给他的家庭带来很大的财务负担。“我们的汽油费支出已上升了40%到50%。”
The Sharmas are vegetarians. They eat a lot of fresh vegetables. And they drink a lot of milk, which Ashwarya Sharma says has doubled in price. “Like almost a year back it was $2 a gallon [i.e., about 53 cents per liter]. Now it is $4 a gallon [about $1.06 per liter]," she said.
夏尔玛一家人是素食者。他们需要吃大量的新鲜蔬菜，喝很多牛奶。夏尔玛说，牛奶的价格已经翻了一番。“大约一年以前牛奶价格是每加仑2美元[约为每升53美分]。而现在为每加仑4美元[约为每升1.06美元]。”
They estimate that their food costs have risen 25 to 30 percent during the past six months. Alok Sharma says that if prices continue to increase, his family will have to cut back and consider lifestyle changes. “Still we are in the habit of getting whatever we want, what ever children demand. Gradually I think we have to make our choices only for cheaper items," said Sharma.
他们估计过去六个月他们的食品开支增加了25%到30%。阿洛克·夏尔玛说，如果物价继续攀升，他的家庭将不得不削减开支并考虑改变生活方式。“我们仍习惯购买我们想要和孩子需要的任何东西。我想渐渐地我们不得不只买较便宜的东西。”
Some say the expanding middle classes in countries like China, Brazil, and India are consuming more resources and driving up prices worldwide. Other experts say drought in places like Russia, turmoil in the Middle East and a global lack of refinery capacity have driven up food and oil prices.
有人说中国、巴西和印度等国家不断壮大的中产阶级正在消耗更多的资源，并导致全球物价上涨。其他专家说俄罗斯等地的干旱、中东地区的混乱以及全球炼油厂产能不足造成了食品和石油价格上涨。
Economist Danny Leipziger of The George Washington University School of Business says these factors play a role. “I don’t think the middle class in China is going to create rampant global inflation. But you do have certain markets that are more susceptible. And you are seeing prices increase in those markets. Will that lead to a global resurgence of inflation? Probably not," he said.
乔治华盛顿大学商学院的经济学家丹尼·利浦泽格说，这些因素的确都在发挥作用，但是不能把通胀全都归罪于这些因素。“我不认为中国的中产阶级会造成全球猖獗的通货膨胀。但某些市场更加容易受到影响。你看到那些市场的物价正在上涨。那会导致全球性的通胀重现吗?可能不会。”
Leipziger says oil prices will likely rise in the long-term because it is a finite resource.
利浦泽格说，石油价格在长期内将可能上升，因为它是一种有限资源。
For now, he says, families in the United States will have to deal with price increases. Because the U.S. economy is climbing out of a deep recession, Leipziger says raising interest rates, a common tool for controlling inflation, could make things worse. “The middle class is taking a big hit. And we wouldn’t want to see policy makers overreact to inflation at the cost of stalling the recovery in the U.S. That would be bad policy," he said.
他说，现在，美国家庭将不得不应对物价上涨。利浦泽格表示，因为美国经济正从深度衰退中爬升，控制通胀的常用工具--利率的上升，可能使情况变得更糟。丹尼·利浦泽格说：“中产阶级正受到很大冲击。我们不想看到决策者对通胀作出过度的反应，因为这会带来美国经济复苏陷入停滞的代价。那将会是很糟糕的决策。”
Alok Sharma says his family might need to dip into savings to make ends meet, take fewer trips to visit family in India, and look into organizing a car pool to commute to work. Hopefully, he says, in a few years, his family's wages will increase and offer some relief.
阿洛克·夏尔玛说，他的家庭可能需要从存款中取钱以维持开支，而且要减少回印度探亲的旅行次数，上下班也得跟几个人合伙使用一辆车以节约费用。他说，希望几年以后他的家庭收入会上升，使他们绷紧的生活得到一些缓解。 |