VOA常速英语2016--肯尼亚人民通过掌上微借贷平台进行创业

肯尼亚人民通过掌上微借贷平台进行创业 

Samuel Kinuthia, a chef in Nairobi, begins his workday by preparing ingredients for the day's special. He has been a chef for the last 18 years and started his own catering¹ business last year to supplement his regular income. Kinuthia got the loan to start his business through Branch, a microlender that provides financial services including loans to Kenya residents. He says, Branch has been a boon² for his business.

萨穆埃尔·金努西亚是肯尼亚首都内罗毕的一名主厨，他从准备今天特别菜肴的原材料开始了一天忙碌的工作。他从事主厨已经有18年，去年他有了自己的餐饮生意，以此来贴补固定收入。金努西亚是通过微借贷平台Branch得到贷款进行创业，这个平台专为肯尼亚居民提供包括贷款在内的金融服务。他表示Branch使得自己的生意获利。

“Catering equipment is quite expensive and I have been trying to acquire a few items here and there. But Branch has been with me all along the way. And it's also less of a hassle because at 8 to 9 percent interests on a 42-day loan, is quite easy to maintain and quite friendly, and then the repayment³ plan—you can pay in small amounts even before the scheduled payment dates.”

“餐饮业的设备非常昂贵，我一直尽力到处搜罗。但是一路过来是Branch一直相伴。由于Branch42天的借贷期利息只有8%-9%，它帮我省去了一些烦恼，很容易维持稳定，而且还非常友好，还有债务偿还机制，你甚至可以在规定还款日到来之前先还一小部分。”

Introduced in 2015 by Matt Flannery, Branch is a microfinance institution that has been billed as a bank in your pocket. The app can be accessed on Google Play store and on Facebook.

2015年由马特·弗兰纳里创造的Branch是一家小额信贷机构，就好比你口袋中的银行一样。在Google Play商店及Facebook上你都能找到这款应用程序。

For a six-month repayment period, clients can apply for loans from as little as $10 to a maximum of $500. And the interest rates are as low as 5 percent in a country where banks charge as much as 26 percent. There are three other major companies targeting the microloan market:M-Shwari, M-Co-op Cash and KCB M-Pesa, all of them linked to large commercial banks.

Branch的贷款偿还期限是6个月，贷款额度从最小的10美元到最高500美元不等。利息率是国内最低的5%，相较之下银行的利率是26%。而对于微贷市场，还有另外3家大型公司：M-Shwari、M-Co-op Cash及KCB M-Pesa, 全部与大型商业银行挂钩。

“We don't necessarily see ourselves directly competing with them. We don't think this is a winner-takes-all market. We are very excited to be working alongside them, and I think we are all working toward the same kind of goal here.”

“我们没必要把我们自己视为同他们是直接竞争关系。我们认为赢家不会一家独大，占有全部市场。我们很高兴同他们一起合作，而且我认为我们都是朝着同一个目标努力。”

 

And for Samuel Kinuthia, that goal is using advancements⁴ in technology to make it easier to expand his business.

而对于萨穆埃尔·金努西亚而言，他的目标就是凭借科技的进步使自己更方便地将生意越做越大。

1 catering   

n. 给养

参考例句：

• Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
• Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的？

2 boon   

n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠

参考例句：

• A car is a real boon when you live in the country.在郊外居住，有辆汽车确实极为方便。
• These machines have proved a real boon to disabled people.事实证明这些机器让残疾人受益匪浅。

3 repayment   

n.偿还，偿还款；报酬

参考例句：

• I am entitled to a repayment for the damaged goods.我有权利索取货物损坏赔偿金。
• The tax authorities have been harrying her for repayment.税务局一直在催她补交税款。

4 advancements   

n.（级别的）晋升( advancement的名词复数 )；前进；进展；促进

参考例句：

• Today, the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements. 当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Great advancements in drought prediction have been made in recent years. 近年来，人们对干旱灾害的预报研究取得了长足的进步。 来自互联网