Ever since the economist David Ricardo offered the basic theory in 1817, eco

游客2023-12-28  21

问题     Ever since the economist David Ricardo offered the basic theory in 1817, economic scripture has taught that open trade—free of tariffs, quotas, subsidies or other government distortions—improves the well-being of both parties. U.S. policy has implemented this doctrine with a vengeance. Why is free trade said to be universally beneficial? The answer is a doctrine called "comparative advantage".
    Here’s a simple analogy. If a surgeon is highly skilled both at doing operations and per forming routine blood tests, it’s more efficient for the surgeon to concentrate on the surgery and pay a less efficient technician to do the tests, since that allows the surgeon to make the most efficient use of her own time.
    By extension, even if the United States is efficient both at inventing advanced biotechnologies and at the routine manufacture of medicines, it makes sense for the United States to let the production work migrate to countries that can make the stuff more cheaply. Americans get the benefit of the cheaper products and get to spend their resources on even more valuable pursuits. That, anyway, has always been the premise. But here Samuelson dissents. What if the lower wage country also captures the advanced industry?
    If enough higher-paying jobs are lost by American workers to outsourcing, he calculates, then the gain from the cheaper prices may not compensate for the loss in U.S. purchasing power.
    "Free trade is not always a win-win situation," Samuelson concludes. It is particularly a problem, he says, in a world where large countries with far lower wages, like India and China, are increasingly able to make almost any product or offer almost any service performed in the United States.
    If America trades freely with them, then the powerful drag of their far lower wages will begin dragging down U.S. average wages. The U.S. economy may still grow, he calculates, but at a lower rate than it otherwise would have.

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答案     自从经济学家李嘉图于1817年提出基本理论以来,经济学方面的经典著作都说自由贸易免除关税、限额和补贴,也没有政府的其它小动作,因此会增加双方的利益。美国的政策是不遗余力地实行这一理论。为什么说自由贸易可以使大家普遍受益呢? 这可以在所谓“相对优势”的理论中找到答案。
    打个简单的比方,假如一位外科医生,既擅长动手术,又会做常规的验血工作,要取得较好的效益,就应让她集中精力做手术,同时雇一个能力较差的技术员去搞化验,因为这样就能让这位外科医生最有效地利用自己的时间。
    引申而言,虽然美国既擅长发明高级的牛物技术,又精干日常的药品生产,明智的做法还是把药品生产从美国转移至生产费用更低的国家。这样,美国人就可以一方面因廉价产品获利,一方面把自己的资源用来从事更有价值的事业。这一向就是讨论问题的前提。但是现在萨缪尔森却提出了不同的看法。如果低工资国家也掌握了先进的产业,怎么办?
    据他估计,假如把过多的美国工人失去的较高工资的工作包到国外去,美国从廉价商品的获益不见得能补偿它购买力下降造成的损失。
    萨缪尔森断言:“自由贸易并不总是一种双赢的局面。”他说,当今世界这个问题尤其突出。因为像印度和中国这样的大国,它们的工资低得多,可是他们的能力又在不断提高,美国能生产的产品,他们几乎都能生产,美国能提供的服务,他们也几乎都能够提供。
    假如美国与这些国家进行自由贸易,它们低得多的工资产生的巨大影响就会把美国的平均工资往下拉。据他推算,美国的经济仍然会增长,不过比应有的增长速度要低。

解析     1.Ever since the economist David Ricardo offered the basic theory in 1817, economic scripture has taught that open trade—free of tariffs, quotas, subsidies or other government distortions—improves the well-being of both parties.自从经济学家李嘉图于1817年提出基本理论以来,经济学方面的经典著作都说自由贸易免除关税、限额和补贴,也没有政府的其它小动作,因此会增加双方的利益。
    用词选词采分点。
    open trade是专门术语,应译成“自由贸易”;如果把句中的distortion译成“曲解,歪曲事实的做法”在文中意思不通,应意译为“小动作”;根据语境判断,party在这里是“一方”。
    2.with a vengeance不遗余力地。
    理解结构采分点。
    固定短语with a vengeance指“激烈地、过度的”,跟vengeance的原意“报仇”无关。
    3.Why is free trade said to be universally beneficial? The answer is a doctrine called "comparative advantage".为什么说自由贸易可以使大家普遍受益呢?这可以在所谓“相对优势”的理论中找到答案。
    理解结构采分点。
    句中的is said to不能翻译成“被说成……”加上“被”字,是错译,也不符合汉语习惯;根据语境,“comparative advantage”要译成“相对优势”,而不是“对比优势”。
    4.by extension引申而言。
    理解结构采分点。
    根据上下文,上文中说到医生会做的事,然后谈论美国政府也应该这样,可见这里by extension是起过渡作用的。应译成“引申而言”,也可以译为“换句话说;这也就是说”等。
    5.what if... 如果……怎么办?
    理解结构采分点。
    what if...等于what would happen if...
    6.If enough higher-paying jobs are lost by American workers to outsourcing, he calculates,  then the gain from the cheaper prices may not compensate for the loss in U.S. purchasing power.据他估计,假如把过多的美国工人失去的较高工资的工作包到国外去,美国从廉价商品的获益不见得能补偿它购买力下降造成的损失。
    用词选词采分点。
    outsourcing(以立约方式)将工作包出去,这里指的是“让外国人来担当美国人失去的高薪职位。”在翻译U.S. purchasing power时,应该采用增词法,加上“下降”两字,才能把原文的意思表达完整。
    7.a win-win situation
    基本素质采分点。
    这就是平常说的“双赢”,也就是说双方都可以获利,根据字面意思,我们也可以推断的出来。生活中有好多的较为流行的话语大多是直译过来的,如:禽流感bird flu;所以我们布考试过程中要勤于推敲,但平时要尽量作到准确。
    8.It is particularly a problem, he says, in a world where large countries with far lower wages, like India and China, are increasingly able to make almost any product or offer almost any service performed in the United States.他说,当今世界这个问题尤其突出。因为像印度和中国这样的大国,它们的工资低得多,可是他们的能力又在不断提高,美国能生产的产品,他们几乎都能生产,美国能提供的服务,他们也几乎都能够提供。
    理解结构采分点。
    首先要在译文中进行句序调整,根据汉语习惯把“他说”(he says)提前。其次,采用断句翻译法。句子为定语从句,由where引导。把主句It is particularly a problem in a world译成独立的句子,即,“当今世界这个问题尤其突出”。从句where large countries with far lower wages, like India and China译为原因状语从句,即“因为像印度和中国这样的大国,它们的工资低得多”,介词短语with...译成独立的句子;从句的动词以后的部分:are increasingly able to make almost any product or offer almost any service performed in the United States可以译成“他们逐步能够生产和捉供美国能生产的产品及服务”。但是,如果译成几个小的分句:“可是他们的能力又在不断提高,美国能生产的产品,他们几乎都能生产,美国能提供的服务,他们也几乎都能够提供”,一方面更符合汉语多短句的习惯,另一方面也有一种强调作用,要表达的意义更明了。
    9.otherwise
    用词选词采分点。
    otherwise副词,意为“不同地”,如在原文中直译会导致意思错误,翻译时有时不必译出。
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