从美联储加息的新闻里,挖几个好用的小词
上周,美联储宣布加息50个基点(base point),这是自2000年以来最大幅度的加息。我们最近也在处理一些关于这方面的翻译案子,在日常的翻译语料积累学习中,我们挑选了几个出现在相关外媒新闻中的几个高频小词。这些词大家看着都眼熟,但是可能平时不太这样使用。
Let's go~
一说到“加息”,你会想到interest rate increase。比如开头说的,这是自2000年以来最大幅度的加息,The Fed makes biggest interest rate increase since 2000。
我们还可以用hike名词来替换increase: ~ (in sth) ( informal ) ( especially NAmE ) a large or sudden increase in prices, costs, etc. (价格、花费等的)大幅度提高,猛增
hike自带程度,大幅。the latest hike in interest rates 新近利率的大幅上扬
为什么要加息呢?因为通货膨胀久久未得到缓解。这种现象(症状)的持续,我们可以用persist: [ V ] to continue to exist 维持;保持;持续存在
通胀居高不下?High inflation persists.
通胀的一个显著现象是什么?物价飞涨,不要再用increase了,现学现卖,刚才提到的hike用起来:a price hike。
通胀这么厉害,国家肯定要遏制啊,我们来看看近期外媒中出现了哪些常见小词表达“遏制”。curb, control这种就不写了……
attack名词,~ (on sth) an action that you take to try to stop or change sth that you feel is bad 抑制;打击;处理
加大对通胀的抑制力度,ramp up its attack on rapid inflation
通胀往往伴随着贫困和失业,我们就要采取行动全面抑制贫穷/失业 to launch an all-out attack on poverty/unemployment
如果用动词,可以是tamp down: [ VN ] ~ sth (down) to press sth down firmly, especially into a closed space 捣实;压实;塞紧。用它的引申义,比如新闻里的这个句子:
The Fed will continue working to cool the economy as it tries to tamp down the fastest price increases in four decades.美联储将设法控制40年以来速度最快的价格上涨,继续为经济降温。
还有arrest: [ VN ] ( formal ) to stop a process or a development 阻止;中止
They failed to arrest the company's decline. 他们未能阻止公司的衰落。
遏制物价上涨,arrest the pop in prices
还有ease, moderate,这两个词的及物动词和不及物动词都能用,例句就不写了,很简单,顺便提一下ease也可以用于表示“贬值”:to become or make sth lower in price or value 降低;(使)贬值
Share prices eased back from yesterday's levels. 股价从昨天的水平上回落了。
在相关新闻中,我们还注意到美联储主席鲍威尔多次提到,要采取干脆利落又不激进的路线给经济降温。
“激进”一词我们会想到aggressive, drastic对吧,比如采取激进措施遏制通胀,take drastic measures to curb inflation。
如果措施过于激进,就会导致经济陷入深度衰退,curb inflation so aggressively that the economy is tipped into a deep downturn。这也是外媒新闻里的句子,tip into a deep downturn, tip此处的用法和send很像,都表示一种动作的势能,使某物进入一种怎样的运动状态。还是拿这次美联储加息的事情来说,加息尘埃落定之后,股票一度狂跌,The interest rate hike once sent the stock price spiraling downward.
所以咱就是说,不能太激进对吧,正如鲍威尔说的要采取干脆利落的方式,brisk,这个词的本意是:quick; busy 快的;敏捷的;忙碌的,比如:
a brisk walk 轻盈的步履
to set off at a brisk pace 以轻快的步伐上路
我们来看看《纽约时报》中的这个句子:
While the Fed is withdrawing monetary help at the fastest pace in decades, Mr. Powell's comments showed that the central bank was trying to chart a brisk course, but not a drastic one.虽然美联储正以几十年来最快的速度撤出货币援助,但鲍威尔表示,美联储正试图制定出一条干脆利落又不激进的路线。
形容生意红红火火也可以用这个词,比如:
Ice-cream vendors were doing a brisk trade (= selling a lot of ice cream) . 冰激凌小贩的生意很红火。
如果大家关注国内领导人讲话,也会经常听到类似的词“经济软着陆”,soft landing。鲍威尔还提到了一个“类软着陆”的说法,softish landing,那我们就要看看-ish这个词缀了:
fairly; approximately 有点…的;近乎…的,比如:
reddish 略呈红色的
thirtyish 三十左右
软着陆还有一种曲线的表达,就是让经济慢慢平稳下来,even out/off:
to become level or steady, usually after varying a lot 侧重指在经历了一段时期的动荡之后变得平坦,稳定下来,比如:
House prices keep rising and falling but they should eventually even out. 房价一直时涨时落,但最终应该会趋于稳定。
看到这个词组会想到level out/off吗?是的,它俩是近义词:If a changing number or amount levels off or levels out, it stops increasing or decreasing at such a fast speed. 趋向稳定,比如:
The figures show evidence that murders in the nation's capital are beginning to level off. 这些数据证明该国首都的凶杀发案率正开始趋向稳定。