翻译 [2006.09.07]Letters

Letters

On newspapers, Europe and Israel, MI6, Ethiopia and Somalia, corruption scores, Turkey, China, think-tanks
有关，报纸公司，欧洲和以色列，军情6处，埃塞阿比亚与索马里，腐败排行，土耳其，中国，智囊团

Sep 7th 2006From Economist.com

Read all about it
读新闻
SIR ? The sensationalist headline to your leader on the newspaper industry was more suited to a tabloid than the reasoned pages of The Economist (“Who killed the newspaper?”, August 26th). To borrow a line from the great newspaperman Samuel Clemens, the reports of our death are greatly exaggerated. There is no denying that the entire media industry is grappling with tectonic change. And it is true that people of all ages are increasingly using online sources to access news. But you gave short shrift to the fact that in many cases those online visitors are reading content written and posted by the staffs at the websites of mainstream daily newspapers.
先生-你那个关于报纸业的类似感知论者的社论标题(“Who killed the newspaper?”, August 26th)应该更适合于小报纸，而不应该出现在经济学人这样满是理由充分论述详尽的媒体上。借用著名的新闻工作者Samuel Clemens的一句话，那些有关我们报纸业衰亡的报告过都言过其词了。不可否认，整个媒体业都正在努力适应这种结构上的变化。的确，人们在逐渐的利用网络资源阅读新闻。可是，你却没有对这样的一个事实给予足够的关注，很多情况下，网络读者所阅读的内容都是由那些主流日报的网站工作人员撰写和发布的。

Our data show that local dailies and their websites are a potent combination, capturing a commanding share of the audience for local news and information. That combination is shoring up the total newspaper audience, enabling newspapers to increase their revenue from advertisers. The real-estate ad category?one that you cited as a leading indicator of newspapers' supposed demise?rose by 18.5% in the second quarter compared with a year ago. Yes, our audiences' habits are changing, but around the world newspapers are proving remarkably adaptable and remain attractive to investors whose time horizons extend beyond the next quarter.
我们的资料指出，地方日报及其网站是一个种有效的信息综合，而且在读者对当地新闻和信息的需求上占有绝对份额。这种信息综合支撑起了所有报纸读者的需求，因此报纸公司就可以从广告客户那里增加收入。地产类广告---就是被你当作报纸公司会灭亡的首要指标---与去年同比，在第二个季度增长了18.5%。没错，读者的使用习惯在变，可是纵观全球，报纸公司正变的更加有适应力，并且依然对那些投资收益期超过下个季度的投资者们有吸引力。
John Sturm
President, Newspaper Association of America
Vienna, Virginia

SIR ? Just as the pulpit was the medium through which the medieval church broadcast its vision of a unified Christendom, so the national newspaper is the medium through which the nation-state has projected its vision of national identity. Newspapers are the glue that help hold the state together. With that glue now dissolving, the traditional concept of national identity is falling apart. It is attacked from below by demands for devolution and from above by supranational confederations, such as the EU and NAFTA. Historians may come to see the decline of the newspaper as the death-knell for the nation-state as we knew it.
先生-就像中世纪，讲道坛是媒介，在那里教堂传播基督教界统一的观点。所以，报纸也是一种媒介。在报纸上，一个国家表达自己民族本体的观点。报纸跟胶水一样把国家粘成一个整体。当胶水开始溶解时，传统民族本体的观念就开始瓦解了。这种冲击自下而上是权力下放的需要，自上而下是超国家的联邦，就像欧盟和北美自由贸易协议。历史学家们可能会看见报业的衰落，就像要为我们理解的单一民族国家而敲响丧钟一样。
Stephen Morris
Coorparoo, Australia

About the past
犹太往事
SIR ? The history of the traumatic and complex relationship between Europeans and the ancestors of today's Israelis helps explain why Europe has “become so reflexively anti-Israel” (“To Israel with hate?and guilt”, August 19th). This relationship can be characterised as a tragic love affair on the Jewish part, which was met with a deep phobia by Europe. During the Enlightenment Jews joined their fellow Europeans in the process of modernisation and secularization, hoping they would, at last, be accepted by European society. But they were painfully betrayed. Johann Fichte, the German philosopher, saw no other solution but to cut off their heads or “to conquer for them their promised land and to pack them off there.” Demands that “Jews get out, go back to Palestine”, were made in the Hungarian parliament and proposals to “deport them to their ancient kingdom” echoed all over fin-de-siècle Europe, including Paris. In fact Israel may not have come to exist were it not for Europe, as Zionism was born out of frustrated hopes and despair on the continent.
先生-横亘在欧洲和当今以色列祖先之间的历史创伤与复杂关系，可以解释欧洲为什么“变得如此自发的反犹太” (“To Israel with hate?and guilt”, August 19th)。这种关系可以从犹太人的角度上，刻画成一种悲剧式的恋爱事件，在欧洲它遇到了一种严重的恐怖症。启蒙运动期间，犹太人和欧洲人一起加入了现代化和国家脱离宗教控制的过程，他们希望世界，至少是欧洲社会能接受他们。然而他们却被痛苦的背叛了。德国哲学家Johann Fichte，觉得要么把这些犹太人的头砍下来，要么“占领他们应得的土地并把他们打发走”，除此之外和他们相处别无他法。匈牙利国会曾经有人要求“犹太人滚出去，滚回巴勒斯坦”，还有提案“把他们驱逐回他们远古的王国去”。那时，包括巴黎在内的整个世纪末的欧洲都回荡着这样得声音。而事实上，如果不是欧洲的话，以色列还建不了国，就如犹太复国主义的诞生不是因为在那片大陆上的失望和绝望一样。
Rachel Elboim-Dror
Professor emeritus of education and culture
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Jerusalem

SIR ? An independent Jewish state that is capable of defending itself contradicts both classic Christian and radical Islamic perceptions of Jews in history. Classic Christianity perceived Jews as victims, witnesses to the victory of the cross. Fundamentalist Islam cannot tolerate a non-Muslim state in the Middle East, a region which it views as the kingdom of Allah. Both religions have difficulty accepting Israeli soldiers protecting their worshippers as the Star of David flutters over Jerusalem.
先生-一个有能力防卫自己的犹太国家，让典型的基督教徒和犹太历史上的伊斯兰激进份子都无法接受。典型的基督教将犹太人视为受害者，十字军东征胜利的见证者。信奉正统伊斯兰教的人绝对无法容忍在中东，这片被视为安拉的王国存在一个非穆斯林国家。两教也均无法接受，以色列军人去保护他们的大卫王之心的礼拜者穿越耶路撒冷。
Shimon Arbel
Haifa, Israel

Careers advice
职业建议
SIR ? You claimed that MI6 has rejected online recruitment (“Salute the spooks”, August 19th). In fact, MI6, (the Secret Intelligence Service?SIS), moved to full online recruitment in April through our website, which was launched with an extensive careers section in October 2005. Our aim is to make the application process accessible to the widest possible range of recruits by openly advertising careers in the SIS (the first advert appeared in The Economist in April). The feedback from candidates has been positive and the decision to go online is already paying dividends in the form of a significant increase in applications and a more diverse pool of applicants?currently 18% of those attending for interview are from ethnic minority backgrounds.
先生-您曾声称M16已经拒绝了网上招聘(“Salute the spooks”, August 19th)。而事实上，M16（机密智能服务---SIS）的网上招聘在4月份的时候全部迁移到了我们的网站，而且在2005年10月启用了一个额外的职业选项。我们的目的是在SIS（第一篇展示登在经济学人4月刊）提供开放式的职业展示，让最广泛的应聘者容易的完成申请过程。申请人的反馈是正面的，把招聘放在网上的决定已经让个人应聘者的数量显著增加了，而且申请者的背景也变得多样化---现在有18%参加面试的应聘者是少数种族。
Head of recruitment
Secret Intelligence Service
London

Ethiopia's security
埃塞阿比亚的安全形势
SIR ? You attempted to discredit our democratic process by coupling it to Ethiopia's principled stand on the political danger unfolding in Somalia (“The path to ruin”, August 12th). Our elections are not “dodgy”. For the first time in Ethiopia's history almost a third of seats were won by opposition parties and around 115 seats now have female MPs. A national democratic process is advancing smoothly with dialogue between the ruling party and all political parties. Given that Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts, which seeks to govern the whole of Somalia, has declared a jihadist war on Ethiopia, my country is concerned about its national interest and security, as well as that of the region, and the impetus of these concerns is not a design to win America's friendship. Ethiopia has suffered terrorist attacks from jihadists, who have killed civilians and destroyed property, including an assassination attempt on our minister of transport.
先生-通过连系埃塞阿比亚在索马里政局危机蔓延问题上的原则立场，您企图侮辱我们国家的民主进程(“The path to ruin”, August 12th)。我们的选举不是“骗人的”。埃塞阿比亚历史上的第一次选举，几乎三分之一的席位被反对党赢去了，而且下议院中的105个席位是由女性担任的。全国性的民主进程通过执政党和其他政党间的对话稳步发展。为了寻求统治全索马里，伊斯兰宫廷的索马里联盟已经宣布和埃塞阿比亚开战，一场铲除异教徒的战争。我的国家关注自己的国家利益和安全，以及地区安全，但是这些关切的动力并不是要赢取与美国政府的友好关系。埃塞阿比亚遭受了讨伐异教徒份子的恐怖袭击，他们杀害了平民破坏了人民的财产，他们还曾试图暗杀我们的交通部长。
Berhanu Kebede
Ambassador for Ethiopia
London

SIR ? When listing the dangers facing the peoples of the Horn of Africa you cited population growth as the “elephant in the corner of the room”. A more apt elephantine expression is found in Swahili: when two elephants fight it is the grass that gets hurt. The people of the Horn are stuck underfoot between failing states, Western diplomats, journalists and donors, none of whom provide long-term sustainable solutions for the region. More practical would be an immediate clan-based mechanism for peace talks in Somalia, a UN-mandated regional boundary-commission that sets final borders, and the arbitration of effective resource management under joint state authority.
先生-数着南非好望角人民所面对的各种危险时，你把人口增长比作“房间角落里的大象”。一个更贴切的，对巨大的表达在班图语里是：当两头大象打架的时候，受伤的是草皮。好望角人民被无法实现的承诺束缚住了手脚，没有哪个西方外交官，记者和捐赠人给这个地区提出过稳定的长期解决方案。索马里和平对话所需的是更为实际的东西，比如，一个直接基于部落的政治机制，一个由联合国委托的地区边境委员会来划定最终边界，还有在联合政府中对资源有效管理的仲裁机构。
Kariuki Kevin Kihara
Washington, DC

More space for parking
需要更多停车位
SIR ? In international events bronze medallists usually get little attention (“A ticket for corruption”, August 12th). However, when describing a new corruption ranking based on parking violations by UN diplomats you singled out Chad, the third-highest offender, and ignored Kuwait, the gold winner, which had twice as many infractions. I take solace in finding that my country's diplomats committed zero violations.
先生-国际赛事中的铜牌获得者通常很少会获得大家的关注(“A ticket for corruption”, August 12th)。然而，在描写一个新的联合国外交官违规停车的贿赂队伍时，你挑选出了排行第三的乍得湖，而忽略了金牌得主科威特，其违规次数是前者的两倍。令我安慰的是，我们国家的外交官还没有违规过。
Manuel Navas
Bogotá, Colombia

Turkey baiting
给土耳其下猛料
SIR ? Why does The Economist seize the opportunity of a terror attack to take a couple of shots at the Turkish tourist economy (“Resorting to Terror”, August 30th)? Terrorism in Turkey has claimed lives, foreign and local, for decades. But Europeans pay attention when bombs go off in tourist resorts such as Marmaris and Bodrum, which are generally overloaded with Britons. I find it difficult to believe that you condone the European attitude of being concerned only when people other than Turks are murdered. You also describe the PKK as fighting for “an independent Kurdish state”, a sentiment that all but condones the killing of Turks. To us in Turkey, who nearly every week see victims of terrorism, the killing or wounding of a few Britons every five years or so won't be bringing us to tears.
先生-为什么经济学人仅靠抓住一次恐怖袭击的机会就对土耳其旅游经济开了这么几枪(“Resorting to Terror”, August 30th)？几十年了，土耳其恐怖主义已经夺走了很多生命，有国外的也有国内的。但是欧洲人只注意到那些旅游胜地的炸弹爆炸，例如经常挤满英国人的Marmaris和Bodrum。欧洲人的态度是只关心土耳其人以外的那些被害者，我发现很难相信你会宽恕这样的态度。你的文章也提到库尔德工人党为建立“一个独立德库尔德人国家”而战，但是却没有宽恕对土耳其人的杀害。对于我们这些身在土耳其的人，基本上每周都能看见恐怖主义的受害者，而英国人差不多每五年才那么几次的被害和流血事件，是不会让我们流下眼泪的。
Yasin Ozturk
Istanbul

Hot air
温室气体
SIR ? In your article (“Going deeper green", September 1st) it was irresponsible to mention China as a big source of emissions without additional clarification. Per person, according to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Indicators (CDIAC data set), China is less of an offender than the vast majority of countries in the developed world. It hardly seems fair to reprimand the country's 3.19 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per person, compared with figures of 9.44 for Britons and 19.82 for Americans. Yes, China’s growth is a huge concern and will pose an enormous strain on the environment, but please attempt to give a more balanced perspective before pointing fingers.
先生-你的文章(“Going deeper green", September 1st)不负责任的，把中国看成是一个不经处理就排放温室气体的主要来源。根据联合国千年发展目标对人均排放标准的指标，与主要的发达国家相比，中国还算不上是一个违规者。英国人每人9.44公吨和美国人每人19.82公吨的数字，让人很难对中国每人3.19公吨二氧化碳的排放量提出合理的诉讼。没错，中国的增长需要很多关注，而且增长也会对它的环境产生巨大的压力，但是，在你数落别人之前，请你先给出一个看问题的平衡的角度。
Cynthia Yeung
Washington, DC

Winging it
平衡
SIR ? In your article (“Richer for poorer”, August 30th) you quote opinions from two American think-tanks, the Urban Institute and the American Enterprise Institute. You call the former a “left-wing think-tank” although they call themselves non-partisan. You call the latter a “free-market think-tank”. In the interest of fairness shouldn't you call the latter “right-wing”? Or has the United States progressed so far rightwards that the right now is the norm?
先生-你在你的文章(“Richer for poorer”, August 30th)中引用了两类美国智囊团的观点，都市智囊团和美国企业智囊团。你称前者为“左翼智囊团”，尽管他们称自己是超党派的。你称后者是“自由市场智囊团”。为了公平起见，你就不应该称后者为“右翼的”吗？还是美国右倾发展到现在，右已经成为现在的标准了？
Lennart Frantzell
Sunnyvale, California