Spain's economic crisis has deepened as unemployment has reached a record high and its credit rating is downgraded. It comes as fears grow across the continent that the worst of the euro crisis may not be over - and a growing belief that the German-led prescription of harsh austerity may not be working.
西班牙的经济危机加深,失业率创下新高,信用评级遭到下调。与此同时,人们日益担心欧元区危机最糟糕的时刻可能还没有结束,并且担心德国领头的严厉紧缩措施可能不起作用。
Protest marches have become a common sight in Spain - but this was one of the most colorful.
Wearing masks and exotic costumes, prostitutes demonstrated in Barcelona Friday against the city's plans to outlaw street prostitution.
戴着面罩和穿着奇装异服的妓女星期五在巴塞罗那游行,抗议该市计划将街头娼妓列为非法。The spokesperson for the group, who calls herself Montse, says because of the economic crisis they can't get any other job.
自称名为蒙特塞的妓女团体的发言人说,因为经济危机,她们找不到其它工作。"There are no real alternatives to earn a living," said Montse. "Jobs need to offer enough money to support a family."
蒙特塞说:“真的找不到其它能够谋生的工作。就业岗位需要支付足够的工资以支撑一家人的生计。”Spain's unemployment has hit a record high of 5.6 million, or nearly a quarter of the potential workforce. The rating agency Standard and Poor's downgraded Spanish sovereign debt Thursday and the country has fallen back in recession.
西班牙的失业人数已达到创记录的560万人,相当于潜在劳动力人口的近四分之一。信用评级机构标准普尔星期四下调了西班牙的主权信用评级,该国经济已经再度陷入衰退。Tobias Blattner is chief European economist at Daiwa Capital Markets.
大和资本市场公司的欧洲首席经济学家托比亚斯 布拉特纳说:"At the same time we have this very austere budget, actually the most austere budget since the 1970s in Spain," said Blattner. "And that obviously leads to a lot of concerns in the markets about the growth prospects of Spain."
“在这同时,我们还实行非常紧缩的预算,实际上这是自1970年代以来西班牙最严厉的预算紧缩。这显然导致很多市场参与者对西班牙的增长前景感到担忧。”Austerity versus growth: the debate now at the heart of Europe's crisis is whether countries can cut ((eliminate workers and programs)) their way to back to economic health.
财政紧缩与经济增长,这是目前欧洲经济危机引发人们争论的一个关键问题,也就是说一国是否能够以削减雇员和项目的方法来使经济恢复健康。Like Spain, Italy has seen its borrowing costs rise in recent days.
最近几天西班牙和意大利等国的借款成本已经升高。After the economic crisis hastened the fall of Silvio Berlusconi last November, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti shepherded through a harsh austerity program. At a European Business Summit Thursday, Mr. Monti said it was time to re-focus on growth.
在意大利经济危机加速前总理贝卢斯科尼于去年11月下台之后,现任总理蒙蒂领导通过了一项严厉的紧缩计划。蒙蒂星期四在欧洲商业峰会上表示,现在是重新专注于经济增长的时候了。"Structural reforms per se will never deliver growth because if a country becomes more productive and more competitive but there is no demand for its products domestically or around it growth will not materialize," said Monti.
蒙蒂说:“结构性改革本身从不会带来增长,因为如果一国的生产率和竞争力提高,但是国内外没有对其产品的需求,因此就不会实现增长。”Analysts say debt-laden governments like Italy face a delicate balance; convincing the markets they are solvent while also trying to invest to grow their economies.
分析人士说,意大利等债务缠身的政府面临微妙的平衡,一方面要让市场相信他们有偿付能力,另一方面也要设法投资以促进经济增长。Even Britain, with a top credit rating and access to cheap borrowing, has just slipped back into recession.
就连英国这个拥有最高信用评级和能够以低成本借款的国家,也刚刚重新滑入衰退。Again, Tobias Blattner of Daiwa Capital Markets:
大和资本市场公司的托比亚斯 布拉特纳说:"It just shows again I think that too much austerity which is obviously the preferred policy of the UK government is maybe not the right approach to tackle the situation right now," he said.
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