The world is used to a thriving German economy. A decade ago, during the financial crisis, it shed relatively few jobs, as unemployment soared elsewhere. Since then it has been an anchor of fiscal stability while much of the euro zone has struggled with debt and deficits. Its public debt is below the target of 60% of gdp set by eu treaties—and falling.
官方译文：全世界已经习惯了德国经济的兴旺发达。十年前的金融危机期间，其他地方失业率飙升，德国减少的岗位相对较少。自那以后，欧元区多数地区都受困于债务和赤字，而德国一直是财政稳定的主心骨。其政府债务占GDP比重低于欧盟条约设定的60％的目标，而且还在下降。
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德国经济的黄金时代可能行将终结 The world is used to a thriving German economy. A decade ago, during the financial crisis, it shed relatively few jobs, as unemployment soared elsewhere. Since then it has been an anchor of fiscal stability while much of the euro zone has struggled with debt and deficits. Its public debt is below the target of 60% of gdp set by eu treaties—and falling. Thanks to labour-market reforms introduced during the 2000s, Germans enjoy levels of employment that beat job-friendly Britain, even as inequality is barely higher than in France. Its geographically dispersed manufacturing industries, made up of about 200,000 small and medium-sized firms, have mitigated the regional disparities that have fuelled populism across the West. 全世界已经习惯了德国经济的兴旺发达。十年前的金融危机期间，其他地方失业率飙升，德国减少的岗位相对较少。自那以后，欧元区多数地区都受困于债务和赤字，而德国一直是财政稳定的主心骨。其政府债务占GDP比重低于欧盟条约设定的60％的目标，而且还在下降。得益于在本世纪头十年开展的劳动力市场改革，德国的就业水平更胜失业率不高的英国，同时不平等情况也不比法国高多少。地区发展不平衡助长了西方的民粹主义，而德国的制造业（由约20 万家中小型企业组成）分散于全国各地，有助于缓解地域差距。 Yet the German economy suddenly looks vulnerable. In the short term it faces a slowdown. It only narrowly avoided a recession at the end of 2018. Temporary factors, such as tighter emissions standards for cars, explain some of the weakness, but there is little sign of a bounceback. Manufacturing output probably fell in January. Businesses are losing confidence. Both the imf and the finance ministry have slashed growth forecasts for 2019. In the longer term, changing patterns of trade and technology are moving against Germany’s world-beating manufacturers. In response, on February 5th Peter Altmaier, the economy minister, laid out plans to block unwanted foreign takeovers and to promote national and European champions. 但现在，德国经济突然显得脆弱起来。短期来看，德国将面临经济放缓。2018年年底它险些出现衰退。当前的疲弱一定程度是由于更严格的汽车排放标准等暂时性因素，但几乎看不出有反弹的迹象。1月份的制造业产出可能下滑。企业信心渐失。国际货币基金组织和德国财政部都调低了对2019 年增长的预测。长远来看，贸易和技术模式正在改变，不利于德国那些世界一流的制造企业。作为应对，2 月5 日，德国经济部长彼得·阿尔特迈尔（Peter Altmaier）制定计划，阻止不合心意的外国收购案，并扶持国内和欧洲领军企业的发展。 主题阐述段。分为两个部分：第一，作者欲抑先扬，先直截了当讲“全世界已经习惯了德国经济的兴旺发达”，继而为后文写“德国经济突然显得脆弱起来”构成对比。第二，正式引入主题，写从短期和长期其经济变得脆弱的原因。 Germany is getting both the short and the long term wrong. Start with the business cycle. Many policymakers think the economy is close to overheating, pointing to accelerating wages and forecasts of higher inflation. In their view, slower growth was expected, necessary even. That is complacent. Even before the slowdown, the imf predicted that in 2023 core inflation will be only 2.5%—hardly a sign of runaway prices. In any case, higher German inflation would be welcome, as a way to resolve imbalances in competitiveness within the euro zone that would elsewhere adjust through exchange rates. The risk is not of overheating but of Europe slipping into a low-growth trap as countries that need to gain competitiveness face an inflation ceiling set too low by Germany. 从短期和长期来看，德国的行动都是错误的。先说商业周期。 许多政策制定者认为德国经济接近过热，凭据是工资上涨加速和预计通胀上升。在他们看来，增长放缓是意料之中的，甚至是必要的。但这是自满的看法。即使在经济放缓前，国际货币基金组织预测到2023 年核心通胀率仅为2.5％，根本谈不上是价格失控的迹象。在任何情况下，德国通胀上升都是好事，是解决欧元区内竞争力失衡的一种方式——在世界其他地区可以通过汇率来调整这种失衡。风险不是经济过热，而是德国把通胀上限设定过低，令欧元区内需要提升竞争力的国家受限，导致欧洲陷入低增长困局。 The slowdown also portends deeper problems for Germany’s globalised economic model. Weakness in part reflects the fallout from the trade war between China and America, two of Germany’s biggest trading partners. Both are increasingly keen on bringing supply chains home. America is due soon to decide whether to raise tariffs on European cars. Trade is already becoming more regionalised as uncertainty grows. If global commerce splits into separate trading and regulatory blocs, Germany will find it harder to sell its goods to customers around the world. 经济放缓也预示着德国的全球化经济模式将出现更深层次的问题。 德国经济疲软在一定程度上是受中美贸易战的影响，这两国是它最大的贸易伙伴。中美两国都越发渴望将供应链转移回国内。美国即将决定是否对欧洲汽车加征关税。随着不确定性增加，贸易已经开始变得更区域化。假如全球商业分裂为一个个贸易及监管集团，德国向世界各地客户销售商品将变得更困难。 Reform has made Germany’s labour market strong, but it will soon face new challenges. Industrial jobs look particularly vulnerable to automation, yet lifelong learning and retraining are relatively rare in Germany. The workforce is ageing. Neither the government nor business is much digitised and neither invests enough. If technological change demands that its economy embraces digital services, Germany will struggle. 改革令德国的劳动力市场变得强大，但新挑战也近在眼前。 工业岗位看起来尤其容易受到自动化的冲击，而终身学习和再培训在德国相对稀少。劳动力正在老龄化。政府和企业的数字化程度不高，对这方面的投资也不足。如果技术变革需要其经济必须向数字服务转型，德国将陷入困境。 问题剖析段。作者早早在第一句亮出了主旨，即从短期和长期来看，德国的行动都是错误的。随后，作者通过三个方面阐述了德国举措的问题：商业周期、深层次的模式问题及改革所带来的的挑战。 The government is not blind to these problems, but Mr Altmaier’s protectionism is the wrong medicine. The left, meanwhile, wants to roll back labour-market reforms. Better to expand a recent boost to infrastructure spending and press ahead, at scale, with tax incentives for private investment. Both should help growth today and boost the economy’s long-term prospects. Significantly lower taxes on households would encourage a rebalancing away from exports and towards consumption. A dose of competition could invigorate coddled service industries. The German economy has had an impressive run, but cracks are appearing. It is time to worry. 德国政府并非对这些问题视而不见，但阿尔特迈尔的保护主义却是一剂不对症的药方。与此同时，左翼人士希望撤回劳动力市场改革措施。更好的做法是进一步加大近期对基础设施支出的促进力度，并通过税收优惠大举推动私人投资。两者应该都有助当前经济增长并提振长期经济前景。大幅降低家庭税收将促使经济实现从依赖出口转为依靠消费的再平衡。引入竞争可以给娇生惯养的服务业带来活力。德国经济发展成绩骄人，但缺陷已经显现。是时候担心了。 总结收束段。作者在总结“是一剂不对症的药方”后，介绍了“更好的做法”；并在文末收束全文，再次呼应主题，“德国经济发展成绩骄人，但缺陷已经显现”。 ♣♧♣♧♣♧♣♧♣♧♣♧♣♧♣♧♣♧♣♧♣♧♣♧♣♧♣ 泛读笔记：这篇文章较短并没有所有的论点都进行展开论述，故而文章的逻辑没有那么清晰。泛读时应该要把握两条主线：第一，文章总体上是“总分总”结构。先亮明观点，然后分开论述，继而在最后再次加以总结。 第二，文章内部含有推理的逻辑线索。即：先说德国之前经济多好→再说现在经济变得脆弱→插入介绍了德国政府采取的应对举措→从三个方面分析这些举措的问题所在→给出作者所认为的破解之道。这两条线是杂糅在一起的，要注意辨析。 |
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