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MichaelMetcalfe_2013S-_我们需要金钱来援助贫穷,一起来印钞票吧!_

Thirteen years ago, we set ourselves a goal to end poverty . 十三年前 我們為自己設立了 終止貧窮的目標。
poverty:n.贫困;困难;缺少;低劣;
After some success, we've hit a big hurdle . 在幾次成功的經驗後, 我們遇上了大障礙。
hurdle:n.障碍;栏;跳栏;vt.克服;vi.克服;跳过;
The aftermath of the financial crisis has begun to hit aid payments , which have fallen for two consecutive years. 財務危機的餘波 開始影響救濟金, 目前已經連續兩年金額不足。
aftermath:n.后果;余波; financial:adj.金融的;财政的,财务的; crisis:n.危机;危险期;决定性时刻;adj.危机的;用于处理危机的; payments:n.付款;支付;收款;款项;报答;(payment的复数) consecutive:adj.连贯的;连续不断的;
My question is whether the lessons learned from saving the financial system can be used to help us overcome that hurdle and help millions. 我想問的問題是 我們在拯救金融系統中學到的教訓 是否能幫助我們 解決這個障礙, 且幫助數以萬計需要援助的人?
overcome:vt.克服;胜过;vi.克服;得胜;
Can we simply print money for aid? 我們是否可以光靠 「印鈔票」來解決問題?
'"Surely not." 「當然不行!」
It's a common reaction . 這是最常見的反應。
reaction:n.反应,感应;反动,复古;反作用;
(Laughter) (觀眾笑聲)
It's a quick talk. 「只是說說罷了別當真。」
Others channel John McEnroe. 有些人可能會用約翰? 這麼回答...
'"You cannot be serious!" 「你肯定在開玩笑!」
Now, I can't do the accent , but I am serious, thanks to these two children, who, as you'll learn, are very much at the heart of my talk. 我學不上他的語氣, 但我沒在開玩笑, 幸虧有這兩位小孩, 你們等等會明白 他們是我這段演講的主角。
accent:n.口音;重音;强调;特点;重音符号;v.强调;重读;带…口音讲话;
On the left, we have Pia. 左邊這位是皮雅,
She lives in England. 她住在英格蘭,
She has two loving parents, one of whom is standing right here. 有和藹可親的雙親, 其中一位 正站在這個講台上。
Dorothy, on the right, lives in rural Kenya. 右邊這位是桃樂思 住在肯亞農村,
rural:adj.农村的,乡下的;田园的,有乡村风味的;
She's one of 13,000 orphans and vulnerable children who are assisted by a charity that I support. 她是一萬三千名孤兒?其中一名, 是位孤苦無依的小孩, 目前正由我支持的慈善機構協助。
orphans:n.孤儿(orphan的复数);v.成为孤儿(orphan的三单形式); vulnerable:adj.易受攻击的,易受…的攻击;易受伤害的;有弱点的; charity:n.慈善;施舍;慈善团体;宽容;施舍物;
I do that because I believe that Dorothy, like Pia, deserves the best life chances that we can afford to give her. 我會這麼做是因為,我相信 桃樂思 就跟皮雅一樣, 值得擁有更好的人生機會, 如果我們可以負擔得起她們的生活。
deserves:v.值得;应得;应受;(deserve的第三人称单数) afford:v.给予,提供;买得起;
You'll all agree with me, I'm sure. 你們大家都會同意?這點我肯定,
The U.N. agrees too. 聯合國也同意。
Their overriding aim for international aid is to strive for a life of dignity for all. 他們針對國際援助上 跨領域的目標 便是為每個人 爭取生存尊嚴。
overriding:adj.高于一切的,最重要的;v.践踏;压垮;不顾(override的ing形式); strive for:争取,奋斗; dignity:n.尊严;高贵;
But -- and here's that hurdle -- can we afford our aid aspirations ? 不過...出現障礙了, 我們要如何擔負起 這股對援助的熱心?
aspirations:n.愿望;
History suggests not. 歷史證據顯示,我們辦不到。
In 1970, governments set themselves a target to increase overseas aid payments to 0.7 percent of their national income. 1970年,政府設立一個目標, 將海外援助津貼數值增加到 國民收入的 百分之0.7(%)。
overseas:adv.在海外,海外;adj.海外的,国外的;
As you can see , a big gap opens up between actual aid and that target. 誠如你們看到的, 在實際援助經費與目標數值之間 有條巨大的鴻溝。
As you can see:正如你所看到的;你是知道的; gap:n.差距;间隙;缺口;间隔;v.使豁裂;豁开;
But then come the Millennium Development Goals, eight ambitious targets 不過在這之後 我們推行千禧發展目標, 八項充滿企圖心的目標
Millennium:n.千年期,千禧年;一千年,千年纪念;太平盛世,黄金时代; ambitious:adj.野心勃勃的;有雄心的;热望的;炫耀的;
If I tell you that just one of those targets is to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty, you get a sense of the ambition . 如果我告訴你其中一個目標 是要徹底根除飢餓與貧窮, 你馬上就能感受到 設立這些目標的雄心。
eradicate:vt.根除,根绝;消灭; extreme:adj.极端的;极度的;偏激的;尽头的;n.极端;末端;最大程度;极端的事物; ambition:n.追求的目标;野心;志向;抱负;
There's also been some success. 過去有些成功的案例。
The number of people living on less than $1.25 a day has halved . 全球每天只靠1.25美元維生的人數 已經減少一半,
halved:v.对半分开;均分;把…减半(halve的过去式和过去分词);
But a lot remains to be done in two years. 但還是有許多問題?接下來兩年的時間來作改善。
One in eight remain hungry. 全球每8個人中 就有1個人受挨餓。
In the context of this auditorium , the front two rows aren't going to get any food. 以這個講廳 來給你們打比方, 這代表著前兩排的?會沒有食物可吃,
context:n.环境;上下文;来龙去脉; auditorium:n.礼堂,会堂;观众席;
We can't settle for that, which is why the concern about the eighth goal, which relates to funding , which I said at the beginning is falling, is so troubling. 我們不能滿足於這樣的事實, 因此我們的第八項目標設立的中旨 跟金援補助有關, 我在前面已提到, 它正在下降, 這著實令人不安。
settle for:满足于; concern:v.涉及,关系到;使担心;n.关系;关心;关心的事; funding:n.基金;资金;提供资金;v.为…提供资金;拨款给;(fund的现在分词) at the beginning:首先;从一开始;起初;从头开始;
So what can be done? 所以能做甚麼來補救呢?
Well, I work in financial markets, not development. 我曾任職於金融市場, 與它的發展無關,
I study the behavior of investors, how they react to policy and the economy . 我研究投資者行為, 研究他們對政策與經濟環境會有甚麼反應。
policy:n.政策,方针;保险单; economy:n.经济;节约;理财;
It gives me a different angle on the aid issue . 這讓我能以不同的?援助金議題的運作。
issue:n.重要议题;争论的问题;v.宣布;公布;发出;发行;
But it took an innocent question from my then-four-year-old daughter to make me appreciate that. 我女兒在四歲時曾問我 一個聽起來天真的問題, 卻讓我有如當頭棒喝。
innocent:adj.无辜的;无罪的;无知的;n.天真的人;笨蛋; appreciate:v.欣赏;感激;感谢;理解;
Pia and I were on the way to a local cafe and we passed a man collecting for charity. 皮雅和我在到咖啡廳的途中, 我們遇到一位男士正為慈善機構募款。
I didn't have any change to give him, and she was disappointed. 我身上沒有零錢可以給他, 皮雅覺得很失望。
Once in the cafe, Pia takes out her coloring book and starts scribbling . 進到咖啡廳時 皮雅拿出插畫本 開始塗鴉。
scribbling:n.预梳,乱涂;v.乱涂,乱写(scribble的现在分词形式);
After a little while, I ask her what she's doing, and she shows me a drawing of a £5 note to give to the man outside. 一會後, 我問她在做甚麼, 皮雅將她的畫 遞過來給我, 是一張五鎊的紙鈔, 想給剛剛那位在募款的男人。
It's so sweet, and more generous than Dad would have been. 這舉動真的貼心, 比任何人的爸爸都還要來的慷慨。
generous:adj.慷慨的,大方的;宽宏大量的;有雅量的;
But of course I explained to her, "You can't do that; it's not allowed." 不過,當然,我對她解釋: 「你不能這麼做,這是不被允許的。」
To which I get the classic four-year-old response : "Why not?" 接著我得到 所有四歲小孩都會有的反應: 「為什麼不行?」
classic:n.名著;优秀的典范;adj.最优秀的;第一流的;有代表性的;典型的; response:n.响应;反应;回答;
Now I'm excited, because I actually think 這時我感到興奮, 因為我知道
I can answer this time. 這次我知道怎麼回答這個問題。
So I launch into an explanation of how an unlimited supply of money chasing a limited number of goods sends prices to the moon. 所以我開始對她解釋為甚麼不行, 如果現金無限供應, 商品價格會隨著有限的物資上漲, 這會使商品價格 漲到月球那麼高。
launch into:进入,投入; unlimited:adj.无限制的;无限量的;无条件的;
Something about that exchange stuck with me, not because of the look of relief on Pia's face when I finally finished, but because it related to the sanctity of the money supply , a sanctity that had been challenged and questioned by the reaction of central banks to the financial crisis. 這個銀貨兩訖的概?讓我停頓了一會, 並不是因為在我解?看到皮雅臉上露出 恍然大悟的表情, 卻是因為這個概念 讓我聯想起 獲取金錢來源的道德觀, 這個道德觀 一直以來備受中央銀行 質疑與挑戰 對金錢供需配給的態度 導致金融財務危機。
exchange:n.交换;交流;交易所;兑换;v.交换;交易;兑换; relief:n.救济;减轻,解除;安慰;浮雕; finally:adv.终于;最终;(用于列举)最后;彻底地; sanctity:n.圣洁;尊严;神圣不可侵犯性; money supply:n.货币供应量;
To reassure investors, central banks began buying assets to try and encourage investors to do the same. 為了讓投資者安心, 中央銀行開始買各項資產, 只為了鼓勵投資者一同跟進,
reassure:vt.使…安心,使消除疑虑; assets:n.资产;宝贵的人材;(一项)财物;资产;(asset的名词复数)
They funded these purchases with money they created themselves. 他們針對某些資產?進行補助, 用那些從投資無形?錢滾出來的錢。
funded:adj.提供资金的;v.提供资金;积存;提供资金偿付的本息;(fund的过去式); purchases:v.[贸易]购买; n.所购物;
The money wasn't actually physically printed. 這類錢滾錢的獲利 從未被實體印製出來,
It's still sort of locked away in the banking system today. 直到今日這些錢仍?銀行系統中循環。
But the amount created was unprecedented . 不過這些錢滾錢所?數目之大是史無前例!
unprecedented:adj.空前的;无前例的;
Together, the central banks of the U.S., 美國、英國與日本...等
U.K and Japan increased the stock of money in their economies by 3.7 trillion dollars. 這些國家中央銀行 在他們經濟中總共增加了 3兆7000億美元之多。
stock:n.股票; v.库存; adj.老一套的; economies:n.经济;经济结构;节约;(economy的复数) trillion:n.[数]万亿;adj.万亿的;num.[数]万亿;
That's three times, in fact that's more than three times, the total physical stock of dollar notes in circulation . 這是三倍!事實上. 比三倍還多! 比起實體流通的貨幣... 多出三倍。
physical:adj.[物]物理的;身体的;物质的;符合自然法则的;n.体格检查; circulation:n.流通,传播;循环;发行量;
Three times! 三倍之多!
Before the crisis, this would have been utterly unthinkable , yet it was accepted remarkably quickly. 在金融危機之前, 不會有人想得到這個數字, 但大眾也很快視為理所當然。
utterly:adv.完全地;绝对地;全然地;彻底地,十足地; unthinkable:adj.不能想象的;过分的; remarkably:adv.非常;极为;格外;出乎意料地
The price of gold, an asset thought to protect against inflation , did jump, but investors bought other assets that offered little protection from inflation. 黃金的價格 被用來當作抵制通貨膨脹的資產, 出現上漲趨勢, 但投資者買下其它資產, 那些資產只對市場 通貨膨脹有一些保護作用。
protect against:使免受; inflation:n.膨胀;通货膨胀;夸张;自命不凡;
They bought fixed income securities, bonds. 他們大筆買進 固定收入證券、債券...
They bought equities too. ... 也投資股票。
equities:n.股票(equity的复数);权益;股本;公平;
For all the scare stories, the actual actions of investors spoke of rapid acceptance and confidence . 所有恐怖故事當中, 投資者的實際行為 都說明了迅速的接受和信任。
acceptance:n.验收;接受;认可;承认; confidence:n.信心;信任;秘密;adj.(美)诈骗的;骗得信任的;
That confidence was based on two pillars . 投資者的投資信心 主要建立在兩個基礎上。
pillars:n.柱子;柱状物;台柱(pillar的复数);v.用柱支持(pillar的第三人称单数);
The first was that, after years of keeping inflation under control, central banks were trusted to take the money-printing away if inflation became a threat. 第一個基礎便是 中央銀行經過幾年控管通貨膨脹成效穩定, 大眾信任並授權中央銀行在通貨膨脹發生時 有停止印鈔票的權力, 前提是通貨膨脹變成威脅
Secondly, inflation simply never became a threat. 第二個基礎是 通貨膨脹有史以來並未構成重大威脅。
As you can see, in the United States, inflation for most of this period remained below average. 你們看看目前的美國市場, 通貨膨脹在這個時期 大部分時間維持在平均數之下。
United:adj.联合的; v.联合,团结; (unite的过去分词和过去式)
It was the same elsewhere . 這情形在世界各地皆如此。
elsewhere:adv.在别处;到别处;
So how does all this relate to aid? 所以這一切又如何跟金援扯上關係?
Well, this is where Dorothy and the Mango Tree charity that supports her comes in. 很好,這就是桃樂思 跟支持她生計的芒果樹基金會 來到我談話重點的時刻。
Mango:n.芒果;
I was at one of their fundraising events earlier this year, and I was inspired to give a one-off donation when I remembered that my firm offers to match the charitable contributions its employees make. 當時我人在募款活動現場, 在今年初的時候 我受感動後捐出一次性的樂捐, 當我想起我任職公司提出 加倍員工募款 金額的捐款制度。
fundraising:n.筹款;募捐; inspired:adj.受到启发的; v.鼓舞; (inspire的过去分词和过去式) one-off:n.一次性事物;adj.一次性的; donation:n.捐赠;捐赠物;赠送; charitable:adj.慈善事业的;慷慨的,仁慈的;宽恕的; contributions:n.捐款;捐资;定期缴款;贡献;促成作用;(contribution的复数)
So think of this: 所以這裡請大家思考一下:
Instead of just being able to help Dorothy and four of her classmates to go through secondary school for a few years, 以我的能力 僅能提供桃樂思 和她的四位同學 接受沒幾年的高中教育,
secondary school:中等学校;
I was able to double my contribution. 但現在我有能力將?多增加到兩倍之多
Brilliant. 真棒!
So following that conversation with my daughter, and seeing the absence of inflation in the face of money-printing, and knowing that international aid payments were falling at just the wrong time, this made me wonder: 在跟我女兒那段談話後 看見政府決定停止印製鈔票後, 通貨膨脹並沒有發生的情況下, 又查覺到國際援助基金 正在一個錯誤的時間裡縮減中, 這使我反思:
absence:n.没有;缺乏;缺席;不注意; in the face of:面对;
Could we match but just on a much grander scale ? 我們可以用更大規模的計劃來 加倍援助金額嗎?
scale:n.规模;比例;鳞;刻度;天平;数值范围;v.衡量;攀登;剥落;生水垢;
Let's call this scheme "Print Aid." 且讓我捫這麼稱呼?計畫為「印鈔援助金計劃」,
scheme:n.计划;方案;体系;体制;阴谋;v.密谋;图谋;想;认为;
And here's how it might work. 此計畫的運作方式會這麼進行。
Provided it saw little inflation risk from doing so, the central bank would be mandated to match the government's overseas aid payments up to a certain limit. 假設進行大規模金?引發通貨膨脹的風險不大, 中央銀行會依照指示 將加倍國際援助金, 增加到一定額度。
Provided:conj.假如; v.提供; (provide的过去分词和过去式) central bank:n.中央银行; mandated:adj.托管的; v.强制执行; (mandate的过去分词和过去式)
Governments have been aiming to get aid to 0.7 percent for years, so let's set the limit at half of that, 0.35 percent of their income. 政府持續瞄準0.7%的援助金目標, 行年已久, 不如這樣, 我們將這個目標打對折, 從年度全國國民收入中抽出0.35%。
So it would work like this: If in a given year the government gave 0.2 percent of its income to overseas aid, the central bank would simply top it up with a further 0.2 percent. 這比金額會如此分?假設在某一定年度的收入中, 政府分配0.2%的收入 至海外援助基金會, 當地中央銀行會加?這比款項數目, 等同於多捐出0.2%?給當地援助基金會。
So far so good. 到目前為止 一切聽起來都算合理。
How risky is this? 不過這之間會有甚麼風險呢?
Well, this involves the creation of money to buy goods, not assets. 這麼說好了, 這筆被印製出來的鈔票 會用來買實際生活?不是用來投資。
involves:v.包含;需要;牵涉;牵连;影响;(使)参加,加入(involve的第三人称单数) creation:n.创造,创作;创作物,产物;
It sounds more inflationary already, doesn't it. 這一切聽起來根本?通貨膨脹的催化劑...你說是不是?
inflationary:adj.通货膨胀的;通货膨胀倾向的;通货膨胀引起的;
But there are two important mitigating factors here. 不過呢,卻有兩個 緩衝通貨膨漲的因素。
mitigating:adj.可考虑从轻处置的情节(或因素)v.减轻;缓和;(mitigate的现在分词) factors:n.因素(factor的复数); v.做代理商;
The first is that by definition , this money printed would be spent overseas. 首先,按照規定, 被印出來的這筆錢僅限於海外使用。
definition:n.定义;清晰度;(尤指词典里的词或短语的)释义;解释;
So it's not obvious how it leads to inflation in the country doing the actual printing unless it leads to a currency depreciation of that country. 因此這筆錢 對印鈔國家的市場 造成的通貨膨脹影響不會明顯, 除非大量印鈔 造成該國幣值貶值。
obvious:adj.明显的;显著的;平淡无奇的; currency:n.货币;通货; depreciation:n.折旧;贬值;
That is unlikely for the second reason: the scale of the money that would be printed under this scheme. 不過,依照第二點?貨幣貶值的可能性不大, 原因是紙鈔數量 是在這計劃實行下 印製出來的。
unlikely:adj.不大可能发生的;非心目中的;非想象的;难以相信的;
So let's think of an example where Print Aid was in place in the U.S., U.K. and Japan. 在此我們拿幾個國家當例子, 像美國、英國及日本, 這些國家以印鈔票為輸出的國家
To match the aid payments made by those governments over the last four years, 為趕上過去四年來 政府對金援的支出金額,
Print Aid would have generated 200 billion dollars' worth of extra aid. 印鈔計劃將印出 2000億美元的額外援助金。
generated:v.产生;引起;(generate的过去式和过去分词) extra:adj.额外的:n.额外的事物:adv.额外:另外:
What would that look like in the context of the increase in the money stock that had already happened in those countries to save the financial system? 對於這些 在金錢儲蓄中 有長足獲利的國家來說, 實行印鈔金援的計?會帶來怎樣的效果呢?
Are you read for this? 大家都準備好 接受這樣的計劃了嗎?
You might struggle to see that at the back, because the gap is quite small. 坐在後排的人可能看不清楚, 因為這個鴻溝並不大。
So what we're saying here is that we took a $3.7 trillion gamble to save our financial systems, and you know what, it paid off. 因此這等同要我們 支出3兆7000億元 來展開一場 復甦全球金融系統的賭局, 而且你們知道嗎? 這筆錢不會是白白花掉。
gamble:vi.赌博; vt.赌博; n.赌博;
There was no inflation. 結果證實 通貨膨脹根本沒因此而發生。
Are we really saying that it's not worth the risk to print an extra 200 billion for aid? 我們真的擔負不起 多印個2000億元援助金的風險嗎?
Would the risks really be that different? 這個危機是否會是個轉機?
To me, it's not that clear. 對我來說 一切尚未明朗。
What is clear is the impact on aid. 唯一可以清楚的是?這筆錢對需要的人有多重要。
impact:n.影响;效果;碰撞;冲击力;v.挤入,压紧;撞击;对…产生影响;
Even though this is the printing of just three central banks, the global aid that's given over this period is up by almost 40 percent. 就算只從 上述三個國家的中央銀行 在此期間印出來的援助金 都會使全球慈善基金會 整整多出將近40%的經費可利用。
global:adj.全球的;总体的;球形的;
Aid as a proportion of national income all of a sudden is at a 40-year high. 援助金佔國民收入總額的比例 會因此達到40年新高。
proportion:n.比例;部分;份额;均衡;v.摊派;使相称; all of a sudden:突然地,出乎意料地;
Now, we don't get to 0.7 percent. 現在,政府不需要?抽出國民所得0.7%的目標,
Governments are still incentivized to give. 還是能照樣給予足?金額來援助需要的人。
incentivized:v.对…实行物质刺激;(incentivize的过去式和过去分词)
But you know what, that's the point of a matching scheme. 不過你們知道嗎? 這就是「你捐款我加倍奉還」
So I think what we've learned is that the risks from this money creation scheme are quite modest , but the benefits are potentially huge. 因此從這個貨幣印製機制上 我們能得知 實行的風險並不大, 但其潛值上的獲利 卻非常可觀。
modest:adj.些许的;谦虚的; potentially:adv.可能地,潜在地;
Imagine what we could do with 40 percent more funding. 想像多出40%的援助金。
We might be able to feed the front row. 我們甚至可以餵飽 所有第一排的觀眾。
The thing that I fear, the only thing that I fear, apart from the fact that I've run out of time, is that the window of opportunity for this idea is a short one. 我恐懼的事情是 我唯一的恐懼是… 除了我們已經沒有時間的事實外, 就是這個想法能實現的機會 實在渺茫。
run out of:用完;
Today, money creation by central banks is an accepted policy tool. 今日,中央銀行印製鈔票 是大眾都接受的政策機制。
That may not always be the case. 但或許也不需都透過中央銀行印鈔。
Today there are universally agreed aims for international aid. 今日有個世界共通針對國際援助 設定的幾個目標…
universally:adv.普遍地;人人;到处;
That may not always be the case. 但這些目標可能會改變。
Today might be the only time that these two things coincide , such that we can afford the aid that we've always aspired to give. 今天可能是唯一 讓我的想法以及國際援助 同時發生的時刻, 這樣我們負擔得起 當初立下目標要給予金援的數目。
coincide:v.同时发生;相同;相符;相交;同位; aspired:v.向往;热望(aspire的过去分词);
So, can we print money for international aid? 因此,我們可不可?印鈔票來進行國際慈善援助?
I seriously believe the question should be, why not? 個人深信這個問題應該得到這樣的答覆… 為甚麼不呢?
Thank you very much. 謝謝大家!
(Applause) (觀眾掌聲)