美国国家公共电台 NPR--People in Odesa try to do business even after Russian attacks leave them in the dark

People in Odesa try to do business even after Russian attacks leave them in the dark

Transcript¹

Ukrainian officials in Odesa say the local economy has contracted 40% since the war began. The shutdown of the local ports and unreliable electricity have forced businesses to adapt.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Before Russia invaded Ukraine, the southern city of Odesa, with its beaches and ports, was known for tourism and shipping². But the ports are all but shuttered, tourism has slowed and Russian strikes on the power grid³ have left many businesses in the dark. NPR's Tim Mak takes us there.

TIM MAK, BYLINE⁴: The front door to Yaroslav Trofimov's jazz club was unlocked when I arrived.

Yaroslav?

YAROSLAV TROFIMOV: Yes, here.

MAK: Oh.

TROFIMOV: Go downstairs.

MAK: Go downstairs. OK.

TROFIMOV: Yes. I'm here with light. Hello.

MAK: It's good to see you. Well, I don't quite see you. It's pretty dark back here.

TROFIMOV: (Laughter) Yes. It's called blackout.

MAK: He cooks dinner under a flashlight.

TROFIMOV: Nice.

MAK: Without power, he grills⁵ fresh meat over a propane flame because he never needs to freeze meat straight from the butcher. Hamburgers and fries are on the menu. His club, which shows plays and jazz shows, is still operating despite less than reliable power in the city. He hasn't made a profit since the war began. Regional officials say the local economy has shrunk 40% in that time frame. But Trofimov says businesses and entrepreneurs like himself somehow keep managing.

TROFIMOV: City does not give up. So something working - even on generators⁶, you can always find a good shawarma on the street easily. During the total blackout, without even, as I told you, internet connection, mobile connection - but you can find the very big shawarmas working in very big generators and lots of people standing⁷ on the streets.

MAK: Some businesses have adjusted by finding clients and customers outside Ukraine.

ARTEM DOROKHOV: I won't say that a lot of businesses, like, closed or vanished.

MAK: That's marketing⁸ consultant⁹ Artem Dorokhov.

DOROKHOV: I think most of them, you know, they reinvented themselves.

MAK: Odesa's ports were central to the local economy, but they were shuttered in February due to the threat of waiting Russian warships¹⁰. The vast majority of port traffic is still blocked, stranding¹¹ people like Nik Viknanskyi, who owns a furniture manufacturing business and needs imported materials.

NIK VIKNANSKYI: We change the - our logistic. Now we use the Romanian ports, Turkish ports and then our trucks. Then we work.

MAK: Meaning he now gets his wood overland through other countries. He says that costs more than how it used to be, but he's cutting costs elsewhere to make it up. And the tourism industry, which is also vital to the economy in Odesa - it's struggling, but it's also adapting. Artur Lupashko, CEO of the Ribas Hotel Group, says many of his guests are now internally displaced people fleeing the war. He says his hotels, 26 in all of Ukraine, including 10 in Odesa, have managed to turn a profit this year.

ARTUR LUPASHKO: (Through interpreter) The apartment-style rooms that we own are still filled with people. The port is still operating somehow. Business is still ongoing¹². Even the curfew helps us a bit because people don't have the ability to move freely during the night.

MAK: But local officials say there will be a day when people can. And in a sign of confidence, the Odesa government is pressing forward with its bid to host the World's Fair in 2030, a bid it submitted before the war began. Roman Hrygoryshyn, the deputy head of the Odesa government, says the war has shown the world what Ukraine can do, creating a world-renowned brand.

ROMAN HRYGORYSHYN: The main important thing which we, as government, must to provide after the war is to transfer this brand to new investment, to new working place.

MAK: After all, one thing is clear. This southern port city has shown it can adapt.

Tim Mak, NPR News, Odesa.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

3 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 grills   

n.烤架( grill的名词复数 )；（一盘）烤肉；格板；烧烤餐馆v.烧烤( grill的第三人称单数 )；拷问，盘问

参考例句：

• Backyard barbecue grills could be proscribed. 里弄烤肉店会被勒令停业的。 来自辞典例句
• Both side inlets have horizontal grills and incorporate impressive fog lamps. 两侧进气口的水平烤架并纳入令人印象深刻的雾灯。 来自互联网

6 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

9 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

10 warships   

军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只

参考例句：

• The enemy warships were disengaged from the battle after suffering heavy casualties. 在遭受惨重伤亡后，敌舰退出了海战。
• The government fitted out warships and sailors for them. 政府给他们配备了战舰和水手。

11 stranding   

n.（船只）搁浅v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The airport had to be closed, stranding tourists. 机场被迫关闭，造成游客滞留。 来自辞典例句
• The stream of history had changed course away from him, stranding him in failure. 历史潮流已经改变方向，与他背道而驰，使他陷于失败之中。 来自辞典例句

12 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。