经济学人260:南非最有影响力的矿业家族下一步会如何?

 　　Swapping¹ gems³ for cash

　　宝石交易

　　What next for South Africa's foremost mining family?

　　南非最有影响力的矿业家族，下一步会如何？

　　MOST people would be overjoyed to pocket $5.1 billion. But Nicky Oppenheimer, the chairman of De Beers, said that it was with a heavy heart that his family had decided⁴ to sell its remaining 40% stake in the world's biggest diamond miner to Anglo American, a mining behemoth. The deal marks the end of an era for South Africa's foremost mining dynasty.

　　在大多数人眼里，获得51亿美元是一件高兴的事。然而对于尼克 奥本海默而言，这位德比尔斯（全球最大，历史最悠久的钻石矿业公司）主席却不那么轻松。其家族海默家族已经决定向矿业巨头英美资源集团出售剩余的40%德比尔斯的股份。而这次交易也标志这个南非矿业巨头辉煌时代的结束。

　　The Oppenheimers have been in the diamond business for more than a century, including over 80 years with De Beers. Nicky's grandfather Ernest settled in South Africa in 1902, having been posted to the diamond-boom town of Kimberley at the age of 22 as an agent for a London-based firm of gem² traders. By 1917 he had set up his own mining company, Anglo American. A few years later he won control of De Beers, a diamond miner that had been founded in 1880 by Cecil Rhodes, a British-born colonialist. By the time Rhodes died in 1902, De Beers controlled 90% of the world's diamond production. Rhodes's immense fortune still pays for people like Bill Clinton to study at Oxford⁵.

　　海默家族涉足钻石业已超过一个世纪，其中80年在德比尔斯工作。尼克的祖父欧内斯特在1902年定居在南非。在他22岁那年，作为一家总部在伦敦的钻石交易公司的代理，他外派到钻石业繁荣的小城金伯利。1917年，他已有了自己的矿业公司，英美资源集团。几年之后，他又掌控了德比尔斯，一家由英国殖民者塞西尔?罗兹于1880年创立的企业。1902年，也就是罗兹去世时间，德比尔斯钻石产量占据世界份额的90%。至今，罗兹的巨额财富仍在支付美国前总统克林顿在牛津大学学习的费用。

　　Since 1929, when Sir Ernest (knighted for war services in 1921) took over as chairman, the Oppenheimers have led De Beers almost without interruption, massaging⁶ the price of diamonds by hoarding⁷ them and occasionally selling part of the firm's stockpile. The family has wielded⁸ political influence, too, mostly bankrolling liberal causes. Both Ernest and his son Harry⁹ served in South Africa’s parliament: Ernest for 14 years in the run-up to the second world war, and Harry for nine years as a member of the anti-apartheid opposition¹⁰.

　　1929年，欧内斯特爵士成为德比尔斯主席。自此之后，海默家族一直经营着德比尔斯，并通过控制库存量来调控钻石价格。与此同时，海默家族为一些南非的自由事业提供资助，在政界也有一定的影响。另外，欧内斯特和儿子哈利也曾为南非议会服务：欧内斯特在14年里为二战提供支持，哈利也是种族主义的支持者。

　　Of late, however, the family's influence has waned¹¹. Some wonder whether Nicky and his son Jonathan have the same drive and acumen¹² as their swashbuckling forebears. And Anglo American, the firm their family founded (and in which it now has a stake of 2%), moved its headquarters to London in 1999. Nicky Oppenheimer insists that the family will stay connected with South Africa: they are still based in Johannesburg.

　　近来，海默家族的影响力却日渐衰弱。一些人就质疑尼克和他的儿子是否拥有先驱的进取心和洞察力。而且英美资源集团，这个曾经海默家族一手打造的企业也在1999年把总部迁到了伦敦。而尼克 奥本海默却坚持家族应该要立足于南非：其总部仍在约翰内斯堡。

　　What will the Oppenheimers do with their new pile of cash? The deal will take months to complete, so they have time to ponder. Under its terms, they are barred from dabbling¹³ in diamonds for two years. But other possibilities abound¹⁴.

　　奥本海默家族又如何运用这笔钱？这次交易历经数月才能完成，因而海默家族有着足够的时间来考量。条款规定，他们在2年内禁止从事钻石行业。但不排除有其他可能他们将再次干起老本行。

　　The family has two investment arms. One, called Stockdale Street Capital, invests largely in medium-sized firms in South Africa. The other, Tana Africa Capital, is a joint¹⁵ venture with Singapore's sovereign-wealth fund, Temasek, and invests in the rest of Africa. Among other things, it holds a stake in a Nigerian firm that sells powdered milk, and it plans to build up five to ten substantial firms over the next decade.

　　海默家族有2个投资分部：斯托克代尔街资本，主要投资南非的中型企业。非洲塔纳资本，这家与新加坡淡马锡（主权财富基金公司）成立的合资公司则负责其余非洲的业务。除了这些之外，家族还拥有一家尼日利亚的奶粉厂，并计划在近十年中投资在新建5到10个新工厂。

　　At the moment, Tana is focused on fast-moving consumer goods and agriculture, and to a lesser¹⁶ extent on building materials, health and education. The new money could go into any or all of these areas, says James Teeger, a family spokesman. And the Oppenheimers may also look at infrastructure¹⁷ and energy, two of the hottest businesses south of the Sahara. Nicky Oppenheimer is said to be furiously jetting around looking for shrewd places to inject his cash.

　　与此同时，塔纳资本愈发重视投资日益繁荣的消费品和农产品行业。同时，也在慢慢涉足建筑材料领域、健康领域和教育界。娜塔丽珍，这位家族的发言人声称，家族获得的资金会投资到这些行业中。除此之外，基础设施和能源领域是作为撒哈拉沙漠南部最热门的行业，海默家族也在考量着对这两个领域进行投资。据说，尼克四处打探消息，寻找可以投钱的最佳场所。

1 swapping   

交换，交换技术

参考例句：

• The slow swapping and buying of horses went on. 马匹的买卖和交换就是这样慢慢地进行着。
• He was quite keen on swapping books with friends. 他非常热衷于和朋友们交换书籍。

2 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

3 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

6 massaging   

按摩，推拿( massage的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He watched the prisoner massaging his freed wrists. 他看着那个犯人不断揉搓着刚松开的两只手腕。
• Massaging your leg will ease the cramp. 推拿大腿可解除抽筋。

7 hoarding   

n.贮藏；积蓄；临时围墙；囤积v.积蓄并储藏（某物）( hoard的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• After the war, they were shot for hoarding. 战后他们因囤积而被枪决。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Actually he had two unused ones which he was hoarding up. 其实他还藏了两片没有用呢。 来自英汉文学

8 wielded   

手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的过去式和过去分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响）

参考例句：

• The bad eggs wielded power, while the good people were oppressed. 坏人当道，好人受气
• He was nominally the leader, but others actually wielded the power. 名义上他是领导者，但实际上是别人掌握实权。

9 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

11 waned   

v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• However,my enthusiasm waned.The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. 然而，我的热情减退了。我在做操上花的时间逐渐减少了。 来自《用法词典》
• The bicycle craze has waned. 自行车热已冷下去了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 acumen   

n.敏锐，聪明

参考例句：

• She has considerable business acumen.她的经营能力绝非一般。
• His business acumen has made his very successful.他的商业头脑使他很成功。

13 dabbling   

v.涉猎( dabble的现在分词 )；涉足；浅尝；少量投资

参考例句：

• She swims twice a week and has been dabbling in weight training. 她一周游两次泳，偶尔还练习一下举重。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The boy is dabbling his hand in the water. 这孩子正用手玩水。 来自辞典例句

14 abound   

vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于

参考例句：

• Oranges abound here all the year round.这里一年到头都有很多橙子。
• But problems abound in the management of State-owned companies.但是在国有企业的管理中仍然存在不少问题。

15 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

16 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

17 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。