VOA慢速英语2016 2020年越南中产阶级数量将翻倍

AS IT IS 2016-09-08 Vietnam's Growing Middle Class Expected to Double by 2020 2020年越南中产阶级数量将翻倍

Vietnam’s middle class is growing faster than anywhere else in Southeast Asia.

越南的中产阶级的增长速度比东南亚的其他国家要快得多。

Exports of goods manufactured in the country have created jobs and increased pay. As people's buying power increases, so has “conspicuous¹ consumption.” That phrase describes spending money on costly² goods and services to show a person's wealth.

国内出口商品的生产创造了就业机会，增加工资。随着人们的购买力增加，因此出现了“炫耀性消费。”这句话描述了购买昂贵的商品和服务来显示一个人的财富。

It is a way people might try to show their economic power.

这是一种人们试图显示自己经济实力的方式。

The Boston Consulting Group says Vietnam's “middle and affluent³ class” is expected to double to 33 million people by 2020. The business group considers people earning $714 or more a month members of Vietnam's middle class.

波士顿咨询集团说，越南的“中产阶级和富裕阶层”到2020年将增加一倍至3300万人。商业团体认为月薪714美元及以上的人为越南中产阶级的成员。

By 2020, the group says, about one third of the country will be defined as middle class.

该组织称，到2020年，这个国家中有大约有三分之一的人将步入中产阶级的行列。

In 1987, Vietnam opened the country to foreign investment. Since 2012, it has dealt with issues like labor⁴ and the exchange value of its money, the dong.

1987年越南开放国门引进外国投资。自2012年以来，它已经面临诸如劳动力和货币越南盾的交换价值等问题。

Vietnam is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It is one of 12 countries that have signed the Trans Pacific Partnership⁵ free trade agreement. Vietnam also has signed trade deals with Europe.

越南是东南亚国家联盟的一员。它是签署了跨太平洋伙伴关系自由贸易协定的12个国家之一。越南也与欧洲签署了贸易协定。

Companies manufacturing goods for export in Vietnam like the low operating costs in the country.

在越南生产出口商品的公司多是国家中运营成本较低的。

Foreign factories have helped the local economy. The factories have created related businesses that supply stores and provide financial services.

外国工厂带动当地的经济。这些工厂创建了与提供存储和金融服务相关的业务。

Vietnam regularly raises the minimum amount workers can be paid. To save money, workers often live with family to save on housing costs.

越南定期对工薪最少的工人加薪。为了省钱，工人们通常和家庭成员住在一起以节省住房成本。

Some employers say it is hard to find skilled people to do higher level office work. So people who can perform these jobs get paid higher wages.

一些雇主说很难找到有能力做更高层次办公室工作的人。所以可以胜任这些工作的人能够得到更高的工资。

Aparna Bharadwaj covers Southeast Asia for the Boston Consulting Group. She said unlike other emerging Asian countries, Vietnam's government investment in agriculture has created a rural middle class. She said the middle class has moved quickly into smaller towns and rural markets and is spread widely among the population.

阿帕纳·巴拉包括了东南亚波士顿咨询集团。她说和其他的新兴亚洲国家不同，越南政府对农业的投资成就了一批农村中产阶级。她说，中产阶级迅速涌入小型城镇和农村市场，并在人群中广泛兴起。

Boston Consulting Group says the average income per person in Vietnam will rise from $1,400 in 2014 to $3,400 by 2020.

波士顿咨询集团说，到2020年，越南人均收入将从2014年的1400美元上升到3400美元。

A sign of increased wealth in the country's financial center of Ho Chi Minh City is increased traffic jams. Among the vehicles are costly cars and motorcycles built by Honda and Yamaha. Those are considered status brands for Vietnamese.

财富增加的一个标志是这个国家的金融中心胡志明市交通更加堵塞。车辆多是昂贵的汽车和本田或雅马哈的摩托车。那些在越南都是有品牌地位的。

Restaurants serve foreign foods, which are more expensive than local food. They fill up at night with loud groups of people showing off their Apple and Samsung mobile phones.

餐厅提供比当地食物更昂贵的外国餐。晚上，他们都出来并大声的向人群展示他们的苹果和三星手机。

Some people are so status conscious that they might have less furnishings in their homes so they can spend more on items others can see.

有些人的地位意识很严重，导致他们家中的家具很少，这样他们就可以在人们可以看到的物件上花费更多。

Oscar Mussons works for Dezan Shira & Associates in Ho Chi Minh City. He says, if you go inside a Vietnamese house, they might not have a lot of things.

奥斯卡·穆森在胡志明市的协力管理咨询工作。他说，如果你走近越南的房子，你会发现他们家里可能不会有很多的东西。

“They would probably eat on the floor, but still they would have a mobile phone or a motorbike because this is what they see, they can show from the outside. It's not just about being middle class, but also about showing that they're middle class.”

“他们可能会吃在地板上，但他们仍然会有手机或摩托车，因为这些物品是我们能看到的，它们可以拿到外面显摆。这不仅仅是中产阶级能有的，也是表明他们是中产阶级的标志。”

Tam Nguyen is a 36-year-old office worker in Ho Chi Minh City. Her wages have gone up more than 10 percent in two years. She eats out with her family on weekends and spent $5,000 for a trip for four people to Japan.

汤姆·阮是胡志明市的一个36岁的上班族。她的工资在两年内已上涨逾10%。周末，她和家人到外面吃饭，并花了5000美元让4人到日本旅行。

She says she likes to spend money on traveling and tourism. She decided⁶ to save some money to buy property in the next five years.

她说她喜欢把钱花在旅游和旅游业。她决定存下一些钱留着在未来五年买房地产。

Growth in Vietnam's middle class means foreign companies are competing in many different areas. These include fast food restaurants, dairy products, hygiene⁷, consumer electronics and vehicles. Foreign companies with businesses in the capital include Burger King, Starbucks, Family Mart, Nestle and Sony.

越南中产阶级的增长意味着外国公司正在许多不同的领域相竞争。这些包括快餐店、乳制品、卫生、消费电子产品和汽车。外国公司的资本业务包括汉堡王、星巴克、家庭集市、雀巢和索尼。

U.S.-based computer company, Dell, says people prefer different companies depending on where they live in the country. One business development manager says, in the north, people like European companies, while those in the south like American and Japanese ones.

美国戴尔电脑公司说，人们对不同公司的喜好取决于他们住在哪个地方。一个业务开发经理说，在北方，人们喜欢欧洲公司，而南方则偏向美国和日本。

Dell now brings attention to providing service to customers after a sale to build “trust” in their products

在建立了人们对他们产品的信任后，戴尔公司现在将注意力转向提供售后服务。

Words in This Story

conspicuous – adj. not easy to miss or ignore

affluent – adj. having a lot of money, rich

emerging – adj. growing in strength, becoming widely known

status brands – n. kinds of products considered better or more desirable than others

status conscious – n. wanting to give the impression of status, position or wealth

hygiene – n. things people do to keep themselves and their surroundings clean to support good health

1 conspicuous   

adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的

参考例句：

• It is conspicuous that smoking is harmful to health.很明显，抽烟对健康有害。
• Its colouring makes it highly conspicuous.它的色彩使它非常惹人注目。

2 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

3 affluent   

adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的

参考例句：

• He hails from an affluent background.他出身于一个富有的家庭。
• His parents were very affluent.他的父母很富裕。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 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。

7 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。