2019年经济学人 向朝鲜汇款的秘密渠道(2)

 

That is low compared with remittances¹ from workers sent abroad by the state, which are estimated to be in the hundreds of millions.

和该国派往国外工人的汇款相比较低，据估国外工人往韩国国内的汇款为亿万美元。

(Sanctions require that these overseas workers return home by the end of this year.)

（制裁要求那些海外工人今年年底前回国。）

But it is substantial both relative to North Korean GDP per person, reckoned to be between $1,000 and $2,000 a year,

但不管是相对于朝鲜人均GDP（预估为1千美元到2千美元一年）

and as a share of income earned by North Koreans in South Korea, who make around $1,300 a month on average.

还是朝鲜人在韩国的所得份额（平均每个月赚约1300美元），这个金额都非常巨大。

The majority of recipients² live in North Hamgyeong and Yanggang on the northern border with China,

大部分受助者都生活在咸镜北道和中国北境两江道，

the home provinces of most of those fleeing the North. (The proximity³ to the Chinese border also enables communication using smuggled⁴ Chinese sim cards.)

大部分逃离朝鲜的人都住在这些省。（中国边界附近也能够使用走私的中国SIM卡打电话。）

The money is sent through a sophisticated network of brokers⁶ in South Korea, China and North Korea.

钱都是通过韩国、中国和朝鲜的一个复杂的经纪人网络转账。

Like the majority of refugees, these are usually women; often less compelled to work for the state,

和大部分逃亡者一样，这些通常是女性；通常不会强迫她们为国家工作，

they are more active in the North's informal economy than men.

她们在朝鲜的非正式经济中比男性更加活跃。

If a refugee in South Korea wants to make a transfer, she may contact a broker⁵ in the North who owes a smuggler⁷ in China.

如果一个在韩国的逃亡者想要转账，她可能会联系一位欠中国走私者钱的朝鲜经纪人。

The refugee may offer to pay some portion of the broker's debt;

逃亡者可以先替这位经纪人还一些债；

in return, the intermediary gives an equivalent amount to the refugee's family in the North, usually in dollars or Chinese yuan.

作为回报，中间人要给这位逃亡者在朝鲜的家人同等数额的钱，通常是美元或人民币。

The system is based on trust—and extravagant⁸ fees. The broker who facilitates the transaction takes a cut of around 30%.

这一体系是基于信任—以及高额的收费。促成这笔交易的经纪人要抽取30%的费用。

Uninitiated participants with weak networks may fall victim to scams, says Ms Kim, though she claims they are rare:

在这个脆弱网络中，没有经验的参与者可能会成为骗局的受害者，Kim说到，虽然她声称这种情况很少发生：

wronged customers can get their brokers into trouble by reporting them to the Chinese or North Korean authorities.

被骗的客户可能会向中国或朝鲜当局举报他们的经纪人，让他们陷入麻烦。

In a few cases, money flows the other way. A small number of refugees surveyed by NKDB said that they had received money from relatives in the North.

在少数情况下，资金会反向流动。NKDB调查中的少数逃亡者表示他们收到了朝鲜亲戚的钱。

But those who make it abroad are vastly more likely to be able to support their relatives.

但是那些逃到国外的人极可能有能力帮衬他们的亲戚。

That this complicates⁹ relationships is not lost on Ms Kim.

这种复杂化的关系没有影响到Kim。

"I didn't know my father was dead for two years because my aunt lied to me," she says. "But I understand why she did it."

“我不知道我的父亲已经去世两年了，我的姑妈向我撒谎了，”她说道。“但我明白她为什么这么做。”

1 remittances   

n.汇寄( remittance的名词复数 )；汇款，汇款额

参考例句：

• He sends regular remittances to his parents. 他定期汇款给他父母。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Remittances sometimes account for as much as 20% of GDP. 在这些国家中，此类汇款有时会占到GDP的20%之多。 来自互联网

2 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

4 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

5 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

6 brokers   

n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分

7 smuggler   

n.走私者

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight, awaiting extradition to Britain. 这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• The smuggler was finally obliged to inform against his boss. 那个走私犯最后不得不告发他的首领。

8 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

9 complicates   

使复杂化( complicate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• What complicates the issue is the burden of history. 历史的重负使问题复杂化了。
• Russia as a great and ambitious power gravely complicates the situation. 俄国作为一个强大而有野心的国家，使得局势异常复杂。