2019年经济学人 印度金融—变身华尔街(1)

 

Financial centres, like delicate plants, thrive in the right conditions.

金融中心就像是娇嫩的植物一样，在适宜的环境下繁荣生长。

Those include a vibrant¹ private sector², banks that direct capital based on the prospect³ for profit,

这样的环境包括一个充满活力的私营部门、根据盈利前景引导资本的银行、

analysts⁴ with direct access to companies and investors⁵,

能够直接接触企业和投资者的分析师、

openness to foreign people and institutions, and businessfriendly, consistent laws.

对外国人和机构的开放态度以及商业友好的一致法律。

For good measure, throw in the cultural amenities⁶ that attract the sorts of employees who could choose to live anywhere.

另外还要加上文化便利设施，以此吸引各种愿意在此定居的员工。

India is not such a place. Its laws are many and perplexing; its domestic markets, inefficient⁷ and politicised.

印度并不是这样一个地方。印度法律纷繁复杂；其国内市场低效且政治化。

Though saving is unrewarding, capital is still costly⁸ for entrepreneurs.

尽管储蓄不能盈利，但对企业家来说，资本仍然很昂贵。

International firms are mostly limited to cross-border activities. It often scores badly on quality of life.

跨国公司多局限于跨境活动。印度的生活质量评分通常很低。

So it is hardly surprising that although tiny Hong Kong and Singapore are globally renowned⁹ centres of finance,

所以尽管小小的香港和新加坡是享誉全球的金融中心，

Mumbai, India's financial capital, features low on most rankings.

但印度金融之都孟买却在多数排名中排名靠后，也就不足为奇了。

But the country is nonetheless becoming an essential hub for international banks.

但这个国家正在成为国际银行的重要枢纽。

India is often their second-largest place of employment after their home country,

印度通常是仅次于他们祖国的第二大就业市场，

and becoming ever more important for their innovation efforts.

并对于他们的创新努力而言，印度也正变得越来越重要。

India has long received other countries' outsourced jobs.

长期以来，印度一直接受其他国家的外包工作。

Some of those are unsophisticated, such as answering phones or processing forms.

其中一些很简单，比如接听电话或处理表格。

Many, however, rely on Indian universities' remarkable¹⁰ ability to turn out engineers in great numbers,

但很多依赖于印度各大学培养大量工程师的非凡能力

and computing¹¹ firms' ability to use them to solve complex problems.

以及计算机公司雇他们解决复杂问题的能力。

Such tasks may be dismissed as "back-office". But they are at the heart of modern finance.

这些任务或许可由‘后台’替代。但它们位于现代金融的中心。

In recent years banks have become global networks that link apps on smartphones,

近些年来，银行已经成为一种全球网络，连接智能手机应用、

workstations used for sales, and sophisticated programs used to manage compliance¹² and allocate¹³ capital.

用于销售的工作站以及用于管理遵从性和分配资金的复杂程序。

Systems that once merely updated balances now determine financial-product marketing—

曾经只是更新余额的系统现在决定了金融产品的营销—

whom to send offers to, when to increase credit limits and when to adjust charges.

向谁发出邀请、什么时候提高信用额度以及什么时候调整收费。

For banks all over the world, many such tasks are now done in India.

对于全世界的银行而言，很多这样的任务现在都在印度完成。

Even tasks that would seem to require the personal touch—a trusted adviser¹⁴ pitching a deal to the boss of a client firm, say

甚至是看起开需要个性化品质的任务—比如一位值得信赖的顾问向客户公司的老板推销一笔交易

—may rely on a fact-sheet compiled by an Indian research team overnight.

—可能要依靠印度研究小组连夜编写的情况说明书。

The only things that cannot be done in India are client meetings, says Tuhin Parikh, a senior executive at Blackstone.

唯一不能在印度完成的事情是客户会面，黑石集团的高级主管图希恩·帕里克表示。

Since 2014 the buy-out firm has nearly quadrupled the amount of property it leases in India to international financial firms,

自2014年起，这家收购公司在印度租赁给国际金融公司的房产数量增加了近四倍，

from 690,000 square feet (64,000 square metres) to 2.7m.

从690,000平方英尺（64,000平方米）到27,000,000平方英尺。

1 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

4 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

5 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

6 amenities   

n.令人愉快的事物；礼仪；礼节；便利设施；礼仪( amenity的名词复数 )；便利设施；（环境等的）舒适；（性情等的）愉快

参考例句：

• The campsite is close to all local amenities. 营地紧靠当地所有的便利设施。
• Parks and a theatre are just some of the town's local amenities. 公园和戏院只是市镇娱乐设施的一部分。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 inefficient   

adj.效率低的，无效的

参考例句：

• The inefficient operation cost the firm a lot of money.低效率的运作使该公司损失了许多钱。
• Their communication systems are inefficient in the extreme.他们的通讯系统效率非常差。

8 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。

9 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

10 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

11 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

12 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

13 allocate   

vt.分配，分派；把…拨给；把…划归

参考例句：

• You must allocate the money carefully.你们必须谨慎地分配钱。
• They will allocate fund for housing.他们将拨出经费建房。

14 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。