2023年经济学人 美国签证要等多久（2）（在线收听）

    These problems have been brewing for years.

    这些问题已酝酿多年。

    International travel more than doubled from 2000 to 2020, thanks to rising discretionary income and cheaper foreign flights, as more low-cost carriers entered the market.

    从2000年到2020年，国际旅行增加了一倍多，这得益于可自由支配收入的增加，以及越来越多的低成本航空公司进入市场，国外航班更加便宜。

    The pandemic abruptly squelched the swell.

    新冠疫情突然压制了这股热潮。

    Now that restrictions are over, eager travellers are once again boarding flights at near-record rates, putting fresh pressure on the system.

    现在限制措施结束了，急切的旅客再次以接近历史最高的速度登机，给航空系统带来了新的压力。

    Travel patterns have also changed, meaning there is little let-up.

    旅行模式也发生了变化，这意味着旅客几乎没有减少。

    “Folks are travelling in the shoulder seasons,” says Matthew Cornelius of Airports Council International, a trade organisation that represents airport operators.

    代表机场运营商的贸易组织——国际机场协会的马修·科尼利厄斯表示:“人们在淡季也会出行。”

    Travellers are now flying in months that are usually slower, like April and October, “so there isn’t a break for the whole system.”

    旅客们在人少的淡季也会出行，比如4月和10月，“所以整个系统都没有休息。”

    This has made it hard for federal agencies to keep up.

    这使得联邦机构很难跟上形势。

    cbp had staffing shortages before the pandemic.

    在疫情之前，海关和边境保护局就存在人员短缺问题。

    Now it is short by around 1,000 agents.

    现在，该公司还缺约1000家代理商。

    The State Department, which issues American passports and visas, is facing a similar problem, as is the Transportation Security Administration (tsa), which controls airport security.

    签发美国护照和签证的国务院也面临着类似的问题，控制机场安全的运输安全管理局(tsa)也是如此。

    Fortunately staffing may improve soon.

    幸运的是，人员配备可能很快就会改善。

    In July tsa officers received a pay rise that was approved by Congress in December, putting them on a par with other federal agencies.

    今年7月，运输安全管理局官方获得了国会12月批准的加薪，使他们与其他联邦机构处于同等水平。

    That should help with recruitment and retention.

    这应该有助于招聘和留住员工。

    cbp has also asked Congress for more funding for staffing.

    海关和边境保护局还要求国会为人员配备提供更多资金。

    The State Department has been hiring, too.

    国务院也一直在招聘。

    The agencies will need to act quickly.

    这些机构需要迅速采取行动。

    Pre-covid, nearly 3m Chinese people visited America a year.

    疫情前，每年有近300万中国人访美。

    Post-pandemic demand for international travel from China is bound to climb.

    疫情后，中国对国际旅行的需求必然会攀升。

    Waiting times at airports may be bad, but they could get worse.

    机场的等待时间可能很长，但情况可能会变得更糟。