VOA标准英语2008年-Ireland - New Hub for Immigrants

By Mandy Clark
Dublin
08 January 2008
 

Ireland's economic miracle of the 1990s transformed one of Europe's poorer countries into one of its wealthiest. But, that transformation¹ has brought with it change and the Irish are having to cope with an influx² of immigrants - something  unheard of in years past.  But now the Irish are staying put and newcomers are flowing in from Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia bringing a vital source of labor³ and new problems of cultural integration⁴.  VOA's Mandy Clark reports from Dublin and on the changing face of Ireland.

This may look like an ordinary day for kids at school, but there is nothing ordinary about this particular school in Dublin.  This is the "Bracken Educate Together" school, set up as an emergency measure for the largely immigrant children who were left without a place to learn after other local schools rejected them. 

Ola Tella's four-year-old daughter attends Bracken. She says, "I tried so many schools, but I couldn't get a space for my daughter. So we are all thinking it's racism⁵, it's racism. They say there is a school in Balbriggan that's all blacks, it is obvious to everyone, you know?"

Tella's family came to Ireland four years ago from Nigeria. She says many people in her community have faced discrimination when it came to finding school placement.

Branken's principal, Marion Griffin, says it is not an issue of racism.  "Basically, the new people that were coming in, mostly immigrants, were newcomers to the town and the places were already gone to brothers and sister and children who were born in the town and as a result there were no places when these people came to the schools. It might have looked on the outside like racism but it was actually not," she said. 

Over the past decade as the Irish economy has grown, so has the immigrant population. The country's relatively⁶ small population of 4.2 million means that even moderate amounts of migration⁷ can have a profound effect.  The government's Immigrant Council says immigrants make up nearly 10 percent of Ireland's population, and they come mainly from inside the European Union, though African and Asia immigrants are also on the increase. While the influx has brought some problems, many Irish seem at ease with the change.

One citizen said, "The multicultural⁸ dimension that has been introduced into Ireland in the last 10 years or so has been really quite tremendous. It's brought color to Ireland and it's good because the immigrant population has got jobs here, that they might not had at home. It's good for everybody."

Another citizen remarked, "Yes, it's a good thing because we'll get a good football team eventually."

And yet another citizen said, "It definitely has become a lot more multicultural, a lot more variety in the languages that are spoken, in the faces that you see and I think that's a good thing."

Chinedu Onyejele came to Ireland 10 years ago from his native Nigeria. Now, he is the editor of an immigrant newspaper, the Metro⁹ Eireann.

He says problems of integration are the fault of government policy, "The government, they are not pro-active. The policy and programs are not very good. They need to improve, but having said that, the people are very welcoming. If the society could be turned into policies and programs, I think Ireland would be a heaven for integration and multi-culturalism." 

Conor Lenihan is Ireland's Minister for Integration. He admits the government has been slow to respond to the challenges immigration brings. "There has been a slowness to get off from the starting blocks on this issue - there is no doubt about that. I think the challenge is to get it right. I think in the schools it would be hugely important that we do get it right. If we fail these migrant children, it is not good news for our country," he said. 

School principal Marion Griffin says living and working together will bring communities closer. "Of course when children are educated together, it is the very best way of integration. The motto at Educate Together is 'Learn Together, to Live Together.'" 

That is the slogan for this school, but many people here say only through understanding and accepting each other can immigration work, and, they say, there is still much work to be done to achieve that. 

1 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

2 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

3 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。

4 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

5 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

6 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

7 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

8 multicultural   

adj.融合多种文化的，多种文化的

参考例句：

• Children growing up in a multicultural society.在多元文化社会中长大的孩子们。
• The school has been attempting to bring a multicultural perspective to its curriculum.这所学校已经在尝试将一种多元文化视角引入其课程。

9 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。