The Real China Emerges from Clichés and Propaganda 　　 　　編者按：隨著北京2008年奧運會的逼近，民眾越來越關(guān)心“中國”品牌的樹立，學(xué)習(xí)英語的熱情也被點燃。越來越多的外宣干部和業(yè)內(nèi)同行向我們表達(dá)了期待看到雙語欄目的愿望。因此，我們自2006年第1期起開辦了《雙語視窗》欄目以滿足廣大讀者的需求。
　　看看周圍的媒體，在《北京青年報》、《參考消息》、《國門時報》上有許多精粹的小短文，像一只只啄木鳥，善意地提醒了中國人習(xí)以為常的行為背后“尚未和國際接軌”的細(xì)節(jié)，讀后讓人回味不已。在獲得借鑒意義的同時，也帶來更深入的思考。我們效仿中英文對照的版面形式，旨在通過外國友人的視角來看中國，從中折射出東西方觀念、習(xí)俗的異同。通過一篇篇這樣的文章，讓讀者在領(lǐng)略異域文化的同時，也能達(dá)到學(xué)習(xí)英語的目的。
　　
　　
　　1985年我來中國時， 多數(shù)中國人認(rèn)為我們外國人隨身攜帶的信用卡是個新鮮物，對它既感興趣又心存疑慮：想想看，在掙到錢之前就可以花錢，真不可思議！對于我們的中國朋友說來，要把擁有一個信用卡看成是既安全又方便的事，那可不容易。說實話，我自己一開始在很長時間里都不愿意申請信用卡。但是，在加拿大，由于駕駛證和信用卡是最常用的身份證件，而我兩樣都沒有，就被認(rèn)為有點怪，好像我在這個國家沒有正常的合法地位。
　　于是，我最終辦了第一張信用卡，但我下決心并不真用它買東西。但后來，我又決定，有時商品減價，我的確需要，但當(dāng)時手頭又沒現(xiàn)金，就用信用卡買下來也挺好。漸漸地，我養(yǎng)成了使用信用卡的習(xí)慣。但是，正如多數(shù)信用卡持有者一樣，我每月底都一絲不茍付清賬單。當(dāng)然，也有些人遲付賬單，這些人就要付高額利息，而高額利息則使信用卡公司得以賺錢。
　　如今，信用卡在中國已經(jīng)很普遍了，然而，我希望中國的消費者不要養(yǎng)成一月又一月遲付信用卡賬單的高昂代價的習(xí)慣。信用卡使購物變得十分容易，但對于少數(shù)成問題的消費者來說，購物含有上癮的成分，而使用信用卡代替現(xiàn)鈔購物似乎就更加劇了這一癮頭。就我個人而言，我覺得借記卡比信用卡更可取，如果你花的錢直接來自你的存折，或者在開銷之前你就先付了錢，就像你買吉通電話卡一樣，就不會有債務(wù)纏身的危險。
　　一些人擁有的IC卡的數(shù)量真讓人吃驚，打本地電話的卡，打長途電話的卡，在每個超市購物的卡，單位食堂吃飯的卡，從銀行取現(xiàn)金的卡――每一種業(yè)務(wù)都有自己的卡。在很多飯店，我看到甚至鑰匙也變成了卡。北京還不算是卡的龍頭，其他城市人均擁有的卡甚至更多。截至1998年底，中國發(fā)行了8千萬IC卡，到今年年底將達(dá)到4億個。在事情變得雜亂無章之前，發(fā)行卡的部門應(yīng)該坐下來討論一下多功能卡的開發(fā)問題，這一轉(zhuǎn)變將有益于卡的發(fā)行者，也有益于卡的使用者。
　　消費者向銀行貸款對于多數(shù)中國人也是新事物。只是在去年年底中國人民銀行才開始推廣對普通居民的購房貸款。此后貸款在品種和規(guī)模上都有了很快的發(fā)展。今年所有的中國商業(yè)銀行都被允許發(fā)放這樣的貸款。越來越多的人正準(zhǔn)備拿銀行的錢去買房、裝修公寓、買新家具、買汽車、買計算機、樂器這樣的耐用品，給孩子交學(xué)費、看病甚至旅游。
　　讓我感到吃驚的是大眾態(tài)度的變化之快，從猶豫不決害怕負(fù)債轉(zhuǎn)到了熱衷于向銀行借款。我猜想是變化的時機成熟了。最近在中國幾大城市所做的一項調(diào)查顯示，大約有一半城市人口還是不花借來的錢買消費品，但新的消費觀念所占的地盤正日益擴大。我個人的疑慮則是關(guān)系到中國消費者，他們不知道風(fēng)險正等待著欠考慮的消費者，我擔(dān)心有些人不得不從教訓(xùn)中學(xué)到量入為出的重要性。
　　當(dāng)貸款使家庭得以享受高質(zhì)量的生活，而且消費者又能有節(jié)制地花錢時，毫無疑問，貸款是件好事。在市場經(jīng)濟的發(fā)展中，可以容易地獲得貸款是一重要因素，但貸款也總包含著風(fēng)險，對貸者與借者雙方都有風(fēng)險。消費者需要仔細(xì)算計一下，每月他們能付銀行或信用卡公司多少錢，他們的經(jīng)濟狀況會怎樣提高并影響其還款能力。信貸體系的每一方面在中國還很年輕。而要使這一體系運作得好，還有許多工作需要去做。我相信這個國家將很快擁有一個具有欣欣向榮的現(xiàn)代經(jīng)濟特色的全方位的信貸服務(wù)體系。
　　（作者曾供職《北京周報》法文版）
　　
　　原文：
　　When I came to China in 1985, most Chinese regarded the credit cards we foreigners carried around with us as curiosities, attractive but also highly suspect:Just imagine spending money before one earned it!It was hard for our Chinese friends to see that having a credit card was a matter of security and convenience.And to tell the truth, I had myself long been reluctant to apply for a creditcard. But as a driver’s licence or a credit card is the most frequent means of identifying oneself in Canada, and I had neither the one nor the other, I was considered alittle odd, as if I had no regular status in the country.
　　So I finally obtained my first credit card, but I resolved that I would never actually use it to buy things.Later, however, I decided that now and then it would benice to purchase items on sale that I really needed but wasnot prepared to pay cash for right then.Gradually I gotinto the habit of using the card, but like most credit card users I was scrupulous about paying my bill at the end of each month.There are also, of course, credit card holders who put off paying their bills; they pay the high interest rates that enable credit card companies to make a profit.
　　Nowadays credit cards are becoming common in China.I hope, though, that Chinese consumers will not fall into the expensive habit of delaying payment of their credit cardbills from month to month.Credit cards make shopping so easy, and for a small but problematic minority of consumers there is something addictive about it that the use ofplastic instead of cash seems to intensify. Personally I feel that a debit card is preferable to a credit card.If the money you spend is taken directly from your savings account, or if you pay before spending, as when you buy a Jitong card, there is no danger of falling deeply into debt.
　　The number of smart (IC) cards some people have is astonishing.For local phones, for long-distance calls, for each supermarket the consumer shops at, for the unit canteen, for making cash withdrawals from the bank ― a different card for each sort of transaction!I note that even keys have been transformed into cards in many hotels.And Beijing is not at the head of the pack; the people in some other Chinese cities have even more cards per capita.By the end of 1998, some 80 million smart cards had been issued in China; by the end of this year, the number will havereached 400 million. Before the situation becomes too messy, card issuers ought to sit down and discuss the creation of multifunctional cards. The shift would benefit both users and issuers.
　　Consumer credit through banks also is new to most Chinese.It was only at the end of last year that the People’s Bank of China started to promote housing loans for ordinary citizens.Then the credit was quicklyextended in variety and scale.This year all Chinese-funded commercial banks are allowed to make such loans.A growing number of people are taking out bank loans to pay for housing, the remodeling of their flats, new furniture, cars, durable goods like computers and musical instruments, schooling, medical services and even tourism.
　　What has surprised me is the swiftness of the changein popular attitudes, from hesitation to go into debt to positive enthusiasm for borrowing money.I guess the time was ripe for change.A recent poll in major cities does show that about half the urban population would still not spend borrowed money on consumer items, but the new attitudes are gaining ground.My own qualms concern Chinese consumers who are unaware of the dangers awaiting the thoughtless consumer.I fear some people will have to learn the hard way how important it is to stick to a budget.
　　Credit is undoubtedly a good thing when it enables a family to enjoy a higher quality of life and when consumers keep their spending under control.The easy availability of credit is a crucial element in the development of a market economy.But credit always involves risk, for both the lender and the borrower.Consumers need to calculate carefully how much they can afford to pay a bank or credit card company each month, and how their financial situationmay evolve and affect their repayment capacity.Every aspect of the credit system is young in China and much still needs to be done if the system is to work well. I am sure that the nation will soon have the full range of credit services characteristic of a thriving modern economy.省略）
　　責(zé)編：周瑾

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