《经济学家》读译参考:另类热情拥抱（一） 另类, 经济学家, 热情

幽幽草

Another big hug另类热情拥抱

May 18th 2006 | CAIRO

From The Economist print edition

“THE United States is a damned country that deserves only to be cursed. It declares its own occupation of our lands legitimate, but brands our resistance as terrorists.” This was not the Libyan leader, Muammar Qaddafi, speaking 20 years ago, when his country was a pariah[1] and he was the butt[2] of international scorn. The words were spoken only last month, by the Libyan parliament’s deputy speaker, Ahmed Ibrahim, at a g________① in Tripoli, Libya’s capital, to commemorate its bombing by American aircraft in 1986.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“美国是一个可恶的国家，理所当然应该受到诅咒。它口口声声说占领我们的国土是合法的，却诬蔑我们的抵抗力量是恐怖分子。”这不是利比亚领导人穆阿迈尔•卡扎菲20前说的，那个时候利比亚是一个世所不容的国家，卡扎菲也被国际间当作嘲弄的对象。这话出自利比亚国会发言人艾哈迈德•易布拉希姆之口，他上个月刚刚在利比亚首都的黎波里举行的一次集会上说了这番话。此次集会旨在纪念1986年美国飞机轰炸利比亚事件。

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr Ibrahim’s stridency[3] was, perhaps, inspired by America’s decision, in March, to keep Libya on its official list of state sponsors of terrorism, a dubious distinction it has held since 1979. All the more striking, then, that the American administration should have decided, this week, to restore full diplomatic relations.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

易布拉希姆的话之所以如此不中听，可能是因为今年3月美国决定继续将利比亚留在官方的“支持恐怖主义国家”名单中——从1979年以来，利比亚就一直享有此项有争议的“殊荣”。可接下来让人错愕不已的是，本周美国政府竟然决定全面恢复同利比亚的外交关系

幽幽草

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In fact, the two countries have been edging closer for years—for reasons of pure realpolitik[4]. Mr Qaddafi's regime is certainly less bad than it was. It has not t________② anyone outside its own borders for a long time. It has opened its economy a crack to foreign investors, invited tourism and slightly lifted oppressive controls on its own citizens. （1）But none of those things matters as much to America as big oil, alliances in the fight against Islamist extremism and the scoring of points in the current stand-off[5] over Iran's nuclear ambitions.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

事实上，多年来两国已经越走越近——纯粹是因为强权政治。卡扎菲政权肯定要比过去有所改善，很久以来都未在本国领土以外进行过恐怖活动，经济上渐渐对外国投资者开放，并开始发展旅游事业，对本国公民的高压管控也有所放松。但是对于美国而言，这些都算不了什么。丰富的石油、结盟对抗伊斯兰极端主义以及在当前伊朗核危机僵局中赢得优势，才是美国真正想要的。（译者按：本句的主结构应该是“none of those things matters as much as……to America”，意为“对美国而言，比起……来，那些都无关紧要。”）

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Libya has the largest oil reserves in Africa, safely distant from the Persian Gulf, and has historically cosy[6] relations with American oil firms. More crucial to the Bush administration has been Libya's importance in countering al-Qaeda and its offshoots. （2）Mr Qaddafi's intelligence services, once feared as global troublemakers, are among the most ruthless in the region. Ever since Libya's leader was himself targeted for assassination by Muslim radicals (at least twice in the 1990s), he has been one of their keenest foes

幽幽草

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

利比亚是非洲最大的石油储备国，因远离海湾地区而又十分安全，并且历史上与美国诸多石油公司关系暧昧。对于布什政府而言，更为至关紧要的是利比亚在制衡基地组织及其党羽中的重要作用。曾经让全世界人心惶惶的麻烦制造者、卡扎菲的情报部门在情报领域最为冷酷无情。然而从卡扎菲自己成为穆斯林激进分子暗杀目标（上世纪90年代就至少有两次）到现在，他已经成为他们的死敌之一。

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seizing the opportunity of the attacks on America in 2001, Libyan intelligence has co-operated fulsomely[7] with sister agencies. It has helped i_______③ prisoners at Guantánamo and joined in an American-sponsored plan to track and contain Islamist guerrillas across the Sahara. （3）Among other rewards, it has secured the “rendition[8]” of Libyan Islamists nabbed[9] by the Americans as far afield as Afghanistan, Thailand and Hong Kong.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

利比亚情报部门以2001年美国遭到恐怖袭击为契机，已与美情报部门展开了亲密合作，如协助审问关塔纳摩的囚犯、加入一项由美国提供资助的搜捕撒哈拉地区伊斯兰游击队的计划。在其它方面，利比亚情报部门也收获颇丰，比如已成功将美国人远在阿富汗、泰国和香港等地抓获的利比亚裔伊斯兰分子“引渡”回国。（译者按：本人对这句的翻译着实费了一番脑筋，但仍觉不着边际，主要是“rendition”一词，按《朗文当代英语词典》，它就两个意思，即“表演”和“翻译”，但我觉得句子本身并不包含其中任何一个意思。查别的辞典发现，“rendition”在古语中有“引渡逃犯”之意，这就非常贴合文章了。）

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equally significant was Mr Qaddafi's decision, in 2003, to let British and American experts take apart his secret weapons programme, bringing a windfall of information about global smuggling networks. （4）The Americans parade this change of heart as a model for countries such as Iran and North Korea

幽幽草

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

同样重要的还有卡扎菲在2003年作出的决定，即允许英美专家参与其秘密武器研制计划，透露了一大批令人意外的全球走私网络情报。美国人得意地说，利比亚的幡然悔悟应成为某些国家的榜样，比如伊朗和朝鲜。（译者按：“change of heart”表示“change in attitude”，即“态度的转变”、“看法的转变”。既然美国人是“炫耀”，所以在他们看来，利比亚这是一种“悔悟”。）

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Still, why the rush to e________④ ambassadors? One reason may be a rising feeling in Tripoli that being nice to America has brought little reward. （5）Rumblings[10] of dissent, such as Mr Ibrahim's speech, may have prompted the Americans to make a gesture to prevent Mr Qaddafi from again slipping out of the fold. This week President Bush sent Congress a report on Libya which should lead to its removal from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

可是，两国为什么要急于互派大使呢？原因之一可能是的黎波里愈发觉得善待美国对自己没什么好处。风传的种种不和谐声音，比如易布拉希姆的讲话，对美国人而言是一个鞭笞：要想防止卡扎菲再度背道而驰，就必须有所表示。（译者按：“the fold”的意思是“the group of people that you belong to and share the same beliefs and ideas as”，“同道之人”。）本周布什总统给国会递交了一份关于利比亚的报告，利比亚从恐怖主义援助国的名单中被去掉的日子应该为时不远了。

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[QUIZ]

1. 根据首字母以及括号内的词性提示和英文释义填入单词（注意复数、时态形式变化等）：

①g________（n. a meeting of a group of people）

②t________（vt. to deliberately frighten people by threatening to harm them）

幽幽草

③i________（vt. to ask someone a lot of questions for a long time in order to get information）

④e________（vt. to give someone sth. and receive the same kind of thing from them at the same time）

2. 将划线部分英文翻译成中文：

[NOTES](LONGMAN)

1. pariah n. someone who everyone hates and avoids [= outcast]为众人所痛恨并抛弃的人

2. butt n. （be the butt of something）to be the person or thing that other people often make jokes about笑柄

3. stridency n. 刺耳；尖锐

4. realpolitik n. politics based on practical situations and needs rather than on moral principles or ideas实力政治；现实政治

5. stand-off n. a situation in which neither side in a fight or battle can gain an advantage和局，平衡，相互抵消；制衡

6. cosy adj. having a close connection or relationship, especially one you do not approve of关系亲密的；暧昧的；勾结的

7. fulsome adj. a fulsome speech or piece of writing sounds insincere because it contains too much praise, expressions of thanks etc过分的；过度的；过于做作的；令人感到不快的（恭维）

8. rendition n. 表演；翻译

9. nab vt. 1）to catch or arrest someone who is doing something wrong:捉住；逮捕

2）to get something or someone quickly, especially before anyone else can get them:抢夺

10. rumblings n. remarks that show that people are starting to become annoyed, or that a difficult situation is developing风言风语；谣传

[TIPS & BACKGROUND]

美利关系的历史沿革

　　自卡扎菲执掌利比亚后，美国和利比亚的关系历经风雨。

　　1999年4月，利比亚交出了洛克比空难的两名嫌疑犯。2000年3月，美国官方代表首次访问利比亚。2003年3月，利比亚同意承担洛克比空难的民事责任，承诺向遇难者家属赔偿总计27亿美元。2003年12月19日，卡扎菲宣布放弃研制大规模杀伤性武器，接受国际社会的武器核查，美利关系出现缓和。

　　2006年5月，美国宣布全面恢复与利比亚的外交关系。
[KEY TO QUIZ]

1. ①gathering 集会；②terrorized（或terrorised）恐吓；③interrogate 审讯；④exchange 交换）

九尾金狐

谢谢啊

幽幽草