《中英對照讀新聞》 Tough EU stance? It’s in Germany’s culture 強硬的歐盟立場?這都是源於德國文化
◎俞智敏
Head to the checkout at an Ikea in Stockholm to pay for your new leather corner sofa and with the swipe of a Visa card it’s yours. Don’t try that in Berlin -- that’ll be(euro)1,699 up front please.
到斯德哥爾摩的宜家家居結帳櫃台替你的新角落皮沙發買單,只要刷一下威士卡,沙發就是你的了。在柏林可不能試這招,你得當場掏出1699歐元。
It’s that financial culture -- a deep-seated aversion to debt and an emphasis on responsibility -- that makes Chancellor Angela Merkel’s hardline approach to solving the European financial crisis so popular in Germany.
正是這種財務文化,也就是對債務根深柢固的厭惡及對責任的強調,才讓德國總理梅克爾對解決歐洲金融危機所採取的強硬手段在德國這麼受歡迎。
The attitude shows up in all walks of life, from the daily trip to the grocery store to putting a roof over your head.
從到雜貨店進行日常購物,到尋找一個棲身之所,這種態度展現在生活的各個面向中。
The economy is so reliant on cash for transactions small and big, a way to ensure you don’t spend more than you have, that Germany pushed hard for the(euro)500 note to replace its popular 1,000 mark bill when it joined the common currency.
由於德國經濟非常仰賴現金來進行大大小小的交易,確保不會超支消費,以致德國在加入歐元區時就極力推動印製面額500元的歐元紙鈔,來取代原本很受歡迎的千元德國馬克紙鈔。