US shutdown prompts global trepidation, bemusement 美國政府關門造成全球恐慌與困惑

US shutdown prompts global trepidation, bemusement
美國政府關門造成全球恐慌與困惑
2013-11-03◎俞智敏


From Chinese bloggers to European central bankers, the world is watching the US government shutdown with a mixture of bewilderment and growing nervousness that any debt default could hit struggling economies.
從中國部落客到歐洲各國央行總裁，全球正以結合了困惑與日益俱增的緊張心情，密切注意美國政府關門事件發展，擔心美國債務違約可能重創經濟陷入困境的其他國家。


In emerging superpower China, a one-party state where legislative deadlock holds little fear for the Communist rulers, the official Xinhua news agency said the situation had once again brought to the fore "the ugly side of partisan politics in Washington".
在新興超級強權中國，共黨統治者所掌控的一黨專制政府根本無需擔心立法程序面臨僵局，官方新華社報導說，這個情況再度凸顯出「華府黨派政治的醜陋面。」


"Though its immediate impact looks limited, the damage will multiply if the drama drags on for days or even weeks, arousing concerns over its spillover effect," it said in a commentary, referring to the US economy.
「儘管其立即性的影響似乎有限，假如這齣戲碼拖延數日或數週，引發外界擔憂其連帶效應，傷害就將擴大數倍，」新華社在一篇提及美國經濟的評論中表示。


While US visa and passport operations are unaffected, the crisis in Washington has forced hundreds of thousands of federal workers to stay at home, closed museums and national parks and put much scientific research on hold.
儘管美國簽證和護照服務不受影響，華府危機卻迫使數十萬名聯邦政府員工留在家中，博物館和國家公園關門，大部份的科學研究也得暫停。


One US researcher who travelled 30 hours to Perth in Australia for a science conference found himself barred from presenting his work on Parkinson’s disease. "It’s actually a federal offence if I do go ahead and give the talk or even continue attending the conference," Michael Lazarou told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
一位美國學者搭機飛了30小時來到澳洲伯斯參加一場科學會議，才發現無法上台發表他對帕金森氏症的研究內容。「假如我上台發表演說，或甚至只是繼續參加會議，事實上都算構成聯邦罪行，」拉札魯對澳洲廣播公司說。

"I had prepared for such a long time to come here and give this talk -- all that effort and it goes to waste now."
「我為這場演講準備了這麼久，這些努力現在全都白費了。」


新聞辭典
bring to the fore：片語，指凸顯、強調某事，使某事更受矚目，例句︰All the talk about costs brought the question of budgets to the fore.（有關開銷的討論，使得預算的問題更受到注意。）
spillover：名詞，指自某容器、空間或地區溢出、滿出來，引申為指某事引發的副作用或連帶影響，例句︰We have benefited from a spillover of prosperity from neighboring states.（鄰州經濟繁榮，我們也跟著受惠。）
go to waste：片語，指導致某事受到浪費，或未被使用即遭丟棄，例句︰It’s a shame to see all that food go to waste.（這麼多食物白白被丟掉真是太可惜了。）