英语外刊【经济学人精读】：在德国红灯区，她们深陷困境

　　对于在备考雅思的考生而言，多读一些英语外刊是非常关键的，不仅仅能够增加自己的词汇量，还可以了解到一些写作方法，构文思路等等，这里为大家分享【经济学人精读】在德国红灯区，她们深陷困境，供大家学习阅读！

　　原文译文

　　*注：本文摘自6月4日《经济学人》

　　Social distancing and prostitution社交隔离和娼妓Germany helps sex workers idled by covid-19德国为那些因新冠疫情失业的性工作者But they are still much worse off than before the pandemic但他们的境况还是比疫情之前糟糕 1. THE EVENING sun is beating down on a small crowd gathered in Schöneberg, a district of Berlin, to mark the 45th International Whores’ Day. But Isabelle, a Macedoniantransgender prostitute, is gloomy. “I remember how it was before,” she says. Cis women walked the streets north of the railway bridge, trans women to the south. Not these days. “I feel depressed,” says Isabelle. “It’s our job, you know?” Colleagues describe overbearing police,price-gouging hotels and clients seeking outrageous “corona-discounts”.

　　夕阳照在一群聚集在柏林舍嫩贝格区的人身上，他们正在庆祝第45届国际妓女日。但马其顿的变性妓女伊莎贝拉却很沮丧。“我还记得之前的情形。”她说。往常，铁路桥以北的街上闲荡着独联体女性，而在以南的街上则挤满了变性女性。如今，这里空无一人。“我很沮丧。”伊莎贝拉说。“这是我们的工作，你懂吗？”同事向我谈及专横的警察、漫天要价的酒店以及那些需求“新冠折扣”的客户。

　　2. Few industries have been as pummelled by covid-19 as sex work, which in Germany is legal and regulated. Like many workplaces, brothels had to close in March. Yet although massageparlours and nail salons have reopened, prostitutes have been left in limbo. Some, such as Undine de Rivière in Hamburg, are innovating with hands-off services like fetish videos or erotic-hypnosis recordings. But it is hard to make a living that way, and few have the skills to try. Many migrants from eastern Europe, who are thought to make up more than half of Germany’s 400,000-1m sex workers, went home before the borders closed.

　　性工作在德国是合法的，少有行业像性工作行业一样受到新冠疫情如此重的打击。和许多其他工作场所一样，妓院在3月份必须停止营业。然而，尽管如今按摩院和美甲沙龙已经重新开业，妓女们仍处于困境。有些妓院，如汉堡的Undine de Riviere，正在尝试诸如恋物视频或色情催眠录音等不干涉服务。但是这种方式赚钱有限，很难谋生，而且很少有人有能力去做这些。德国有大约40到100万性工作者，其中大半来自东欧，而他们在边境关闭之前就已经回国了。

　　3. Others have been forced underground. Emma, a recent arrival from America, got a tongue-lashing from two regulars she suggested meeting after the ban took effect. “I’m trying to keep food on the table,” she says. Some have drug habits to feed, or families abroad to support. The state has offered one-off grants of up to €9,000 ($10,000) to freelances, and unlike in most countries sex work is covered. But foreign prostitutes are typically ineligible and many others do not know how to apply, or do not want to, says Andrea Hitzke of the Dortmund Midnight Mission advice centre. Most are self-employed, and so cannot get furlough pay. Lobby groups like the Professional Association for Erotic and Sexual Services (BesD) have set up funds for sex workers facing penury.

　　而其他人则被迫转为地下。艾玛最近刚从美国来，在社交禁令施行后，她提议与两名常客见面，但遭到了他们的斥责。她说：“我只是想混口饭吃。”这些妓女，有的有毒瘾，有的要养家。与大多数国家不同，在德国，性工作是合法的，德国为无组织归属的人提供一次性高达9000欧元（合10000美元）的补助。多蒙特午夜使命咨询中心的安德里亚•希兹克说，外国妓女没有申请资格，还有很多人不知道怎么申请，有的人甚至不想申请。大多数妓女都是个体经营的，因此没有带薪假期。游说团体如色情和性服务专业协会(BesD)已经为面临贫困的性工作者设立了基金。

　　4. Politicians who think legalisation fosters trafficking and violence spot an opportunity. In May 16 MPs called for Germany to adopt the “Nordic” model, which criminalises the buying, rather than the selling, of sex. Many prostitutes hate this idea, since it pushes them into the shadows. Sex-worker groups want the state to allow them to work again.

　　那些认为性工作合法化会助长人口贩卖和暴力这次可逮到机会了。5月16日，国会议员呼吁德国采用“北欧”模式，即将购买性行为定为犯罪行为，而出售性行为则是合法的。许多妓女讨厌这种做法，因为这将她们推入地下。性工作者团体希望政府允许他们重新工作。

　　5. The BesD’s proposed hygiene code would ban prostitutes from kissing or other “oral services”, oblige them to wear gloves during certain acts and to keep their heads a forearm’s distance from their clients’ at all times. Face-masks would be obligatory. Customers would have to leave contact details, perhaps in sealed envelopes. Similar rules will apply in Austria if its brothels reopen on July 1st, as planned. “It’s not very sexy,” admits Ms de Rivière. “But it’s necessary.”

　　色情和性服务专业协会提出的卫生法规将禁止妓女亲吻或提供其他“口腔服务”，要求她们在某些行为中戴手套，并始终保持与顾客头部有一臂的距离。戴口罩是必须的。顾客必须留下联系方式，这可能需要使用密封的信封。如果奥地利的妓院按计划于7月1日重新开业，也会采取类似的规定。“这不是很性感，”德里维埃女士承认。“但这是必须的。”

图片来源网络

 

　　精读解析

 

　　篇章结构P1：由伊莎贝拉的例子引入：受疫情影响，性工作者处境艰难。P2：德国性工作者目前的境况：虽然别的行业已经复工，性工作行业仍然处于困境。P3：受疫情影响，性工作者没有获取收入的途径。P4: 来自政府的压力：德国性工作非法化的呼声再次抬头。P5：为了防止疫情传播，德国采取性工作卫生法规。

 

　　重点单词Cis =Commonwealth of Independent States 独联体注：独联体，由十一个前苏联共和国组成的现代政治实体。

　　beat down打倒；杀价；大雨倾盆而下；强烈地照射下来【例句】They were so battered and beaten down by hardship.生活的艰辛让他们显得衰老憔悴。

　　transgender变性人【例句】It also now lets transgender boys join.如今，该组织允许变性男性加入。

　　overbear/əʊvə'beə/ vt. 压服；克服【例句】The behavior may seem overbearing, but it boosts the odds they'll be surrounded by grandkids.这种行为可能看起来很蛮横，但却增加了她们儿孙满堂的几率。

　　price-gouging哄抬物价，[物价] 价格欺骗【例句】Stranded tourists have faced price-gouging due to scarce food, water and accommodations in Machu Picchu Pueblo, a village of 4, 000.   在马丘比丘的普韦布罗这个只有4000人的村镇，由于缺乏食物，水和住宿，游客已面临物价哄抬的状况。

　　outrageous/aʊt'reɪdʒəs/ adj. 骇人的;残暴的;无耻的;不道德的【例句】The hostess spent an outrageous amount on clothes.女主人在衣着上挥霍无度。

　　pummel/'pʌm(ə)l/ vt. 用拳头连续揍；打；击 n. （马鞍的）前鞍桥；球壮末端；【例句】They pummel the lunar surface frequently.它们连续打击月球的表面。

　　parlour/'pa:lə/ n. 会客室；客厅；雅座【例句】They found her lying half asleep on a foot-stool in the parlour.他们发现猫咪半睡着躺在客厅的脚凳里。

　　in limbo处于不稳定（或中间过渡）状态【例句】Much of the economy is in a legal limbo.大部分经济状况在法律方面都处于不定的状态。

　　hands-off services不干预服务

　　hands-off/'hændz'ɔf/ adj. 不插手的,不干涉的【例句】The right mixture of hands-off management, clever use of technology and balanced globalisation can be a recipe for success, in sport as in any other business.  将不干涉的管理模式，正确的使用科技及全球因素的平衡恰当的结合起来，是成功的处方。

　　tongue-lashing/'tʌŋ,læʃiŋ/ n. 斥责,谴责

　　tongue-lash vt. 严厉责备,大骂【例句】I expected a tongue-lashing for not even stopping to talk.我期待他斥骂我，骂我不停下来和他说话。

　　one-off grant一次性补助【例句】In 1998-99, this provided about 66 per cent of total revenue. The rest came from the Government's one-off grant, fees and charges, and rental income from market stalls, kiosks and restaurants.  一九九八至1999年度，该局的差饷收益约占总收入的66%，其余收入则来自香港特区政府发放的一笔过拨款、各种收费，以及街市摊档、小食亭和食肆的租金收入。

　　freelance/ˈfri:lɑ:ns/ vi. 当自由职业者【例句】They're wearing sort of freelance scalpers.他们是衣冠楚楚从事自由职业的黄牛党。

　　ineligible/ɪn'elɪdʒɪb(ə)l/ adj. 无入选资格的,不合格的【例句】Sanctioned persons may be ineligible to receive visas to the United States.受制裁的人无法获得入境美国的签证。

　　furlough/'fɜːləʊ/ n. 休假；暂时解雇；放假vt. 准假；暂时解雇

　　【例句】The others are sent home on furlough.其他人员会暂时放假回家。

　　penury /'penjʊrɪ/ n. 赤贫,缺乏【例句】All went well until 1848, when the factory burned down and the family was reduced to penury.一切都很顺利，直到1848年一场大火把工厂烧为灰烬，一家人陷于贫困。

　　trafficking贩运

　　human trafficking 人口贩卖

　　hygiene /'haɪdʒiːn/ n. 卫生学；卫生；保健法【例句】That may indicate bad hygiene and nutrition in North Korea's military.这也许反映了朝鲜军队卫生情况和营养状况差的现象。