美語情景對話 第865期:Bribes 賄賂

Todd: So, Aiman, now you actually are a business student, correct? You study business?

託德：艾曼，你是商科學生，對吧？你學習商業？

Aiman: Well, actually I studied business. I did my undergraduate in Global Business Management but now I'm doing my master's in International Material Flow Managament.

艾曼：對，我學習商業。我本科學的是全球商務管理，現在我正在讀國際物流管理碩士。

Todd: OK, so you have experience with the business field. You've worked as a professional. What job did you have before?

託德：好，你有商業領域的經驗。你是專業人士。你以前做過什麼工作？

Aiman: IT specialist. An IT trainer and mainly a technical person in different industries.

艾曼：IT專家。我做過IT培訓師，從事過不同行業的技術人員。

Todd: OK, we bring this up because we both have experience in cultures with bribery, bribes. So, we're gonna talk about bribery. So in your country Syria, what is something you would pay a bribe for?

託德：好，我們提到這個問題，是因爲我們都經歷過賄賂文化。我們要來談談賄賂。在你的祖國敘利亞，你們會爲哪些事行賄？

Aiman: Well, in Syria you'd pay a bribe for anything. Everything. Even if you didn't do anything. You might need to pay a bribe.

艾曼：在敘利亞任何事我們都會行賄。所有事。即使你並沒有做什麼錯事，你也可能需要行賄。

Todd: So how does it work?

託德：那是怎樣的？

Aiman: Well if the policeman decided to pull you over you have to pay them something otherwise they'll come up with something to make you pay more.

艾曼：如果警察讓你靠邊停車，你就要給他們點兒錢，否則他們會找別的藉口讓你給更多錢。

Todd: So let's say... well can you give an example of something that you would have to pay a bribe for?

託德：嗯……你能舉個你必須得行賄的例子嗎？

Aiman: Just driving really. You'd be driving and the policeman would just ask you to pull over and then he'll come and it means that he needs a bribe, otherwise he will just keep you there waiting.

艾曼：就以開車爲例。假設你正在開車，這時警察讓你靠邊停車，他會走過來讓你賄賂他，如果你不賄賂他他就會讓你一直等在那裏。

Todd: And now how much would the bribe usually be?

託德：那通常賄賂他要用多少錢？

Aiman: Usually it would be one dollar.

艾曼：基本上1美元就可以了。

Todd: Really? Just one dollar?

託德：真的嗎？就1美元？

Aiman: Yeah, but ...

艾曼：對，不過……

Todd: That's so low.

託德：這很少啊。

Aiman: Yeah, but by Syrian standards. It's not. It's 50 Syrian pounds.

艾曼：對，不過從敘利亞標準來說，並不少，那相當於50敘利亞鎊。

Todd: So basically, the problem is probably that the policemen make very low wages, so this is how they supplement their wages is by taking bribes.

託德：是不是由於警察工資非常低，所以他們要受賄來幫補工資。

Aiman: Yes, exactly. And the problem is that not only policemen do that but every government worker do the same so if you have to do anything, that has anything to do with the government or a public officer, you'd have to bribe your way through.

艾曼：對，沒錯。問題是不僅僅是警察會受賄，基本上所有政府工作人員都會受賄，即使你沒有做什麼錯事，和政府工作人員或公職人員沒有任何關係，你想辦成事情也不得不去行賄。

Todd: So like if you went to the city hall and you needed to get some documents, you would probably have to pay a bribe.

託德：如果你要去市政廳拿些文件，你可能就要行賄。

Aiman: Yes.

艾曼：是的。

Todd: Now when you pay a bribe is this out in the open or do you have to put the money in an envelope and keep it secret?

託德：那是公開行賄，還是會把錢放在信封裏，祕密行賄？

Aiman: Well, it used to be secret but now it's more out in the open.

艾曼：以前都是祕密行賄，不過現在越來越公開化了。

譯文屬僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載

重點講解：
1. even if 即使；儘管；縱然；
例句：Even if I have to walk all the way I'll get there.
即使一路走着去，我也得趕到那裏。
2. come up with 想出，提出(計劃、想法等)；
例句：He could not come up with a proper answer.
他想不出一個合適的回答。
3. pull over （通常因司機危險駕駛，警察）令（駕車者或車輛）停靠路邊；
例句：The cop ordered him to pull over.
警察命令他把車停在路邊。
4. out in the open 公開的；衆人皆知的；
例句：All the reports were out in the open.
所有報告都公開了。
5. used to do sth. 過去常常；過去曾；
例句：The cinema she used to visit had been pulled down.
她常去的那家電影院已經拆除了。