全通翻譯/翻譯社

“Leftover Women” Reject Sexist Stigma

The term “leftover woman” has become de rigueur in China, where it is used to denote women in their late-20s and older who have not yet married. The exact origins of the term are murky. It was given official sanction in 2007 by the supposedly feminist state agency, the All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF). However, the TV show “New Era of Marriage,” starring Taiwanese actress Rene Liu, has also been credited with spawning it. 

Valentine's Day: A Must for Lovers

THE origins of Valentine's Day are obscure. An ancient Roman celebration of love called Lupercalia, which fell between February 13-15, is one possible root. This festival involved naked young men spanking their female partnesrs with whips,which was said to increase fertility— hardly the image of romance we have now! Although it's unclear which of the several historical martyrs named Valentine was being venerated, St. Valentine's Day was declared a Christian feast around the late fifth century A.D. However, it wasn't until Chaucer's poem “Parlement of Foules” almost 900 years later that the day became associated with love. 

Shanghai: 

It's the most populous city proper in the world, but Shanghai is a relative youngster by Chinese standards.

A Matriarchal Future? 

When Bill Clinton recently outlined his reasons to be cheerful about the future, many people noticed number four on the list: Women Rule. The former U.S. President observed that no society could afford to stifle the efforts of half its population. The good news, he added, is that in all corners of the globe “women are gaining social and economic power that they never had before.”

The Lowdownh on the 

The beginning of 2013 marked the imposition of the securities gains tax, which fomented heated debate in Taiwan last year. The levy is categorized under capital gains tax. It comes on top of the existing transaction fee on the buying and selling of shares, and the security transaction tax on the disposing of stocks on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. The issue has been broached several times over the last 20 years, but has proved so sensitive that it led to the resignation of two finance ministers. As the debate rages on, we examine the rationaleh behind the tax, as well as its possible impact.

The Lowdownh on the 

The name Amsterdam derives from the dams built by traders around the Amstel River, a clear indication of the Dutch capital's origins. The first recorded use of the name is from 1275, when the location was little more than a fishing village. However, by the Dutch Golden Era, when the Dutch East India Company dominated maritime trade, Amsterdam had become one of the wealthiest cities in the world.

It's My Treat!

The etiquette of who should pay the bill for a meal or drink can vary even within individual cultures. Things can get doubly tricky when one is visiting or doing business in a foreign country.

If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter. --- George Washington 
若言論自由被剝奪，那麼引領我們的可能是寡言與沉默，而我們就如同待宰的羊隻。--- 喬治‧ 華盛頓

The Lowdown on the Securities Gains Tax II

OPPONENTS of the securities gains tax think Taiwan runs the risk of fund outflows and shrinking business scales for the securities and financial sectors. Given the degree of f inancial internationalization nowadays, it is natural for institutional and retail investors alike to make their investments in places which are expected to yield the highest returns.

Bangkok: Fun and Culture in the Big Mango

There's no doubt that Bangkok is one of the world's tourist hotspots. Major surveys routinely rank the Thai capital up there with London and Paris in terms of international visitors. A staggering 6.33 million tourists arrived in the City of Angels in the fourth quarter of 2012. Altogether, Bangkok netted close to US$50 billion in tourist revenues.

Head in the Clouds? HP Faces Uncertain Future

A year before his death, Steve Jobs went for a stroll around his neighborhood with Mark Hurd, who had just been ousted as CEO of Hewlett-Packard. The late Apple cofounder offered to contact each member of the HP board individually to get Hurd reinstated. In five years at the helm, Hurd had made HP the largest tech company in the world and continually increased profits. Yet, the board had still forced his resignation over claims of sexual harassment and misuse of his expense account. Larry Ellison, Jobs and Hurd’s mutual pal, labeled the move “the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple board fired Steve Jobs.” 

Tokyo: More than a City

Strangely, for an international city of such repute, Tokyo is not technically a city at all. Formed in 1943 from the old city and the outlying Tokyo Prefecture, Japan's capital is now known as Tokyo Metropolis. As such, it is the largest metropolitan area in the world.

The Price of Abenomics

When Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party swept back to power in Japan late last year, it was on the back of a pledge to beat def lat ion. The world's third-largest economy has seen 20 years of falling consumer prices, which experts say has taken its toll. Abe's plan is, thus, to carry out a Bernanke-style quantitative easing with the aim of enforcing a mandatory 2-percent inflation target. He now has a governor and a team in place at the Japanese Central Bank to push ahead with this policy of reflation.

A Brief History of the Labor

The origins of the labor movement lie in the Industrial Revolution that began in Britain in the mid-18th century. As industrialization and mechanization occurred, wages lowered and jobs were relocated to areas of concentrated industry. Unable to protect themselves against these developments, workers formed what were the forerunners of trade unions in an attempt to shore up their collective bargaining power.

It is essential that there should be organization of labor. This is an era of organization. Capital organizes and therefore labor must organize. --- Theodore Roosevelt
有勞工團體是必需的。這是個組織的時代。資方形成團體，因此勞方必須組成工會。--- 西奧多．羅斯福

The Power of One: Samsung's Omniscient Chairman

How did Samsung go from being a run-of-the-mill manufacturer of cheap TVs to global dominance in a couple of decades? The answer is largely down to one man: Lee Kun-hee. The Samsung chairman has overseen1 sales growth of 5,775 percent since succeeding his father in 1987, representing US$141 billion in 2012. The company now contributes a staggering 17 percent of Korea's GDP. 

Berlin: No Future without a Past

On an icy Berlin morning on March 27, construction workers quietly went about their work near the city center. The sun had yet to poke its head out, and, to a sleepy passerby, the fuzzy forms milling around in the half-light might have indicated nothing untoward. But to the keen observer, the team of policemen standing guard would have been cause for a double take. In fact, what was taking place was the dismantling of a section of an iconic landmark: the Berlin Wall.

Big Stars,New Management and WBC Buzz Boost Baseball Fever

Whenever you are a baseball fan or not, it was impossible to avoid the baseball fever inspired by this year's World Baseball Classic. With attendance figures for the Chinese Professional Baseball League fluctuating in recent years, the WBC reignited the nation's passion for the sport, as everyone got behind Team Taiwan. The game against Japan marked the peak of this collective mania with nearly 10 million viewers tuning in. Such was the enthusiasm that companies even granted their employees baseball leave.