◎陳維真
China’s consumers are pushing the nation to the top once again. It will overtake Japan this year to be the country with the biggest appetite for luxury goods, HSBC predicts in a research report issued late last week.HSBC expects China’s consumers to keep spending, even if their affluent counterparts in the West stop.
中國的消費者又再次把中國推向世界第一。HSBC在上週公布的研究報告中，預估今年中國將取代日本，成為奢侈品需求最大的國家。HSBC預期，即使西方富裕的消費者已停止消費，中國的消費者將持續大撒鈔票。
The reasons are, at least in part, cultural. “Displaying wealth has become a trend in China, and we think this will continue to translate into growing purchases of luxury goods for oneself, or as gifts,” HSBC said.
至少有部分原因是因為文化。「炫富在中國已成為風潮，我們認為這股風潮，會轉化為購買奢侈品給自己或送禮給他人的動力。」HSBC表示。
“In Chinese and Russian communist societies, individual property was not allowed and private wealth was traditionally suspicious. With the liberalization of the economy, a new class system was created where your place on the ladder may depend on how much money one earns, and owning luxury goods can help display the level of one’s wealth.”
「中俄共產社會不允許炫耀個人財富，傳統上私人財富會引起懷疑。隨著經濟自由化，創造出一種新的社會階層系統，收入多少決定社會地位，而擁有奢侈品可以展現這個人有多富有。」
Watches and jewelry, in particular, stand to benefit from growing luxury demand in the region. In the first half of 2011, China overtook France as the third-largest importer of Swiss watches, growing 49% from the year-earlier period.
中國奢侈品需求增長，手錶和珠寶尤其受惠。2011年上半年，中國取代法國，成為瑞士手錶的第3大進口國，比去年同期成長49%。
新聞辭典
overtake：動詞，超過、趕上。例句：China overtook the United States as the largest personal –computer market last quarter. （中國在上一季超越美國，成為全球最大個人電腦市場。）
affluent：形容詞，富裕的。例句：He grew up in an affluent family.（他在富有的家庭長大。）
translate into：轉化為…，成為。例句：Some opportunities could be translated into jobs for local people.（有些機會或許能成為當地人的工作機會。）
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