台湾年轻女性不惧当“剩女”

 　　In a sleek¹ uptown nightclub, the queen is holding court. At her dinner table, men hang on her every word, and women echo her pearly laugh as she raises a wine glass in a toast。

　　在台湾一个时髦光鲜的夜店里，“女王”正在主持晚宴。餐桌旁，男人们抢着应和她说的每一句话；女人们则在她举起葡萄酒杯祝酒时，随她一起放声欢笑。

　　Tonight's dinner is limited to 50 paying guests, most of them female, attractive and single. This is the demographic that can't get enough of the queen -- born Chen Yi-li, though she refashioned herself as 'Illy' after the Italian coffee brand. Her sassy tales of righteous freedom, which have been spun² into three books and inspired a TV soap opera, make her an icon³ of sorts for Taiwan's young female 'singletons,' who see marriage and motherhood as a straitjacket。

　　今天的晚宴只有50名付费客人可以参加，大多数是魅力十足的单身女性，她们都是“女王”的拥趸。“女王”本名陈仪丽(音)，但她给自己起了个与意大利咖啡品牌相同的谐音英文名“Illy”。她推崇女性要享受单身的自由，这一思想已促成三本书和一部电视剧的诞生，让她成为台湾信奉独身主义的单身女性的代表人物，这些女性把婚姻和生儿育女视为一种枷锁。

　　With one of the world's lowest birth rates, Taiwan faces the prospect⁵ of a rapidly aging population without a young workforce⁶ to support it. The government is scrambling⁷ for solutions, with experts pushing measures such as workplace day care, tax breaks for parents and generous maternity⁸ leave. But for a generation of Taiwanese women who embraced higher education (more women than men have college degrees) and demanding careers, the age-old stigma⁹ of being unmarried has given way to a celebration of single life that government incentives¹⁰ won't easily overturn。

　　台湾的人口出生率居全世界最低行列，正面临人口的快速老龄化，缺乏年轻的劳动力来支撑社会发展。政府想方设法寻求解决方案，专家纷纷出招，如在工作场所设立托儿所、给有小孩的家庭减税，以及延长产假等。然而，对学历更高(现在大学学历的台湾女性比男性多)、更注重事业发展的新一代台湾女性来说，长期以来对大龄“剩女”的指指点点已经被坦然接受单身生活的潮流所取代，政府的鼓励措施无法轻易扭转这一趋势。

　　Government officials also are playing the patriotism¹¹ card, proposing that children should be seen as a 'public asset.' Peter Hu, director of the National Immigration Agency, says parents create children not just for themselves, but for Taiwan. Such rhetoric¹² seems unlikely to sway Taiwanese weighing the pros⁴ and cons¹³ of parenting. What's more, those college-educated women who do marry now don't do so until they're 32 on average, meaning their biological window to reproduce is relatively¹⁴ short. (By comparison, the average marrying age in Japan for women of all educational levels was 28.5 as of 2008.)

　　政府官员还在打爱国主义牌，提倡把孩子视为“公共财产”。台湾内政部入出国及移民署(National Immigration Agency)代理副署长胡景富说，父母生孩子不光是为自己，还是为台湾；但这种花言巧语似乎很难在台湾人权衡是否生孩子的问题时成为一种砝码。此外，有大学学历的台湾女性的平均结婚年龄为32岁，也就是说她们的生育适龄期相对缩短。(相比之下，截止到2008年，有大学学历的日本女性的平均结婚年龄为28.5岁。)

　　Some unattached female 30-somethings refer to themselves, half-joking, as 'loser dogs,' after a 2004 Japanese book on the same phenomenon in that country. In Taiwan, their spending power hasn't gone unnoticed: A real-estate company recently advertised a small, ritzy apartment as ideal for 'loser dogs.' This economic muscle is part of what gives women the freedom to embrace the single life。

　　30岁以上的未婚女性半开玩笑地称自己是“败犬”，这个名字来源于2004年日本出版的一本讲述同一现象的书。在台湾，该群体的消费能力并没有被忽视。一家房地产公司最近在给一种小户型豪华公寓打广告，称其专门为“败犬族”量身定做。这种经济能力也是女性可以自由选择单身生活的原因之一。

　　'Women now have choices,' says Violeta Zhang, a 33-year-old accountant who says she plans to stay single. 'I can hang out with you, but I'm not bound to you. That's a choice.'

　　“女性现在有多种选择。”33岁打算独身的会计张小姐说，“我可以跟你约会，但不会受你束缚，这就是多种选择中的一种。”

　　Family and friends often see the lifestyle as a phase and expect the singletons to settle down, and many singletons do insist they're not opposed to marriage, just determined¹⁵ not to commit until they find the right partner -- one who respects their independence and shares their life goals. Presumably that means not expecting a wife to stay home and put up with a meddling¹⁶ mother-in-law。

　　独身女性的亲友往往将其单身生活视为一个阶段，希望她们最终安定下来，结婚生子。此外，不少独身主义者坚持说，她们并不反对结婚，只是下决心在找到理想的另一半前坚守阵地。理想的另一半必须尊重她们的独立性，拥有共同的生活目标；也就是说，不能指望妻子呆在家里相夫教子，忍受婆婆的指手划脚。

　　"Men have to change," says Lan Pei-chia, a sociologist¹⁷ at National Taiwan University。

　　“男人必须改变自己的想法，”台湾大学的社会学者蓝佩嘉说道。

　　'I'm selfish. Most single women are selfish,' says Jiang Chun-mei, a 43-year-old English teacher。

　　“我很自私，大多数独身女性都很自私。”43岁的英语教师江春梅(音)说道。

　　In her 20s, Ms. Jiang had a steady Taiwanese boyfriend, but was put off marriage by the prospect of moving in with his family and becoming 'one more chopstick' at the table. After seven years she broke it off. (Her former boyfriend married another woman within a year; the couple now has two children。)

　　20多岁时，江春梅有一个稳定的台湾男朋友，但她由于不愿接受住进他的大家庭，成为“多添一双筷子”的那个，因此推迟婚期。七年后，她提出分手。(她前男友一年后娶了另一个女孩，已有两个孩子。)

　　Today Ms. Jiang dates only foreign men who don't want to tie her down. Her circle of friends includes both single and married women. She jokes with her single friends that their future will be a Taiwanese version of the 'Golden Girls,' an American TV show about four female retirees living together in Florida. 'It's just my lifestyle,' she says. 'It's natural, quite comfortable.'

　　现在，江春梅只跟不想把她拴在身边的外国男人约会。她的朋友圈既有单身女性，也有已婚女性。她和自己的单身朋友开玩笑说，她们的未来将是台湾版的《黄金女郎》(Golden Girls)，这是一部讲述四个女性退休后一起住在佛罗里达的美剧。“这就是我想要的生活方式，”她说，“这很自然，也很舒服。”

　　Last year, Ms. Jiang took a month off to visit France, staying with friends. Ms. Zhang, the accountant, can't get enough of Spain and is fluent in the language. For Ms. Chen, the singleton guru, the hot destination is Bangkok. She recently wrote a Bangkok guidebook, spliced¹⁸ with photos of her shopping for clothes and eating her way around town。

　　去年，江春梅去法国度了一个月的假，跟朋友住在一起。会计张小姐特别喜欢西班牙，说一口流利的西班牙语。独身名人陈仪丽最喜欢的地方是曼谷，最近写了一本曼谷的旅行指南，里头有不少她买衣服和品尝美食的照片。

　　Ms. Chen's career as a professional singleton began in 2004; a cosmetics-company employee living at home with her family, she launched a blog, www.wretch¹⁹.cc/blog/illyqueen. (Her royal title was inspired by friends' remarks that she had a regal air。) In 2007 her first book, 'I Am Queen' sold 100,000 copies, and now she's a full-time²⁰ writer and celebrity²¹, dispensing²² advice on modern relationships via her blog and at paid lectures。

　　陈丽仪宣扬女性独身主义的事业始于2004年，当时她在一个化妆品公司上班，跟家人住在一起，她开了一个博客(朋友说她颇具皇室气质，她灵机一动就把自己取名为“女王”。)2007年，她出了第一本书《我是女王》，卖出10万本，现在成为全职名人作家，通过博客和收费演讲传播自己对现代两性关系的建议。

　　At the nightclub dinner, sponsored by a make-up brand, Ms. Chen, wearing a stretched black-and-white striped sweater over a pair of purple stockings, hands out prizes, gives effusive²³ speeches and poses for pictures with guests, mostly avid²⁴ readers of her blog。

　　夜店的晚宴由一个化妆品品牌赞助，陈仪丽身穿一件加长的黑白条纹羊毛衫，腿着紫色裤袜，不时分发奖品，做煽情的演讲，与来宾合影留念，后者大多数是她博客的粉丝。

　　Strictly²⁵ speaking, Ms. Chen, 30, is no longer a singleton. She's in a relationship that's lasted two years, and is even thinking of marrying her boyfriend -- though she's not sure she wants children, particularly if they might get in the way of her career。

　　严格说来，30岁的陈仪丽不再是独身女性，她已经跟男朋友交往两年，甚至到了谈婚论嫁的地步。不过，她还不确定是否要生孩子，尤其是如果孩子会阻碍她事业发展的话。

1 sleek   

adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢

参考例句：

• Women preferred sleek,shiny hair with little decoration.女士们更喜欢略加修饰的光滑闪亮型秀发。
• The horse's coat was sleek and glossy.这匹马全身润泽有光。

2 spun   

v.纺，杜撰，急转身

参考例句：

• His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。
• Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。

3 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

4 pros   

abbr.prosecuting 起诉；prosecutor 起诉人；professionals 自由职业者；proscenium （舞台）前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 )；赞成的理由；抵偿物；交换物

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

6 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

7 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 maternity   

n.母性，母道，妇产科病房；adj.孕妇的，母性的

参考例句：

• Women workers are entitled to maternity leave with full pay.女工产假期间工资照发。
• Trainee nurses have to work for some weeks in maternity.受训的护士必须在产科病房工作数周。

9 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

10 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

11 patriotism   

n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• They obtained money under the false pretenses of patriotism.他们以虚伪的爱国主义为借口获得金钱。

12 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

13 cons   

n.欺骗，骗局( con的名词复数 )v.诈骗，哄骗( con的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

15 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

16 meddling   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
• They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

17 sociologist   

n.研究社会学的人，社会学家

参考例句：

• His mother was a sociologist,researching socialism.他的母亲是个社会学家，研究社会主义。
• Max Weber is a great and outstanding sociologist.马克斯·韦伯是一位伟大的、杰出的社会学家。

18 spliced   

adj.（针织品）加固的n.叠接v.绞接( splice的过去式和过去分词 )；捻接（两段绳子）；胶接；粘接（胶片、磁带等）

参考例句：

• He spliced the two lengths of film together. 他把两段胶卷粘接起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Have you heard?John's just got spliced. 听说了吗？约翰刚结了婚。 来自辞典例句

19 wretch   

n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人

参考例句：

• You are really an ungrateful wretch to complain instead of thanking him.你不但不谢他，还埋怨他，真不知好歹。
• The dead husband is not the dishonoured wretch they fancied him.死去的丈夫不是他们所想象的不光彩的坏蛋。

20 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

21 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

22 dispensing   

v.分配( dispense的现在分词 )；施与；配（药）

参考例句：

• A dispensing optician supplies glasses, but doesn't test your eyes. 配镜师为你提供眼镜，但不检查眼睛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The firm has been dispensing ointments. 本公司配制药膏。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 effusive   

adj.热情洋溢的；感情(过多)流露的

参考例句：

• Every visitor noticed that her effusive welcome was not sincere.所有的客人都看出来她那过分热情的欢迎是不真诚的。
• Her effusive thanks embarrassed everybody.她道谢时非常激动，弄得大家不好意思。

24 avid   

adj.热心的；贪婪的；渴望的；劲头十足的

参考例句：

• He is rich,but he is still avid of more money.他很富有,但他还想贪图更多的钱。
• She was avid for praise from her coach.那女孩渴望得到教练的称赞。

25 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。