Before another summit of European leaders, eurozone countries have been warned they may face a credit downgrade without a decisive agreement to save the euro. The debt crisis is casting a long shadow as France and other countries prepare for the Christmas holiday. The euro's troubles have made 2011 a good year for Parisians who deal in gold.
在欧洲各国领导人下一轮首脑会议之前，欧元区各国已经被警告说，除非在拯救欧元方面达成一项决定性的协议，否则的话，欧元区各国将面临信贷被降级的可能。虽然西方国家的传统节日圣诞节马上就要到了，但是债务危机问题给法国和其他一些国家都笼罩了一层阴影，不过，巴黎的黄金商人在这场危机中并没有走下坡路。
Rue Vivienne in the heart of Paris is the long-time home of France’s gold trade.
巴黎市中心的维维安大街一直是法国黄金交易的主要场所。
For the dealers, times have rarely been so good. There is a steady stream of customers. Since the global financial crisis began in 2008, the price of gold has soared.
对这里的黄金交易商来说，现在这会儿，行情好得了不得。顾客不断说，自从环球金融危机2008年开始以来，黄金价格飞涨。
Michel Prieur specializes in selling gold coins, called ‘Napoleons’, and other valuable artifacts from his store on Rue Vivienne.
米些尔·普里埃在维维安大街这儿有一家店铺，专门卖当地叫作“拿破仑”的黄金硬币和一些古董。
“The price of gold has increased four- or five-fold. We have started at about $280 an ounce. Now it’s $1,700. And the question is, ‘Is it going to keep on [rising]?’ My point of view is that gold has not changed. It is the paper that has lost its value,” said Prieur.
他说：“黄金的价格上涨了四、五倍。开始的时候是280美元一盎司，现在呢，涨到了1700美元一盎司。问题是，黄金价格是否还会上涨？在我看来，黄金本身并没有变化，有变化的是纸币，现在已经贬值很多。”
The European Union has resisted using what is known as "quantitative easing’ on the scale seen in the United States, Britain and Japan.
欧盟方面到目前为止，拒绝像美国、英国和日本那样启动由政府出资的大规模拯救经济的方案。
Essentially it involves central banks buying government bonds to encourage lending. Prieur said the public is getting skeptical.
种大规模的救助方案在本质上就是由各国中央银行出资购买政府的债券，从而鼓励借贷。巴黎的黄金商人米歇尔·普里埃说，公众对这种救助方式的有效率，事实上是持怀疑态度的。
“The people understand that whatever the name is, quantitative easing or whatever else, this is all about printing new money without any real value. So they understand that it could go on and on because nothing will stop the governments from printing money as long as they need to cover their expenses. But gold, you cannot just print it,” said Prieur.
他说：“民众都明白，不管名称是什么、大规模救助，如此等等，实际上只不过是印新的、没有真正价值的纸币。大家都明白，只要政府还有各种开支需要支付，纸币就可以一直印下去，但是黄金不同，不是说你想印就印。”
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he is confident European leaders will back bold measures to save the euro. He has pushed for the European Central Bank to come to the aid of weak eurozone countries, a move resisted by Germany.
法国总统萨科齐表示，欧洲各国领导人将采取果断的行动来拯救欧元，对这一点，他说，他有信心。萨科齐一直在推动欧洲中央银行出面帮助欧元区面临危机的国家，但是德国对此没有十分支持。
Prieur said his knowledge of ancient currencies tells him where it will all end.
巴黎的黄金商人普里埃说，就他对古老的货币的了解，终究会是这样的结局。
"After three, four or five years they [eurozone countries] will go back to a decent level of indebtedness. And we will all have lost 30 percent of our purchasing power. This is just inflation. But all governments have dealt with their problems [by] creating inflation, for 2,700 years.”
他说：“三年、四年、或者五年之后，欧元区各国将回到债务过得去的水平。到那时候，我们将失去30%的购买能力。其中的原因是通货膨胀；过去2700年以来，各国政府对待经济上的问题，从来都是依靠通货膨胀。”
Paris’s famous Champs Elysees is a shrine to consumers’ purchasing power. Despite the Christmas lights, there is not much festive cheer among the people.
巴黎著名的香榭丽舍大道，可以说是购物的天堂。尽管这里圣诞节的灯到处都亮着，但是在人们当中，节日的气氛却不是十分明显。
"If we have to save, it will be on presents but not on meals," said one person.
一位法国人说：“假如必须要节省开支的话，那就得从礼物上省，不可能从吃的上面省。”
“Prices of everyday goods are going up. Especially basic goods and the cost of getting around. Everything is getting more expensive,” said another.
另一位法国人说：“现在各种商品的价格都在往上涨，尤其是日常用品以及交通，什么都比从前要贵。”
This year, the dealers on Rue Vivienne suggest that a gold ‘Napoleon’ may be the wisest Christmas present of all.
在巴黎的维维安大街上，黄金商们说，今年的圣诞节，最好的礼物或许就是一枚“拿破仑”、也就是一枚黄金硬币。 |