大家好！David老師上個月底應邀至台灣最大的一家石油公司授課，來的學員程度都很好，有一半擁有碩士學位。課後我們有一個新聞翻譯作業，取材自華爾街日報（The Wall Street Journal）。學員們也都作的很認真，David老師親自批改後，發現有些地方學員們容易誤解。讀者們也可能犯這些錯誤，因此我們這一期就拿這篇美聯社的新聞來作講解。
【原文】
Crude oil exports to N.Korea surge 70% in October: customs
The Associated Press Published: November 27, 2006
SHANGHAI, China: China’s crude oil exports to impoverished North Korea surged nearly 70 percent in October over a year earlier, according to customs data reported Monday.
China, North Korea’s largest oil supplier, shipped 58,685 metric tons of crude oil to its isolated neighbor in October, a 68 percent increase over the same month in 2005, the General Administration of Customs reported.
China’s crude oil shipments tend to fluctuate significantly from month to month. So far this year, its exports of crude oil to North Korea have edged down 0.8 percent year-on-year to 428,328 tons, the data showed.
The data were released as top nuclear negotiators from the United States, Japan and South Korea met in Beijing Monday hoping to set a date for resuming
six-nation talks aimed at persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program. Pyongyang recently agreed to return to the talks after boycotting them for more than a year.
The talks include China, North Korea, Japan, the U.S., South Korea and Russia.
【中譯】
Crude oil exports to N.Korea surge 70% in October: customs
關稅總局說：十月份出口至北韓的石油增加了70%
The Associated Press Published: November 27, 2006
美聯社2006年11月27日報導）
SHANGHAI, China: China’s crude oil exports to impoverished North Korea surged nearly 70 percent in October over a year earlier, according to customs data reported Monday.
根據週一報導的關稅資料，十月份中國原油出口至貧窮的北韓，較去年同期增加了近70%。
China, North Korea’s largest oil supplier, shipped 58,685 metric tons of crude oil to its isolated neighbor in October, a 68 percent increase over the same month in 2005, the General Administration of Customs reported.
中國是北韓最大的石油供應商，關稅總局報導，中國在十月份運載了58,685噸原油至這個與世隔絕的鄰國，較2005年同期增加了68%。
China’s crude oil shipments tend to fluctuate significantly from month to month. So far this year, its exports of crude oil to North Korea have edged down 0.8 percent year-on-year to 428,328 tons, the data showed.
中國原油載運量每月都有顯著的波動。資料顯示，今年到目前為止，中國出口至北韓的原油已經較去年同期些微下降了0.8個百分點，達到428,328公噸。
The data were released as top nuclear negotiators from the United States, Japan and South Korea met in Beijing Monday hoping to set a date for resuming six-nation talks aimed at persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program. Pyongyang recently agreed to return to the talks after boycotting them for more than a year.
這項資料是當來自美、日、南韓的高階核武談判人員週一齊聚北京、希望能重啟六國談判時公布的，六國談判的目標在於說服北韓放棄核武計劃。北韓在抵制他們一年多後，最近同意回到談判桌上。
The talks include China, North Korea, Japan, the U.S., South Korea and Russia.
這項談判包括了中國、北韓、日本、美國、南韓與俄羅斯。
【講解】
一是impoverish就是貧窮之意，poverty-stricken，並沒有缺油的意思。over a year earlier也不是今年稍早，而是早先的一年，也就是去年同期之意。財經新聞的敘述，一定是以“同期”作比較。
its isolated neighbor：isolated不必然是“被孤立的”，也可以就是孤立的、隔離的。remote and separate physically or socially。北韓不是被孤立，而是自己選擇隔離於現代世界之外，是領導者主動採取鎖國政策。如果用來形容台灣，就真的是因中共的施壓而被國際社會孤立的一個島國。
edged down 0.8 percent是些微下降0.8個百分點，to approach by slow degrees，如同slightly move down, marginally move down。
year-on-year不是逐年的意思，而是今年同期對去年同期，如一對一教學很多人會說成one by one，其實one on one才是對的。One by one才是一個接著一個的意思。
The data were released as top nuclear negotiators from the United States, Japan and South Korea met in Beijing Monday —–有些同學誤解，翻成這些資料是由高階談判者所公布的。資料其實是上述的中國關稅總局所公布的，時機則是在美、日、南韓談判者齊聚北京的同時公布的。
Pyongyang recently agreed to return to the talks after boycotting them for more than a year. 這一句有些同學看成是平壤被制裁一年多，不是的。是平壤抵制其他五國一年多。Boycott是杯葛、抵制，制裁則是sanctions（n）。@*
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