书城外语流行文化篇(老外最想和你聊的101个英语话题)
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第71章 Marriage and Family 家庭两性(3)

另一方面,老龄社会中的独居老人及完全由老人组成的“纯老家庭”已经事实上形成了下一代或者下下代的缺失,从而构成了“老龄丁克”。

The expanded connotation and the extension of “DINK” have already caused “a DINK community” to become the special community which expanded gradually in the modern society。

“丁克”在内涵和外延上的扩大,已经使“丁克群体”成为现代社会中一个逐渐壮大的特殊群体。

Dinky families keep on increasing at present。

目前丁克家庭的数量正在不断增加。

We should attempt to explore this kind of family pattern in which traditional family plays the leading role and the supporting role so that a virtuous circle could be formed between them。

我们应该探索这种以核心家庭为主,以丁克家庭为辅助和补充的家庭模式,使核心家庭与丁克家庭形成一种动态的良性循环关系。

Recently, “DINK” became a hot topic for discussion again on the Internet。

最近,“丁克”再次成为了网络热议的焦点。

DINK, originated from abroad, which is a life style, means double income, no kids。

丁克,源于国外的一种生活方式,即双份收入,没有孩子。

It has been kept in the mind of Chinese for so long that child is an indispensable part of a family, and also it can carry on the family line and consolidate marital relations。

一直以来,在中国人的观念中,孩子是不可或缺的一部分,也有着传宗接代,巩固夫妻感情的作用。

However, for various reasons, this concept and way of life of Dink has gradually been known to the Chinese people and has been accepted by them。

但是基于各种原因,丁克这个观念和生活方式也渐渐被中国的大众所熟知和接受。

More than a quarter of respondents would opt for a “DINK” lifestyle。

超过四分之一的受访者表示想做“丁克族”。

The childless couple boom reflects the lack of confidence in their marriage in this ever-changing society。

现在越来越多的夫妻不要孩子,这反映了他们面对这个日益变化的社会,对自己的婚姻没有信心。

They choose to have no kid not for romance but for practical reasons。

他们选择不要孩子,不是想浪漫而是出于现实考虑。

They consider children as a heavy burden。

他们认为孩子是沉重的负担。

One or two decades ago, there would be gossip around a married but childless couple。

十几二十年前,如果一对夫妇没有孩子,人们一定会对他们议论纷纷。

They don’t want children to spoil their marriage。

他们不想让孩子影响他们的婚姻。

It’s a personal choice whether to have children or not。

要不要孩子,这是个人的选择。

Let’s Talk!

开始交流吧!

Mary: What’s your opinion about childless couples? Will you choose to have no kids?

玛丽:你是怎么看待那些不要孩子的夫妻的?你打算要不要孩子?

Natasha: To be honest, I wouldn’t。

尼克:说实在的,我不打算要孩子。

Mary: Why? Do you have to make a choice now?

玛丽:为什么?你现在必须做出选择吗?

Natasha: Not really。 But it has puzzled me for a long time。

娜塔莎:不是,只是这事已经困扰我很久了。

Mary: What’s the puzzle?

玛丽:那你到底愁什么呢?

Natasha: My husband and I prefer to have no kids, but my mother-in-law is very traditional and wants grandkids。

娜塔莎:我和我丈夫打算不要孩子,但是我婆婆很传统,很想抱孙子。

Mary: Oh, I see。 I think the older generation tends to think in a different way。

玛丽:啊,这样啊。我觉得老人们总是和我们想法不太一样。

Natasha: Yes。 It seems she can never accept a childless marriage。 We had a fight last night。

娜塔莎:是啊,可是我婆婆就是不能理解,为什么结了婚却不要孩子。我们昨天还吵了一架。

Mary: Oh, really? Maybe she is just eager to see her grandchildren。

玛丽:是吗?也许她只是抱孙心切吧。

Natasha: But it’s absolutely our own business to have a child or not。

娜塔莎:但是要不要孩子,完全是我们自己的事。

Mary: Definitely。

玛丽:是啊。

Natasha: You know, I often overhear our neighbor, the young couple, fighting about how to raise their kid and I really don’t want kids to spoil our happiness。

娜塔莎:知道吗?我经常听见我们隔壁那对年轻的夫妻因为教育孩子而争吵。我真不想让孩子影响我们的婚姻幸福。

Mary: Don’t worry。 I think in most cases, children are the glue that keeps a family together。

玛丽:不要担心。大多数情况下,孩子还是家庭的黏合剂。

Natasha: I guess you’re right。 But I still prefer to have no child。

娜塔莎:好吧,但我还是不想要孩子。

Mary: Sure。 You can fully enjoy your time together。

玛丽:好的,那你们就可以好好享受二人世界了。

Natasha: I hope we CAN enjoy it。

娜塔莎:我倒是希望这能这样。

Mary: Maybe, as time goes by, your mother-in-law will accept that no grandchild is also all right。

玛丽:也许随着时间流逝,你的婆婆认为没有孙子也挺好的。

Natasha: That will be fine。 Thanks。

娜塔莎:希望这样,谢谢。

NETTEL

奈特尔家庭

所谓“奈特尔家庭(NETTEL Family)”,指的是那些收入增加,却没有时间享受生活的家庭(Not Enough Time to Enjoy Life) 。近年来,澳大利亚家庭就在向“奈特尔”方向转变。 澳大利亚社会学家伯纳德-索尔特研究发现,在生活和工作节奏愈发提速的今天,“奈特尔家庭”的数量不断增加。

Realize NETTEL Family

认识奈特尔家庭

1新起潮流:奈特尔家庭

FORGET the Fockers — meet the Nettels。 Don’t know the Nettels? They’re the newest, the edgiest, the hippest life form to emerge from the nation’s primal demographic soup。

Not Enough Time To Enjoy Life, or NETTEL, refers to the rising pool of households headed by two high-income-earning, full-time-working parents with dependent children up to the age of 24。 Today it’s a different story。 Such is the cost of living, or the cost of the expected standard of living, that the traditional nuclear family now requires two incomes。

But in many traditional nuclear families two full-time incomes are now required to cover the cost of the mortgage, the car payments, the ballet lessons, the Gold Coast holiday, new clothes。

At the 2006 Census there were 129,000 Nettel households in Australia up from 93,000 five years earlier。 About half a million Australians are now thought to live in a Nettel household。

The distinguishing feature of Nettel households is the way that both parents whip out their Black Berries after dinner so that they can plot, scheme and diaries the next day’s activities。 About five percent of all traditional nuclear families are Nettels but in some areas this proportion rises well above the national average。 The nation’s undisputed Nettel hotspot is the suburb of Curtin in Canberra where Nettels comprise 15 percent of all families。

Canberra households are dominated by two-income earners and Curtin is popular because it obviously allows Nettel households to shuttle between work at Parliament House, home and school。 Downtime is minimized in Curtin。Other Nettel hotspots include Paddington in Sydney, Albert Park in Melbourne, Balmoral in Brisbane, Burnley in Adelaide and Karratha in Western Australia。 Given the rising pressure on families to keep up with the latest technologies and consumer goods I suspect that Nettel households are here to stay。

The term “Nettel” coined by Bernard Salt was quoted in the New Vocabulary section of the New York Times website within two days of release in Australia。

2抽时间享受生活的表达方式

We are not to say that money isn’t important (看淡钱的作用)(people spend 70,000+ hours of their life earning it), but the two are related in that to get your time back you’re going to have to learn how to earn and manage money differently。