沪江论坛社区--《经济学家》读译参考（141）：朋友与邻居－圣安东尼奥欢迎墨西哥来客（开奖了！）

Visiting from Mexico
墨西哥游客

Friends and neighbours
朋友与邻居（译/陈继龙）

Apr 26th 2007 | SAN ANTONIO
From The Economist print edition

The city where the Alamo battle was fought lets bygones be bygones[1]
这座城市曾发生过阿拉莫战争[注1]，但它既往不咎

（1） THERE are some Americans who are obsessed with keeping Mexicans out of the country. And then there are those like Phil Hardberger, the mayor of San Antonio. “We need to make it easier for them to come here,” he says. He is referring to visitors. And many people in his city agree.

在美国，有人总想把墨西哥人赶出国门，也有人像圣安东尼奥市长菲尔•哈德贝里（Phil Hardberger）那样——他说：“我们要为他们的到来创造更便利的条件。”他指的是游客，对此许多圣安东尼奥市民都表示同意。

Mexicans spend billions of dollars a year in Texas, and San Antonio would like a little more of that money. Fewer than 200,000 people fly directly from San Antonio to Mexico, or vice versa, each year. Far more go to Dallas and Houston.

墨西哥人每年要在得克萨斯州花掉数十亿美元，圣安东尼奥希望能从中多分一杯羹。每年直接往返于圣安东尼奥与墨西哥之间的游客不到20万人，更多的人都去了达拉斯和休斯敦。

That is somewhat odd, given that San Antonio is a big Latino centre. It is the largest city in America with a Hispanic majority. Some 60% of its residents are Latino, mostly Mexican-American, and more than 40% speak Spanish at home. The Museo Alameda, a Smithsonian affiliate dedicated to “the Latino experience”, opened in San Antonio on April 13th. It abuts[2] a marketplace selling sombreros[3] , confetti[4] -filled eggs called cascarones and skeleton figurines used to celebrate the Day of the Dead. （2）The scene is especially lively in April, when several million people come for Fiesta San Antonio, a ten-day festival with as many margaritas and mariachi bands as anyone could want.

这有点奇怪，要知道圣安东尼奥是拉美人聚集的一个大中心。它是西班牙语裔人占大多数的最大的一个美国城市，其居民约有60%是拉美人，大多是墨西哥裔，且有 40%以上的人在家都说西班牙语。4月13日，阿拉米达博物馆（Museo Alameda）在圣安东尼奥开馆，这是史密森学会[注2]下属的一个旨在展示“拉美人经历”的分支机构。博物馆附近是一个集市，售卖墨西哥宽边帽、彩纸蛋和用来庆祝亡灵节（the Day of the Dead，相当于中国的清明节）的小骨雕。进入四月，圣安东尼奥尤为热闹，数百万人赶来参加圣安东尼奥节（Fiesta San Antonio）。节日为期10天，其间玛格丽塔酒（margarita）[注3]和墨西哥流浪乐队应有尽有。

The fiesta is the city's biggest event, and such celebrations occasionally figure in local politics. Mr Hardberger owes his election in part to the 2005 River Parade. （3）City councilman Julian Castro, then the front- runner, sent his twin brother to ride on a float in his stead. After they were rumbled[5], many voters decided that Mr Castro was too immature to be mayor.

此节可谓该市的一大盛事，并且这些庆祝仪式偶尔还会同地方政治联系在一起。哈德贝里将自己的当选部分归功于2005年的“沿河游行”事件。市议会议员朱利安 •卡斯特罗（Julian Castro）当时在选举中一路领先，可他竟让他的孪生弟弟顶替他坐在一辆游行花车上。在被看穿之后，许多选民断定卡斯特罗不够老练，不适合当市长。

Despite all this jollity, Dallas and Houston beat San Antonio at attracting travellers from Mexico, particularly business travellers. This year, while the fiesta was underway in San Antonio, Houston was hosting a food exposition that attracted 45 Mexican companies. One Querétaro-based outfit hawked square tortillas[6].

欢闹归欢闹，圣安东尼奥在吸引墨西哥游客特别是商务旅行者方面，还是败给了达拉斯和休斯敦。今年，在圣安东尼奥欢庆佳节期间，休斯敦主办了一个食品博览会，吸引了45家墨西哥企业。有一家位于克雷特罗（墨西哥西北部城市）的小公司还卖起了方形的玉米饼。

The problem, according to Mr Hardberger, is San Antonio's comparative inaccessibility by air. San Antonio is the 7th largest city in America, but its airport is so small it is almost cute. It seldom takes more than five minutes to go through security. San Antonio offers just three or four daily flights to Mexico City and only one to Monterrey. Mr Hardberger wants more direct flights, especially to Monterrey, the closest big Mexican city to San Antonio.

哈德贝里认为，问题在于圣安东尼奥航空运输不太便利。作为美国第七大城市，它的机场却小得可怜，一般用不到5分钟即可通过安检。从圣安东尼奥到墨西哥城的航班每天只有三、四趟，到蒙特雷（墨西哥东北部城市）也只有一班。哈德贝里希望增开直达航班，特别是直达距离圣安东尼奥最近的墨西哥大城市蒙特雷的航班。

（4）And familiarity, in this case, may have bred neglect. “We have really just turned our back on them,” says Mr Hardberger. He thinks that, with so many natural ties between San Antonio and Mexico, people assumed a rapport[7] would flourish untended. But as it is with people, so it goes with places, he reflects. “If you don't take care of your relationships,” he says, “you may not have those relationships.”

这么看来，或许真是“熟视无睹”啊。哈德贝里说：“我们真的忽视他们了。”他认为，由于圣安东尼奥与墨西哥之间的天然纽带关系如此密切，人们就想当然地以为，无需呵护这种友好的关系也会保持下去。他想，人是这样，地方也不例外。“如果不认真对待你们之间的关系，也许就会失去那些关系。”

（5）This is wise: Dallas and Houston are not the only American cities happy to pick up the slack. This week Kansas City welcomed a delegation from Mexico to talk about international supply-chain management. Officials in Laredo, Texas, are thinking of building a fifth bridge to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, to alleviate traffic. Politicians in New Mexico are lobbying for relaxed visa rules that would encourage visitors from Mexico to linger in Las Cruces. The battle for the Mexican dollar is on.

言之有理——利用这种被冷落的关系的城市不只是达拉斯和休斯敦。本周，堪萨斯城迎来了一个墨西哥代表团，双方将就国际供应商连锁管理举行会谈。得克萨斯州南部城市拉雷多则正考虑修建第五座通往墨西哥新拉雷多市的大桥，以缓解交通压力。新墨西哥州的政治家们也在游说政府放宽签证规定，从而鼓励墨西哥人前往拉斯克鲁斯市旅游。一场争夺墨西哥人腰包的战争开始了。

译注：
[1] 阿拉莫：（英语Alamo，西班牙语Pappel）是美国德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥附近一座由传教站扩建成的要塞。在德克萨斯独立战争中曾起到重要作用。在 1836年得克萨斯反抗墨西哥统治的革命中大约182人从2月24日到3月6日被围困在此。所有起义者，包括戴维•克罗克特和雷姆•伯威都被杀害。
[2]史密森学会（Smithsonian Institute）：史密森•詹姆斯是英国化学家，矿石学家和慈善家。他捐给美国的财产帮助创建了史密森学会(1846年）。
[3]玛格丽塔酒：由墨西哥龙舌兰酒、酸橙或柠檬汁以及橙味酒混合调制而成的鸡尾酒，通常用杯沿涂有盐末的玻璃杯饮用。

[QUIZ]
英译汉（请将划线部分英文翻译成中文）：

沪江答题纸加载中……
(OXFORD)
1. let bygones be bygones 不计前嫌
2. abut v. （指土地或建筑物）邻接或毗连某物, 与某物接界: His land abuts on the motorway. 他的土地和高速公路毗连. * Their house abuts against ours. 他们的房子紧挨着我们的房子.
3. sombrero n. 阔边毡帽, 阔边草帽（如墨西哥等拉丁美洲国家男子所戴的）
4. confetti n. （婚礼时投撒在新娘和新郎身上的）五彩纸屑（意大利语）
5. rumble v. 察觉（某人[某事物]）的真实性质; 看穿（诡计）: He looks suspicious do you think he's rumbled us/what we're up to? 他好像起了疑心--你觉得他看穿我们[我们要干的事]了吗?
6. tortilla n. 玉米粉圆饼（通常有肉馅, 热食, 尤指墨西哥的）
7. rapport n. 融洽和谐的关系: He is in rapport with his pupils. 他与学生关系很好. * The actor developed a close rapport with his audience. 该演员与观众建立了密切的关系. * Father and son have a great rapport. 父子情深.