VOA常速英语:Fighting the Global Illegal Economy(翻译)

Next, an editorial reflecting the views of the United States government.
接下来,是一篇反映美国政府观点的社论。

The term illicit economy refers to all illegal economic activity.Sometimes referred to as the shadow economy, black market or informal economy,it represents the dark side of globalization.
非法经济一词指所有违法的经济活动。有时被称为影子经济，黑市或非正规经济，它代表了全球化的黑暗面。

It undermines economic potential, siphons off legitimate profits,and hampers future economic growth and investment.
它破坏经济发展潜力，榨取合法利益，并且阻碍长远的经济增长和投资。

The illicit economy is one of the most daunting challenges we face today.
非法经济是我们今天所面临的最艰巨的挑战之一。

It is growing by leaps and bounds, accounting for 8 to 15 percent of the global Gross Domestic Product,said Senior Director for National Security and Diplomacy Anti-Crime Programs, David Luna.
它正在飞速蔓延，占全球国内生产总值的百分之八至百分之十五，国家安全和外交打击犯罪项目高级主任戴维·卢纳如是说。

“The global illicit economy is experiencing a boom across a wide spectrum of activities:narcotics, kidnapping-for-ransom, arms trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking,the trade in stolen and counterfeit goods, smuggling of antiquities and cultural artifacts, bribery, and money laundering.”
“全球非法经济正在各种活动中大行其道：毒品，绑架索赎，武器走私，偷渡和贩卖人口，销赃及冒牌货物交易，文物古玩走私，贿赂以及洗钱。”

The illicit economy robs legitimate markets by undercutting legitimate businesses.
非法经济通过削弱合法企业以掠夺合法市场。

Black market participants do not pay sales or corporate taxes or import tariffs.
黑市交易者逃避交纳销售税，企业所得税或进口关税。

They do not necessarily guarantee the quality or authenticity of the goods they offer,and thus could be cheating their customers.
他们不能保证所提供货物的质量或可靠性，因此客户很有可能被欺骗。

Authorities that cannot stop them may be viewed with suspicion,leading to distrust of institutions and a deterioration in the quality of life for millions of people.
当局若无法阻止他们，就可能招致怀疑，导致相关机构的信任危机，数百万人的生活质量可能因此恶化。

One way to fight the global illicit economy is to crack down on intellectual property infringement.
打击全球非法经济的途径之一是打击知识产权侵权行为。

“Protection of intellectual property is at the very heart of economic growth and innovation.
“保护知识产权是经济增长和创新的核心。

When innovators and creators know their creations are safe from theft,they are more inclined to bring new products and ideas to society that enrich and improve our lives.”
当创新者和创作者知道他们的创作是安全的，可以免受窃取，他们会更积极地为社会带来新产品和创意，以丰富和改善我们的生活。”

“Weak protection, on the other hand, makes it difficult for private companies to reap the benefits of their investments in R and D,and thus reduces their incentive to make those investments,” said Director Luna.
“另一方面，疏于保护使得私人公司难以从其研发投资中获益，从而降低了他们进行投资的动机，”卢纳主任说。

Thus we must enact and implement strong and effective laws to combat criminal activities.
因此，我们必须颁布并执行强有力的法律打击犯罪活动。

At the same time, governments, businesses and citizens need to cooperate across national boundaries to defend our shared interests.Above all, we must all work together, said Director Luna.
同时，政府，企业和公民需要跨越国界进行合作，以维护我们的共同利益。首先，我们必须团结起来共同努力，正如卢纳主任所说。

“It is not hyperbole to say the convergence of illicit networks is an existential threat to human progress.We must stand together to meet and defeat this threat.”
“毫不夸张地说，非法经济网络的融合是对人类进步的一个现实威胁。我们必须站在一起面对并击败这个威胁。”