VOA常速英语:Hunger Crisis in East Africa - Somalia(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。
Some 14.4 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya need humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations.In some places, acute food insecurity could soon deteriorate into famine.
据联合国称，目前索马里、埃塞俄比亚和肯尼亚有大约1440万人需要人道主义援助。一些地区的粮食危机十分严重，持续恶化可能会造成饥荒。
“Famines are rare, and we don’t use the term lightly.In most cases, people face extreme food insecurity and are in need of emergency food assistance without the situation being categorized as a famine,”said Matthew Nims, Acting Director of USAID’s Office of Food for Peace,in testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives.In February, the UN declared famine in South Sudan, while regions of three other countries—Somalia, Nigeria and Yemen—are teetering on the brink.Next to South Sudan, Somalia is the country of greatest concern. “Here, the effects of the latest drought are exacerbated by conflict,” said Mr. Nims.“The below-average rainfall of the 2016 October-to-December season has resulted in a harvest forecasted to be 50 to 70 percent below the five-year average.”
“饥荒很罕见，我们不会轻率地使用这个词。在大多数情况下，人们会面临极端的粮食危机，需要紧急粮食援助，但这种情况不会被归为饥荒。”美国国际开发署粮食换和平办公室代理主任马修·尼姆斯在美国众议院作如上发言。二月份，联合国宣布南苏丹陷入饥荒，而另外三个国家：索马里、尼日利亚和也门的一些地区也挣扎在饥荒边缘。除了南苏丹以外，索马里是情况最危急的国家。“在这里，冲突加剧了干旱的影响”，尼姆斯先生说道，“2016年10月至12月这个季节降雨量低于平均水平，导致粮食产量比五年平均水平低了百分之五十到七十。”
The conditions are similar to 2011, when nearly 260,000 Somalis died in a famine triggered by what was, at the time, the Horn of Africa’s worst drought in over 60 years.
目前的情况与2011年相似，当时有近26万索马里人民在饥荒中死亡，那场饥荒是由非洲之角60年来最严重的干旱引发的。
But the comparisons stop there.“In February, the governments of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia all publicly committed to regional cooperation and cross-border collaboration to tackle both this drought and,through longer-term investments,the underlying fragility that tips vulnerable communities into crisis in recurring droughts,” said Acting Director Nims.
但也有不同之处。“二月份，吉布提、埃塞俄比亚、肯尼亚和索马里的政府都公开承诺要进行区域和跨境合作，以应对这次干旱。并将通过长期投资解决潜在问题，以防弱势群体陷入反复出现的干旱危机”，代理主任尼姆斯如是说。
Over the past several months, working through USAID and its partners,the U.S. government has accelerated assistance to Somalia,providing food and malnutrition treatment, ensuring drinking water is safe, and improving sanitation and hygiene. And to ensure lasting impact, assistance in Somalia is sometimes linked to activities such as vocational training,designed to help build the resilience of the Somali people.
在过去几个月中，美国政府通过与国际开发署及其伙伴合作，加快了对索马里的援助，提供食物和营养不良治疗，确保饮用水安全，改善卫生条件。为了确保持久效果，对索马里的援助有时会与职业培训等活动联系起来，旨在帮助索马里人民增强恢复能力。
“We remain committed to providing humanitarian assistance around the world as both a moral imperative and as a direct benefit to the well-being of the United States,” said Acting Director Nims.
“我们仍然致力于在世界各地提供人道主义援助，这既是道德责任，也能直接为美国社会带来积极影响，”代理主任尼姆斯说道。
“We do this work not only because it is the right thing to do,but also because it is in the interest of the American people and promotes global stability.”
“我们做这项工作，不仅因为这是正确的事情，也因为这符合美国人民的利益，有利于促进全球稳定。”