实战口语情景对话 第865期:Bribes 贿赂

Todd: So, Aiman, now you actually are a business student, correct? You study business?
托德：艾曼，你是商科学生，对吧？你学习商业？

Aiman: Well, actually I studied business. I did my undergraduate in Global Business Management but now I'm doing my master's in International Material Flow Managament.
艾曼：对，我学习商业。我本科学的是全球商务管理，现在我正在读国际物流管理硕士。

Todd: OK, so you have experience with the business field. You've worked as a professional. What job did you have before?
托德：好，你有商业领域的经验。你是专业人士。你以前做过什么工作？

Aiman: IT specialist. An IT trainer and mainly a technical person in different industries.
艾曼：IT专家。我做过IT培训师，从事过不同行业的技术人员。

Todd: OK, we bring this up because we both have experience in cultures with bribery, bribes. So, we're gonna talk about bribery. So in your country Syria, what is something you would pay a bribe for?
托德：好，我们提到这个问题，是因为我们都经历过贿赂文化。我们要来谈谈贿赂。在你的祖国叙利亚，你们会为哪些事行贿？

Aiman: Well, in Syria you'd pay a bribe for anything. Everything. Even if you didn't do anything. You might need to pay a bribe.
艾曼：在叙利亚任何事我们都会行贿。所有事。即使你并没有做什么错事，你也可能需要行贿。

Todd: So how does it work?
托德：那是怎样的？

Aiman: Well if the policeman decided to pull you over you have to pay them something otherwise they'll come up with something to make you pay more.
艾曼：如果警察让你靠边停车，你就要给他们点儿钱，否则他们会找别的借口让你给更多钱。

Todd: So let's say... well can you give an example of something that you would have to pay a bribe for?
托德：嗯……你能举个你必须得行贿的例子吗？

Aiman: Just driving really. You'd be driving and the policeman would just ask you to pull over and then he'll come and it means that he needs a bribe, otherwise he will just keep you there waiting.
艾曼：就以开车为例。假设你正在开车，这时警察让你靠边停车，他会走过来让你贿赂他，如果你不贿赂他他就会让你一直等在那里。

Todd: And now how much would the bribe usually be?
托德：那通常贿赂他要用多少钱？

Aiman: Usually it would be one dollar.
艾曼：基本上1美元就可以了。

Todd: Really? Just one dollar?
托德：真的吗？就1美元？

Aiman: Yeah, but ...
艾曼：对，不过……

Todd: That's so low.
托德：这很少啊。

Aiman: Yeah, but by Syrian standards. It's not. It's 50 Syrian pounds.
艾曼：对，不过从叙利亚标准来说，并不少，那相当于50叙利亚镑。

Todd: So basically, the problem is probably that the policemen make very low wages, so this is how they supplement their wages is by taking bribes.
托德：是不是由于警察工资非常低，所以他们要受贿来帮补工资。

Aiman: Yes, exactly. And the problem is that not only policemen do that but every government worker do the same so if you have to do anything, that has anything to do with the government or a public officer, you'd have to bribe your way through.
艾曼：对，没错。问题是不仅仅是警察会受贿，基本上所有政府工作人员都会受贿，即使你没有做什么错事，和政府工作人员或公职人员没有任何关系，你想办成事情也不得不去行贿。

Todd: So like if you went to the city hall and you needed to get some documents, you would probably have to pay a bribe.
托德：如果你要去市政厅拿些文件，你可能就要行贿。

Aiman: Yes.
艾曼：是的。

Todd: Now when you pay a bribe is this out in the open or do you have to put the money in an envelope and keep it secret?
托德：那是公开行贿，还是会把钱放在信封里，秘密行贿？

Aiman: Well, it used to be secret but now it's more out in the open.
艾曼：以前都是秘密行贿，不过现在越来越公开化了。