实战口语情景对话 第867期:Power of Money 金钱的力量

Todd: So, Aiman, we're talking about bribery. Now you've worked in a very modern country like Dubai in the business setting, so even in large business settings, do you have some type of bribery. Is that still like part of the culture? The System?
托德：艾曼，我们来谈谈贿赂。你在迪拜等现代化国家的商业环境中工作过，大型商业环境中存在贿赂现象吧？贿赂还是文化或体系内的一部分吗？

Aiman: Yes, of course. A business deal would never go through without a bribe. And it's not the Arab culture alone because even Westerners that work in Dubai have to bribe and they take bribes, even Indians, Asians, anyone who works in Dubai has to do it. It's the countries culture, and it is a known fact now.
艾曼：当然是。如果不进行贿赂，那交易就不能顺利进行。不只是阿拉伯文化存在这种现象，就连在迪拜工作的西方人员也必须要行贿和受贿，在迪拜工作的印度人和亚洲人也不得不这样做。这是国家文化，现在已经是众所周知的事实了。

Todd: Right, so you're saying if a Western country is in Dubai, and they want to succeed, they follow the customs, so they also are part of the system where they would bribe... one country would bribe another country if they want something done?
托德：好，你是说一个西方国家要想在迪拜获得成功，就要按照当地的习俗去做，贿赂是当地体系的一部分，如果要做成某件事，一个国家就要去贿赂另一个国家？

Aiman: Yes, of course.
艾曼：对，没错。

Todd: With your experience in business, do you think is something that will just always be a part of the system, or do you see it something as going away if you have more development?
托德：从你在商业的经历来看，你认为贿赂是会永远是体系内的一部分，还是在进一步发展后就会消失？

Aiman: Well, I really can't see the time when we won't have to bribe in Syria or really in any other Arab country. When I talk about business with other people, I always advice them that if they are going to an Arab country to conduct business, they have to take bribe into consideration because it is the same situation in Egypt, Lybia, maybe a bit less in Libya, but Morocco. It is the culture. It is the culture because the systems are all similar. The political systems are similar, so they produce a similar outcome.
艾曼：我不知道什么时候在叙利亚和其他阿拉伯国家才不再需要进行贿赂。我和其他人谈到商业时，如果他们想去阿拉伯国家做生意，我都会建议他们考虑一下贿赂，因为埃及和利比亚的情况也是如此，可能利比亚的贿赂风气没有那么明显，不过摩洛哥也是如此。贿赂是阿拉伯国家的文化，因为这些国家的体系很相似。政治体系也相似，所以结果也是类似的。

Todd: Yeah, in the States we don't really have bribes but we have what's called kickbacks. So, basically, one politician does one thing for somebody else, and then they get money as a kickback. So maybe they either get political donations or maybe some company will develop, you know, create jobs in their area, so I think even though in the United Sates we don't have the term bribery so much, like you know, bribery's illegal, I think we still have a little bit of the same problem, but just it's a different way.
托德：我们没有这种贿赂行为，不过我们有收回扣的行为。如果政治人物帮其他人做了件事，那他们就会得到回扣款。他们可能会得到政治捐款，或是一些公司会提供就业机会，虽然贿赂行为在美国并不常见，因为贿赂是违法的，但是我们也存在同样的问题，只不过方式不一样。