Toy industry
玩具业

The tale of Barbie and Li Mei
芭比娃娃与李梅的故事（陈继龙 译）

May 3rd 2007
From The Economist print edition

EVERYONE knows something about Barbie, the most famous doll in the world. （1）Big-breasted, narrow-waisted and long-legged, she has helped sex intrude into childhood. Every second at least three Barbies are sold, bringing in $3.6 billion annually in retail sales. According to Eric Clark, a journalist who knows all that is worth knowing about selling toys, Barbie is what the trade calls a “lifestyle brand”. Attended by 50 designers, including Armani and Dior, and a dozen hairdressers, she is adored by conventions, clubs, websites and collectors.
芭比娃娃（Barbie）是世界上最有名的玩具，每个人对她都有所了解，而胸部丰满、腰部纤细、双腿修长的她让性闯入了孩子们的世界。每秒钟至少有3个芭比娃娃卖出，零售额每年可达36亿元。埃里克•克拉克（Eric Clark）是一名记者，对玩具销售无所不知。据他所言，芭比娃娃被业界称为“体现生活风格的品牌”。包括Armani、Dior在内的50家设计商以及十二名发型师曾参与芭比娃娃的设计，如今她深受各类会议、俱乐部、网站和收藏家的喜爱。

Several decades ago, Barbie's creator, Ruth Handler, saw a Swiss doll called Lilli, voluptuous[1] and wearing heels. She was just what Ms Handler wanted for a blockbuster new doll. （2）Ignoring traditional marketeers—shocked by Barbie's breasts—she began an uphill battle in California to manufacture this sexy creature, so unlike cuddly[2] baby dolls. What she did not know was that Lilli was based on a prostitute in “a German adult cartoon aimed at men.”
几十年前，芭比娃娃的创始人露丝•汉德勒（Ruth Handler）看到一个瑞士洋娃娃，名叫“莉莉（Lilli）”，脚穿高跟鞋，模样儿十分性感，而汉德勒女士也想设计一款能一鸣惊人的新型洋娃娃，这恰好遂了她的愿。传统经销商被芭比娃娃的胸部吓了一跳，但汉德勒未予理会，开始在加利福尼亚潜心制作这种与可爱洋娃娃大不相同的尤物。“莉莉”的原型其实是 “一部面向男性观众的德国成人动画片”中的一名妓女，这一点汉德勒女士并不知晓。

（3）Mr Clark is steely-eyed[3] about marketing toys which slither sexily down into single-figure age-groups. He is even steelier investigating the industry's economics. Eighty per cent of the world's bestselling toys are manufactured in Chinese sweatshops by workers on pitiful wages, often working seven days a week. A Chinese-made Barbie retails in America for $9.99—of which 35 cents goes to the factory, including the price of labour. A $44.99 electric toy pays 81 cents in labour costs.
克拉克坚决反对向10岁以下儿童销售性感玩具的做法，并且毅然决然对该行业经济情况进行了认真调查。全球畅销玩具有八成都产自中国工厂，这些工厂条件差，工人工资低得可怜，常常一周要上七天班。一个中国制造的芭比娃娃在美国卖9.99美元，厂家能挣到的只有35美分，其中还包括开给工人的工资。一款零售价为44.99美元的电动玩具，工人的劳动所得也只有81美分。

Although Chinese law stipulates[4] that assembly-line workers should toil for only 53 hours a week, 80 hours is common: the average working day is 11-12 hours long. （4）Workers sign contracts they cannot understand, which include paying for food and lodging in factory dormitories, medical fees and penalties for work not up to standard. Factories are tidied up when foreign investigators visit, under-age workers hidden or sent away. Bogus payslips are produced along with faked time-cards and workers are drilled on the correct answers to questions.
虽然中国法律规定车间工人每周工作时间不得超过53小时，但实际工作80小时的情况很普遍——平均每天工作时间达到11至12小时。工人们虽然签订了合同，但对合同中所包括的伙食、住宿、医疗费用以及对不符标准工作的处罚（约定），他们都一概不了解。外面有人来调查时，工厂就会整理一新，把童工都藏起来或者送走，还伪造工资单和计时卡片，并对工人进行反复训练，以便他们能“准确地”回答（调查人员的）提问。

Mr Clark's conclusion is unsparing. （5）Everyone makes good, often fabulous[5], money, except “Li Mei”, his composite assembly-line toymaker. She travelled hundreds of miles from west China to earn money for her family. Now all she can do is lament “I'm tired to death.”
最后，克拉克毫不留情地表示：人人都赚了钱，而且时常赚得盆满钵满，但“李梅”是个例外。在克拉克笔下，这个“李梅”集中了所有玩具车间工人的特征——为了挣钱养家，“她”从中国西部不远千里来到这家工厂，而现在“她”所能做的唯有叹息一声——“累死了”。

[QUIZ]
英译汉（请将划线部分英文翻译成中文）：

[NOTES]
1. voluptuous adj. 妖娆的，激起性欲的
2. cuddly adj. 可爱的，适于拥抱的
3. steely-eyed adj. 冷眼相向的，目光坚毅的
4. stipulate v. state (sth) clearly and firmly as a requirement 讲明, 规定（某要求）: I stipulated red paint, not black. 我已讲明要红漆, 不要黑漆. * It was stipulated that the goods should be delivered within three days. 按规定货物须在三日内送交.
5. fabulous adj. 1 incredibly great 极为巨大的: fabulous wealth 巨大的财富.  2 (infml 口) wonderful; marvellous 极好的; 绝妙的: a fabulous performance 精采的表演.  3 [attrib 作定语] (fml 文) appearing in fables; legendary 寓言中的; 传说的; 神话的: fabulous heroes, monsters, etc 传奇式的英雄、 妖怪等.