Clinton Seeks Ban on Child Labor

By ALEXANDER G. HIGGINS
June 16, 1999

GENEVA (AP) - On the opening of a week-long European trip, President Clinton is seeking a worldwide agreement to ban the most egregious cases of child labor, such as preteens working in bondage, handling toxic substances or being indentured to companies that make hand-knotted carpets.

Clinton begins his trip with a speech in Switzerland today urging the International Labor Organization to work toward abolishing such child labor practices as forced labor and slavery. The organization, an arm of the United Nations, estimates that at least 250 million children, ages 5 to 14, work in developing countries - nearly half of them full time and tens of millions under exploitative and harmful conditions.

On Thursday, Clinton is to meet with leaders in France and then depart for Germany to attend the 25th annual economic summit of the world's seven richest nations, joined by Russia, where discussion over three days will range from peacekeeping in Kosovo to overhauling the global financial system.

On Monday, Clinton is to attend a U.S.-European Union summit and then travel to Slovenia, a country slightly smaller than New Jersey that declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 and wants to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the EU, which is striving to foster political cooperation and economic integration among European nations.

As the first U.S. president to address the labor organization convention, Clinton is expected to expand on remarks he made at a University of Chicago commencement on Saturday. That same day he signed an executive order directing U.S. government agencies to make sure they do not buy products made by forced or indentured child workers.

"People will say 'Well, we're a poor country. We have to earn money however we can," Clinton told the graduates. "If you could see the conditions these 8- and 9-year-old children are working in. If you want them to go to school. If you understand those countries will never grow until they begin to educate their children, we have to start with the abolition of child labor."

In 1997, the U.S. government bought $57 million in products made by industries known to rely on child labor, according to Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the leading Senate proponent of child-labor reform and who is accompanying Clinton on the trip. The Clinton administration has identified several problem industries, including carpets and bricks from India and Pakistan; fishing platforms from Indonesia; and fireworks from Guatemala.

The economic summit that begins Friday in Cologne, Germany, will be a meeting of the Group of Eight, comprising leaders of Russia, the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada. The leaders are to discuss who will pay to rebuild Kosovo and help neighboring Balkan countries following NATO's 78-day bombing campaign of Yugoslavia.

"We welcome the European Union's intention to assume the lion's share of the financial burden and, given the U.S. role in the military campaign, this is an appropriate division of labor," Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Monday.

Other topics to be broached include human rights, the environment, trade, terrorism, drug trafficking and crime. The leaders are to consider proposals urging developing nations to be more forthcoming in revealing their finances and complete work on a plan to provide more debt relief to poor nations.

Clinton was accompanied on the trip by his wife, Hillary, and daughter, Chelsea.

C

Americans vs. Japanese

The Americans and the Japanese decided to engage in a competitive boat race. Both teams practiced hard and long to reach their peak performance.

On the big day they felt ready. The Japanese won by a mile. Afterward, the American team was discouraged by the loss. Morale sagged. Corporate management decided that the reason for the crushing defeat had to be found, so a consulting firm was hired to investigate the problem and recommended corrective action. The consultant's finding: The Japanese team had eight people rowing and one person steering; the American team had one person rowing and eight people steering.

After a year of study and millions spent analyzing the problem, the consultant firm concluded that too many people were steering and not enough were rowing on the American team.

So as race day neared again the following year, the American team's management structure was completely reorganized. The new structure: four steering managers, three area steering managers and a new performance review system for the person rowing the boat to provide work incentive.

The next year, the Japanese won by two miles. Humiliated, the American corporation laid off the rower for poor performance and gave the managers a bonus for discovering the problem....

Success always occurs in private, and failure in full view.Quality of Life

The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, only a little while.

The American then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.

The American then asked, "but what do you do with the rest of your time?"

The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life."

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"

To which the American replied, "15-20 years."

"But what then?"

The American laughed and said that's the best part. "When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."

"Millions.. Then what?"

The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

The life which is unexamined is not worth living.
- Plato (428-348? BC)

 

Travel Agency Terminology

TOUR GUIDE TERM	TRANSLATION
Old world charm	Room and a path
Tropical	Rainy
Majestic setting	A long way from town, at end of dirt road
Options galore	Nothing is included in the itinerary
Secluded hideaway	Directions to locate unclear
Some budget rooms	Sorry, already occupied
Explore on your own	At your own expense
Knowledgeable trip hosts	They've flown in an airplane before
No extra fees	No extras
Nominal fee	Outrageous charge
Standard	Sub-standard
Deluxe	Barely Standard
Superior accommodations	One complimentary chocolate, free shower cap
All the amenities	Two chocolates, two shower caps
Plush	Both top and bottom sheets, bed shakes
Gentle breezes	In hurricane alley
Light and airy	No air conditioning
Picturesque	Theme park nearby
24-hour bar	Ice cubes at additional cost (when available)

 

II-2	Безличные и неопределенно - личные предложения

В соответствии со строем английского предложения в нем обязательно наличие при сказуемом подлежащего, хотя бы формального.

Поэтому русские безличные предложения (типа: Холодно. Поздно.) и неопределенно-личные предложения (типа: Говорят, что он здесь.) передаются в английском языке с помощью формальных подлежащих it, one, they, которые выполняют чисто грамматическую функцию и не переводятся на русский язык.

II-2.1

Формальное подлежащее it

It is evening.	Вечер.
It is late.	Поздно.
It is said that he has come.	Говорят, что он приехал.

В некоторых случаях, из стилистических соображений, истинное подлежащее ставится после сказуемого, на место дополнения, а его место занимает формальное подлежащее it:

It was impossible to dissolve the substance in water	Было невозможно растворить вещество в воде.
It is clear that he will not come.	Ясно, что он не придет.

Примечание: В тех случаях, когда местоимение it не является формальным подлежащим, а заменяет собой существительное предыдущего предложения, оно переводится в зависимости от рода заменяемого существительного, т.e. он, она, они уже не соответствует русскому безличному обороту:

Hydrogen is the lightest gas; it is used for filling balloons.

Водород является самым легким газом; он используется для наполнения воздушных шаров.

 

II-2.2

Эмфатический оборот с формальным подлежащим it

Для сильного эмфатического выделения любого члена предложения, кроме сказуемого, употребляется оборот it is (was)... that (who, whom), причем выделяемый член предложения помещается в середине этого оборота и становится предикативом главного предложения, например, предложение:

Popov invented the radio in 1895

можно передать следующими эмфатическими вариантами, которые при переводе передаются личными предложениями со словом именно:

It was Popov who invented the radio in 1895.	Именно Попов изобрел радио в 1895 г.
It was the radio that Popov invented in 1895.	Именно радио изобрел Попов в 1895 г.
It was in 1895 that Popov invented the radio.	Именно в 1895 г. Попов изобрел радио.

Таким же образом можно выделить и придаточное предложение; в переводе оно выделяется словом только, например, предложение:

We could complete rehabilitation of our ruined cities after we had defeated fascist Germany.

Мы смогли завершить восстановление наших разрушенных городов после того, как мы разгромили фашистскую Германию.

можно перестроить так:

It was after we had defeated fascist Germany that we could complete rehabilitation of our ruined cities.

Только после того, как мы разгромили фашистскую Германию, мы смогли завершить восстановление наших разрушенных городов.

 

II-2.3

Неопределенные подлежащие one, they

Когда высказывание касается людей вообще или группы людей, объединенных общим признаком, то в качестве подлежащего употребляются местоимения one или they.

При этом one указывает на то, что говорящее лицо включается в сферу действия высказывания, тогда как they имеет в виду людей вообще (исключая говорящего).

Перевод таких предложений производится с помощью неопределенно-личного или безличного оборота.

Примечание:

one must (one should) переводится нужно

one can переводится можно:

One must be careful when handling mustard gas.	Нужно быть осторожным при обращении с горчичным газом.
One can easily decompose mercuric oxide at high temperature.	Можно легко разложить окись ртути при высокой температуре.
They say the weather will be better to-morrow.	Говорят, что погода будет завтра лучше.

 

Упражнения

1. Переведите следующие предложения:

А.

1. It has long been known that metals can pass from a metallic to an earthy form. 2. It was in 1896 that natural radioactivity was discovered. 3. It is difficult to liberate oxygen from a compound as most of its compounds are very stable. 4. In atomic studies it has become the practice to express energies in electron-volt units. 5. It is the sun that steadily sends out a great amount of radiant energy. 6. It is the steam turbine that has replaced the old reciprocating engine. 7. On a physical map one can see seas, rivers and mountains. 8. The engine stopped; it was badly damaged. 9. A few years ago they had an exhibition of the Indian art in Leningrad. 10. One can still see Magellan's ship in Spain exhibited ashore in memory of the first journey around the world. 11. The coming winter, they say, will be extremely cold. 12. One could hardly expect such a turn of circumstances.

B.

1. It was they, all the Soviet people who, by their toil and military skill, by their sweat and blood achieved the glorious victories which saved our country from enthrallment. 2. It was with the aim of promoting durable peace and general security in the world that the governments of the Russia and USA concluded the treaty. 3. One understands that the rearmament of Albania is inconsistent with European security. 4. One must not forget about the atrocities committed by the German fascists.

1. It was Lomonosov who first stated that heat phenomena is connected with the motion of molecules. 2. It is the Russian scientist Lenz who established the law of heating effect of the electric current. 3. It was Tsiolkovsky who first designed a wind-tunnel in Russia. 4. It should be noted that a nuclear power plant of 100,000 kilowatt capacity would consume daily about 200-250 grams of uranium. 5. It was formerly believed that all heavy objects fell faster than light objects. 6. One should be especially careful when working with gamma and beta rays. 7. The winter of 1999 was extremely cold, in fact it was the coldest winter for the previous 10 years. 8. The flax crop, they say, will be fine this year. 9. One can see a great number of beautiful new houses in Moscow. 10. If one wants a thing done, one should do it oneself.