房?jī)r(jià)是一個(gè)全球性問題，即使在房?jī)r(jià)相對(duì)較低的柏林，政府也在為房租逼走人口而苦惱。房租上漲過快引發(fā)本地居民的不滿，甚至要求從大業(yè)主那里征用房產(chǎn)。當(dāng)?shù)卣疄榇苏谄鸩莘ò?，要求?020年起五年內(nèi)不得漲房租，而業(yè)主聯(lián)盟的對(duì)策則是在近期普漲房租。最后誰會(huì)贏得這場(chǎng)沒有硝煙的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)呢？

Berlin's government has moved to freeze rents in the booming German capital for five years from 2020 in their latest bid to halt runaway gentrification.

為了阻止愈演愈烈的城市紳士化趨勢(shì)，德國(guó)首都柏林市政府剛剛決定從2020年起五年內(nèi)柏林房租停漲。

gentrification[,d??ntr?f?'ke??n]: n. 下層住宅高檔化，鄉(xiāng)紳化，（地區(qū)的）貴族化，紳士化。紳士化指一個(gè)舊區(qū)從原本聚集低收入人士，到重建后地價(jià)及租金上升，引來較高收入人士遷入，并取代原有低收入者。

Once described as 'poor, but sexy', Berlin has seen its housing costs double over the last decade as employees lured by the strong job market move into the city.

柏林曾被描述為“雖然窮但是性感”，后來因受到強(qiáng)勁就業(yè)市場(chǎng)的吸引，人們紛紛搬到柏林工作，導(dǎo)致柏林的房租在過去十年間漲了一倍。

The sharp rent hikes have led some residents to ponder radical solutions, including pushing for the seizure of housing stock from powerful landlords.

房租猛增導(dǎo)致一些居民開始考慮激進(jìn)的措施，包括呼吁從大業(yè)主手中奪走房產(chǎn)。

ponder['pɑnd?]: vt. 仔細(xì)考慮；衡量

housing stock: 住宅；住房存量

Alarmed by the trend, Berlin's city government agreed Tuesday on the outlines of a draft law that would include a temporary freeze on rents for five years from 2020, with a bill now to be drafted.

這一趨勢(shì)令柏林市政府感到不安，于是上周二政府通過了一項(xiàng)綱要草案，其中包括從2020年起五年內(nèi)房租暫時(shí)停止上漲，目前正在起草法案。

For decades after German unification in 1990, the capital was a magnet for artists, musicians and students drawn by housing far cheaper than in other major European cities - partly the legacy of its decades marooned inside East Germany as a mere satellite of the West's economy.

1990年德國(guó)統(tǒng)一后，幾十年來首都柏林一直以廉價(jià)房租吸引著藝術(shù)家、音樂家和學(xué)生。柏林房租比其他歐洲大城市都要便宜得多，一部分是由于過去數(shù)十年?yáng)|德的經(jīng)濟(jì)一直附庸于西德的遺留影響。

maroon[m?'run]: v. 使孤立

satellite['s?t?la?t]: n. 隨從

But around 40,000 people a year have moved to Berlin in the last decade, and rents have more than doubled since 2008, according to a study by the online housing portal immowelt.de. A record influx of refugees in 2015 has not helped, experts say.

但根據(jù)房產(chǎn)門戶網(wǎng)站immowelt.de的一項(xiàng)研究，在過去十年間，每年約有4萬人移居到柏林，自2008年以來房租已經(jīng)漲了一倍多。專家表示，2015年涌入的大量難民進(jìn)一步推高了房租。

Some 85 percent of Berliners rent their homes rather than owning them. Proposals to help them had ranged from expropriating large property owners to speeding up affordable housing projects.

約85%的柏林人沒有自己的住房，都是租房住。為了幫助解決柏林人的住房問題有各種提議，從征用大業(yè)主的房產(chǎn)到加速經(jīng)濟(jì)適用房的建設(shè)。

expropriate[?ks'propr?et]: vt. 沒收，征用；剝奪

The cap means 'protection against rent increases for 1.5 million apartments,' tweeted the Berlin government's department for urban development and housing.

柏林政府城市發(fā)展與住房部發(fā)推文稱，限制令意味著“針對(duì)150萬套公寓房租上漲實(shí)行的保護(hù)措施”。

Under the plan, landlords who seek to raise rates because of renovation work will also have to seek official approval for any increases above 50 cents per square meter.

根據(jù)這一草案，由于翻修房屋而計(jì)劃漲房租的房東在每平米漲價(jià)超過50分的情況下必須獲得官方批準(zhǔn)。

Only social housing and private property that has not been let out would be exempt.

只有社會(huì)保障房和沒有出租的私人房產(chǎn)可以不受該草案限制。

The move is being closely watched across Germany, where a backlash is growing over fears that residents are being priced out of key cities.

整個(gè)德國(guó)都在密切關(guān)注這一舉動(dòng)，因?yàn)楦鞔蟪鞘械木用穸荚趽?dān)心會(huì)租不起房，抵制情緒也越來越強(qiáng)烈。

In an indication that the Berlin example could snowball into something wider, the SPD, has pledged to champion such rent controls nationwide.

德國(guó)社會(huì)民主黨暗示柏林的范例會(huì)引發(fā)更廣泛的改變，并承諾要在全國(guó)推行房租限制令。

champion['t??mp??n]: vt. 支持；擁護(hù)

'We need a rent price cap for all of Germany,' said Thorsten Schaefer-Guembel, one of the three interim SPD leaders.

德國(guó)社會(huì)民主黨的三位臨時(shí)領(lǐng)袖之一索斯藤·謝弗-古恩伯說：“我們需要在全國(guó)推行房租限制令?！?/p>

He argued that the measure would help 'win time to build, build and build'.

他指出，這一措施有助于“贏得時(shí)間來建更多更多的房”。

Merkel herself has voiced skepticism about such caps, warning that 'we must also provide an environment for people to want to build'.

德國(guó)總理默克爾則對(duì)限制令表示懷疑，她警告說：“我們也必須營(yíng)造一個(gè)有利于建房的環(huán)境?！?/p>

'It must remain advantageous and attractive to invest in residential property.'

“住宅地產(chǎn)投資仍需保持優(yōu)勢(shì)和吸引力?！?/p>

While the political climate in Berlin is turning against landlords, the influential property-owners association Haus und Grund has said it would not be cowed.

盡管德國(guó)的政治氣候不利于業(yè)主，但頗具影響力的業(yè)主聯(lián)合會(huì)Haus und Grund表示他們不會(huì)受脅迫。

cow[ka?]: vt. 威脅，恐嚇

In a clear call for pre-emptive action, the association had urged members to raise rents by Monday night (June 17).

該協(xié)會(huì)已敦促會(huì)員在6月17日前漲房租，這顯然是為了先發(fā)制人。

pre-emptive[pri'emptiv]: adj. 先發(fā)制人的

Although there are still huge swathes of unbuilt land and new construction mushrooming across the city, much of what is coming onto the market is out of reach for low-income locals.

盡管柏林還有大塊土地可以用于建房，各處的新樓盤也如春筍般拔地而起，但是大部分進(jìn)入市場(chǎng)的樓盤都是低收入的本地居民買不起的。

mushroom['m??r?m]: vi. 迅速增加

The rates in Berlin are still below those in key capitals around the world.

如今柏林的租金依然低于世界主要國(guó)家的首都。

However, average rent prices in Berlin have pushed past 10 euros per square meter per month, according to a recent study by a real estate group CBRE Berlin and German mortgage bank Berlin Hyp AG.

但是，根據(jù)房地產(chǎn)集團(tuán)CBRE Berlin和德國(guó)抵押貸款銀行Berlin Hyp AG近日發(fā)布的一項(xiàng)研究報(bào)告，柏林的平均房租已經(jīng)超過了每月10歐元每平米。

The rental freeze debate comes as residents are trying to seize the initiative by pushing for a referendum to seize buildings from landlords with more than 3,000 apartments.

在全民熱議房租停漲之時(shí)，試圖奪取主動(dòng)權(quán)的柏林居民正在推動(dòng)一項(xiàng)市民公投，從擁有3000套以上房產(chǎn)的地產(chǎn)商手中征用房產(chǎn)。

referendum[,r?f?'r?nd?m]: n. 公民投票

On Friday, the initiators of the citizens' vote said they had cleared the first hurdle by obtaining 77,001 signatures - more than three times higher than the 20,000 needed to launch such a referendum.

上周五，這項(xiàng)公投的發(fā)起者稱，他們已經(jīng)獲得了77001個(gè)簽名，比發(fā)起公投所需的2萬個(gè)簽名超出了三倍多，掃清了第一道障礙。

For the Tagesspiegel newspaper, the trend of runaway rents and growing revolt grew out of from the government's failure to tackle the problem.

《每日鏡報(bào)》指出，房租失控和反抗情緒的高漲源于政府無力解決這一問題。

'If the rental cap splits the government, then that's something that it brought upon itself: because for far too long, far too little has been built. But the call for new construction alone won't help.'

“如果房租限制令讓政府內(nèi)部出現(xiàn)分裂，這是他們自找的：因?yàn)檎ǖ姆课萏倭耍@已經(jīng)持續(xù)了太長(zhǎng)的時(shí)間。但是光是新建房屋并不能緩解事態(tài)?！?/p>

英文來源：MSN

翻譯&編輯：丹妮