When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isn’t cutting, filing or polishing as many nails as she’d like to, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blames the softening economy. “I’m a good economic indicator,” she says. “I provide a service that people can do without when they’re concerned about saving some dollars.” So Spero is downscaling, shopping at middle-brow Dillard’s department store near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. “I don’t know if other clients are going to abandon me, too,” she says.
经济发展速度开始减慢时，艾琳·斯派罗还不至于咬手指。但是，这位四十七岁的指甲修饰师修剪、锉磨、上油的指甲数量却难遂其愿了。她的大多数顾客每周花费十二至五十美元，可上周两位长期客户突然不来了。斯派罗抱怨起疲软的经济。她说：“我是个准确的经济晴雨表。我提供的服务在当人们想攒钱时就变成可有可无。”因此斯派罗相应地节约起开支，买东西就在克利夫兰郊区的她家附近的中档迪拉德百货公司，而不再去内曼·玛科斯。她说“我不知道其他顾客会不会也不再光顾我。”
Even before Alan Greenspan’s admission that America’s red-hot economy is cooling, lots of working folks had already seen signs of the slowdown themselves. From car dealerships to Gap outlets, sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending. For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a crucial time. Already, experts say, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last year’s pace. But don’t sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only mildly concerned, not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economy’s long-term prospects even as they do some modest belt-tightening.
即使在格林斯潘还未承认美国过热的经济正在冷却的时候，许许多多的劳动者已经看出经济渐缓的迹象。由于购物者节约他们的支出，从汽车代理商到Gap名牌零售折扣店，数月以来销售一直滞缓。去年在感恩节和圣诞节之间零售商的销售收入是全年的百分之二十四。对于他们来讲，在关键时期该谨慎行事了。专家言之有据，较之去年假日销售速度已经减缓了百分之七。不过，目前还不必敲什么警钟。消费者看起来略显忧虑，并没有惊慌失措。许多人虽然稍微勒紧腰带，但他们说对于经济的长期前景还是乐观的。
Consumers say they’re not in despair because, despite the dreadful headlines, their own fortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in most regions. In Manhattan, “there’s a new gold rush happening in the $4 million to $10 million range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses,” says broker Barbara Corcoran. In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbidding quiets. “Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three,” says John Tealdi, a Bay Area real-estate broker. And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to find and keep a job.
新闻标题虽然够吓人的，消费者依旧对自己的财产状况感觉相当良好，因此他们说他们并不悲观绝望。在大多数地区房屋价格保持稳定。经纪人巴巴拉·考克兰说，在曼哈顿“出现了四百万至一千万美元之间的淘金热，资金来源以华尔街股票红利为主。”在旧金山，高价抢购现象虽然销声匿迹了，可价格依旧看涨。海湾地区房地产经纪人约翰·梯尔迪说：“已经卖出20到30套，剩下的可能只有两三套了。”而大多数人对能够找到并保有一件工作依旧觉得很随心。
Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown. Potential home buyers would cheer for lower interest rates. Employers wouldn’t mind a little fewer bubbles in the job market. Many consumers seem to have been influenced by stock-market swings, which investors now view as a necessary ingredient to a sustained boom. Diners might see an upside, too. Getting a table at Manhattan’s hot new Alain Ducasse restaurant used to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting.
许多人对于经济减速抱有乐观的希望。潜在的房产购买者会对利率下调欢天喜地。雇主们对就业市场少了些泡沫也并不在意。许多消费者似乎一直受股票市场波动的影响，投资者把这种波动视为持续繁荣的必要因素。就餐者可能也看到了有利的方面。在曼哈顿新开的火爆的阿兰·杜卡斯饭店吃上一桌曾经是不可能的，现在不了。这真值得格林斯潘和他的同事们庆祝。
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