Imagine waking up and finding the value of your assets has been halved.
想象你一觉醒来，发现自己的资产减半。

No, you’re not an investor in one of those hedge funds that failed completely.
不，你并不是其中一支彻底失败的基金的投资者。

With the dollar slumping to a 26-year low against the pound, already-expensive London has become quite unaffordable.
随着美元兑英镑跌至26年来的最低值，物价本就偏高的伦敦变得更让人难以承受。

 A coffee at Starbucks, just as unavoidable in England as it is in the United States, runs about $8.
一杯星巴克的咖啡在英国不得不买到8美元，同在美国如出一辙。

The once all-powerful dollar isn’t doing a Titanic against just the pound.
无所不能的美元在兑换英镑时，不再是庞然大物。

It is sitting at a record low against the euro and at a 30-year low against the Canadian dollar.
美元兑欧元的汇率创下新低，并在与加元的汇兑中处于30年来的最低值。

 Even the Argentine peso and Brazilian real are thriving against the dollar.
就连阿根廷闭锁和巴西雷亚尔都比美元有活力。

The weak dollar is a source of humiliation, for a nation’s self-esteem rests in part on the strength of its currency.
疲软的美元带来了屈辱，因为一个国家的尊严部分来源于本国货币的强度。

 It’s also a potential economic problem, since a declining dollar makes imported food more expensive and exerts upward pressure on interest rates.
这也是一个潜在的经济问题，因为编制的美元使得进口食品价格上扬，并施加加息的压力。

And yet there are substantial sectors of the vast U.S. economy-from giant companies like Coca-Cola to mom-and-pop restaurant operators in Miami-for which the weak dollar is most excellent news.
但对于庞大美国经济体中大量的产业部门-----从可口可乐这样的大公司到迈阿密的夫妻餐厅经营者----美元疲软的消息对他们来说可是再好不过了。

Many Europeans may view the U.S. as an arrogant superpower that has become hostile to foreigners.
一些欧洲人视美国为一个傲慢的超级大国，并且认为美国对外国人怀有敌意。

But nothing makes people think more warmly of the U.S. than a weak dollar.
但当人们想起美国时，没有什么比疲软的美元更带劲的了。

Through April, the total number of visitors from abroadwas up 6.8 percent from last year. Should the trend continue, the number of tourists this year will finally top the 2000 peak.
整个4月的游客总数比去年同期增加了6.8%，如果这种趋势延续下去，今天游客的人数将最终比2000年的峰值还多。

Many Europeans now apparently view the U.S. the way many Americans view Mexico-as a cheap place to vacation, shop and party, all while ignoring the fact that the poorer locals can’t afford to join the merrymaking.
一些欧洲人现在看待美国的方式恰似美国人看待墨西哥一样-----一个廉价的度假、购物和举行派对的场所，他们都忽略了那些更贫穷的本土居民不能承担这种寻欢作乐的费用。

The money tourists spend helps decrease our chronic trade deficit. So do exports, which thanks in part to the weak dollar, soared 11 percent between May 2006 and May 2007. For first five months of 2007, the trade deficit actually fell 7 percent from 2006.
游客的消费帮助减缓了我们长期以来的贸易赤字。出口也是如此，部分由于疲软的美国，2006年5月----2007年5月的出口额飙升了11%。与2006年相比，2007年前5个月的贸易赤字居然下降了7%。

If you own shares in large American corporations, you’re a winner in the weak-dollar gamble.
如果你持有美国大公司的股票，那么你会是疲软美元投机中的赢家。

Last week Coca-Cola’s stick bubbled to a five-year high after it reported a fantastic quarter.
上周可口可乐发布了令人振奋的一季数据后，其股价攀升至五年来的新高。

Foreign sales accounted for 65 percent of Coke’s beverage business.
Other American companies profiting from this trend include McDonald’s and IBM.
海外销售占据可口可乐65%的饮料业务。
其他美国企业，包括麦当劳和IBM在这种趋势下也赢得了利润。

American tourists, however, shouldn’t expect any relief soon.
然而，美国游客不应该期望任何迅速的改善。

The dollar lost strength the way many marriaqe:break up- slowly, and then all at once.
美元疲软的过程就如同婚姻破裂的过程----都是缓慢的，然后才是快速的。

And currencies don’t turn on a dime.
货币不会立即升值。

 So if you want to avoid the pain inflicted by the increasingly pathetic dollar, cancel that summer vacation to England and look to New England.
因此如果你想避免不断惨淡的美元带来的痛苦，那就取消去英格兰的暑期度假计划，该去新英格兰州吧。

There, the dollar is still treated with a little respect.
在那儿，美元还是有点尊严的。