双语新闻：德国公司转向机器人来填补退休工人的工作
German businesses are increasingly turning to robots to fill jobs as the country faces a severe labor shortage.
由于德国面临严重的劳动力短缺，德国企业越来越多地转向机器人来填补工作岗位。
The situation left about 1.7 million jobs unfilled across Germany in June, official data showed. The country's Chambers of Commerce and Industry has estimated that half of German businesses are currently struggling to fill positions. Germany is Europe's largest economy.
官方数据显示，今年6月，德国全国约有170万个职位空缺。德国工商会估计，目前有一半的德国企业难以填补职位空缺。德国是欧洲最大的经济体。
One of the country's biggest labor issues is the large number of people retiring from the so-called Baby Boomer generation. People in this group are between the ages of 57 and 75. The nation's birth rate has also been going down for years.
美国最大的劳工问题之一是所谓的婴儿潮一代退休的人数众多。这个群体的人年龄在57岁到75岁之间。该国的出生率多年来也一直在下降。
Economic experts say it is difficult to replace these retiring workers. Many younger workers do not want to take jobs seen as dirty and dangerous.
经济专家说，很难找到替代这些退休工人的人。许多年轻工人不愿从事被视为肮脏和危险的工作。
The job shortage situation is currently reducing growth in Germany by about $109 billion a year, official estimates suggest. The Federal Employment Agency predicts the amount of available workers will shrink by 7 million people by 2035.
据官方估计，目前德国的就业短缺状况每年使经济增长减少约1090亿美元。联邦就业局预测，到2035年，可用的工人数量将减少700万人。
The problem is affecting large, medium and small businesses across the country. Some have decided to replace retiring workers with robotic systems.
这个问题正在影响全国的大、中、小型企业。一些公司已经决定用机器人系统取代退休工人。
With similar issues affecting other developed economies, robotic and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies will continue to expand, said Nela Richardson. She is the chief economist at financial provider ADP.
内拉·理查森表示，由于其他发达经济体也存在类似问题，机器人和人工智能技术将继续发展。她是金融服务提供商ADP的首席经济学家。
"Long term, all those innovations are a game-changer for the world of work. Everybody will do their job differently," Richardson told Reuters.
“从长远来看，所有这些创新都将改变工作世界的游戏规则。每个人的工作方式都会不同。”理查森对路透表示。
Heavy investment in automation by carmakers and other major industrial companies has made Germany the world's fourth-largest market for robots – the largest in Europe.
汽车制造商和其他主要工业公司在自动化方面的大量投资，使德国成为全球第四大机器人市场，也是欧洲最大的机器人市场。
But as robots become less costly and easier to operate, even smaller companies are also using them. The International Federation of Robotics has estimated that about 26,000 robotic machines were put in place in Germany last year.
但随着机器人变得更便宜、更容易操作，甚至更小的公司也在使用它们。国际机器人联合会估计，去年德国安装了大约2.6万台机器人。
"Robots enable the survival of companies that see their future at risk due to staff shortages," said Ralf Winkelmann, director of FANUC Germany. The company sells about half its Japanese-made robots to small and medium-sized businesses.
发那科德国公司主管拉尔夫•温克尔曼表示:“机器人使那些因员工短缺而面临未来风险的公司得以生存。”该公司将大约一半的日本制造机器人销售给中小型企业。
Family-run ROLEC is a German company that produces systems to protect industrial electronics and control equipment. It bought its first robot last year to permit production to continue at night. ROLEC has already bought a second machine and plans to continue investing in automation.
家族经营的ROLEC是一家德国公司，生产保护工业电子和控制设备的系统。该公司去年购买了第一台机器人，以便在夜间继续生产。ROLEC已经购买了第二台机器，并计划继续投资于自动化。
"It is great when you turn on the light in the morning and the parts are in the storage container and have been processed," ROLEC's CEO Matthias Rose told Reuters.
ROLEC的首席执行官Matthias Rose告诉路透社:“当你早上打开灯，零件就在储存容器里，已经被处理过了，这真是太棒了。”
Industry experts say increasing robotic operations are also a sign that robots have become easier to use, with no special skills required. Most now come with a Human Machine Interface, which operates similarly to a smartphone, said Florian Andre. He is a co-founder of SHERPA Robotics, a start-up that targets companies with between 20 and 100 employees.
行业专家表示，越来越多的机器人操作也表明机器人变得更容易使用，不需要特殊技能。弗洛里安·安德烈说，现在大多数都配备了人机界面，操作方式与智能手机类似。他是SHERPA Robotics的联合创始人，这家初创公司的目标客户是员工人数在20到100人之间的公司。
Even workers and trade unions – which in the past were fearful of job losses linked to robots – have taken an increasingly favorable position. A public opinion study published in June by a robots marketplace organization found that nearly half of German employees see robots as a help to the labor shortage.
即使是工人和工会——过去他们担心机器人会导致失业——也采取了越来越有利的立场。一家机器人市场组织6月份发布的一项民意调查发现，近一半的德国员工认为机器人有助于解决劳动力短缺问题。
由于德国面临严重的劳动力短缺，德国企业越来越多地转向机器人来填补工作岗位。
The situation left about 1.7 million jobs unfilled across Germany in June, official data showed. The country's Chambers of Commerce and Industry has estimated that half of German businesses are currently struggling to fill positions. Germany is Europe's largest economy.
官方数据显示，今年6月，德国全国约有170万个职位空缺。德国工商会估计，目前有一半的德国企业难以填补职位空缺。德国是欧洲最大的经济体。
One of the country's biggest labor issues is the large number of people retiring from the so-called Baby Boomer generation. People in this group are between the ages of 57 and 75. The nation's birth rate has also been going down for years.
美国最大的劳工问题之一是所谓的婴儿潮一代退休的人数众多。这个群体的人年龄在57岁到75岁之间。该国的出生率多年来也一直在下降。
Economic experts say it is difficult to replace these retiring workers. Many younger workers do not want to take jobs seen as dirty and dangerous.
经济专家说，很难找到替代这些退休工人的人。许多年轻工人不愿从事被视为肮脏和危险的工作。
The job shortage situation is currently reducing growth in Germany by about $109 billion a year, official estimates suggest. The Federal Employment Agency predicts the amount of available workers will shrink by 7 million people by 2035.
据官方估计，目前德国的就业短缺状况每年使经济增长减少约1090亿美元。联邦就业局预测，到2035年，可用的工人数量将减少700万人。
The problem is affecting large, medium and small businesses across the country. Some have decided to replace retiring workers with robotic systems.
这个问题正在影响全国的大、中、小型企业。一些公司已经决定用机器人系统取代退休工人。
With similar issues affecting other developed economies, robotic and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies will continue to expand, said Nela Richardson. She is the chief economist at financial provider ADP.
内拉·理查森表示，由于其他发达经济体也存在类似问题，机器人和人工智能技术将继续发展。她是金融服务提供商ADP的首席经济学家。
"Long term, all those innovations are a game-changer for the world of work. Everybody will do their job differently," Richardson told Reuters.
“从长远来看，所有这些创新都将改变工作世界的游戏规则。每个人的工作方式都会不同。”理查森对路透表示。
Heavy investment in automation by carmakers and other major industrial companies has made Germany the world's fourth-largest market for robots – the largest in Europe.
汽车制造商和其他主要工业公司在自动化方面的大量投资，使德国成为全球第四大机器人市场，也是欧洲最大的机器人市场。
But as robots become less costly and easier to operate, even smaller companies are also using them. The International Federation of Robotics has estimated that about 26,000 robotic machines were put in place in Germany last year.
但随着机器人变得更便宜、更容易操作，甚至更小的公司也在使用它们。国际机器人联合会估计，去年德国安装了大约2.6万台机器人。
"Robots enable the survival of companies that see their future at risk due to staff shortages," said Ralf Winkelmann, director of FANUC Germany. The company sells about half its Japanese-made robots to small and medium-sized businesses.
发那科德国公司主管拉尔夫•温克尔曼表示:“机器人使那些因员工短缺而面临未来风险的公司得以生存。”该公司将大约一半的日本制造机器人销售给中小型企业。
Family-run ROLEC is a German company that produces systems to protect industrial electronics and control equipment. It bought its first robot last year to permit production to continue at night. ROLEC has already bought a second machine and plans to continue investing in automation.
家族经营的ROLEC是一家德国公司，生产保护工业电子和控制设备的系统。该公司去年购买了第一台机器人，以便在夜间继续生产。ROLEC已经购买了第二台机器，并计划继续投资于自动化。
"It is great when you turn on the light in the morning and the parts are in the storage container and have been processed," ROLEC's CEO Matthias Rose told Reuters.
ROLEC的首席执行官Matthias Rose告诉路透社:“当你早上打开灯，零件就在储存容器里，已经被处理过了，这真是太棒了。”
Industry experts say increasing robotic operations are also a sign that robots have become easier to use, with no special skills required. Most now come with a Human Machine Interface, which operates similarly to a smartphone, said Florian Andre. He is a co-founder of SHERPA Robotics, a start-up that targets companies with between 20 and 100 employees.
行业专家表示，越来越多的机器人操作也表明机器人变得更容易使用，不需要特殊技能。弗洛里安·安德烈说，现在大多数都配备了人机界面，操作方式与智能手机类似。他是SHERPA Robotics的联合创始人，这家初创公司的目标客户是员工人数在20到100人之间的公司。
Even workers and trade unions – which in the past were fearful of job losses linked to robots – have taken an increasingly favorable position. A public opinion study published in June by a robots marketplace organization found that nearly half of German employees see robots as a help to the labor shortage.
即使是工人和工会——过去他们担心机器人会导致失业——也采取了越来越有利的立场。一家机器人市场组织6月份发布的一项民意调查发现，近一半的德国员工认为机器人有助于解决劳动力短缺问题。
