高斋Joy有话说：

今天给大家分享篇经济学人双语，因为时间和精力有限，高斋参考译文仅供参考，译无止境，没有最好，只有更好。这周翻译了这篇文章，刚好就没时间做经济学人双语精读了，所以精读下次发大家哈。

经济学人双语：龙虾卷在美国更贵！

Consider the lobster roll

Why Americans pay more for lunch than Britons do Even when they are buying the same sandwich?

为什么美国人的午餐比英国人的更贵？

原文：

This summer Pret A Manger, purveyor of sandwiches to desk-workers in the white-collar cities（白领聚居的城市） of the West, added lobster rolls to its menu. In Britain they cost £5.99 ($7.31); in America $9.99. In both countries they are filled with lobster from Maine, along with cucumber, mayonnaise and more. Rent and labour cost about the same in London as in downtown New York or Boston. Neither sticker price includes sales tax. Yet a Pret lobster roll in America is a third pricier than in Britain, even though the lobster comes from nearer by. 

高斋参考译文：

今年夏天，为欧美白领供应三明治的Pret A Manger在菜单中新增了龙虾卷。其在英国的售价为5.99英镑（约合7.31美元），而在美国是9.99美元。两国龙虾卷中的虾都产自缅因州，再配以黄瓜和蛋黄酱等。伦敦的房租、劳动力成本与纽约市中心或波士顿市区相差不多。两国的标价均不含销售税。尽管美国离缅因州更近，但Pret龙虾卷的售价却比英国要贵1/3。

原文：

This Pret price gap （店名直接修饰名词）is not limited to lobster rolls. According to data gathered by The Economist on the dozen Pret sandwiches that are most similar in the two countries, the American ones cost on average 74% more (see chart). An egg sandwich in New York costs $4.99 to London’s £1.79（to售价比较，售价对比，和前面的；一样）, more than double. A tuna baguette costs two-thirds more. The price mismatch is intriguing—the more so for The Economist, which publishes the Big Mac index.

高斋参考译文：

在Pret，并不是只有龙虾卷存在价格差异。根据本刊收集的数据，在英美两国，Pret出售的最为相似的12种三明治中，美国的平均售价比英国高出74%（见图表）。鸡蛋三明治在美国的售价是4.99美元，而英国是1.79英镑，贵了一倍多。金枪鱼法棍三明治则比英国贵三分之二。这种价格差异很有趣。作为巨无霸指数（Big Mac index）的发布者，本刊对此尤为感兴趣。

原文：

Menu pricing starts with a simple rule, says John Buchanan of the consulting arm of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, a restaurant group: take the cost of ingredients and multiply by three. Then ask yourself how much customers would expect to pay for a dish of this type, and how much they would expect to pay for it from you. A Pret lobster roll and one from a fancy seafood restaurant are quite different propositions. Lastly, check what the competition charges. “Only a small part of this decision is what I would call scientific,” says Mr Buchanan. “A lot has to do with a subjective judgment of what the market will bear.”

高斋参考译文：

餐饮集团Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises咨询部门的约翰·布坎南（John Buchanan）指出，菜单最初的定价规则很简单，就是原料成本的三倍。然后再想一想：顾客愿意花多少钱买这道菜，又愿意花多少钱从你这里买。Pret的龙虾卷和高档海鲜餐厅的龙虾卷显然完全不同。最后，还要看竞争对手的定价。布坎南说道：“我认为商品定价只有一小部分是科学的，更多是对市场承受力的主观判断。”

原文：

The lunch market is local. New Yorkers do not care about prices in London. And they—alongside Bostonians and Washingtonians—are used to their local high prices, for reasons that include bigger portions (though not at Pret) and tipping habits. Londoners are keener on sandwich lunches, which means stiffer competition in that part of the market.

高斋参考译文：

午餐市场大都已经“本地化”。纽约人不关注伦敦的价格。而且因为食物分量更大（尽管Pret的分量不大）且常常需付小费，他们和波士顿及华盛顿的居民一样，已经习惯了当地的午餐价格。而伦敦人午餐时更喜欢吃三明治，所以三明治供应商在当地市场面临更加激烈的竞争（竞争大，就要适当调低价格，打价格战）。

Often lunch prices vary by neighbourhood. jd Wetherspoon, a British pub chain, prides itself on low prices, but allows them to differ by branch. In 2017 the Financial Times found that the most expensive Spoons charged over 40% more than the cheapest one. They also vary by time: many restaurants charge more for dinner than for lunch. Perceptions of value for money are relative not absolute. For Pret’s lobster rolls, it’s a case of claws and effect.

高斋参考译文：

午餐价格往往因经营场地的位置不同而不同。英国连锁酒吧jd Wetherspoon虽然颇为自己的低价骄傲，但也允许分店有不同价格。2017年，《金融时报》发现，Spoon最贵的餐厅比最便宜的定价要高出40%。价格也因时段而异，许多餐厅的晚餐收费比午餐高。人们对性价比的看法是相对的，而不是绝对的。Pret龙虾卷的定价，就要看虾钳肉的质量如何了。