쩐의 전쟁 - to the dollar / weak / strong

계속 떨어지는 엔·달러 환율 때문에 한국뿐만 아니라 전 세계가 시끌시끌 하네요. 인간사 돈을 빼놓고는 얘기할 수 없겠죠. 오늘은 환율 관련 표현 익혀보겠습니다. 선미의 친절한 영어뉴스 16번째 수업 시작합니다.  

 

1. Expressions in the News

5월13일자 <한국 경제 과거 ‘초엔저’ 때도 꿋꿋…‘엔저 공포’ 과장됐다>로 공부하겠습니다. 

Exaggerated Fears of Weak Yen: In the Past, Korean Economy Remained Strong Despite Weak Yen

These newspaper articles relay the concerns of our government and the business sector concerning the economy in 2007, when the value of the yen was extremely low with an annual average of 117.7 JPY to the dollar. 

해석) 연 평균 엔·달러 환율이 달러당 117.7엔으로 초엔저 시기였던 2007년 당시 산업계와 정부의 경제상황에 대한 우려를 전한 신문기사이다.

*to the dollar: 달러 환율 (1달러의 가치를 다른 화폐로 환산할 때)

원·달러 환율: won to the dollar, 엔·달러 환율: yen to the dollar, …

-Sony based its forecasts on exchange rates of ¥90 to the dollar and ¥120 to the euro, levels about 8 per cent stronger than the yen’s current value. (Financial Times)

-Last Wednesday, the Central Bank of China pegged the yuan at 6.19 to the dollar, its strongest level in 19 years. (Forbes)

-The Japanese currency breaches the 100 yen to the US dollar mark for the first time since April 2009. (BBC)

-The intervention was Tokyo’s first in six years, and had an immediate impact, softening the yen from under 83 to the dollar to around 85 by the afternoon. (TIME)

 

2. 그때 그때 달라요 - 한국은 높낮이, 미국은 힘!

한국어로는 환율이 높거나 낮다고 표현하지만, 영어에서는 high/low라는 높낮이 개념보다는 strong/weak이라는 “힘”의 개념을 선호합니다. 예를 들어, 지금의 엔저 현상을 영어로는 low yen 이라고 표현하기보다는 weak yen이라고 표현합니다. 반대로 엔·달러 환율이 올라가면 strong yen이라고 표현합니다. 한국말로도 원화가 강세 또는 약세라고 표현하는 것을 떠올리면, 크게 낯선 표현은 아닐 것입니다.

-Leo Gerard, international president of the USW steelworkers’ union, said the weak yuan risked allowing China to dominate the emerging green technology sector. (The Guardian)

-The Japanese stock market sprang to life last week as a new conservative government unveiled a ₤72bn stimulus package, called for unlimited central bank liquidity and said it would tolerate a weaker yen. (The Times)

-While a lot of excitement over a weakening yen has been focused on the boost it may give to Japan’s exports, in Tokyo, the depreciating currency may be acting as a tailwind for a quiet boom in high-end private real estate. (The Wall Street Journal)

-The price of oil fell Thursday, as the dollar strengthened against some foreign currencies and concerns grew about inflation in China. (The Washington Post)

-Since oil is traded in dollars, a stronger dollar makes crude and other commodities less appealing to investors with other currencies. (San Francisco Chronicle)

-A strong pound and an influx of petrodollars into the market for British stamps meant prices were rising faster than his system dictated they should. (The Economist)