Zimbabwe announced last week that it would shift to the Chinese yuan as its reserve currency.
上周，津巴布韦宣布将转而投向人民币作为其储备货币。
A reserve currency is a foreign currency held in large quantities by governments and financial institutions to pay international debts.
储备货币是政府及金融机构为支付国际债务而大量储备的外币。
"Reserve currency is held in order to support the value of national currencies," writes Justin Kuepper, international investing expert, on the website International Invest.
"储备货币有利于支持本国币值，"贾斯汀·库佩尔写道，他是跨国投资网站的一名国际投资专家。
Patrick Chinamasa is Zimbabwe's Minister of Finance and Economic Development. He said China agreed to cancel about $40 million of Zimbabwe's debts this year.
帕特里克·奇纳马萨是津巴布韦财务部长和经济发展部长。他说，中国已经同意取消今年津巴布韦4000万美金的债务。
He also said the move was a sign of the friendship between China and Zimbabwe, a poor country in southern Africa.
他认为，此举象征着中国和南非贫困国家津巴布韦的友谊。
It is also a sign of the growing economic ties between China and Zimbabwe.China is Zimbabwe's largest foreign investor, with interests ranging from construction and energy to telecommunications.
也象征着双方日益密切的经济联系。中国是津巴布韦最大的外国投资者，投资领域涵盖建筑、能源和通讯行业。

China has also become the largest exporter of Zimbabwean products– mainly tobacco and minerals, such as gold and diamonds.
中国同时也已经成为津巴布韦产品的最大输出国，主要输出烟草及包括黄金和金刚石在内的矿产资源。
Local economists said Zimbabwe is flooded with foreign currencies since the inflated Zimbabwean dollar collapsed in 2009.
当地的经济学家认为，自2009年津巴布韦元因通货膨胀而彻底崩溃之后，津巴布韦充斥着大量的外币。
In 2014, the nation's central bank permitted traders to use the U.S. dollar, the South African rand, Botswana's pula,the British pound, the euro, the Australian dollar, the Indian rupee, the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan.
2014年，国家中央银行允许投资者使用美元、南非兰特、波茨瓦特的普拉、英镑、欧元、澳币、印度卢比、日元和人民币。
Business consultant Phillip Chiconi says this announcement is unlikely to change things for the businessmen with whom he works.
企业顾问菲利普·希科尼表示，这次宣布不会带来合作商方面的变化。
"I don't think it will make much difference to anyone, as we're already using foreign currencies," he said.
"我认为，此举不会给任何人带来过多的影响，因为我们已经在使用外币了，"他说。
Zimbabwe has allowed the yuan as a legal currency for two years.But Chiconi said he has not seen it used. Instead, most traders prefer the stability of the U.S. dollar, which is the country's major currency.
津巴布韦已经允许人民币两年内作为法定货币。但是希科尼说，他暂未看到人们使用人民币。相反，大多数贸易商更喜欢稳定性大的美元，美元是当前津巴布韦主要的货币。
Zimbabwe suffered economic collapse after years of government mismanagement.That caused the Zimbabwean dollar to inflate above 230 million percent.
由于多年来政府管理失当，津巴布韦遭遇了经济的崩溃。津巴布韦元通货膨胀率高达2.3亿个百分点。
Although the central bank printed a 100-trillion-dollar bill, it didn't buy much.A loaf of bread cost $300 billion. The currency was done away with in 2009.
尽管中央银行印刷了面额为100万亿津元的纸币，但是并不能买太多的东西。一块面包就要花费3000亿津元。2009年该货币停止使用。
The market was stabilized by the U.S. dollar.But Zimbabwe's cost of living is still about 60 percent higher than that of neighboring South Africa.
美元稳定了津巴布韦货币市场。但是他们的生活费用依然比邻国南非高出60%。
BancABC chief economist James Wade says the yuan increases Zimbabwe's options.
ABC集团有限公司首席经济学家詹姆斯·韦德称，人民币增加了津巴布韦货币的选择。
"It's not like we're forcing people to use the Chinese yuan," he said."… we are expanding options that they can use."
"并不是我们强迫人们使用人民币，"他说。"我们增加了他们可选择使用的货币。"
And, he notes, the context matters.China's president made a state visit to Zimbabwe this month, and signed many economic agreements.This included a billion-dollar loan for a thermal power plant.
同时，他指出，目前环境也很重要。中国主席本月访问津巴布韦，并签署了许多经济协议。其中包括为建设火力发电厂提供十亿借款。
If this action brings in more Chinese investment and more development,Zimbabweans will profit, no matter what currency they use.
若此举吸引了更多的中方投资，带来了更大的发展，津巴布韦无论使用哪种货币，都将会从中获益。
I'm Mary Gotschall.
玛丽·格查尔为您报道。

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