MENDRISIO, Switzerland – Four of the world’s major gold refineries are on Swiss soil, three of them here in Mendrisio. And over the past several decades this Italian-speaking region has also emerged as the largest wine-growing area in Switzerland, and the local merlot has carved a big place in the Swiss wine market.
世界主要的煉金廠有四座在瑞士境內，其中三座在門德里西奧鎮。過去幾十年來，這個義語區也躍居瑞士最大的葡萄酒產區，當地釀造的梅露紅葡萄酒在瑞士市場已占得相當大的地盤。

Vinattieri Ticinesi is now Switzerland’s largest winemaker, producing about 500,000 bottles a year.
維納蒂耶里．提契內斯酒廠如今已是瑞士最大的葡萄酒廠，每年約生產50萬瓶。

Gold refining flourished here because of the proximity to Italy, where jewelry is a major industry and labor is cheap, said Erhard Oberli, the chief executive of Argor-Heraeus, a major refiner processing hundreds of tons of gold every year. Both the gold and the wine are feeding a prosperity here that contrasts sharply with the slump in surrounding regions, most notably northern Italy, long a powerhouse of the European economy.
阿戈斯-黑羅伊斯是每年處理數百噸黃金的大型煉金廠，該廠執行長歐伯利表示，此地煉金業之所以繁榮，是因為這裡緊靠義大利，而珠寶首飾是義大利的主要產業之一，且義大利勞工便宜。黃金加美酒，為當地孕育了繁榮，與周圍其他地區的凋敝景象形成強烈對比，尤其跟素為歐洲經濟發電廠的義北地區相比。

Mendrisio, with its charming downtown streets ringed by factories, embedded in valleys ringed with vineyards, has long been a magnet for Italians in search of work. In recent years as Europe’s borders have grown increasingly porous, and Italy suffers the effects of a debt crisis, the numbers have soared.
門德西里奧迷人的市區街道被一家家工廠所圍繞，整個城市則位於山谷之中，山谷四周盡是葡萄園。這個地區長期以來一直吸引著義大利人前來尋找工作。近年歐洲各國邊界管制越來越鬆，加上義大利身受債務危機重創，前來找頭路者也因而大增。

Every day more than 7,500 Italians clog the roads, making the trek across the border to jobs in Mendrisio, where the local population is only 11,600. About a decade ago, most were laborers in farming or construction, but increasingly they are now skilled people – engineers, chemists, accountants.
每天都有超過7500名的義大利人絡繹於途，越過邊界前來門德西里奧工作，路為之塞，而當地本身居民僅有1萬1600人。大約十年前，這些越界工作者大都是農業或建築業的勞工，但現在技術人員越來越多，包括工程師、化學師及會計人員。

At the Argor-Heraeus gold refinery, Mr. Oberli said he needs engineers, chemists and metallurgists, and cannot find them locally. “In Italy now it’s a catastrophe, and given the unemployment, you easily find young, well-trained people,” he said. About two-thirds of his employees are Italians.
在阿戈斯-黑羅伊斯煉金廠裡，歐伯利表示他需要工程師、化學師及冶金技師，在當地卻找不到。他說，「義大利現在大難臨頭；由於失業者多，你很容易就能找到年輕且受過良好訓練的人員。」工廠內約有2/3員工來自義大利。

Italians will work for lower pay. Statistics show that the average disposable income of a Swiss is roughly $55,000, while for cross-border workers like the Italians it is about $48,000. Employers say the difference is justified as taxes are lower in Italy and the cost of living is less.
義大利人願意接受較低的薪資。統計數字顯示，瑞士人平均可支配所得（每年）約5萬5000美元，而像義大利人這類越界打工者約為4萬8000美元。雇主表示此一差距應屬合理，因為義大利的稅負及生活成本都比較低。

Behind Mendrisio’s neo-Classical town hall, a large parking garage is being built. The dozen or so cars of the construction workers all have Italian plates. “With the crisis in Italy, there just isn’t any work,” said Davide Grassi, 33, a cement mason from Milan who drives 40 minutes to work here every day.
在門德西里奧新古典式建築的鎮公所後面，有一座大型停車庫正在興建。這裡停放十多輛建築工人開來的車，都掛著義大利車牌。來自米蘭的33歲泥水師傅葛拉西說：「義大利陷入危機，找不到任何工作。」他每天開40分鐘車到這裡來上工。

For some, it is more than money. Last September, Roberta Pellin, who lives in Olgiate Comasco, Italy, a 20-minute drive across the border, opened a flower shop in Mendrisio’s town center, after 25 years in the business in Italy. Swiss laws require stores to close Sundays, unlike in Italy, where they stay open every day “I have two kids,” she said. “It’s about quality of life.”
對某些人而言，為的不僅僅是錢。蘿貝塔．裴琳女士住在20分鐘車程外的義大利奧爾賈泰科馬斯科鎮，在義大利賣了25年的花，去年九月她到門德西里奧來開了間花店。瑞士法律規定星期日商店必須休息，不像義大利天天開張。她說，「我有兩個小孩。這跟生活品質有關。」

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/03/world/europe/in-mendrisio-switzerland-gold-can-be-solid-and-liquid.html

2013-01-15聯合報/G5版/UNITEDDAILYNEWS 任中原譯 原文參見紐時週報四版下