The American Financial System (1)
美國金融制度(一)
Situation 6
情景 6
Iwao Tanaka ,making his first business trip to the United States ,is talking to an American banker about the financial and monetary system of the U.S.
田中巖夫第一次因公出差工到美國,他正在與美國的一位銀行家談到美國金融和貨幣制度。
Tanaka:What is meant by the term Federal Reserve System ?Is that the central bank of the United States?
田 中:什么是美國聯(lián)邦儲蓄系統(tǒng)?它是美國的中央銀行嗎?
Banker :Technically it is not ,Mr.Tanaka,but it functions in that capacity .
銀行家:從法律上講,它不是,田中先生。但是它發(fā)揮了那樣的作用。
The Federal Reserve System ,or the Fed as it is usually called,is the fiscal agent of the United States .
美國聯(lián)邦儲備系統(tǒng)即平常稱之為“聯(lián)邦”的是美國財政機構(gòu)。
It has authority to issure notes which are the main currency of the country ,
它有權(quán)發(fā)行作為國家主要貨幣的紙幣,
to control the money supply and to supervise banks and banking practices in the country .
有權(quán)控制貨仙的供應(yīng)量,并有權(quán)監(jiān)督國內(nèi)銀行及銀行業(yè)務(wù)活動。
T;It's owned by the government ,isn't it ?
田 中:它屬于政府所有,是嗎?
B:No ,it isn't .Actually ,the Fed really consists of 12 banks which are owned by all the nationally chartered banks in their respective districts.
銀行家:不是的。實際上,美國聯(lián)邦儲備系統(tǒng)包括十二家銀行,這些銀行都是由所在地區(qū)的國家立案銀行掌握所有權(quán)。
But the supervisory board ,called the Board of Governors,is a government agency responsible to the Congress.
但是他被稱為“總裁理事會”的具有監(jiān)督作用的理事會是一個政府機構(gòu),它向國會負責(zé)。
T:What do you mean by nationally chartered banks?Don't all banks have to have charters?
田 中:您所說的國家立案的銀行是什么意思?難道不是所有的銀行都必須立案嗎?
B:Yes,every bank must have a charter or license to do business .But we have a dual banking system here in the United States.
銀行家:是的,每個銀行都必須立案或者得到準許證才能營業(yè)。但是在美國,我們這里實行的是雙重銀行體制,
That means some banks are licensed by the Federal government and some by individual states.
就是說,有些銀行是由聯(lián)邦政府簽發(fā)的準許證,而有些則是各個州簽發(fā)的。
There are approximately 5,000 national banks and 10,000 state banks in the country .
在美國大約有5000所國立銀行和10000所州立銀行。
T:Are they all supervised by the Fed?
田 中:這些銀行受美國聯(lián)邦儲備系統(tǒng)監(jiān)督嗎?
B:Only the national banks are .
銀行家:不,只有國立銀行是這樣的。