離開
進入《中英對照讀新聞》Most Japanese women born from '71 to '74 childless at 30 1971至1974年出生的日本婦女多數到了30歲仍無子
◎ 陳成良
More than half of the women born during Japan's second baby boom between 1971 and 1974 had not given birth by age 30, a government report said, amid concerns over the country's declining birthrate.
1971至74年日本第2波嬰兒潮期間出生的婦女，有超過半數到了30歲仍未生育，一份政府報告在該國出生率不斷下滑引發憂慮之際指出。
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, in a survey said 51.5 percent of women aged 30 were childless in 2004.
厚生勞動省在一份調查報告指出，年屆30、沒有小孩的婦女在2004年比率達到51.5%。
The figure was 51.0 percent for women aged 31, 49.8 percent for women aged 32 and 48.9 percent for women aged 33, according to the survey.根據這項調查， 相關數據在31歲婦女為51.0%、32歲婦女為49.8%，33歲婦女則為48.9%。
Policy-makers have expressed growing concerns about the long-term impact of Japan's declining birthrate on the world's second-largest economy and have been considering measures to reverse the trend, including shouldering childbirth expenses.
決策人士表示越來越擔心，日本不斷下滑的出生率會對這個全球第2大經濟體造成長期衝擊，並積極研擬相關措施來扭轉這個趨勢，包括承擔生育的開銷。
Japan's birthrate declined to 1.29 babies per woman in both 2003 and 2004, the lowest since the government began publishing such figures in 1962, according to previously released health ministry figures.
厚生省先前發佈的數據指出，日本2003年及2004年的出生率都降到每名婦女只有1.29個小孩，創下政府自1962年開始公佈這種統計數據以來的最低點。
The drop in births reflects changing lifestyles, with many single women foregoing or delaying marriage to pursue career opportunities.出生率下降反映出生活形態改變，許多單身女性為追求就業生涯不願或延後結婚。
新聞辭典
baby boom：嬰兒潮，指在某一時期及特定地區，出生率大幅度提昇的現象。在嬰兒潮期間出生的人，稱為baby boomer。
childless：形容詞，無子女的；無後裔的。The childless old lady offered to adopt one of the girls.（這位沒有子女的老年女士表示，願意領養其中一個女孩。）加於名詞之後的字根"less"，有否定之意，如aimless（漫無目的的）、groundless（無根據的）。
shoulder：動詞，擔負、承擔。The manager was ready to shoulder the blame.（經理願意承擔過失。）
forego：動詞，放棄。
