VOA常速英语2015--亚洲人帮助陷入困境的钢琴市场

Asians Help Struggling Piano Market 亚洲人帮助陷入困境的钢琴市场 

Pianos have been a common sight in American homes for decades. Sales have declined across the country, though, as fewer children learn to play. Asian Americans are becoming a more important customer for the industry, but will it be enough to save the piano store?  

On a Wednesday afternoon in College Park Maryland, the staff at the Piano Liquidation 1 Center is busy as usual, fixing pianos. Leading them is owner Nick Margaritas, a 40-year veteran of the industry who is worried for its future.

马里兰大学帕克分校的一个周三下午，钢琴清算中心的员工们正像往常一样修理钢琴。而领头人，这位在圈内摸爬滚打40多年的尼克·玛格里塔斯对钢琴行业的未来深感担忧。

His store, one of the biggest in the Washington region, sells famous brands such as Steinway, Yamaha and Kawai.  But it's going out of business.

他的店铺曾是华盛顿地区其中一家最大规模的店，销售诸如施坦威，雅马哈及卡瓦依等的知名品牌。但现在却没有了生意。

Margaritas remembers back to his youth, when he says the industry was full of opportunities.

玛格里塔斯回忆起自己的年轻时代，他表示那时候这个行业满眼都是机会。

“After graduation, I put my piano into the local classified newspaper for sale and sold it to the first person who came. But I got 27 phone calls. This being 1974," said Margaritas.

毕业后，我在当地一家报纸的分类广告中刊登了将自己的钢琴出售给第一位购买者的消息。但一经登出我接到了27通电话。那还是1974年的光景。

He later posted another advertisement in a local newspaper: "500 pianos wanted."  After that, he says, he never had to run an ad again because people started lining 2 up to sell used pianos. Others lined up to buy them.

之后他在当地另一家报纸的广告中再次刊登了需要500架钢琴的消息。他表示自己从未想过再次刊登，因为人们已经开始排队出售钢琴。而另外一队则排队等候购买。

But things are different now.

但境况现在已经完全截然不同。

The dog Trapper has played an important role in the piano store, allowing kids to play with him while Margaritas and his staff sell a piano to their parents.  But although Trapper is still game, fewer children are coming.

一款小狗人的玩具曾在钢琴商店中起到了举足轻重的作用，这使得玛格里塔斯和他的员工在卖钢琴给父母时孩子们能够进行玩耍。虽然这种玩具仍然在店内，但已经有很少孩子问津。

But Margaritas says that while the piano industry has experienced a recession, the Asian and Asian-American market has increased dramatically.

但玛格里塔斯表示尽管钢琴行业经历衰退，但亚洲及亚裔市场已经显著增长。

Angelica Frude is nine-years-old.  She started learnng to play three years ago with Yevgeniya Oleshkevich, who has worked as a private piano teacher since coming to the U.S. in 1991.

现年9岁的安杰丽卡·付鲁德于3年前开始在耶维葛妮亚·奥莱斯科维奇的指导下学习钢琴，而奥莱斯科维奇自从1991年来到美国后就一直任职私人钢琴教师。

“Asian parents have an understanding of how important this is. They are not holding back in paying for instruments, or for lessons because they understand it’s an absolute invaluable 3 investment in their children," said Oleshkevich.

亚洲的父母亲一直明白其中的重要性。他们对于购买乐器或让孩子们上课从没有打过退堂鼓因为他们明白这是一项非常值得的投资。

Angelica's mother, Flora 4 Zheng, says that as her child's skills have improved, she has become willing to buy a more expensive piano for her.

安杰丽卡的母亲，富罗拉郑表示随着女儿的技能日渐娴熟，她已经开始想为她购买更为昂贵的钢琴。

“Thinking about all the interest, time, patience and hard work Angelica put in the piano practice, we support her without any hesitance, either timewise or financially. As a parent, I will be her most loyal audience and supporter for the lifetime," said Zheng.

想想安杰丽卡在钢琴练习中所投入的兴趣，时间，耐心及吃的苦，我们不遗余力的从时间及财政上支持她。作为家长，我会是她最忠实的观众及一生的坚强后盾。

But the increase in sales to Asian families has not been enough to save this business, which is joining a nationwide parade of piano stores that have gone out of business. And, it's not clear yet if Asian consumers can help renew a struggling industry.

但亚洲家庭销量的增加并不足以挽救整个行业，整个国家的钢琴商店都已经面临关门的窘况。而且并不清楚是否亚洲消费者们能否对这个挣扎的行业有所助力。