正文翻譯

Is it true that Americans are living "paycheck to paycheck"?

美國(guó)人真的生活在“月光”之中嗎？

（paycheck to paycheck, 形容這個(gè)月工資花完了盼著下一個(gè)月的工資單過(guò)日子。）

I've been seeing online a lot of commentators saying that American citizens are living "paycheck to paycheck" and made me wonder how is it possible considering the USA is still #1 or very possibly #2 economic power in the World after China?
I am from Serbia and love my country but due to low pays here made me want to move to the US at the time. When I was younger all I've seen on media is that Americans live pretty comfortable lives with no major economic issues.
So average American citizens, is there any truth to the claim that Americans are living "paycheck to paycheck" and that the US economy and life are not that perfect?

我在網(wǎng)上看到很多評(píng)論家說(shuō)美國(guó)公民在"靠下一個(gè)月的工資單過(guò)活"，這讓我很好奇，考慮到美國(guó)仍然是世界上僅次于中國(guó)的第一或第二經(jīng)濟(jì)大國(guó)，這怎么可能呢？
我來(lái)自塞爾維亞，熱愛(ài)我的國(guó)家，但由于這里的低工資，我曾想搬到美國(guó)去。當(dāng)我年輕的時(shí)候，我在媒體上看到的都是美國(guó)人過(guò)著相當(dāng)舒適的生活，沒(méi)有重大的經(jīng)濟(jì)問(wèn)題。
那么我想問(wèn)一下普通的美國(guó)公民，關(guān)于美國(guó)人"靠下一張工資單生活"的說(shuō)法是否有道理，美國(guó)的經(jīng)濟(jì)和生活并不那么完美？

評(píng)論翻譯

greatteachermichael
Washingtonian in Korea
paycheck to paycheck doesn't necessarily mean people don't have good incomes. It just means that people aren't saving. Now, some people might not save because they have poorly paying jobs. On the other hand, you could earn $100,000 a year and still spend all your money every week on expensive junk you don't need and live paycheck to paycheck.
The problem is, when you live in a wealth country like the US, your expectations are higher. In fact, our average poor person earns above the average global wage, even after adjusting for a higher cost of living. However, that person is still poor by American standards. It's really hard to save in a country when you're expected to have internet, a cell phone, a TV, an education, a computer, a car, car insurance, live on your own and not in multigenerational housing, etc. etc. As incomes go up, the potential to save also goes up, but so does people's expectations so they spend their new disposable incomes on better/higher quality/more stuff. I remember reading an article about how making $400,000/year for a family of 4 shouldn't make people think all their problems were solved and then they broke down someone's budget. It had things like a "cheap" $80,000 car for the mom, $400/month piano lessons for each kid, $2,000/month on food, $2,500/month (every month!) on clothing... it was really really BS.
So in a way, it isn't as bad as it sounds, but at the same time, it is.

（華盛頓人在韓國(guó)）
靠工資維持生計(jì)并不一定意味著人們沒(méi)有一個(gè)好的收入。它只是意味著人們沒(méi)有儲(chǔ)蓄。有些人可能因?yàn)樗麄兊墓ぷ魇杖牒艿投鴽](méi)有儲(chǔ)蓄。另一方面，你也可以每年賺10萬(wàn)美元，但仍然每周把所有的錢(qián)花在你不需要的昂貴的垃圾上，過(guò)著靠下個(gè)月工資維持生計(jì)的生活。
問(wèn)題是，當(dāng)你生活在像美國(guó)這樣的富裕國(guó)家時(shí)，你的期望值會(huì)更高。事實(shí)上，我們的普通窮人的收入高于全球平均工資，即使在經(jīng)過(guò)較高的生活成本的調(diào)整之后依然如此。然而，按照美國(guó)的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，這個(gè)人仍然是窮人。在一個(gè)國(guó)家，當(dāng)你被期望擁有互聯(lián)網(wǎng)、手機(jī)、電視、教育、電腦、汽車(chē)、汽車(chē)保險(xiǎn)、自己住而不是多代同堂的住房時(shí)，真的很難儲(chǔ)蓄。隨著收入的增加，儲(chǔ)蓄的潛力也在增加，但人們對(duì)生活質(zhì)量的期望也在增加，所以他們把新的可支配收入花在更好/更高質(zhì)量/更多的東西上。我記得讀過(guò)一篇文章，說(shuō)一個(gè)四口之家每年賺40萬(wàn)美元，不應(yīng)該讓人們認(rèn)為他們所有的問(wèn)題都解決了，然后他們分析了其中某人的預(yù)算，里面包括一些東西，如媽媽的8萬(wàn)美元的"廉價(jià)"汽車(chē)，每個(gè)孩子400美元/月的鋼琴課，2000美元/月的食品，2500美元/月（每個(gè)月！）的衣服......這真的是非常扯淡。
所以在某種程度上，它并不像聽(tīng)起來(lái)那么糟糕，但同時(shí)，它也是事實(shí)。

PatrickRsGhost
Georgia
This. So much this. The economic psychology of most Americans is "spend, spend, spend" when they have the income to "spend, spend, spend". Even if you're making minimum wage, the mindset is to spend, spend, spend.
Some people do save money, but deep down they hate doing it. They want to buy new clothes, new electronics, new furniture, and everything else RIGHT NOW. They'll pay the necessary bills and debts, buy the necessities like food and personal hygiene products, but if there's even a single penny left over, they'll find ways to spend it.
And this is one of the major reasons as to why so many Americans are in debt. They don't save the money necessary to buy some things they may need on down the road, or for "a rainy day". Some don't even budget properly. They only budget for what they know they have to pay/purchase; things that are relevant or evident. They'll budget for rent/mortgage, utilities, groceries, gas, and other bills (car payment, credit card payment, etc.). But they don't budget for car repairs, for medical expenses (including prescxtions), or other routine-but-not-as-routine-as-the-other-stuff expenses. This dangerous way of thinking is one of the main causes to such a high amount of debt in this country. "Unexpected" expenses such as routine car maintenance or major repairs, medical expenses, and the like are put on the credit card rather than paid for in cash or debit card.

（喬治亞州）
就是這樣。太多這樣的事了。大多數(shù)美國(guó)人的經(jīng)濟(jì)心理是"花錢(qián)、花錢(qián)、花錢(qián)"，當(dāng)他們有收入可以"花錢(qián)、花錢(qián)、花錢(qián)"時(shí)。即使你掙的是最低工資，心態(tài)也是花錢(qián)，花錢(qián)，花錢(qián)。
有些人確實(shí)在省錢(qián)，但在內(nèi)心深處他們討厭這樣做。他們想現(xiàn)在就買(mǎi)新衣服，新電子產(chǎn)品，新家具，以及其他一切。他們會(huì)確保能支付必要的賬單和債務(wù)，購(gòu)買(mǎi)食品和個(gè)人衛(wèi)生用品等必需品，但如果有哪怕是一分錢(qián)的剩余，他們都會(huì)想辦法花掉。
這就是為什么這么多美國(guó)人負(fù)債的主要原因之一。他們沒(méi)有存下必要的錢(qián)來(lái)購(gòu)買(mǎi)一些他們可能以后需要的東西，或者為了"未雨綢繆"而存錢(qián)。有些人甚至沒(méi)有正確的預(yù)算。他們只為他們知道必須支付/購(gòu)買(mǎi)的東西做預(yù)算；與之相關(guān)或明顯的東西。他們會(huì)為房租/抵押貸款、水電、雜貨、汽油和其他賬單（汽車(chē)付款、信用卡付款等）做預(yù)算。但他們不會(huì)為修車(chē)、醫(yī)療費(fèi)用（包括處方）或其他常規(guī)但不像其他東西那樣常規(guī)的費(fèi)用做預(yù)算。這種危險(xiǎn)的思維方式是造成這個(gè)國(guó)家如此高額債務(wù)的主要原因之一。例行的汽車(chē)保養(yǎng)或大修、醫(yī)療費(fèi)用等"意外"支出被記入信用卡，而不是用現(xiàn)金或借記卡支付。
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://www.ltaaa.cn 轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處

3AM_Dreaming
Got it.
You know, most of the comments are negative here regarding the current US economy but and all I've got is that the average life in the US is pretty much the same as in Serbia. Except that you guys can maybe occasionally afford tech, vacation or whatever toys you want or occasionally travel. So that's a big plus for the US.
Due to NATO bombing and sanctions economy here in 2021 is kinda bad so the average salary is around 500$. With that money, you cover bills with let's say 200-250$ and you spend 50-100$ for food. And you have about 150$ at most just for yourself if you ain't paying a house/apartment. That means treating yourself with vacations, Playstation, iPhone, an amazing car, or whatever is out of the reach for an averige Serbian. That kinda bothers me as a 28-year-old man. I LOVE this country but I guess I gotta leave somewhere If I wanna experience nicer things in life as an average worker.But then again you guys do not have healthcare and that's a big plus for Serbia.
Overall: I guess life is not perfect anywhere and that there is the truth to the "paycheck to paycheck" I see on the internet but that it MIGHT be a bit overblown. Things are rough for many. Things could be worse for others.

我懂了。
你知道，這里的大多數(shù)評(píng)論都是關(guān)于當(dāng)前美國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)的負(fù)面評(píng)論，但我所得到的信息是，美國(guó)的平均生活與塞爾維亞的基本相同。除了你們也許偶爾能買(mǎi)得起科技產(chǎn)品、度假或任何你們想要的玩具，或者偶爾能旅行。所以這對(duì)美國(guó)來(lái)說(shuō)是一個(gè)很大的好處。
由于北約的轟炸和制裁，2021年這里的經(jīng)濟(jì)有點(diǎn)糟糕，所以平均工資是500美元左右。有了這些錢(qián)，你可以用200-250美元來(lái)支付賬單，你可以花50-100美元購(gòu)買(mǎi)食物。如果你不支付房子/公寓，你最多有150美元給自己。這意味著用假期、PS游戲機(jī)、蘋(píng)果手機(jī)、漂亮的汽車(chē)或其他什么東西來(lái)犒勞自己，對(duì)于一個(gè)普通的塞爾維亞人來(lái)說(shuō)是遙不可及的。作為一個(gè)28歲的男人，這讓我有點(diǎn)困擾。我喜歡這個(gè)國(guó)家，但我想如果我想作為一個(gè)普通工人體驗(yàn)生活中更美好的東西，我必須離開(kāi)某個(gè)地方。
總的來(lái)說(shuō)：我想生活在任何地方都不是完美的，我在網(wǎng)上看到的"從這個(gè)月工資到下個(gè)月工資"的說(shuō)法是有道理的，但可能有點(diǎn)夸大了。對(duì)許多人來(lái)說(shuō)，事情很艱難。對(duì)其他人來(lái)說(shuō)，情況可能更糟。

ggill1313
Texan in MA/RI
all I've got is that the average life in the US is pretty much the same as in Serbia. Except that you guys can maybe occasionally afford tech, vacation or whatever toys you want or occasionally travel. So that's a big plus for the US.
I'm not sure I'd agree with this.
Most people, yes, do go to work to make a living. They have bills to pay and budgets to watch, and perform some calculus to know if they can afford to do XYZ with the money they have "left over." But when reading this:
That means treating yourself with vacations, Playstation, iPhone, an amazing car, or whatever is out of the reach for an averige Serbian.
It seems to me that maybe you're not understanding some of the nuance.
A lot of people here are living "paycheck to paycheck" precisely because they've indulged in not just one, but all of these things. They take that vacation, they buy the Playstation, the iPhone, the car they want, etc. It's not a thought of, "Well maybe I can get one of these." It's, "I'm going to get all of these" even if it means having "no money" "left over" at the end of the pay period.
My brother has a house, a new Xbox, a new iPhone, car, etc., but splits these bills with his wife. They can afford these things, and he's making far less than I am.
I guess the difference is that the majority of us have something else we're working for other than mere subsistence. Some people are about to buy that new console, or an iPad, or a new couch or whatever. Most people have their eye on that next something.
If the Internet has convinced you that the average American is living like the average Serb, then I'm not sure you've yet gathered the correct picture.
And I have healthcare. I pay $400 a month for it for a max out-of-pocket cost of $1,000 for the year.

（在馬薩諸塞州/羅得島州的德克薩斯人）
“我所知道的是，美國(guó)的平均生活與塞爾維亞的基本相同。 除了你們也許偶爾能買(mǎi)得起科技產(chǎn)品、度假或任何你們想要的玩具，或者偶爾能旅行。所以這對(duì)美國(guó)來(lái)說(shuō)是一個(gè)很大的好處?！?br>我不確定我是否同意你這個(gè)觀(guān)點(diǎn)。
大多數(shù)人，是的，確實(shí)依靠每個(gè)月的工資生活。他們有賬單要付，有預(yù)算要看，并進(jìn)行一些計(jì)算，以了解他們是否能用"剩余"的錢(qián)做XYZ。但是當(dāng)讀到這里時(shí)：
“這意味著用假期、PS游戲機(jī)、蘋(píng)果手機(jī)、漂亮的汽車(chē)或其他什么東西來(lái)犒勞自己，對(duì)于一個(gè)普通的塞爾維亞人來(lái)說(shuō)是遙不可及的。”
在我看來(lái)，也許你沒(méi)有理解其中的一些細(xì)微差別。
這里的很多人"靠下個(gè)月工資生活"，正是因?yàn)樗麄儾恢皇浅撩杂谄渲幸粋€(gè)，而是所有這些東西。他們?nèi)ザ燃?，買(mǎi)PS游戲機(jī)，買(mǎi)蘋(píng)果手機(jī)，買(mǎi)他們想要的車(chē)，等等。這不是一個(gè)"好吧，也許我可以得到其中的一個(gè)"的想法。而是"我要得到所有這些"，即使這意味著在下個(gè)月發(fā)工資之前"沒(méi)有錢(qián)"會(huì)"剩下"。
我哥哥有一棟房子，一個(gè)最新的Xbox，一個(gè)最新的蘋(píng)果手機(jī)，汽車(chē)，等等，但與他的妻子分擔(dān)這些費(fèi)用。他們能負(fù)擔(dān)得起這些東西，而他的收入?yún)s遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)低于我。
我想?yún)^(qū)別在于，我們中的大多數(shù)人除了單純的生存之外，還有其他的為之工作的目標(biāo)。有些人即將購(gòu)買(mǎi)新的console游戲機(jī)，或iPad，或新的沙發(fā)或其他東西。大多數(shù)人都在關(guān)注下一個(gè)東西。
如果互聯(lián)網(wǎng)讓你相信，普通美國(guó)人的生活就像普通塞爾維亞人一樣，那么我不確定你是否真的理解了這件事。
而且我有醫(yī)療保健。我每月支付400美元，一年的最高自付費(fèi)用為1000美元。

GreatLookingGuy
you don’t have healthcare
We have healthcare lol. I’m sorry I actually laughed out loud when I read that. We have some problems with access to healthcare for some people. Millions of people. But the country consists of about 350M people most of whom have plenty of healthcare.
In fact, as a legal immigrant, if you come to a major city, NYC for example, you will almost certainly get free healthcare immediately. If you continue to earn below a certain salary, you will continue to receive free healthcare. If you find a higher paying job, your healthcare will stop being free and youll need to pay for insurance. Every employer I’ve worked for has provided it. But your experience may vary.

“你沒(méi)有醫(yī)療保健”
我們有醫(yī)療保健服務(wù)，笑。對(duì)不起，當(dāng)我讀到這句話(huà)時(shí)，我真的笑出聲來(lái)了。我們有一些人在獲得醫(yī)療保健方面存在一些問(wèn)題?？赡軘?shù)以百萬(wàn)計(jì)的人在這方面有問(wèn)題。但這個(gè)國(guó)家由大約3.5億人組成，其中大多數(shù)人有大量的醫(yī)療保健。
事實(shí)上，作為一個(gè)合法移民，如果你來(lái)到一個(gè)大城市，例如紐約市，你幾乎肯定會(huì)立即得到免費(fèi)醫(yī)療。如果你的收入繼續(xù)低于一定的工資，你將繼續(xù)獲得免費(fèi)醫(yī)療服務(wù)。如果你找到一份更高薪的工作，你的醫(yī)療保健將不再是免費(fèi)的，你將需要支付保險(xiǎn)。我工作過(guò)的每一個(gè)雇主都提供這種服務(wù)。但你的經(jīng)驗(yàn)可能有所不同。

3AM_Dreaming
Yes, I know that I just worded that horribly :D Apologies.

是的，我知道我犯了個(gè)大錯(cuò):D 在此道歉。

Listlesslix
What we don't have is access to affordable healthcare. 2/3 of personal bankruptcy is now due to medical debt

我們沒(méi)有的是獲得負(fù)擔(dān)得起的醫(yī)療保健?，F(xiàn)在2/3的個(gè)人破產(chǎn)是由于醫(yī)療債務(wù)造成的