All ash, No cash 只有灰，沒有現金

 ◎管淑平
Economic implosion, then volcanic explosion： not since the 18th century has Iceland been associated with so much tumult in Europe.
經濟內爆，接著火山爆發：18世紀以來，冰島從來沒 和歐洲騷動這麼有關係。
There are only 317,000 people on this barren north-Atlantic island and until recently they’d barely caught the outside world’s attention. But now Iceland is famous -- infamous, even.
這 個貧瘠的北大西洋島國人口僅31萬7000人，近日以前一直很少受到外部世界注意。但現在冰島出名了─不光彩得出名了。
The ash cloud is the second storm from this once quiet corner in the near past.
這 次的火山灰雲是這個一度寧靜的角落，最近爆發的第二場風暴。
During the 2008 world economic crisis Iceland’s main banks collapsed, taking with them the savings of 340,000 people in Britain and the Netherlands. But when the British and Dutch governments demanded 3.9 billion dollars compensation, furious voters in Iceland used a referendum to tell their powerful neighbors to get lost unless they came back with a fairer deal.
在2008年世界經濟危機期間，冰島主要銀行倒閉， 讓英國、荷蘭34萬人的存款也跟著血本無歸。但當英國和荷蘭政府要求補償39億美元時，憤怒的冰島人用公投要他們的強大鄰國閃開，除非它們有更公平的條 件。
A joke gleefully repeated since the volcano erupted relates that Britain "wanted cash, but because the Icelandic alphabet contains no letter C, they got only ash."
自從火山爆發以來，幸災樂禍地流傳著一個笑話說，英國「要現金 （cash），但因為冰島文的字母中沒有c，他們只得到火山灰（ash）。」
Another quip goes like this： "When Iceland’s economy died, its final wish was that its ashes would be spread across Europe."
另一個笑話是這麼說的：「當冰島經濟死掉時，最後遺願是希望把骨灰（ashes）灑遍全歐 洲。」
One joke perfectly catches the absurdity of tiny Iceland, which doesn’t even have a standing army, going out to bully the world.
蕞 爾島國冰島連常備軍隊都沒有，卻能對外威脅全世界，一個笑話完美地詮釋了這種荒謬。
"You mess with Iceland?" goes the gag, in full Mafioso mode： "We shut down all your airports."
「你 敢惹冰島？」這個笑話用黑幫式的口吻說，「我們關掉你們所有的機場！」
新聞辭典：
get lost：動詞片語（俚語），不客氣地要人走開、別來打擾之意。例句： Get lost! Just leave me alone.（滾開，別煩我。）
gleefully：副詞，幸災樂禍地。例句：She gave me a gleeful laugh.（她露出幸災樂禍的笑容。）
gag：名詞，笑話、笑料。例句：She made a gag about his baldness.（她說了一個關於他禿頭的笑話。）