Washington’s Republicans and Democrats are haggling over how to finance higher education, including details like the interest rates that students pay for loans. Recent graduates, who are burdened with an average of $26,000 in loans, are watching the debate closely. But some economists say the real issue is controlling the soaring cost of college at a time when post-secondary schooling is crucial to getting a good job and a middle class salary. Experts say these high costs are hurting the whole economy, not just students and their families.

　　美國共和民主兩黨在華盛頓討價(jià)還價(jià)，爭論如何資助高等教育，包括學(xué)生貸款利率等細(xì)節(jié)。美國的新畢業(yè)生平均背負(fù)2萬6000美元貸款，他們正在密切關(guān)注這場爭論。不過，一些經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家說，真正的問題是控制不斷上漲的學(xué)費(fèi)。今天，要得到一份好的工作和中產(chǎn)階級(jí)的收入，接受高等教育是關(guān)鍵。專家說，昂貴的學(xué)費(fèi)不僅傷害學(xué)生和家庭，而且損害了整個(gè)經(jīng)濟(jì)。

　　Joshua Jordan earned a doctorate degree in physical therapy. He hopes to open his own practice someday, and says having the expensive graduate degree is good for his patients - but hard on his wallet.

　　約書亞 喬丹獲得了物理療法博士學(xué)位，他希望有一天開設(shè)自己的診所，他說，擁有一個(gè)高價(jià)學(xué)位讓父母驕傲，可是卻他囊中羞澀。

　　“I am currently in debt for $210,000,” he said.

　　喬丹說：“目前我負(fù)債21萬�！�

　　Jordan’s loans are eight times larger than those of the average student. He says it might take him 20 years to pay them off, and he sometimes has had to work two jobs concurrently to meet his bills.

　　喬丹的貸款超過學(xué)生平均貸款的8倍，他說，這可能要20年才能還清，為了付賬單，有時(shí)他不得不打2份工。

　　For the past 30 years, college tuition has been going up at twice the rate of inflation, and private colleges now charge an average of more than $30,000 a year.

　　過去30年來，學(xué)費(fèi)的漲幅是通貨膨脹的2倍，私立學(xué)校的學(xué)費(fèi)現(xiàn)在平均為每年3萬美元。

　　Universities say they’re caught between record-high enrollments, a workforce of professors who have the skills to find work elsewhere if they are not well paid, and falling financial support from state governments.

　　大專院校表示，他們左右為難，一方面入學(xué)率達(dá)到新高，如果薪水不好，教授們可以另謀高就，另一方面州政府的資助又不斷減少。

　　Terry Hartle speaks for The American Council on Education which represents thousands of colleges and universities across the United States.

　　特里 哈特爾是美國教育理事會(huì)成員，這個(gè)機(jī)構(gòu)代表全美國數(shù)千所大專院校。

　　"It’s a terrible conundrum that we face as a country. We want more and more post-secondary education. We want more focus on academic quality and graduation. At the same time, the funding sources for higher education have been diminishing for a generation," said Hartle.

　　他說：“這是我們國家面對(duì)的一個(gè)可怕難題，我們希望增加高等教育，我們希望提高學(xué)術(shù)質(zhì)量和畢業(yè)生水平，可與此同時(shí)，高等教育資金來源卻不斷減少�！�

　　While these students made it to graduation, experts worry the high cost of college makes it less likely that bright students from poor families will attend college, depriving the economy of some of the scientists, engineers and others who could help boost growth.

　　雖然這些學(xué)生畢業(yè)了，可是專家擔(dān)心，昂貴的學(xué)費(fèi)可能會(huì)把那些來自窮困家庭的優(yōu)秀學(xué)生擋在校門外，讓國家失去一批能夠幫助經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展的未來科學(xué)家和工程師等人才。

　　And a survey shows that some students concerned about repaying thousands of dollars in loans are putting off marriage, children, and the major purchases that usually go along with forming a family.

　　一項(xiàng)調(diào)查顯示，一些學(xué)生因?yàn)閾?dān)心償還沉重的貸款，而推遲結(jié)婚生子，避免建立家庭所需的重大開支。

　　Peter Mazareas, who is with the College Savings Foundation, said, "These students will not contribute to the economy. They will go home and live at home. They won’t buy cars. They won’t invest in housing, so there is a real multiplier effect that is short term."

　　彼得 馬澤里斯在大學(xué)儲(chǔ)蓄基金會(huì)工作。他說：“這些學(xué)生不會(huì)為經(jīng)濟(jì)做貢獻(xiàn)，他們將回家，和父母住在一起，他們不會(huì)買車，不會(huì)投資房產(chǎn)，所以短期內(nèi)會(huì)有一個(gè)倍數(shù)效應(yīng)�！�

　　Georgetown University Labor Economist Anthony Carnevale said the current system is unsustainable for families and cuts economic growth for the whole country.

　　喬治城大學(xué)勞工經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家安東尼 卡內(nèi)瓦說，現(xiàn)有體制對(duì)家庭沒有支撐作用，而且會(huì)損害整個(gè)國家經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展。

　　"The effects on economic growth [of failing to produce post secondary talent] are substantial. If we had kept up with demand for post secondary talent, economists estimate that we would be at about $500 billion more per year in gross domestic product, that is people would have more money to spend. There would have been a higher productivity rate," said Carnevale.

　　卡內(nèi)瓦說：“這種狀況對(duì)經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展有很大影響，經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家估計(jì)，如果我們能滿足社會(huì)對(duì)大專院校人才的需求，那么每年的國民經(jīng)濟(jì)產(chǎn)值就會(huì)增加5千億美元，民眾就會(huì)有更多的錢花，生產(chǎn)力就會(huì)提高�！�

　　Meanwhile, Jordan said his family is not wealthy and could not have paid for so many years in so many colleges on the way to a PhD.

　　喬丹說，他家不富裕，不能為他支付多年來為了獲得博士學(xué)位而上的那么多學(xué)校的學(xué)費(fèi)。

　　“There would have been no way I could have created a career for myself that I wanted to do without the use of student loans,” he said.

　　他說：“不靠學(xué)生貸款，我不可能創(chuàng)立我想要的職業(yè)生涯。”

　　So for him, it is worth it.

　　所以對(duì)他來說，這一切都值得。