Britain’s Queen Elizabeth put central bankers on the spot when she quizzed them about the errors that led to the financial crisis in a rare public intervention during a recent visit to the Bank of England.
英國女王伊莉莎白最近訪問英格蘭銀行時，罕見地公開詢問官員，到底是哪些差錯引發了金融危機，讓銀行高官們窘態畢露。
She asked whether complacency was a factor and if the financial watchdog lacked teeth, touching on a sensitive debate that has raged since the near collapse of the banking system and triggering widespread attention in the British media.
女王問說，自滿是否為原因之一，以及金融監督機構是否缺乏實質效力，這些問題觸及了一項自英國銀行體系將近崩潰以來就造成激烈爭議，並引起英國媒體廣泛關注的敏感辯論。
The 86-year-old monarch avoids entering political debate, but four years ago pointedly asked academics why nobody had foreseen the crisis, which forced Britain to rescue leading banks, stoked a record budget deficit and sent the economy into recession.
高齡86歲的女王通常避免捲入政治議題，但她4年前也曾追問過學界人士，為什麼沒有人能預見危機發生，迫使英國政府對大型銀行伸出援手，政府預算赤字創下新高，更導致經濟陷入衰退。
"I suppose in money terms it is very difficult foreseeing（things）. But people had got a bit ... lax?" she said, before agreeing with an official that the real problem could have been "complacency".
「我想在貨幣的計算上真的很難預見問題，但大家當時是不是有點……散漫？」她說，然後才同意一名官員所謂真正的問題可能出在「自滿」的說法。
She asked whether the bank regulator at the time lacked the powers it needed, reflecting plans to abolish the Financial Services Authority and divide its responsibilities between the Bank of England and a new watchdog.
她還問說，銀行監管官員當時是否缺乏足夠的權力，反映出政府打算廢除金融服務局，並把其職權分給英格蘭銀行與新監督機關的計畫。
The central bank team giving the Queen an account of the crisis were introduced to the monarch by an official as "some of the staff who hopefully will spot the next one coming".
一名官員在向女王介紹負責解答金融危機問題的銀行工作人員時說，「希望這些員工未來能及早發現下一個危機。」
Her 91-year-old husband, Prince Philip, also on the visit and fond of making off-hand quips, prompted nervous laughter when he responded： "There isn’t another one coming, is there?" （Reuters）
沒想到跟女王同行、向來愛開玩笑的91歲王夫菲利普親王卻回說，「不會有下一次了，對吧？」又在現場引來一片尷尬笑聲。
（路透）
新聞辭典
complacency：名詞，（帶有負面口吻），指對現狀感到非常滿意而不願改變、沾沾自喜、志得意滿，如The stock market crash shattered our complacency.（股市崩盤粉碎了我們的自滿心態。）
teeth：（多用複數）名詞，指強制實施的有效手段，如The labor union showed that it has teeth.（工會用行動展現了實力。）
off-hand：形容詞，指不假思索的、未經考慮的，如It was just an offhand remark.（這只是一句玩笑話。）
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