With less than a month to go until Christmas, many retailers are not only having to deal with the impact of the pandemic and a global supply chain crisis but are also experiencing the full impact of Brexit on festive demands for the first time.
距离圣诞节只有一个月不到的时间了，许多零售商不仅不得不应对疫情和全球供应链危机带来的影响，还要遭受英国脱欧给圣诞节需求品带来的全面冲击，这可是前所未有。
一起来看一下“零售“和”批发“在英文中的表达~
“零售”的英文表达就是retail，广泛指through stores/shops或者是online的销售。
比如零售专营店就是retail outlets，零售业就是the retail trade，零售公司是retail/retailing company
同时，“零售价“也可以用这个词来表达，比如retail price：
The recommended retail price is￡9.99. 建议零售价为9.99英镑。
或者直接用retail的动词形式，something retails at a price：
The book retails at ￡14.95. 这本书的零售价为14.95英镑。
同时retail作动词形式时，主语不仅可以是某物，也可以是零售该商品的主体，如：
The firm manufactures and retails its own range of sportswear. 公司生产并零售自己的运动服装系列。
和retail相对的，就是wholesale
一方面，可以用wholesale/buy at wholesale表示按批发/按批发价购买，另一方面，也可以用它来表示“大批量”：
We buy the building materials wholesale. 我们批量购买建筑材料。
These young people die wholesale from heroin overdoses. 这些年轻人因过量吸海洛因大批死亡。
Christmas trees
圣诞树
Usually growers rely on the help of a seasonal workforce to get the job done, many of whom come from outside the UK. But this year, as a result of Brexit, growers have had to find local labourers to step in who may not be as skilled and as a result took longer to do the work. It is feared that this, along with Brexit-related transport issues, could lead to tree shortages.
通常，圣诞树种植商靠“节庆期间临时工”完成工作，其中许多人来自英国境外。但今年英国脱欧后，种植商不得不借助本地劳动力，他们可能没那么熟练，因此耗时更长。有人担心，这种情况加上英国脱欧对物流运输的影响，可能会导致圣诞树短缺。
先来看seasonal这个词~
Seasonal常见的意象是节令性、季节性的，比如seasonal decorations指节日装饰品，seasonalwind指 季风
但这个词也同样可以用在recruitment/business相关的语境中：
比如seasonal workers，就是指为应付节庆期间的业务而招聘的临时工。
再比如说销售的“淡季”“旺季”，也可以说some companies whose markets are seasonal。
step in通常指“插手“”介入“，在这里也可以理解成接手了劳动力短缺的难题，这里给大家两个例句，加深一下对这个短语的理解：
Maybe you have offspring or other family willing to step in, if and when you decide to go do something else.当你打算转行时，也许会有子女或其他家人愿意接手，但也许没有，或者你也不能确定。
We are extraordinarily fortunate and grateful that he has decided to step in during the middle of this season.我们极度幸运和感激他决定接手这余下的赛季。
Skilled workers，如果想表达“熟手“，其实还有很多其他方式。
比如veteran，指a person who has a lot of experience in a particular area oractivity，也就是”经验丰富的人；老手“
the veteran British actor, Sir Richard Attenborough 英国资深演员理查德•阿滕伯勒爵士
"Hedge funds used to be set up by two guys in a back alley with a flashlight," says one veteran.一位资深人士表示：“对冲基金过去是由两个人拿着手电筒，在一个偏僻的小巷里建立起来的。”
或者old-timer/oldhand
If your project is being resisted, for example, by a group of veteran employees, ask another old-timer to speak up for it.例如，如果你的项目遭到一群资深员工的反对，那就另请一位老前辈为它辩护。
An old hand at photography, Tim has been shooting wildlife as a hobby for the last 13 years.蒂姆是一位摄影老手，在过去13年里一直以拍摄野生动物为业余爱好。
或者加上一个形容词seasoned/salted
a seasoned campaigner/performer/traveller, etc. 经验丰富的社会运动家、表演者、旅行家等
a salted sailor 老水手
同时也可以把salted替换成worth one’s salt
No golf teacher worth his salt would ever recommend that you grip the club tightly. 没有哪位称职的高尔夫教练会建议你紧紧地握住球杆。
当然也可以直接说skilled/experienced
It is here where the services of an experienced undertaker are most appreciated.就是这时，大家才会对经验老道的仵工感激不尽。
Alcohol
酒品
Amid Brexit border control issues,shortages of HGV drivers and other staff, combined with pandemic businessclosures and global shipping disruption, industry leaders have warned of a"cocktail of chaos" that they say could lead to Christmas alcoholshortages.
由于英国脱欧的边境管制问题、重型货车司机及其他员工短缺，再加上大规模业务关闭和全球航运中断，行业领袖们警告称，可能会出现一种“混乱鸡尾酒”，导致圣诞节期间酒品供应短缺。
这一段不太难，我们就来复习一下酒类在英文中的表达。
玩过英文农场类游戏（比如某露谷）的同学应该很熟悉，西方人大概把酒分成三个种类：
Wine葡萄酒和水果酒
Beer/ale 啤酒/麦酒
Liquor烈酒，是在酿造酒基础上蒸馏提纯的，原料不同名称也不一样，主要包括brandy白兰地、whiskey威士忌、vodka伏特加、tequila龙舌兰、rum朗姆等：
除此之外，还有还有cocktail鸡尾酒、mixed drink调酒、liqueur利口酒(具甜味而芳香的烈酒) ，以及大类之下，每一种不同酒类都会有具体的品名，比如cider苹果酒，Bordeaux波尔多葡萄酒，有兴趣的同学也可以具体查一下~
Toys and gifts
玩具及礼品
If you're looking for something specific, it's best to buy it sooner rather than later. Brexit has led to labour shortages in warehouses and especially for HGV drivers, leading to shortages throughout the supply chain.
如果你正在找一些特定的东西，最好尽早购买。英国脱欧使得仓库劳动力短缺，尤其是重型货车司机，这导致整个供应链的物品短缺。
Labour shortages, 前面我们已经看过了“劳动力“的不同表达，这里我们一起看一下“缺人手“要怎么用英文表述
Short of hands
At Christmas, most shops are short of hands, so you may findsomething to do there.圣诞节时，大多数商店都缺人手，所以你可以在那里找些事情做。
This is a shock task. It'll be no good to be short of hands.这是一项突击任务，人少了不济事。
staff shortages
Customs officers at Heathrow Airport were told not to stop suspected drug smugglers in the run-up to Christmas because of a staff shortage, the BBC reports.据英国广播公司消息，在今年圣诞前夕，因为人员短缺，英国伦敦希思罗机场的海关人员被告知停止扣留有携带毒品嫌疑的乘客。
Owing to staff shortage, all buses are running late. 由于员工不足，所有公车脱班。
Shorthanded
They are so shorthanded in the school that the schoolmaster has to wear two hats. 学校里人手紧缺，校长不得不身兼两职。
We are always shorthanded on Sundays. 我们总是在星期天缺人手。
Understaffed
Many institutions offering child care are understaffed and under equipped. 许多提供幼儿看护的机构人手及设备不足。
Its budget has risen far more slowly than the markets it oversees, leaving it woefully understaffed.其预算的增长速度比它所监督的市场的增长速度要缓慢得许多，这给委员会造成了可悲的人员匮乏。
insufficient manpower
Three causes have been given for the failure: poor planning, insufficient manpower, and the shortage of material.失败的三个原因是：计划不周、人力不足、材料短缺。
Food
食品
The supply of Christmas staples such as pigs inblankets is still less than certain. The government has introduced anemergency visa scheme for 800 butchers to come from outside the UK in the run-upto Christmas but they are reportedly not expected to start work until January.
圣诞主食如“猪包毯”的供应情况仍然无法确定。英国政府推出了一项紧急签证计划，允许英国境外的 800 名屠户在圣诞节前期入境，但据报道，他们预计要到明年 1 月份才能开始工作。
Pigs in blankets中文名叫做“猪包毯”，其实就是被面包裹住的香肠卷。通常做成一两口就能吃掉的大小，用作前菜或者小食
run-up指“a period of time leading up to an important event; the preparation for this“，也就是”重要事情的前期；准备阶段；准备“
Supermarkets everywhere reported excellent trading in the run-up to Christmas.各地超级市场报告说圣诞节前生意火爆。
The run-up to the coming election has been mixed.对于将要到来的大选的前奏十分混乱。
当然也可以指“a marked rise in the value or level of something”，也就是“急剧增长”:
The price run-up is a headache for many companies.这一价格上涨令许多公司为之头痛。
But billable hours explain only part of the run-up in costs.但是收费时段只是费用节节攀高的部分原因所在。
via 自由翻译日记
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