英语新闻丨Weekslong 11-11 set to stimulate spending

There was a time when Singles Day was a one-day online shopping festival on Nov 11 in China. Over the years, it has gone global, evolved into an online-and-offline shopping extravaganza, besides providing a platform for product and brand launches and introducing a myriad of innovations. This year, Singles Day will be spread over several weeks, not just days, perhaps the longest format ever, and is expected to boost demand and bolster consumption recovery.每年11月11日的光棍节曾是中国为期一天的网络购物节。近年来，它已经发展为一个全球性的线上线下购物盛会，为产品和品牌发布提供平台，并引入了众多创新形式。今年的光棍节可能会是有史以来最长的一次，将持续数周，而非数天，推动需求，促进消费复苏。Also known as 11-11 or Double Eleven, this year's festival will see major e-commerce platforms provide steep discounts and low-priced products. This is expected to stimulate consumers' purchasing appetites and thereby boost sales, experts said.光棍节也被称为双十一。今年，各大电商平台将推出大幅折扣及低价商品。专家表示，此举有望激发消费者的购买欲望，从而提高销售额。E-tailers, experts further said, should continuously increase investments to improve consumers' shopping experiences and launch new commodities. They should also upgrade supply chain systems and logistics by leveraging innovative digital technologies. Such measures can help attract a new breed of users, especially young shoppers.专家进一步表示，电商应该持续增加投资，改善消费者的购物体验，推出新产品。他们还应利用创新数字技术升级供应链系统及物流。这些举措可以吸引新一代用户，尤其是年轻的购物者。Alibaba Group Holding Ltd will kick off this year's 11-11 presale at 8 pm on Tuesday. It has promised to reduce prices, hand out coupons to consumers and offer discounts on over 80 million commodities.阿里巴巴集团控股有限公司将于周二晚间8时启动今年的双十一预售活动。集团承诺降低价格，向消费者发放优惠券，并为超过8000万种商品提供折扣。China's consumer market boasts immense growth potential and resilience, and people's growing need for a better life is bound to unleash huge consumption demand, said Dai Shan, CEO of Alibaba's Taobao and Tmall Group.阿里巴巴淘天集团首席执行官戴珊表示，中国的消费市场拥有巨大的增长潜力和韧性，人们对更好生活的向往必将释放巨大的消费需求。The group, a pioneer of e-commerce and China's largest e-tailer by sales and profits, will empower small and medium-sized merchants by helping the latter achieve digitalized operations, Dai said.戴珊说，淘天集团是电商的先驱，也是中国销售额最高、利润最大的电商公司。集团将帮助中小型商家实现数字化运营，以此为其赋能。JD, another Chinese e-commerce giant, started its 11-11 presale at 8 pm on Monday, a week earlier than in previous years. More than 500 million new commodities, many of them cut-rate goods, are on offer.京东是另一家中国电商巨头，将比往年提前了一周，于周一晚间8时开启今年的双十一预售活动。超过5亿种新商品正在促销中，其中包括许多低价商品。Xin Lijun, CEO of JD Retail, a unit of JD, said the e-tailer swears by its low-price strategy, and will provide premium products with a guarantee for quality service.京东零售首席执行官辛利军认为，京东将坚持低价策略，为高端产品提供高质量服务保障。This year's 11-11 has added significance as it comes after the country had optimized its COVID-19 response measures, said Mo Daiqing, a senior analyst at the Internet Economy Institute, a domestic consultancy.网经社电子商务研究中心高级分析师莫岱青说，由于国家调整了新冠肺炎的应对措施，今年的双十一具有特殊意义。"E-commerce platforms are taking a more pragmatic approach this time and making their promotional methods simpler, with emphasis on low-priced products, which should attract price-conscious customers, improve user loyalty and repurchase rates, and bolster sales," Mo said.莫岱青认为：“此次双十一电商平台采取了更加务实的方法，简化了推广方式，重视低价商品，将吸引注重价格的消费者，提高用户忠诚度及复购率，提高销售额。”Both Taobao and JD face intensified competition from video-sharing and livestreaming platforms, including Douyin and Kuaishou, which are betting big on e-commerce in livestreaming format.淘宝和京东都面临着短视频及直播平台的激烈竞争。如直播平台抖音和快手，均对直播电商压下巨注。China's consumption market recovered in the first three quarters of this year. In the first nine months, retail sales increased 6.8 percent year-on-year; in September, the corresponding figure was 5.5 percent, up from 4.6 percent in August, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.中国消费市场在今年前三个季度得以恢复。国家统计局数据显示，今年前九个月中，零售销售额同比增长6.8％；9月份这一数字为5.5％，高于8月份的4.6％。Consumption contributed 83.2 percent to China's economic growth during the January-September period.1月至9月，消费对中国经济增长的贡献率为83.2％。In recent months, several measures were sought to spur consumption of both products and services, including automobiles, electronics, housing and home decor, in order to revive recovery momentum and stabilize the economy.近几个月，国家采取了多项举措以刺激商品及服务消费，包括汽车、电子产品、住房及家居装饰，以期恢复经济增长势头，稳定经济形势。"Consumption has become the main driving force boosting China's economic growth," said Wang Yun, a researcher at the Academy of Macroeconomic Research, which is affiliated with the National Development and Reform Commission. More stimulus policies are needed to stabilize and expand employment, raise household incomes and boost spending, he said.国家发展改革委宏观经济研究院研究员王云说：“消费已成为促进中国经济增长的主要驱动力。”我们需要更多的刺激政策来稳定和扩大就业，提高家庭收入，促进消费。Jason Yu, general manager of Kantar Worldpanel China, a market research provider, said Chinese consumers are more rational now, carefully reviewing their needs, with a focus on quality and value. "They aspire to buy cost-effective products, not low-priced, low-quality goods."市场咨询公司商凯度消费者指数中国区总经理虞坚表示，目前，中国消费者已变得更加理性，能够审视个人需求，关注质量和价值。他说：“他们希望购买高性价比产品，而非低价、低质量的商品。”Extravaganza英/ɪkˌstrævəˈɡænzə/美/ɪkˌstrævəˈɡænzə/n.盛会；华丽的娱乐表演E-commerce platformn.电商平台E-tailorn.电子零售商