什么是“僵尸债务人”？

每个月那点微薄的工资还了房贷利息就所剩无几，上百万的本金偿还更是遥遥无期……如果你也深陷这种窘境，那么你不仅是房奴，还是zombie debtor（僵尸债务人）！

The term zombie debtor refers to someone who is unable to pay off the capital of the loan, and whose repayments only service the interest charge.

“僵尸债务人”是指无法偿还贷款本金，只能偿还利息费用的人。

In Britain, it is feared that 3.5m people will turn to payday lenders in the next six months but research shows that nearly two-thirds will regret the decision. Many will be unable to pay off the loan and risk becoming “zombie debtors“.

在未来的六个月内，英国350万人将会申请发薪日贷款，然而研究显示，三分之二申请贷款者会为这一决定后悔。许多人将无法付清贷款，有可能会沦为“僵尸贷款人”。

A payday loan is a small, short-term loan that is intended to cover a borrower's expenses until his or her next payday. It is usually accompanied with excessive rates of interest. It is estimated that payday loans cost Americans $4.2 billion a year in interest and fees. The experts commented: “Payday loans are not the best way to resolve debt struggles. We know that many who take them out find them to be a negative experience, often escalating financial troubles.”

所谓发薪日贷款，指的是在下一个发薪日前支付借款人开销的短期贷款，通常伴随着高利息率。据估计，美国人每年要花费42亿美元用于支付发薪日贷款的利息和手续费。专家指出，“发薪日贷款并不是解决债务困境的最佳途径。据我们所知，很多人申请了发薪日贷款后发现这是一种令人不快的经历，它通常会加剧经济困难。”

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（中国日报网英语点津 实习生蔡冬梅 编辑陈丹妮）