導讀
長期以來，美國綠卡和護照曾被許多國家的國民追捧，但今年新冠疫情下，多國以防疫為由，拒絕了美國公民入境。在這種背景下，一些美國公民開始放棄美國國籍，或者積極獲得第二國民身份。為什麼越來越多的美國人想要申請第二國籍？這是否說明美國國籍的地位已大不如前了呢？
The New American Status Symbol? A Second Passport
第二本護照，美國身份的新象徵？
By Valeriya Safronova
As the pandemic has ravaged the United States, some Americans are finding that a second citizenship or permanent residency has a renewed appeal. Some see it as a kind of insurance policy, a way to ensure freedom of movement in the future.
隨著新冠病毒在美國肆虐，一些美國人重新燃起了對第二國籍或別國永久居民身份的興趣。他們把第二國籍看成是一個保險，能夠保證未來可以自由行動。
There are two paths to acquiring a second passport that don’t require living or working abroad: spending a lot of money or proving that you have inherited an ancestor’s nationality.
無需海外定居或工作就可以獲取第二護照，有兩種方式：花錢買身份，或者證明你從祖輩那裡繼承了國籍。
Many countries offer residence visas to people who invest in them, a type of program that is colloquially referred to as 「The Golden Visa.」 Families are considering eligibility costs, speed of application approval, and education and health care policies in the various countries. Freedom of movement is also important.
許多國家為想要申請投資移民的人提供居留籤證，也就是我們口頭上說的「黃金籤證」。申請家庭會考慮很多因素，比如不同國家的申請資格成本、審批速度、教育和醫療政策。同時，行動自由也很重要。
People who are born in the United States are automatically citizens. In many other countries, nationality is passed from parents to their children. In terms of dual citizenship, this has meant people who are descendants of immigrants from some countries can claim citizenship in those countries if they can prove that the lineage has not been broken over a certain number of generations.
出生在美國境內的人自動就是美國公民。在其他許多國家，國籍可以從父輩傳給子女。如果移民後代可以證明在幾代人之內，血統都沒有斷掉過，那麼他們就可以申請這些祖籍國家的國籍，從而獲得雙重身份。
「The pandemic has created so much uncertainty that no one knows what life will be like for the next 10 to 15 years. Where do I want to spend the rest of my life?」 For Mr. Gallo, the answer is clear: Italy.
「疫情已經帶來了太多不確定，沒有人知道未來10到15年後的生活會變成什麼樣子。我想在哪裡度過餘生呢？」對於Gallo先生來說，答案很清楚：義大利。
【內容拓展】
1. program和project傻傻分不清楚？
按照項目管理的區分方法，program指項目集，其中包含多個項目project。彼此相互關聯的各個項目，集合在同一個項目集裡進行統籌管理，與各項目單獨管理相比，可以獲得更多益處。
項目管理是管理學下的一個分支，對管理領域感興趣的同學可以了解一下PMP認證考試。
2. The Golden Visa 「金貴」在哪兒？
「黃金籤證」（The Golden Visa）這種說法暗指其附帶的福利價值，可以不受移民監的約束，無限期續籤，也可以選擇申請全家永居，享受包括教育和醫療在內的很多社會福利，體驗所選目的地的自然和人文環境等。
3. 如何避免翻譯腔？
英文注重形合，在形式上講究邏輯關聯；中文注重意合，即便形式邏輯不明顯，也能夠理解其中的關聯。因此，英漢互譯要注意對邏輯關聯詞的處理。漢譯英可能需要增加關聯詞使得英文句子合乎語法規範並容易理解；而英譯漢則需要注意省略，避免翻譯腔。中文譯文只要斷句得當，邏輯自在其中。
生詞好句
1.status 英 [ˈsteɪtəs] 美 [ˈsteɪtəs, ˈstætəs] n. 身份，地位
2.symbol 英 [ˈsɪmbl] 美 [ˈsɪmbl] n. 象徵
3.pandemic 英 [pænˈdemɪk] 美 [pænˈdemɪk] n. 疫情，大流行
拓展: epidemic n. 流行病（小範圍）
4.ravage 英 [ˈrævɪdʒ] 美 [ˈrævɪdʒ] vt. 嚴重損害，嚴重毀壞，摧毀（to damage sth. badly）
拓展:
The country has been ravaged by civil war. 內戰摧毀了這個國家。
5.citizenship 英 [ˈsɪtɪzənʃɪp] 美 [ˈsɪtəzənʃɪp] n. 公民身份，公民資格，國籍
拓展:
second citizenship 第二國籍
dual citizenship 雙重國籍
6.permanent residency 永久居留權（在美國相當於綠卡green card）
拓展:
在美國，擁有citizenship或permanent residency/green card的人都可以在美居留和工作，但是前者是公民，有選舉權和被選舉權，後者不是公民，沒有入國籍，只是定居美國的外國人。
7.renewed 英 [rɪˈnjuːd] 美 [rɪˈnuːd] adj. 再次發生的，再次興起的
8.appeal 英 [əˈpiːl] 美 [əˈpiːl]
n. 吸引力，感染力，魅力（a quality that makes sb./sth. attractive or interesting）
拓展:
The prospect of living in a city holds little appeal to me. 住在城市裡對我來說一點兒吸引力都沒有。
9.policy 英 [ˈpɒləsi] 美 [ˈpɑːləsi] n. 保單，保險單，保險合同
拓展:
premium n. 保險費
insurance premium 保費，保險費
10.freedom of movement 遷徙自由（本文含義）
11.path 英 [pɑːθ] 美 [pæθ] n. 途徑，方法（a way of achieving sth.）
12.acquire 英 [əˈkwaɪə] 美 [əˈkwaɪər] vt. 獲得（get/obtain）
13.inherit 英 [ɪnˈherɪt] 美 [ɪnˈherɪt] vt. 繼承
14.nationality 英 [ˌnæʃnˈæləti] 美 [ˌnæʃnˈæləti] n. 國籍
15.colloquially 英 [kəˈləʊkwiəli] 美 [kəˈloʊkwiəli] adv. 用通俗的語言來說，用白話來說
16.refer to 指的是，稱之為
拓展: refer to A as B 將A稱為B
17.eligibility cost 申請資格成本（為準備申請需要付出的各種成本，主要是申請材料的準備。）
18.claim 英 [kleɪm] 美 [kleɪm] vt. 要求（request）
19.lineage 英 [ˈlɪniɪdʒ] 美 [ˈlɪniɪdʒ] n. 血統，家系
20.uncertainty 英 [ʌnˈsɜːtənti] 美 [ʌnˈsɜːrtənti] n. 不確定性
英文原文
The New American Status Symbol? A Second Passport
By Valeriya Safronova
@ The New York Times
Many U.S. citizens whose families immigrated from Europe are eligible, and the pandemic has caused an uptick in applications.
Growing up in Chicago, Juliana Calistri was surrounded by all things Italian: music, food and language. Ms. Calistri’s grandparents were raised in Bagni di Lucca, Italy, and though her father was born in Chicago, he spoke Italian before he spoke English.
「If you ask me to bake, I’m going to make biscotti and lemon knots, not chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies,」 Ms. Calistri, 46, said from her home in Nashville. 「Being Italian has always been my identity.」
Ms. Calistri, a claims advocate for a brokerage firm, always wanted to live abroad, but thought gaining Italian citizenship would be impossible. According to Italian laws, women could only pass their citizenship to their children after 1948, when Italy’s current constitution came into effect. Ms. Calistri’s father was born in 1947, so he did not inherit citizenship from his mother. His father gave his Italian citizenship up when he was naturalized in the United States.
In May, Ms. Calistri began working with a life coach, who pushed her to look up the laws again. Ms. Calistri discovered that since a landmark ruling was made in 2009, people have been contesting the 1948 maternal lineage law in court, and winning.
She decided to apply. 「The pandemic really allowed me to get to basics,」 Ms. Calistri said. 「You look at what you need in life and what’s most important. It’s my family and not things. This identity and this culture is exactly who and what I am.」
When Ms. Calistri contacted Italian Citizenship Assistance, an agency that helps people acquire Italian passports, she joined hundreds of other people who have reached out to the agency during the last few months, said Marco Permunian, the founder. 「We have seen the number of people who contacted us between May and now increase by five times from last year,」 Mr. Permunian said. His team of 48 is overwhelmed. 「We’re getting so many requests, we’re not even able to handle them all.」
Ms. Calistri plans to move to Italy with her 9-year-old daughter and her 73-year-old mother as soon as she receives her new passport. 「It’s such a me-first attitude here, and there’s no sense of unity,」 Ms. Calistri said.
As the pandemic has ravaged the United States, some Americans are finding that a second citizenship or permanent residency has a renewed appeal. 「Even the most basic things have become politicized,」 said Anjelica Triola, 34, a director of marketing at Wethos, a company that helps freelancers grow their businesses, who also has Italian heritage.
She brought up protective masks as an example. 「My father’s parents came here to be free, and there is an entire generation that are trying to go back now to pursue similar freedoms,」 she said.
Some see it as a kind of insurance policy, a way to ensure freedom of movement in the future. Newfound free time at home has enabled others to engage in a laborious application process they have had on their to-do lists for years.
The Golden Visa
There are two paths to acquiring a second passport that don’t require living or working abroad: spending a lot of money or proving that you have inherited an ancestor’s nationality.
Many countries offer residence visas to people who invest in them, a type of program that is colloquially referred to as 「The Golden Visa.」 Some nations, like Cyprus, St. Lucia, Grenada, Malta, Turkey and Montenegro, offer citizenship to people who buy property within their borders or invest.
Every country has its own rules. In Cyprus, the government takes about eight to 12 months to process a passport application made through investment, whereas in Montenegro it can take as little as three months, according to Henley & Partners, a British-based law firm that advises high-net-worth clients on these types of programs.
「The pandemic has been terrible in so many ways,」 said Paddy Blewer, the director of Henley & Partners U.K. and the group director of public relations. 「For lots of our clients, it has been the tipping point for, 『I』ve been thinking about doing this, but now I really understand how significant volatility can be around the world and I need options.』」
Mr. Blewer said that Henley & Partners has seen one and a half times as many inquiries from January to April of this year as during the same period last year. Those who secure the services of Henley & Partners pay anywhere from 20,000 euros, or $24,000, to €500,000, depending on the complexity of the case.
Families are considering eligibility costs, speed of application approval, and education and health care policies in the various countries.
Freedom of movement is also important. Arton Capital, an advisory firm specializing in investment-based citizenship or residency, has a tool that ranks passports based on different factors, like the mobility they afford their holders. Look up the U.S. passport on the Passport Index today, and you will see that Americans can travel easily to 87 countries. In 2019, that number was 171.
「The drop of American passports over 50 percent in terms of mobility was a wake-up call for a lot of families,」 said Armand Arton, the founder of Arton Capital. 「The almighty U.S. passport is not as powerful as it used to be.」
Time and Patience
People who are born in the United States are automatically citizens. In many other countries, nationality is passed from parents to their children. In terms of dual citizenship, this has meant people who are descendants of immigrants from some countries can claim citizenship in those countries if they can prove that the lineage has not been broken over a certain number of generations.
Descendants of Latvian citizens who fled the country during the German or Soviet occupations, for example, can apply to have their citizenship reinstated there today, said Evgeny Belyaev, whose law firm offers citizenship and immigration services in Riga, a city in Latvia. People of Italian descent, of whom there are about 16.5 million in the United States, can restore their Italian citizenship through parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents.
Applying for heritage-based citizenship has become popular among Americans with roots in some countries. But in most of the world, heritage-based citizenship is more difficult or less advantageous for a U.S. passport holder to obtain, because nationality is passed only from parent to child, because the country does not allow dual citizenship (which means the American would have to renounce her U.S. citizenship) or because the second passport does not offer benefits like expanded travel options or free education.
The practice of establishing a second nationality has risen in the past few months.
「I see how European people have really stepped up to take a collective problem and work together toward achieving the goal, i.e. of getting rid of the virus,」 said Susan Periharos, who began her application process for Greek citizenship about four weeks ago. 「The pandemic pretty much clinched it for me.」
Ms. Periharos said she is not fleeing the United States, but she sees certain advantages of having a second passport: She and her husband will be able to travel to Greece even if there are entry bans for Americans in the future, and with a passport from a country in the Schengen zone, her children will be able to live and work in most of Europe.
Andreas Politis, who works as a managing associate for Christina Mantas & Associates, which is helping Ms. Periharos with her case, said that the firm has seen about a threefold increase in the number of people who want to apply for a Greek passport.
「A lot of it is people who come back to Greece almost every year, and they want to make sure they can come back to their families in the future,」 Mr. Politis said. Most American citizens are currently banned from entering Greece because of the coronavirus. 「Traveling to Greece with a U.S. passport is usually very easy. Before, it didn’t make sense to apply for a Greek passport. Now it does.」
Mr. Politis said that Christina Mantas and Associates charges clients seeking Greek citizenship 600 euros, or $700, to €2,000 for the firm’s help. The process can take from three months to three years. Mr. Permunian’s agency charges an average client about $6,000 for support from beginning to the end.
As part of a heritage-based application, people usually have to submit birth certificates, naturalization records from the United States, and marriage and divorce records. The process takes time and patience.
「With Covid, the world has paused a little bit,」 said Bianca Ottone, the founder of My Italian Family, which has been providing citizenship services since 2001. Ms. Ottone said the number of people contacting her company has gone up by about 50 percent during the past six months. 「Many people contacted us saying, 『remember we discussed this in 2018 or 2019?』」 she said. 「It was in their pipeline and now is the time to pick it up.」
A Different Lifestyle
Ms. Triola, the director of marketing for Wethos, started looking into getting Italian citizenship in 2018 but let the project fall to the wayside after running into some difficulties with obtaining her grandparents』 marriage certificate and with mismatched names on documents from the United States and from Italy. But recently, Ms. Triola decided to pick her application up again.
「It feels as if there is more freedom if you are an E.U. citizen,」 said Ms. Triola, who lives in Los Angeles. 「I haven’t pursued graduate school because I can’t justify putting myself $100,000 in debt to get a master’s degree or a Ph.D. If I were to do that as an E.U. citizen, that could be entirely free.」
Affordable health care and guaranteed paid parental leave are other advantages to having an Italian citizenship, she said. Ms. Triola, 34, does not expect to see these benefits in the United States anytime soon. The current political atmosphere, she said, makes her 「skeptical that we will achieve the things we need to achieve to live comfortably here.」
Dave Gallo, 73, a retiree in San Francisco, began the application process for Italian citizenship in 2017 and was approved in February of this year. The pandemic has confirmed that he made the right choice, he said. Despite the age difference, his reasoning is not all that different from Ms. Triola’s.
「In San Francisco, there’s nothing for old people except nursing homes,」 Mr. Gallo said. After visiting Italy for the first time in 2015, Mr. Gallo discovered seven cousins who live there. As soon as he is able to, Mr. Gallo plans to move to the town in north Italy from which his grandfather came to America. There is little traffic there, the cost of living is cheaper, it is surrounded by vineyards, and Mr. Gallo said he finds it easier to connect with people there.
「The pandemic has created so much uncertainty that no one knows what life will be like for the next 10 to 15 years,」 Mr. Gallo said. 「For an old person, it』ll be even more difficult. Where do I want to spend the rest of my life?」 For Mr. Gallo, the answer is clear: Italy.
2020 The New York Times