Time honors the 'Chinese worker'
In China, they are known as nongmingong, meaning "farmers-turned-workers", a term that likely means more in Chinese than it does in English.在中国，他们被称为农民工，意思是“农民出身的工人”。比起英文，这个群体的中文称呼蕴含着更多的含义。
And now this important segment of the Chinese workforce have come to world prominence, thanks to Time magazine naming them runners-up to Ben Bernanke in its latest Person of the Year awards.
在《时代》杂志最新的年度人物评选中，中国工人紧随本•伯南克之后，屈居亚军。这个中国劳动力的重要组成部分也得以登上世界的舞台。
While the US Federal Reserve chairman scooped the top honor, the fact that the nongmingong were singled out shows their importance on the global stage.
美联储主席斩获年度人物称号，与此同时，农民工入选年度人物这一事件，也展示出他们在全球舞台上举足轻重的地位。
Leaving behind families and homes to migrate to China`s cities, they take on largely manual work and are among the country`s lowest-paid workers.
他们背井离乡只身来到城市，干着繁重的体力活，挣着微薄的工资。
They often go about their work in relative obscurity, despite numbering around 200 million.
他们通常默默无闻地做着自己工作，尽管他们的人数已达到2亿左右。
But while the nongmingong will garner a good deal of attention, Bernanke will be on the cover of the magazine, in recognition of his maneuvering of US monetary policy that helped steer the world`s largest economy out of the financial crisis.
在农民工收获广泛关注的同时，伯南克因成功运用美国货币政策，帮助美国这个世界上最大的经济体快速地从金融危机中解脱出来，最终荣登封面。
The Chinese workers ranked second were the only group named. The magazine described them as "an increasingly influential group in one of the world`s most powerful economies."
中国农民工位居亚军，是唯一上榜的群体。《时代》杂志评论说“在世界上最重要的经济体之一的中国，该群体的影响力与日俱增。”
This year, China`s year-on-year gross domestic product (GDP) growth is set to exceed 8 percent. The growth rate means it will contribute about 20 percent of this year`s global economic growth, Cheng Siwei, former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People`s Congress, said last month.
今年，中国全年同期国内生产总值将超过8%。前人大常委会副委员长成思危在上个月曾表示，这一增长率意味着中国今年对全球经济增长贡献将超过20%。
Analysts said the country`s nongmingong were an important part of the economic miracle in recent years.
分析师们认为，近些年中国经济之所以能创造奇迹，农民工功不可没。
"This group will have a great bearing on China`s future development," said Chen Gong, chief economist and chairman of Anbound Group, a Beijing-based consulting firm.
北京本土咨询机构安邦集团总裁兼首席分析师陈功表示，“在中国未来发展道路上，这个群体的影响力巨大，”他还表示，他们年轻，有活力，求知欲强，增强了这个国家在全球范围内的竞争力。
"More importantly, they are linking the cities and the rural areas, playing a role in bridging the gap between the two," he said.
“更为重要的是，他们是联系城乡的纽带，在缩小城乡差距过程中扮演着重要角色，”他说。
The important role of migrant workers in the Chinese economy, however, accentuates the fact that China still relies on low-technology manufacturing to support its economic development, said Zhong Jiyin, an economist with the Institute of Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).
社科院经济研究所的经济学家仲继银认为，农民工在中国经济中拥有举足轻重的地位，这也反应出一个现实，那就是中国经济增长仍要靠科技含量较低的制造业支撑。
The important role of migrant workers in the Chinese economy, however, accentuates the fact that China still relies on low-technology manufacturing to support its economic development, said Zhong Jiyin, an economist with the Institute of Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).
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