香港街头经常可见奢华汽车的身影，色彩炫目的奔驰(Mercedes-Benzes)、劳斯莱斯(Rolls Royces)、法拉利(Ferraris)和玛莎拉蒂(Maseratis)等名车每天在乘客与行人面前招摇过市。

　　Flashy cars are a common sight in Hong Kong, where passengers and pedestrians witness a daily pageant of boldly colored Mercedes-Benzes, Rolls Royces, Ferraris and Maseratis。

　　但香港市民Jackie Rain想要比他的橙色奥迪TTS更具回头率的东西：一副写着“MR BEAN(憨豆先生)”的车牌。大约一年半以前，他在公众拍卖会上花10,000港元(1,290美元)拍得这副车牌。

　　But Hong Kong resident Jackie Rain wanted something even more eye-catching than his orange Audi TTS: a license plate that reads 'MR BEAN.' About a year and a half ago, Mr. Rain paid 10,000 Hong Kong dollars, or US$1,290, for the plate at a public auction。

　　香港对豪华进口汽车征收的税率为100%，因此汽车发烧友们愿意用数千港元的价格购买“个性车牌”装饰他们的爱车。

　　In a town that levies a 100% tax on luxury imported cars, auto enthusiasts readily pay sums in the thousands of dollars to accessorize their vehicles with vanity plates。

　　为了给政府的一个慈善基金筹集资金，香港运输署自2006年起开始拍卖个性车牌。该项业务自此越来越火。拍卖过程与众不同：希望购买某个车牌的个人提交申请并预缴最低保证金645美元。喜欢相同车牌的车主可随意出价，价高者得。

　　Ever since Hong Kong transport officials began auctioning vanity plates in 2006 to raise money for a government charity fund, the service has taken off. The process is a bit unusual: anyone wishing to buy a plate submits the proposal along with a US$645 minimum bid. Rival car owners who might fancy the same moniker, however, are free to offer more。

　　并非所有车牌均有人争。本月早些时候，“WELCOME(欢迎)”和“PERFECT(完美)”均以最低价拍出。相比之下，一副字母为“FA(发)”的车牌更受欢迎，拍出18,000美元的高价。另一位竞拍者用近12,000美元购得一副写着“STORAGE(仓库)”的车牌。

　　Not all plates draw competition. 'WELCOME' and 'PERFECT' both sold at an auction earlier this month for the minimum. But a more popular plate reading 'FA' went for about US$18,000. Another bidder sank nearly US$12,000 into a plate that read 'STORAGE.'

　　自2008年末金融危机影响香港的金融公司之后，车牌拍卖收益像其它奢侈消费一样有所下降。例如，2010年1月的拍卖收益仅为281,000美元，与2008年1月约770,000美元的拍卖收益相比下降了约64%。

　　Like other luxury spending, auction proceeds have dropped since the financial turmoil that rocked the city's financial firms in late 2008. This month's auction, for instance, generated about US$281,000, down about 64% from the January 2008, auction, which took in around US$770,000.

　　中国幸运数字的拍卖价格也较高，香港拍卖幸运数字车牌已有多年历史。早在上世纪90年代初，一位香港大亨就创纪录地用168万美元购买了牌号为“9”的单字车牌。该数字的中文发音与“久”谐音。

　　Chinese lucky numbers also go for big figures, and the city has been auctioning lucky numbered plates for years. In the early 1990s, one Hong Kong tycoon paid a record US$1.68 million for the single-digit registration number '9,' which in Chinese sounds like a word for longevity。

　　尽管个性车牌在美国也很流行，但美国人却并不习惯于为它们花大钱，其价格一般由各州的机动车管理机构确定。

　　While vanity plates are also trendy in the U.S., Americans aren't accustomed to paying much for them, and the fees are generally determined by the state departments of motor vehicles。

　　加利福尼亚州个性车牌的价格不到100美元。该州将此类收入用于各类环境、教育和其它慈善事业。弗吉尼亚州驾车者为保有定制车牌的权力每年只需多花10美元。

　　Fees in California-which earmarks these revenues for various environmental, educational and other causes-amount to less than $100. In Virginia, drivers pay an extra $10 annually for the privilege of customizing a mark。

　　在香港，个性车牌的流行催生了一个活跃的二级市场，到处都是所谓的代理人，他们代表竞拍者出席拍卖会，或查找已被私家车主持有的特定车牌。

　　In Hong Kong, the popularity of vanity plates has spawned a lively secondary market, replete with so-called agents who offer to attend an auction on a bidder's behalf or ferret out specific tags already held by private car owners。

　　Calvin Ng在一家外国投资银行的私人银行部门工作。他说曾有人开价4,800美元购买他的奥迪跑车上的“BOWLING”(保龄球)车牌。他用标准价645美元购得此车牌。他说，这副车牌反映了他12岁以后的一个嗜好，使他回忆起与朋友一同打保龄球的那些美好时光。

　　Calvin Ng, who works in the private wealth unit of a foreign investment bank, says he's been offered nearly US$4,800 for 'BOWLING,' which adorns his Audi sport car. He paid the standard US$645 fee for the plate, which, he says, reflects an obsession with the pastime since age 12. 'It reminds me of all the great times I've had bowling with my friends,' Mr. Ng says。

　　但轻松获得的诱惑依然难以抗拒，他盘算着拍下其它车牌以供将来转售获利。他说，零风险赚钱的感觉无以伦比。

　　Still, the opportunity to earn an easy profit is difficult to resist, and he's thought about bidding for other marks for the purpose of reselling them later. 'Nothing beats making money with no risk,' Mr. Ng says。

　　一些香港公司把个性车牌用于公司的市场营销策略，而另一些显然把个性车牌与某项任务或职业联系在一起。香港金融管理局(Hong Kong Monetary Authority)为其首席执行长的座驾所配车牌为“AM 78”。观察人士怀疑该车牌暗指港币汇率保持在7.8港元兑1美元。

　　Some Hong Kong companies have incorporated vanity plates into their marketing strategies, while others appear to link the plates to a mission or calling. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority provides its chief executive with a car displaying the plate 'AM 78,' which, observers suspect, refers to the Hong Kong dollar's peg of 7.8 to one U.S. dollar。

　　黄氏家族在香港拥有进智公共交通控股有限公司(AMS Public Transport Holdings Ltd。)。这是一家当地的小巴公司，在香港交易所的交易代码是“00077”。几年前，黄氏家族派代表竞拍多个包含数字“77”的车牌。

　　Several years ago, the Wong family, which owns AMS Public Transport Holdings Ltd., a local minibus company, had representatives bid for plates that included the number '77,' the company's trading code on the Hong Kong stock exchange。

　　黄灵新说，这些车牌能帮助乘客区分该公司的绿顶小巴与香港其它竞争者的车。他的父亲于上世纪70年代创办了这家公司。

　　Vincent Wong, whose father started the company in the 1970s, says the plates help differentiate the company's green-topped minibuses from competitors on the island。

　　风水大师麦玲玲(Gladys Mak)的银色保时捷装上了“FUNG SHUI(风水)”字样的车牌。她说，常规的拼法已被别人用了，所以她用U代替E。这个车牌代表了她的工作，即帮助客户确定家里或办公室里物体的摆放方位以带来最佳的活力(或气)。

　　Feng Shui master Gladys Mak's silver Porsche brandishes the phrase 'FUNG SHUI.' Ms. Mak says the more conventional spelling was taken so she substituted the 'u' for an 'e.' The plate identifies her with her business, helping clients orient objects in their homes or work places to allow for optimal energy, or qi。

　　麦玲玲说，这个车牌既有好处也有坏处，因为警察很容易辨认她的车。尽管她并不在意其它驾车者盯着她看，但她丈夫不愿开她的车就是因为他不喜欢受到莫名的关注。

　　In this case, the plate's advantage is also its drawback, Ms. Mak says, as police can easily spot her car. While she doesn't mind other drivers staring at her, she says unwanted attention is the reason her husband doesn't like to drive her car。

　　对某些人而言，个性化的车牌也可以作为爱情的标记。一对恋人花3,870美元购买了“XXEE”。“XX”代表“kiss,kiss(吻)”，“EE”代表Ricki Leung给她男朋友Clem起的绰号“eagle eyes(鹰眼)”，因为Clem“眼很尖”。

　　For some, a personalized plate serves as a token of love. One couple paid US$3,870 for 'XXEE.' The 'XX' stands for 'kiss, kiss,' while the 'EE' refers to the nickname 'eagle eyes' that Ricki Leung gave her boyfriend, Clem, for his ability to 'notice things too easily.'

　　Ricki Leung在1月底的一次拍卖会上赢得这副车牌之后说，她正要去附近的车行挑选自己的新车。那会儿，她正在奔驰和路虎(Land Rover)之间犹豫不决。

　　After scoring the plate at the Saturday auction, Ms. Leung said she was on her way to a nearby car dealership to pick out her new car. At that point, she was vacillating between a Mercedes and Land Rover。