The hostage industry has become a popular one in the 21st century, worth at least ￡1 billion (＄15.7 billion) a year, revealed an investigation promoted by Anthony Gery, the Reuters journalist。

　　路透社记者安东尼·格雷做了一项调查，表明绑架人质已经形成一个产业，年产值超过10亿英镑(15.7亿美元)。

　　In August, three Russian airmen were kidnapped in Darfur. In July, four journalists were seized in Mexico. In June, a Russian businessman's grand-daughter was taken hostage. In May, it was Chinese technicians in Nigeria; in April, eight Red Cross workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo; in March, a British film-maker in Pakistan; in February, four Pakistani employees of a US aid agency; and in January, a US contractor in Iraq。

　　(今年全球出现了多起绑架事件。) 8月份，3名俄罗斯飞行员在苏丹达尔富尔地区被绑架；7月份，4名记者在墨西哥被绑架；6月份，1名俄罗斯商人的孙女被绑架，成为人质。5月份，中国技术人员在尼日利亚被绑架；4月份，8名红十字会工作人员在刚果民主共和国被绑架；3月份，1名英国电影制作人在巴基斯坦被绑架；2月份，美国援助机构的4名巴基斯坦雇员被绑架；1月份，1名美国承建商在伊拉克被绑架。

　　From Mexico City to Mogadishu, from Mosul to Manila, the numbers of aid workers, Western staff, tourists and locals taken hostage is rising. In Mexico, more than 7,000 were held in 2008 alone, in Nigeria at least 1,000 were taken last year, and in Somalia, foreigners are being kidnapped at a rate of 106 a month. All told, at least 12,000 people are now taken hostage each year, and this weekend more than 2,000 – at least 400 of whom are foreigners – are enduring yet another day in a makeshift "prison", not knowing, from hour to hour, if they will be freed or killed。

　　从墨西哥城到(索马里首都)摩加迪沙，从(伊拉克北部城市)摩苏尔到(菲律宾首都)马尼拉，被绑架的人数不断增长。被绑架的人员包括救援人员、西方公司员工、游客和当地居民。仅在2008年，在墨西哥就有超过7000人被绑架。去年，在尼日利亚至少有1000人遭遇绑架事件。而在索马里，平均每个月被绑架的外国人质数量达到106人。整个来说，每年被绑架的总人数至少达到12000人。本周就有超过2000名人质，其中至少400名外国人在临时搭建的“监狱”内煎熬。他们不知道自己是将被释放还是被杀。

　　The ransom profits are enormous and growing. Police in Nigeria estimate that ransoms paid there between 2006 and 2008 exceeded $100 million. Al-Qaeda in West Africa alone makes millions taking hostages。

　　从绑架事件中得到的赎金金额庞大，并且还在不断增长。尼日利亚警方预测，2006年至2008年期间当地赎金的总额超过1亿美元。位于西非的基地组织每年依靠绑架人质可以获得数百万美元资金。

　　And so has grown up a whole industry to counteract the criminals: firms offering kidnap and ransom insurance, highly paid negotiators, lawyers, and security personnel。

　　绑架事件的商业化催生了一个对抗犯罪分子的行业。这个行业中成员不仅包括提供绑架勒索保险的公司，也包括收取高额费用的谈判人员、律师和保安人员。

　　Its "employees" range from the teenage hoodlums who roam Sudan or West Africa ready to kidnap the child of a businessman or an American oil worker and sell them to more experienced hostage gangs, to statisticians in London offices keeping check on the going rate for the safe return of hostage, so the actuarial calculations can maintain a healthy bottom line. The business's raw material is unprotected people, what has been called "walking gold" – someone in the wrong place at the wrong time who can be taken and converted into serious money。

　　绑架人质行业中的雇员不仅包括十几岁的流氓，也包括位于伦敦办公室的统计人员。前者徘徊在苏丹或西非，时刻准备绑架商人的子女或者美国石油工人，然后将他们卖给经验更为丰富的绑架团伙。而后者负责跟踪人质安全返回所需赎金的变动情况，从而精确计算最低赎金的数额。这个行业的原材料就是未受保护的人。这些人被称为“行走中的黄金”。他们在一个错误的时间出现在了一个错误的地点，他们可能会被绑架，还被用来换取一大笔钱。

　　The treatment of hostages varies enormously. Mexican hostages are not treated well, and are liable to lose a hand if the kidnappers think the ransom payers need geeing up. If that doesn't work, the hostage is likely to die. In Nigeria, by contrast, hostages are rarely harmed。

　　不同绑匪对待人质的态度迥异。墨西哥人质受到的待遇较差。如果犯罪分子认为赎金支付者需要加快行动，就会砍掉人质的一只手。如果这个方法不起作用，人质将被杀死。相比而言，在尼日利亚被绑架的人质很少受到伤害。