◎俞智敏
Top-end French piano maker Pleyel, whose instruments were used by the likes of Frederic Chopin, Claude Debussy and Franz Liszt, recently announced it will end production by the end of the year.
頂級法國鋼琴製造商普雷耶所生產的鋼琴曾獲蕭邦、德布西和李斯特等鋼琴大師青睞，但普雷耶最近卻宣布將在年底停產。
Founded in 1807 by Ignaz Pleyel, a composer who was a student of Joseph Haydn, the firm has fallen victim to cheaper options offered by Chinese, South Korean and other Asian manufacturers.
普雷耶鋼琴是於1807年由曾經拜在海頓門下的作曲家普雷耶所創立，近年來不敵中國、南韓及其他亞洲鋼琴商所生產的廉價鋼琴，生意大受影響。
The company said it was shutting its workshop in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis "given the recurring losses incurred and the very low level of business".
該公司表示由於「虧損不斷及需求過低」，將關閉位於巴黎北郊聖德尼區的工作坊。
Pleyel has manufactured nearly 250,000 pianos over two centuries. It recently focused on luxury and custom-made pianos in a bid to stay afloat. But production has steadily dwindled from nearly 140 instruments a month in 2000 to about two at present.
逾200年來普雷耶共生產了近25萬台鋼琴。該公司近來把焦點放在豪華及客製鋼琴市場，希望能夠維持營運。但產量卻從2000年時的每月近140台，一路縮減至目前的每月2台。
The pianos have hefty price tags, ranging from 42,000 euros to 200,000 euros. Pleyel is often referred to as the "Ferrari of pianos" in France.
這些鋼琴的價格高昂，從4萬2000歐元到20萬歐元不等。普雷耶在法國常被稱為「鋼琴中的法拉利」。
The Pleyel moniker features on several Paris sites including a famed concert hall near the Champs-Elysees, a metro station and a skyscraper at Saint-Denis.
普雷耶的名字也出現在巴黎的數個地點，包括鄰近香榭大道的一間著名演奏廳，一處地鐵車站，以及聖德尼區的一座摩天大樓。
新聞辭典
fall victim to：動詞片語，指受到（某事）嚴重影響或打擊，如She fell victim to the flu.（她得了感冒。）
afloat：形容詞，原指漂浮在水面上，引申為指有足夠的金錢繼續下去、免於負債的，如The inheritance kept them afloat for years.（這筆遺產讓他們多年衣食無虞。）
moniker：名詞，非正式用語，指名字、綽號，如He earned the moniker "Gator" from his days wrestling alligators in Florida.（他曾在佛州與鱷魚搏鬥，因而贏得了「鱷魚」這個綽號。）
本文引用至 自由時報電子報 http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/
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