纵观古今，有许多中外艺术家和作家在创作时穷困潦倒。有可能是困苦的生活环境给予了他们创作的灵感，但不可否认的是，生活的窘境让艺术家和作家们在创作时不能专注，这很可能延误或者扼杀珍贵作品的出现。据报道，爱沙尼亚政府将给十位作家和美术家发薪水来鼓励他们的创作。　

　　Ten writers and artists in Estonia are to be paid a salary by the state for the next three years to encourage their work, it's been reported.

　　据报道，未来三年，爱沙尼亚政府将给十位作家和美术家发薪水来鼓励他们的创作。

　　The ministry of culture in the Baltic state has announced that those selected will each receive a portion of the 160,000 euros which will be set aside each year from 2016, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reports. "The state's interest is straightforward: a poet or painter needs an opportunity to concentrate on his or her creative work," says ministry spokesperson Meelis Kompus. "Without enough support and people working on several fronts to make ends meet, precious creations may never see the light of day or be delayed."

　　据爱沙尼亚公共广播ERR报道，爱沙尼亚文化部宣布，从 2016年开始，这个波罗的海国家的政府每年将拨出16万欧元，那些入选的作家和美术家每个人都将获得这笔资金的一部分。文化部发言人梅利斯·康普斯(Meelis Kompus)表示：“政府的意图很明确：诗人或画家需要把注意力集中在创作作品上，如果没有足够的资金支持，他们可能需要做几份工作来维持生计，这很可能延误或者扼杀珍贵的作品出现。”

　　To apply, writers and artists have to submit a portfolio of their work, a personal statement, and they must outline their creative goals for the next few years.

　　想要申请这项资金支持，作家和美术家需要提交他们的作品选辑和一份个人陈述，他们还必须概述自己未来几年的创作目标。

　　State salaries for the arts are rare, and the most that artists can usually hope for is a grant or bursary which gives financial security for a short period. In Ireland, for example, the Arts Council offers up to 15,000 euros as a single-year literary bursary.

　　国家为艺术活动发薪水是很少见的，通常来说，艺术家们能指望的最佳情况就是有补助金或奖学金可以用来维持短期生计。比如在爱尔兰，艺术委员会(Arts Council)每年提供多达1.5万欧元的文学奖学金。

　　That's something Estonia is trying to change, with Culture Minister Indrek Saar saying that the proposed salary offers security that one-off arts grants do not usually provide. Competition for the 10 salaried posts is expected to be "fierce", according to director of Tallinn Art Hall Taaniel Raudsepp. "Our aim is to find people who are at the peak of their creative powers," he says.

　　而爱沙尼亚正试图改变这一现状。文化部长因德雷克·萨尔(Indrek Saar)说，一次性的艺术补助金通常无法提供的保障，爱沙尼亚提出的薪资建议可以提供。塔林艺术宫(Tallinn Art Hall)主任塔尼尔·罗赛浦(Taaniel Raudsepp)说，预计10个支薪职位的竞争将十分“激烈”。他表示：“我们的目标是要找到那些艺术创造力处在巅峰的人”。

　　Vocabulary

　　Baltic：波罗的海的

　　set aside：抽出，留出

　　portfolio：(艺术家等的)作品选辑

　　bursary：(大学)奖学金

　　one-off：一次性的

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