原文
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Among the annoying challenges facing the middle class is one that will probably go unmentioned in the next presidential campaign: What happens when the robots come for their jobs?
Don't dismiss that possibility entirely. About half of U.S. jobs are at high risk of being automated, according to a University of Oxford study, with the middle class disproportionately squeezed. Lower-income jobs like gardening or day care don't appeal to robots. But many middle-class occupations-trucking, financial advice, software engineering—have aroused their interest, or soon will. The rich own the robots, so they will be fine.
This isn't to be alarmist. Optimists point out that technological upheaval has benefited workers in the past. The Industrial Revolution didn't go so well for Luddites whose jobs were displaced by mechanized looms, but it eventually raised living standards and created more jobs than it destroyed. Likewise, automation should eventually boost productivity, stimulate demand by driving down prices, and free workers from hard, boring work. But in the medium term, middle-class workers may need a lot of help adjusting.
The first step, as Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee argue in The Second Machine Age, should be rethinking education and job training. Curriculums—from grammar school to college—should evolve to focus less on memorizing facts and more on creativity and complex communication. Vocational schools should do a better job of fostering problem-solving skills and helping students work alongside robots. Online education can supplement the traditional kind. It could make extra training and instruction affordable. Professionals trying to acquire new skills will be able to do so without going into debt.
The challenge of coping with automation underlines the need for the U.S. to revive its fading business dynamism: Starting new companies must be made easier. In previous eras of drastic technological change, entrepreneurs smoothed the transition by dreaming up ways to combine labor and machines. The best uses of 3D printers and virtual reality haven't been invented yet. The U.S. needs the new companies that will invent them.
Finally, because automation threatens to widen the gap between capital income and labor income, taxes and the safety net will have to be rethought. Taxes on low-wage labor need to be cut, and wage subsidies such as the earned income tax credit should be expanded: This would boost incomes, encourage work, reward companies for job creation, and reduce inequality.
Technology will improve society in ways big and small over the next few years, yet this will be little comfort to those who find their lives and careers upended by automation. Destroying the machines that are coming for our jobs would be nuts. But policies to help workers adapt will be indispensable.
分析
Among the annoying challenges facing the middle class is one that will probably go unmentioned in the next presidential campaign: What happens when the robots come for their jobs?
在有爭議的中產階級的挑戰之一，可能在下一次的總統選舉中不被提及：如果機器人取代它們的工作會發生什么
Don't dismiss that possibility entirely.
不要完全忽略這個東西的可能性
About half of U.S. jobs are at high risk of being automated, according to a University of Oxford study, with the middle class disproportionately squeezed.
在美國，大約有一半的工作都有很高的可能性被自動化，根據牛津大學的一個研究，伴隨着中產階級不成比例地被擠壓
Lower-income jobs like gardening or day care don't appeal to robots.
像園林或者家政這樣的低收入的工作看起來不會被機器人期待
But many middle-class occupations-trucking, financial advice, software engineering—have aroused their interest, or soon will.
但是許多像中產階級的卡車運輸，財務建議，軟件工程，已經，或在不久的將來引起了它們的興趣
The rich own the robots, so they will be fine.
富商擁有這些機器人，所以他們無所謂
This isn't to be alarmist.
這不是危言聳聽
Optimists point out that technological upheaval has benefited workers in the past.
樂觀派指出在過去科技上的巨變使得工人受益匪淺
The Industrial Revolution didn't go so well for Luddites whose jobs were displaced by mechanized looms, but it eventually raised living standards and created more jobs than it destroyed.
對路德派來說，那些工作被機械放置所替代的人，工業革命路子走得並不順利，但它最終提高了生活品質並創造了比消失的工作數量更多的工作
Likewise, automation should eventually boost productivity, stimulate demand by driving down prices, and free workers from hard, boring work.
同樣地，自動化最終會提高生產效率，通過壓低價格刺激需求，從困難、枯燥地工作中解放工人
But in the medium term, middle-class workers may need a lot of help adjusting.
但是在中期，中間階級地工人可能需要大量地調整
The first step, as Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee argue in The Second Machine Age, should be rethinking education and job training.
第一步，正如Erik Brynjolfsson 和 Andrew McAfee 在第二次機器時代討論的一樣，應該重新思考教育和工作培訓
Curriculums—from grammar school to college—should evolve to focus less on memorizing facts and more on creativity and complex communication.
從語法學校到大學的課程，應該逐步減少對事實記憶的側重，更多地關注放在創造力和復雜綜合的溝通上面。
Vocational schools should do a better job of fostering problem-solving skills and helping students work alongside robots.
職業學校做好培養促進解決問題的技能的工作，並幫助學生和機器人一同工作
Online education can supplement the traditional kind. It could make extra training and instruction affordable. Professionals trying to acquire new skills will be able to do so without going into debt.
網上教育能夠彌補傳統種類。它能使人們負擔得起額外的培訓和教學。想要獲得新技能的專業人士將能夠在不欠債的情況下做到這一點
The challenge of coping with automation underlines the need for the U.S. to revive its fading business dynamism: Starting new companies must be made easier.
應對處理自動化的挑戰凸顯了美國對恢復逐漸消失的商業活力的需求：開新的公司一定更簡單
In previous eras of drastic technological change, entrepreneurs smoothed the transition by dreaming up ways to combine labor and machines.
在上一個世紀，劇烈的技術變革，企業家想方設法通過結合勞動者和機器，來平穩過渡
The best uses of 3D printers and virtual reality haven't been invented yet. The U.S. needs the new companies that will invent them.
3D打印機和虛擬現實的最佳用途還沒有被發明出來。美國需要新的公司去做這個事情
Finally, because automation threatens to widen the gap between capital income and labor income, taxes and the safety net will have to be rethought.
最后，由於自動化威脅並擴大了資本收入和勞動收入的差距，需要重新考慮稅收和安全結點
Taxes on low-wage labor need to be cut, and wage subsidies such as the earned income tax credit should be expanded: This would boost incomes, encourage work, reward companies for job creation, and reduce inequality.
需要減少低工資的勞動者的繳稅量，擴大所得稅抵免等工資補貼：這么做可以增加收入，鼓勵工作，獎勵提供工作崗位的公司，並減少不公平
Technology will improve society in ways big and small over the next few years, yet this will be little comfort to those who find their lives and careers upended by automation.
在下去幾年科技會從不同程度和多種方式上提高社會水平，當然了，對那些被自動化顛覆了生活和事業的人來說是非常不爽的
Destroying the machines that are coming for our jobs would be nuts. But policies to help workers adapt will be indispensable.
破壞將要替代我們工作的機器是很瘋狂的。但是幫助工人們適應環境變化的政策是不可或缺的