金融英語閱讀：貨幣形式

Fiat money has not only no particular value in use, it doesn't even really have a value in exchange except that which is decreed that it would have.

名義貨幣不僅僅沒有什么特別的價值，而且在商品的交換中它本身根本沒有價值。它擁有的只是法律所賦予它的價值。

So fiat money is money which is intrinsically worthless. And its value exists by virtue of the fact that it is generally acceptable. And fiat money, needless to say, is one of the most mysterious inventions of the human mind, and no economist has managed to explain exactly why it is that people will generally accept something as valuable when it clearly has no value other than that which it is decreed to have.

因此，名義貨幣從它的本質(zhì)來說實際上一錢不值。它的價值只在于它能夠獲得普遍的接受。毫無疑問，名義貨幣是人類最神奇的發(fā)明之一。任何經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家都還無法確切解釋，為什么人們能夠把一種除了法定的價值外顯然沒有任何價值的東西作為寶貴的東西來普遍接受。

A credit instrument is an obligation. And it's used as money because it has value. And the value that it has, of course, is a value which is based upon its credit-worthiness, in other words, how much credit or how much credence people give to the promise which is actually written down. What I'm receiving or using as an instrument for money purposes is somebody else's obligation. Their preparedness to do something for me which might be to give me fiat money. That could be the promise which is incorporated in the cheque or the bill of exchange.

信用手段是一種契約。它可以被當(dāng)作貨幣使用是因為它也有價值。當(dāng)然，它的價值是建立在它的信用聲譽(yù)之上的。換句話說，也就是要看人們能夠給予這些寫成文字的保證多大程度的信任。我作為貨幣收取的票據(jù)文件是對方的一種債務(wù)契約，是保證他們準(zhǔn)備為我做一些事，比如要支付給我法定貨幣。這種保證可能會以支票或匯票的方式來體現(xiàn)。

Notes：

1.fiat money 名義貨幣，法定貨幣

2.credit money 信用貨幣

3.credit instrument 信用手段，信用安排

4.credit - worthiness 信貸價值，信用聲譽(yù)

5.簡單概括來說，名義貨幣實際上是把貨幣形態(tài)象征化，也就是貨幣的實體與額面價值分離，貨幣代表的價值大于貨幣本身材料的價值。

這也就是為什么每當(dāng)出現(xiàn)了金融動蕩的時候，人們就會紛紛把手里的鈔票兌換成老式的、本身擁有價值的貨幣，比如金銀等貴重金屬。

6.名義貨幣，也叫法定貨幣，英文是 Fiat money.

7.現(xiàn)代社會中還有另外一種形態(tài)的貨幣，叫做 Credit money，信用貨幣。隨著商品流通的發(fā)達(dá)，貨幣與商品交易有了時間的間隔，出現(xiàn)了所謂的延期交易，因而也就有了債權(quán)債務(wù)契約，也就是買賣當(dāng)事人之間或借貸雙方的信用關(guān)系。盡管信用貨幣這一形態(tài)早已在人類歷史上出現(xiàn)，但只是在不久以前它才得到廣泛的使用。

信用貨幣也就是信用手段- credit instrument，或者說是一種當(dāng)事人雙方或多方都接受的信用安排。它包括用以取得信貸的文件、合同或支票、期票、借據(jù)等等。