A Seattle startup is in the news for investing in divorce – its business model is based on the fact that nearly 40 to 50 percent of married couples in the US end up parting ways. SwanLuv offers to pay couples for their dream wedding, but the money will have to be returned with interest if they ever get divorced.
西雅圖一家創業公司因為投資離婚而上了新聞。該公司的商業模式是基于美國有近40%-50%的婚姻以離婚告終這一事實。SwanLuv公司為新婚夫婦提供資金籌備夢幻婚禮，但一旦他們離婚，公司會連本帶利地收回其資金。

So if you’re about to get married and you apply to Swanluv, they’ll run your profile through an algorithm, study your relationship, and select you if you meet their criteria. Then, they’ll offer you a loan of up to $10,000. You don’t have to return the money, ever, as long as you stay together. But the moment you decide to get a divorce you’ve got to cough up the original amount, plus interest. And stronger relationships are assigned higher interest rates, so the longer couples stay together, the more they’ll stand to lose if they split.
如果你們是即將步入婚姻殿堂的情侶，就可以向SwanLuv公司提出申請。該公司會通過計算機演算程序分析你們的個人資料，并研究你們的關系。若是能達到其標準，你們就成功入選了，然后會得到該公司提供的高達一萬美元的貸款。只要你們的婚姻不破裂，就無需償還。但如果你們決定離婚了，你們面臨的不止是償還本金，還要加付利息。夫妻關系越穩固，利率就越高。也就是說，夫妻關系維系的時間越長，離婚給他們帶來的損失也會越大。

When you think about it, that’s kind of like the opposite of how insurance works. You’re supposed to get paid when things go wrong, but with SwanLuv, it’s the other way round.
當你考慮到這一點，你會發現，這種商業模式和買保險是截然相反的。如果你買了保險，事情出現差池，你應該得到一筆錢。但SwanLuv公司的模式正好與之相反。

CEO and co-founder Scott Avy says SwanLuv is like a casino for marriages, but the company doesn’t really stand to lose because the odds are 50 percent in their favor. He does want all marriages to succeed, but the statistics clearly show that not all of them will. And that’s what the company is heavily banking on. “It comes back to statistics,” Avy said. “We’ll have the right odds so we’ll be OK. But they won’t be so crazy that no one wants to do it.”
SwanLuv公司總裁斯科特·阿維認為，他們公司就好比一個婚姻賭場，輸贏幾率均等，他們也不會一直賠錢。他個人希望每樁婚姻都能美滿，但數據清楚地顯示，結果并不會總是如人所愿。該公司對這一點深信不疑。阿維說道：“用數據來說話，我們是有勝券在握的，我想我們的模式不會有問題的。但這并不是說情侶們沒有機會贏，那樣的話他們就不會參加了。”

Avy insists that couples can actually stand to gain from the scheme, if they’re confident their relationship will last. It gives them a chance to gamble on themselves, and it also raises an important question: “Should we be getting married if we’re not willing to sign up?”
阿維始終認為，實際上，如果情侶們真對維持他們的關系有足夠的信心，他們就能從這個項目中獲利。這讓他們有機會將賭注押在自己身上。同時也向他們提出了一個重要的問題：“如果我們連報名都不愿意，那我們應該結婚嗎？”

“It really depends on where you are in your relationship,” Avy said. “I’m betting on my relationship I’ve established with my soulmate. It’s going to be a no-brainer for the ones it makes sense for.”
“這完全取決于你們之間的關系處于哪個階段，”阿維說：“我就把賭注下在了我和愛人經營多年的婚姻關系上。對于那些認為婚姻是有意義的人來說，將它維持下去也是輕而易舉的。”

There will be clauses in the contract that protect one or both partners. So if a marriage ends in abuse, only one person is responsible for paying off the debt. And to help couples beat the odds, SwanLuv offers free marriage counselling when things get rocky.
合同中將包含各項用以保護夫妻一方或雙方的條款。如此一來，如果婚姻是因家庭暴力而告終的，那么，只有一人需獨自承擔債務。當婚姻狀況出現危機的時候，SwanLuv公司會提供免費的婚姻輔導服務，希望幫助情侶成功拿到貸款。

It certainly is an unusual and a rather controversial business model, but according to Avy the math makes sense. He claims that he’s already talking to angel investors, but it’s unclear whether the company has managed to raise funds or not. If the idea does take off, there’s bound to be criticism over the fact that SwanLuv essentially gambles on people’s lives and happiness. But the company’s website insists that they do not actually profit from divorces.
毫無疑問，這是一種與眾不同的商業模式，同時也飽受爭議。但是，阿維認為數學思維是有道理的。他聲稱自己已經與天使投資者進行了商洽，但該公司是否成功籌集到了資金還暫不明確。如果這個想法真的成功實現了，必然會有人出來聲討SwanLuv公司實際上是將人們生活和幸福視為了賭注。但該公司網站堅稱自己并未從離婚中獲益。

“100% of the money collected from members who are later divorced is used to provide funds for future couples’ dream weddings,” it states. “SwanLuv keeps the dream alive.”
“那些以離婚告終的參與者需貸款連本帶利償還給我們，我們將這些錢全部投資到今后準備結婚的情侶中，為他們籌備夢幻婚禮，”它稱：“SwanLuv會讓夢想閃耀。”

Avy says most people have reacted positively to the concept. “They’re signing up for it,” he said. “We’re not forcing them. It’s all by choice.” He is accepting applications from couples and hopes to start making payments by Valentine’s Day next year. Would you be willing to bet on your relationship?
阿維說這個模式得到了大多數人的支持。“他們踴躍報名參加，”他說：“我們并沒有強迫他們這樣做。全憑個人意愿。”他接連不斷地受到情侶們提交的申請，并希望在來年情人節前開始出資籌備婚禮。你是否愿意用你的婚姻關系打個賭呢？

Vocabulary

cough up: 被迫付出
bank on: 指望；依賴
no-brainer: 無需用腦的事；容易的事

英文來源：odditycentral
譯者：孫慧
審校&編輯：丹妮