当地时间9月26日，德国联邦议院选举正式拉开帷幕，这标志着默克尔执政生涯的结束。德国联邦选举委员会27日凌晨公布的联邦议院（议会下院）选举初步计票结果显示，社会民主党（社民党）以微弱优势领先，现任总理默克尔所在的联盟党（由基民盟和基社盟组成）排名第二。1、marred by gaffes 被失误所影响、破坏Germany's conservative chancellor candidate Armin Laschet was ridiculed on social media for a misstep on election day on Sunday, capping a campaign marred by embarrassing gaffes that hurt his popularity.德国保守派总理候选人阿明·拉舍特因周日选举当天出现的闪失而在社交媒体上受到嘲笑。他的人气因言行失当而受损。并以一次失误为竞选活动划上了句号。 （英文摘自2021.09.26 Reuters网站）Laschet, who is hoping to replace outgoing chancellor, Angela Merkel, committed several gaffes during his campaign. 希望接替即将卸任的总理安格拉·默克尔的拉舍特在竞选期间出现了多次失误。（英文摘自2021.09.26 Deutsche Welle网站）2、burnish one’s credentials 提升、美化某人形象Weeks before Germany goes to the polls, Armin Laschet sought to burnish his credentials with tech-savvy voters by meeting Elon Musk at a new factory rising from a sandy plot near Berlin.在德国参加投票的几周前，阿明·拉舍特试图在柏林附近一家在沙地中兴建的新工厂与伊隆·马斯克会面，以试图提升自己在一些“技术达人”的选民心中的形象。（英文摘自2021.08.13 Bloomberg网站）Ahead of the vote, polls suggested a narrowing race between the country’s two waning political heavyweights — the center-left Social Democratic Party and the center-right Christian Democratic Union of long-ruling (and outgoing) Chancellor Angela Merkel — as they sought to also stave off the challenge of other parties, including the Greens and the laissez-faire Free Democrats.投票前，民意调查显示，该国两个日渐式微的政治重镇——中左翼的社会民主党和长期执政（和即将离任）的总理默克尔所在的中右翼基督教民主联盟——之间的竞争差距正在缩小，因为他们还试图抵御其他政党的挑战，包括绿党和自由放任的自由民主党。（英文摘自2021.09.27 The Washington Post网站）Loud applause and cheering from jubilant party supporters interrupted him as he spoke. Robin Fugmann, 20, an ardent Scholz supporter, told CNN he was delighted by the results.欢欣鼓舞的党派支持者发出的响亮的掌声和欢呼声打断了他的演讲。20岁的罗宾-福格曼是肖尔茨的热心支持者，他告诉CNN，他对这个结果感到很高兴。Social democracy is back, according to jubilant SPD officials. And after Germany’s oldest political party edged the narrowest of wins against its conservative CDU/CSU rival, it may be tempting to believe Europe’s centre left is stirring.社民党官员欢欣鼓舞的表示，社会民主已经回来了。在德国这个最古老的政党以最微弱的优势战胜其保守的基民盟/基社盟对手后，人们可能会认为欧洲的中左翼正在蠢蠢欲动。（英文摘自2021.09.28 The Guardian网站）5、Jamaica coalition牙买加联盟（德国政治术语）Of course, the CDU/CSU will try everything in their power to form a new government — a so-called Jamaica coalition of black, green and yellow (the name is based on the Caribbean country's flag) of the CDU/CSU with the Greens and the FDP.当然，基民盟/基社盟将竭尽全力组建新政府——由基民盟/基社盟与绿党和联邦民主党组成的所谓的黑、绿、黄牙买加联盟（该名称是根据加勒比国家的国旗命名的）。（英文摘自2021.09.26 Deutsche Welle网站）In 2017, when liberal leader Christian Lindner unexpectedly pulled out of talks on forming a Jamaica coalition, it was Steinmeier who prevailed on his own party, the extremely reluctant SPD, to step into the breach.2017年，当自由派领导人克里斯蒂安·林德纳出人意料地退出组建牙买加联盟的谈判时，是施泰因迈尔说服了他自己的政党——极不情愿的社会社民党——介入其中。（英文摘自2021.09.02 Reuters网站）中国论坛『热词解码』栏目，旨在通过中英双语解读热门词汇，帮助大家进一步了解国际热议话题及地道的英语表达方式
