The term zombie debtor¹ refers to someone who is unable to pay off the capital of the loan, and whose repayments² only service the interest charge.

 

“僵尸债务人”是指无法偿还贷款本金，只能偿还利息费用的人。

 

In Britain, it is feared that 3.5m people will turn to payday lenders in the next six months but research shows that nearly two-thirds will regret the decision. Many will be unable to pay off the loan and risk becoming “zombie debtors“.

 

在未来的六个月内，英国350万人将会申请发薪日贷款，然而研究显示，三分之二申请贷款者会为这一决定后悔。许多人将无法付清贷款，有可能会沦为“僵尸贷款人”。

 

A payday loan is a small, short-term loan that is intended to cover a borrower's expenses until his or her next payday. It is usually accompanied with excessive rates of interest. It is estimated that payday loans cost Americans $4.2 billion a year in interest and fees. The experts commented: “Payday loans are not the best way to resolve debt struggles. We know that many who take them out find them to be a negative experience, often escalating³ financial troubles.”

 

所谓发薪日贷款，指的是在下一个发薪日前支付借款人开销的短期贷款，通常伴随着高利息率。据估计，美国人每年要花费42亿美元用于支付发薪日贷款的利息和手续费。专家指出，“发薪日贷款并不是解决债务困境的最佳途径。据我们所知，很多人申请了发薪日贷款后发现这是一种令人不快的经历，它通常会加剧经济困难。”

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