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I'm a college professor, but I still believe that the harsh realities of credential inflation should make us radically rethink the social value of college.
我虽是大学教授，但仍认为文凭膨胀的严酷现实应该使我们从根本上重新思考大学的社会价值。
If students'main goal is not to learn useful skills but to outshine their peers, taxpayers are fueling a zero-sum struggle.
如果学生的主要目标不是学习有用的知识，而是超过同龄人，那么纳税人就是在助长一场零和博弈。
My recent book crunches the numbers and concludes that our society would be richer if half our high school grads skipped college and joined the job market.
我最近的一本书通过分析数据得出结论：如果半数高中生都跳过大学直接进入劳动市场，那么社会将会变得更加富有。
And, frankly, there's no point in making college more affordable for students who don't belong there in the first place.
而且，坦白来讲，让原本不属于大学的学生负担得起大学学费徒劳无功。
When the college degree was rare, there was little stigma against those who lacked it.
大学学位稀缺时，没有大学学位也不会感觉低人一等。
Our dream should not be a world where everyone goes to college but a world where you can get a good job straight out of high school.
我们的梦想不应是每个人都上大学，而是一个高中毕业就能找到好工作的世界。
Perhaps I go too far.
或许我说的有点过。
Some "weaker students" don't have the socioeconomic and academic advantages of those born into wealthy families.
一些“弱势学生”没有那些生在富裕家庭的社会以及学术优势。
But student loans are still underrated.
但学生贷款仍然被低估了。
Even no-interest loans leave students with some skin in the game.
即使是无息贷款也会让学生们受到一定影响。
If their educational investment flops, they still have to repay the principal.
如果学生教育投资失败，仍需偿还本金。
Proposals to make college cheaper, or even free—as Senator Bernie Sanders urged in the last presidential campaign—delete that vital reality check.
降低大学学费，甚至免费的提议（伯尼·桑德斯在上一次总统竞选中提出）忽视了重要的现实状况。
Without tuition, the most fanciful academic experiments seem tempting.
没有学费，哪怕是去做了最不切实际的学术实验似乎也很诱人。
Who knows, medieval studies could be the next big thing!
中世纪研究可能是下一个大事件，谁知道呢！
Student loan programs should be reformed.
学生贷款项目应该改革。
But wise reforms bolster borrowers'incentive to choose a productive path.
但明智的改革应推动借款人选择一条更有可能成功的路。
Charging equal interest rates regardless of odds of success or intended major is a recipe for fruitless credential inflation.
不管成功的几率有多大，也不管拟修读专业是什么，收取同等利率会导致徒劳无功的学历膨胀。
The prudent course, which is standard procedure in the private sector, is to base interest rates on expected risk and reward.
正确的做法，即私营部门的标准程序，是基于预期风险和回报制定利率。
While there's always a chance you're a late bloomer, weaker students should know the odds are against them.
尽管存在大器晚成的几率，但是弱势学生可能心里也清楚胜算不大。
Students in low-earning majors should understand the difference between a hobby and a career path.
低收入专业的学生应该明白爱好和职业道路之间的区别。
And if you're worried about class divisions and economic inequality, wouldn't both be milder if we got credential inflation under control?
如果你也担心阶级分化和经济不平等，那么控制住学历膨胀，难道不会缓和一些吗？
For all their faults, student loan programs do warn students to look before they leap.
学生贷款项目尽管存在种种缺陷，但确实也在提醒学生三思而后行。
The pragmatic way forward is to raise interest rates for high-risk students to make these warnings loud and clear.
务实的做法是增加高风险学生的贷款利率，长鸣警钟。
Bryan Caplan is a professor of economics at George Mason University and author of The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money.
注：布莱恩·卡普兰是乔治梅森大学的经济学教授，著有《反对教育的理由：为什么教育系统浪费时间和金钱？》一书。
译文由可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载。
