一個人，好自在
In South Korea, honjok (which means “loner”) is a marketplace buzzword. Appearing on everything from instant noodles, to special seating in cinemas and even household appliances, the label has become a nonjudgmental term for any product or service that is meant to be enjoyed on your own.
在南韓，單身族群（honjok）是商業市場中的新寵，從特製泡麵、電影院的專屬座位，再到小型家電，讓以一人為生存單位的單身者，免於遭受歧視或是不便，得以抬頭挺胸並從容優雅地經營與打理生活，
loner(n.)獨自的人marketplace(n.)市場buzzword(n.)時髦用詞appear(v.)出現household(n.)家戶appliance(n.)家電用品label(n.)標籤nonjudgmental(adj.)不做評價的term(n.)術語、專門用詞
It’s a label that is disassociating solitude from loneliness, and showing people that they really can enjoy themselves as a party of one.
擺脫飄零孤單形象，一個人獨享專屬的幸福。
label(n.)標籤disassociate(v.)將⋯⋯分開考率solitude(n.)獨處loneliness(n.)孤獨
According to official statistics, in 2016 there were over 5 million one-person households in South Korea, accounting for 27.9 percent of the national total.
根據南韓人口統計數據顯示，2016年獨居的「一人家庭」超過五百萬戶，佔總家庭的27.9%，
statistic(n.)數據household(n.)家戶account for在數量上佔⋯⋯
That number is rising quickly, and sources predict that by 2045, 36 percent of households in South Korea will consist of only one person.
這條往上攀升的線，速度愈加催進，預期到了2045年，將有3成6的家庭都是獨居。
rise(v.)上升predict(v.)預測household(n.)家戶consist of由⋯⋯組成
Part of the reason behind this is that more and more people are choosing not to marry, not to have children, and instead spend their time and money on themselves. The only thing that matters to these happy-go-soloers is their independence.
背後原因出自有更多人選擇不結婚、不生小孩，將手中可自由調度的資源（金錢與時間）全然投注在自己身上，一個人就要自在捨得，成為這一群人的新興精神價值。
independence(n.)獨立
A similar trend is amongst Taiwan’s own aging population. According to reports, last year the country’s single population stood at 9.36 million. That’s 49.06 percent of the adult population or one single person for every two people, while single households make up 30 percent of the national total.
同樣面臨人口老化與少子化社會問題的台灣，根據媒體報導，去年單身人口已有936萬人，高達成年人口49.06%，等於每兩人就有一人單身，一人戶占家庭戶數的3成。
trend(n.)潮流aging(adj.)老化的population(n.)人口stand(v.)處於household(n.)家戶make up組成
From a commercial perspective, this is a great thing. In fact, a recent report by the Liberty Times estimates that Taiwan’s loner economy could be worth up to NT$540 billion.
看在商家眼中卻是商機無限，在近期的自由時報提到，這個數字可以換算成5400億的龐大商機，
commercial(adj.)商業的perspective(n.)觀點estimate(v.)估計economy(n.)經濟
This can be seen in the marketplace, where countless new products are being targeted at local loners with their size, quality, and convenience.
不遺餘力推銷眾多個人化商品，提升質感、迷你以及便利等特性，
countless(adj.)無數的target(v.)以⋯⋯為目標
Examples include personal blenders, individual rice cookers, and smaller package sizes in supermarkets – all created to target solo shoppers.
例如隨手杯果汁機、小尺寸電鍋或是小包裝食材，企圖攻佔單身族群單而不薄的荷包。
target(v.)以⋯⋯為目標solo(adj.)獨自的
However, this rise in loner living poses one glaringly obvious disadvantage: stagnation.
然而單身也揭示了一個明顯的害處：停滯。
rise(n.)興起pose(v.)造成glaringly(adv.)壞事漸趨明顯obvious(adj.)明顯的disadvantage(n.)缺點stagnation(n.)停滯
As Vice Chairman of Taiwan’s Financial Supervisory Commission Cheng Cheng-mao points out, a country’s GDP is usually tied to its population growth.
金管會副主委鄭貞茂提醒，GDP（國內生產毛額）的成長賴以人口支撐，
tie to受制population(n.)人口growth(n.)成長
Living single hurts population growth and by knock-on effect, destabilizes the economy. Honjok may be the buzzword, but as more people choose to be alone, Taiwan is veering towards a national crisis. It will be down to the government to steer us away from it.
單身意味沒有人口紅利，對於總體經濟不利，單身雖是趨勢，但此一現象也可看待為「國安危機」，值得政府審慎思考因應對策。
population(n.)人口growth(n.)成長knock-on effect連鎖反應destabilize(v.)使不穩定economy(n.)經濟buzzword(n.)時髦用詞veer(v.)轉變方向crisis(n.)災難steer(v.)帶領