Despite the global economic downturn, the number of Chinese students attending US colleges has surged 30 percent. With nearly 128,000 Chinese students receiving higher education in the US during the 2009-10 academic year, China overtook India as the No.1 source of foreign students in the US.
尽管全球经济不景气，但是中国学生到美国高校进行学习的人数却激增了30%。在2009-2010学年中，在美国接受高等教育的中国学生近12万8千人，中国赶超印度，成为美国国外留学生的第一大来源国。

Many top students from Chinese universities regard US graduate schools as the best choice in a globally competitive world. More Chinese students are giving up domestic education at an even earlier age.
中国高校很多优秀学生认为全球竞争环境下美国研究生院是最好的选择。更多中国学生在年龄很小的时候就放弃国内教育，转而留学。

One can argue that some of these students blindly follow the trend of studying abroad. However, the fact is that more people lack confidence in China's domestic education system.
有人说很多中国学生盲目跟随这股"留学风"。但是，事实是很多人已经对中国国内教育体制大失所望了.

China's brightest youth are voting with their feet as they desperately apply for scholarships at US colleges or deliver their parents' lifetime savings as financial aid to these institutions. Despite voices calling for more rationality, many believe an educational opportunity abroad is worthy of the astronomical costs.
中国聪明的年轻人愤然决定离开，他们决然地申请美国高校奖学金，或者将他们的父母毕生的存款用来支付国外就读费用。尽管有声音呼吁人们要理性看待出国留学，但是很多人认为出国留学值得花费天价。

The brain-drain effect of studying abroad has started to burgeon due to flaws in the domestic academic environment. Ideally, those who get "gilt" experiences abroad can return home, helping purify the domestic academic atmosphere and enhance research levels. However, in reality, haigui (sea turtles, a nickname for overseas returnees) face various challenges, especially in academic circles.
由于国内学术环境恶劣，出国留学造成人才外流的现象已经初显萌芽。在理想的情况下，这些出国留学并获得"镀金"留学经验的人才学成归国，帮助净化国内学术环境，提高研究水平。然而，实际情况却是，"海归"(海龟，海外留学生的昵称)面临的是诸多挑战，尤其是在学术界。

In colleges and institutes, haigui and tubie (local turtles, a nickname for Chinese-fostered scholars) are becoming polar opposites. Some of these returning students are having such a hard time integrating back into the Chinese system that many are returning to the countries they were educated in or finding work in foreign enterprises.
在高校和研究机构，"海归"和"土鳖"(本地龟，在中国就读的中国学生的昵称)面临两种截然相反的境遇。很多归国留学生很难融进中国体制，所以他们中很多人选择回到曾经就读的国家工作，或者进外企工作。

If the brain drain becomes an irreversible trend, a vicious circle will take shape in Chinese academia. China will continuously send many of its brightest students abroad and many of those top talents will fail to come back. If the trend continues then China's research institutes will be full of mediocre minds and the consequences to China will be disastrous.
如果人才流失成为一种不可逆转的趋势，那么，中国学术界将会形成恶性循环。中国会继续输送最聪明的学生出国留学，而他们毕业后却不回国。如果这种趋势继续下去，中国研究机构将都是平庸的学生，中国也会面临灾难性的后果。