MP3音檔 (按右鍵可下載聽):
http://static.iyuba.com/sounds/minutes/1043.mp3
中英文稿:
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Alice…
大家好,歡迎收聽六分鐘英語,我是愛麗絲。
… And I’m Rob.
我是羅伯。
So Rob, did you have a part time job while you were at university?
羅伯,你上大學時有沒有做過兼職呢?
Yes, I worked in the student bar.
有,我在一家學生酒吧工作。
Did you learn anything from the experience?
有從那段經歷中學到什麼嗎?
I learned how to pull a decent pint.
我學會如何打滿剛好一品脫的啤酒。
Did you learn anything else?
還學會其他東西了嗎?
Yes, I learned how to add up.
恩,學會如何合計帳目。
Didn’t they teach you that at school?
上學的時候沒有學過嗎?
I wasn’t good at doing sums in my head – you know – mental arithmetic. But I got pretty good at it as a barman. They didn’t have computerized cash registers in my day, you see.
我不擅長在腦中計算,也就是心算。但我做酒保時很擅長計算。那時還沒有電腦收銀機呢。
I didn’t realize you were that old, Rob! Anyway, the subject of today’s show is young business entrepreneurs. So, can you answer this question: How young were the founders of Facebook and Microsoft when they first set up their companies? Were they…a) junior high-school students b) high-school students Or c) university students?
我沒意識到你已經這麼老了!總之,今天節目的主題是年輕的企業家。所以,你可以回答下面這個問題嗎?臉書和微軟的創始人創辦自己第一家企業時有多年輕?a) 初中生 b) 高中生,還是 c) 大學生
And Alice in case you think I don’t know, Facebook is an online social networking service and Microsoft is a computer software company. OK?
你是不是認為我不知道,臉書是線上社交媒體,微軟是一家電腦公司?
Well done!
不錯!
Well I‘m going to say they were b) high-school students.
我要選b) 高中生。
We’ll find out if you chose the right answer later on in the programme. But let’s talk now about what drawbacks – or disadvantages – there are for young entrepreneurs. What do you think, Rob?
節目的最後我們再看你回答得是否正確。現在我們談談年輕企業家的缺點。你覺得是什麼呢?
Hmm. Well, I suppose one of the drawbacks of being young and your own boss is that everyone who works for you is older than you!
我認為年輕人做自己的老闆,其中一個缺點是,每個為你工作的人都比你年長。
Is that a drawback?
這是缺點嗎?
Well, let’s consider a real case. Young British entrepreneur Suleman Sacranie started his first company when he was 17, followed by another business shortly afterwards.Then whilst studying chemistry at university he started his third company,an online version of the pound shop – or dollar store in the US – where everything in the shop is priced at one pound.
我們來看一個真實案例。年輕的英國企業家Suleman Sacranie在他十七歲時創辦了自己的第一家公司,之後不久成立了第二家公司。之後在大學學習化學時,開辦了第三家公司,網上一磅店,類似於美國的一元店,即商店裡所有東西都標價一英鎊。
I’m actually quite fortunate now, compared to what I was six months agobecause now I’ve got two additional directors who have grey hair. It actually… commercial meetings are excellent now, you know.But before that I think I came across quite professional but you could still tell they were thinking in the back of their heads, ‘I’ve got a kid sitting in front of me.’
相比六個月之前的我,現在的我真的很幸運,因為現在我有兩個年長的主管。如今商業會議談的很成功。但是之前我認為我已經很專業了,但你還是能看出來他們內心深處在想,“我面前坐著的是個孩子。”
So young entrepreneur Suleman Sacranie has got two grey-haired directors working with him now.
所以現在年輕的企業家Suleman Sacranie有兩個年長的主管與他共事。
That’s right – but how does having grey-haired executives on board help, Rob?
沒錯,董事會中有年長的高管,到底有什麼幫助呢?
Well, ’executives’ are people who run a business and on board means being part of a team. Well, to answer your question, Alice, they bring experience to the table. I have a few grey hairs you know – you could learn a lot from me.
高管是指經營生意的人,董事會是指團隊中的一員。我來回答你的問題,他們可以提供經驗。我有很多白頭發,你從我這也能學到很多。
I do, Rob. Everyday. And if you bring something to the table it means you provide something useful. Well, what do you bring to the table, Rob?
確實。每天都在向你學習。bring something to the table是指提供有用的東西。你能提供什麼有用的東西呢?
Well, bad jokes, peanuts, crisps, cups of coffee, that sort of thing…
冷笑話、花生、薯片、咖啡、各種……
I was going to say a keen mind, in other words, a well-developed mind, and… great business acumen!
我想說的是你有敏捷的頭腦,換句話說發達的頭腦、絕佳的商業頭腦。
Come on, you weren’t going to say that!
得了吧,你才不是要說這個。
You’re right, I wasn’t. Acumen means good judgement. But don’t worry, you have an abundant enthusiasm that makes up for it. But moving on now, do you think that school prepared you well for working life?
你說得對,我不是說這個。Acumen是指正確的判斷。但是不要擔心,你有充足的熱情,可以彌補判斷上的不足。現在接著說,你認為學校中學到的東西是否足夠應用到工作中?
No, not really. I studied Latin at school, and I don’t use that much. And maths – well, I never use trigonometry or calculus. So I’m not sure how useful math’s lessons were…
不夠。我在學校學了拉丁文,但是我不經常使用。數學,好吧,我從來沒用過三角法或微積分。我不確定數學課到底有多有用。
Yes, and you only learned to add up in the university bar after all…
畢竟你在大學吧只學加法。
Yes, but I am very good at it! And the point is that I’ve got a fantastic job now. And if you’re really interested in something you can always acquire – or get – the skills you don’t have. Let’s listen to successful young entrepreneur Jessica Rose talking about her experience. She works with jewellery.
但是我很擅長!重要的是我現在已經有一份很棒的工作了。如果你對某事真的非常感興趣,你就能掌握你之前不會的技能。我們聽聽成功的年輕企業家Jessica Rose來講述她的經歷。她做珠寶相關的生意。
I didn’t need all these previous skills and experience to go out there and start on my own. When I first started I had no business training whatsoever, no jewellery training whatsoever, but I kind of woke up one day and thought I’d really love to be a jewellery designer. Which is kind of a tricky position to be in, because it’s you know, a lot of people would say and did say, well, you know, you’re mad.
我不需要利用所有之前具備的技能和經歷才去創辦公司。當我初創公司時,我什麼商業培訓都沒參加過,什麼珠寶培訓也不知道,我只是一天醒來,覺得自己真的很想成為珠寶設計師。看似有些兒戲,因為很多人都會說,你瘋了。
So Jessica Rose used her savings to learn jewellery making and then set up her own jewellery-making business.
所以Jessica Rose用她的存款學習了珠寶製造,然後創辦了自己的珠寶製造公司。
And despite setting out with no business experience and no jewellery training – her enthusiasm for the article paid off.
儘管起步時沒有任何商業經驗和珠寶培訓經歷,但她的熱情助她成功。
And that means it was successful.
Paid off 是指成功。
A bit like me…
有點像我。
Yes. OK, I think it’s time for the answer to today’s quiz question. I asked: How young were the founders of Facebook and Microsoft when first set up their companies? Were they… a) junior high-school students, b) high-school students or c) university students?
好了,是時候公佈今天問題的答案了。臉書和微軟的創始人創辦自己第一家企業時有多年輕?a) 初中生b) 高中生,還是c) 大學生?
I said b) high-school students.
我選的是b) 高中生。
And you were wrong, I’m afraid, Rob. Sorry.
恐怕你答錯了。
Again.
又答錯了。
Yes. Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates were both university students when they started their companies. Zuckerberg was studying at Harvard in the US when he launched Facebook in 2004. And Bill Gates took a break from Harvard to launch Microsoft in 1976, but never returned to his studies.
是的。Mark Zuckerberg 和Bill Gates創辦他們自己的公司時都是大學生。Mark Zuckerberg 2004年創辦臉書時,正在哈佛大學學習。Bill Gates從哈佛中途退學,于1976年建立微軟,但之後未返回學校讀書。
Both at Harvard – that’s a coincidence. I wonder if the bar there was any good…Now can we hear the words we learned today?
都在哈佛上學,多巧。我在想酒吧是不是也有好處。好了,現在我們再聽一遍今天學到的單詞吧?
Yes. OK. They are:
好的,今天提到的單詞有:
drawbacks 缺點
executives 高管
on board 董事會
bring something to the table 提供
keen 敏銳的
(business) acumen 商業頭腦
acquire 掌握
paid off 成功
Thanks, Alice. Well, that’s the end of today’s 6 Minute English. We hope you’ve enjoyed the new vocabulary we brought to the table.
謝謝愛麗絲。今天的六分鐘英語就到這裡。希望你喜歡我們帶來的新單詞。
Very good.
說得好。
Please join us again soon!
下期節目再會!
Bye.
再見!
➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟➟