电视真人秀的公益

     One of my business partners has a dilemma: should he agree to our company appearing on a reality television show? 
        我的一位生意伙伴面临着一道难题：他是否应该同意让我们的公司出现在电视真人秀上？ 
        I did it twice, more than 10 years ago. The first time was fine, although the programme disappeared without trace. The second occasion was rather – ahem – less successful and afterwards I deeply regretted my moment of TV vanity. 
        十余年前，我参加过两次真人秀节目。第一次还不错，尽管那档节目后来就消失得无影无踪了。第二次，呃，就没有那么成功了，而且我之后对这种上电视的虚荣心感到十分后悔。 
        So my initial advice was: “Don’t give in to your ego – tell the producers to forget it.” 
        因此，我最初给出的建议是：“不要屈从于你的虚荣心——告诉制片人，忘了这事吧。” 
        But the power of TV to influence is undeniable – and the temptation to promote one’s brand can be overwhelming. Whether the audience is watching via a TV set, laptop or mobile, the impact of a primetime slot remains – for good and ill. 
        然而，电视的影响力无可否认，借之宣传自身品牌的诱惑也极其强烈。无论观众是通过电视机、笔记本电脑或是移动设备收看电视节目，黄金时段的影响力依然存在，不管这种影响是积极还是消极的。 
        And in recent years, entrepreneurs have appeared much more often on the major channels, even inspiring a new book, The Television Entrepreneurs, by the academics Raymond Boyle and Lisa Kelly. 
        最近几年，企业家在主流电视频道上的露面次数大大增加，学者雷蒙德•博伊尔(Raymond Boyle)和莉萨•凯利(Lisa Kelly)甚至就这一现象专门撰写了一本名为《电视上的企业家》(The Television Entrepreneurs)的新书。 
        The format that achieves highest ratings is the reality/entertainment broadcast. These programmes are widespread because they are popular, and cheap and quick to make. When I was chairman of Channel 4 we pioneered a number of these features, and for a time they were a crucial part of our schedule. 
        收视率最高的当属集真人秀和娱乐性于一体的节目。这些节目之所以大量涌现，原因就在于它们广受欢迎，而且制作成本低、制作周期短。在我担任第四频道(Channel 4)董事长期间，我们率先推出了大量这类节目，有一段时间，它们在我们的节目表中占据了相当重要的位置。 
        One variation is the show where the entrepreneur is a presenter or troubleshooter – classics being Mary Queen of Shops, Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares or Property Ladder. 
        在这类节目中，有一种是邀请企业家以主持人或调解人的身份参与节目，代表节目包括《玛丽•波塔斯商店女皇》(Mary Queen of Shops)、《拉姆齐厨房噩梦》(Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares)以及《房产阶梯》(Property Ladder)。 
        Then there are shows in which the protagonist/entrepreneur acts as a judge or an investor – the two giants of the business reality genre, The Apprentice and Dragons’ Den, both fall into this category. 
        在另一类节目中，企业家则作为主要人物，充当评审或是投资者角色，拥有超高人气的两档商业类真人秀节目《学徒》(The Apprentice)和《龙穴》(Dragons' Den)均属此类。 
        A third category includes shows where the entrepreneurs disguise themselves to discover the truth anonymously – Undercover Boss and The Secret Millionaire are typical examples. 
        还有第三种，企业家以隐姓埋名的方式发现真相，典型代表有《卧底老板》(Undercover Boss)和《神秘的百万富翁》(The Secret Millionaire)。 
        American Chopper represents another theme – the family-run, custom motorcycle manufacturer is portrayed as a real-life soap opera, including on-air lawsuits. 
        《美国机车》(American Chopper)则代表了另外一类——一家制造定制摩托车的家族企业被打造成一出现实版的肥皂剧，包括对法律诉讼进行现场直播。 
        To an extent, all such productions, even though they are unscripted, will stage material in order to dramatise it. Such contrivances are probably necessary in order to achieve high ratings and get commissioned by the networks. Mass audiences have a limited interest in entrepreneurship in itself – human issues such as conflict, humour and redemption are naturally more appealing. 
        从某种程度上说，所有这类节目，尽管事先没有剧本，但为了烘托效果，还是会安排一些噱头。这些设计或许是提高收视率、得到网络传播所必须具备的因素。多数观众对企业家精神本身并没有太大兴趣，冲突、幽默和救赎等涉及人性的问题自然更具吸引力。 
        But if it takes the The Apprentice and Dragons’ Den to provide role models for tomorrow’s managers, investors and inventors, then they provide a service to the economy of sorts. 
        然而，如果《学徒》和《龙穴》能够为未来的经理人、投资者和创新者提供某种榜样，那么它们也算是对经济有所助益了。 
        Less mainstream, but more realistic and informative, are genuine documentaries – an excellent example of which is The Man Who Wanted to Furnish the World, about Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of Ikea. What makes this film remarkable is how revealing it is about such a secretive man, a retail titan who changed the way we buy furniture. Many know that Mr Kamprad is one of the richest men on the planet – but what he also admits is how he has suffered from low self-esteem, alcohol problems and a difficult family life. 
        另一种不那么主流、但却更加写实也更具启迪性的节目是真正的纪录片。这类节目的优秀代表要数《那个想要为全世界布置家具的人》(The Man Who Wanted to Furnish the World)。它讲述了关于宜家(Ikea)创始人英瓦尔•坎普拉德(Ingvar Kamprad)的故事。这部影片之所以不同寻常，就在于它揭秘了一个如此神秘的人，正是这个零售业巨头改变了我们购买家具的方式。很多人都知道坎普拉德是世界上最富有的人之一——可他也承认，自卑心理、酒精以及不和睦的家庭生活是如何折磨着自己。 
        The rise of business reality TV has been instrumental in producing a new sort of tycoon in Britain – the celebrity entrepreneur. The US has always appreciated capitalists more, so its culture has created more rock ’n’ roll millionaires – of which Steve Jobs was perhaps the most famous. Even now, coach loads of admirers make pilgrimages to the late Apple founder’s house in California. 
        商业类电视真人秀的走红在英国催生出一类新的极具影响力的人群——企业家名人。美国总是更欣赏资本家，因此它的文化培养出更多狂放不羁的百万富豪，其中，名声最大的或许要数史蒂夫•乔布斯(Steve Jobs)。即便是现在，仍有大批拥趸前往这位已故苹果(Apple)创始人位于加州的住所朝圣。 
        Much better that business and its protagonists are household names than clandestine figures. If wealth creators are admired rather than vilified, it will surely inspire the next generation of founders. 
        企业以及它们的领导者能够成为家喻户晓的名字，这比给他们披上神秘的外衣要好得多。如果财富的创造者能受到人们的崇敬而不是诋毁，这无疑将激励下一代企业创始人。 
        So, while I dislike the caricature of business that most reality shows project, it is likely that they have encouraged many younger people to consider starting an enterprise. Such factual transmissions dressed up as entertainment have formed perceptions of the world of commerce – some of them positive. If this delivers more new businesses, innovation and jobs, it can only be applauded. 
        因此，尽管我不喜欢大部分真人秀节目所表现出的那种并不太真实的商业场景，但它们似乎已促使许多年轻人开始考虑自己创业。这种表面看上去好似娱乐节目的纪实类节目让人们形成了对商业世界的认识，其中有些认识是正面而积极的。假若这能带来更多的新企业、创新活动和就业机会，我们理应为它们鼓掌叫好。 
        In a sense, this could genuinely be called public service television. Of course TV is edited, and distorts the experience and challenges that entrepreneurs face. But if it helps, in Reithian manner, to “educate, inform and entertain” the public about risk-taking, then the more the better. 
        从某种意义上说，它们完全可以被称为公益性电视节目。当然，电视节目是经过编辑的，会扭曲企业家的经历和他们所面临的挑战。但如果它们能以里斯（John Reith，BBC创始人——译者注）所倡导的方式，在冒险这一问题上起到“为大众提供教育、资讯和娱乐”的作用，那么这类节目多多益善。 
        The writer runs Risk Capital Partners, a private equity firm, and is chairman of the Royal Society of Arts 
        本文作者管理着私人股本公司Risk Capital Partners，并担任英国皇家艺术学会(Royal Society of Arts)主席。 
        
        译者:薛磊