英语散文:我怎样白手起家

[21]That day I discovered the romance‘浪漫情调’and ritual‘规矩；习惯’of coffee bars in Italy. My mind started churning ‘翻腾’. My company's connection to coffee lovers did not have to be limited to their homes, where they ground and brewed‘煮’our coffee. What we should do was sell coffee by the cup, in coffee bars.

[21]那天我见识了意大利咖啡吧的浪漫格调和营业作风。我于是开始动脑筋。其实，我们公司和咖啡爱好者的关系不必局限在他们家里。我们何不开设咖啡吧，论杯卖咖啡，让他们不必自行研磨冲泡也能喝到我们的咖啡？

[22]On my return to Seattle, however, my bosses argued that Starbucks was a retailer, not a restaurant or a bar. They pointed out that Starbucks was successful. Why rock‘使摇摆’the boat?

[22]回到西雅图后，我向老板提出此计划，他们却不以为然，强调明星咖啡连锁公司是零售业者，不是餐厅或酒吧。他们还指出公司很赚钱，何必冒风险另辟蹊径？

[23]I was torn between loyalty‘忠诚’ to Starbucks and confidence in my vision for coffee bars. In the end I followed my vision. With Sheri's support, in late 1985 I left Starbucks and started my own company, Il Giornale.

[23]我对公司当然应该忠心耿耿，可是我对咖啡吧计划也充满信心，认为值得一试，因此左右为难。最后，我决定实现自己的计划。在妻子雪瑞的支持下，我1985年冬天离开明星咖啡连锁公司，创办了伊尔·乔尔纳莱公司。

[24]Within six months we were serving more than a thousand customers a day in our tiny Seattle store. It became a gathering place-just like the espresso bars in Italy. We opened a second store six months after the first, and a third one in Vancouver.

[24]不到半年，我们在西雅图开的小店每天都有1000多位顾客光临。第一家店开张6个月后，我们开了第二家，然后在温哥华开了第三家。

[25]In March 1987 Jerry Baldwin and Gordon Bowker decided to sell their Starbrcks stores. As soon as I heard, I knew I had to buy. With the support of my Il Giornale investors, Starbucks was mine five months later. I had a chance to accomplish my dreams, but I also had the hopes and fears of nearly a hundred people resting on my shoulders. It was electrifying‘令人振奋的’, but also frightening.

[25]1987年3月，巴登和博格决定出售明星咖啡连锁公司。我一听到消息，就知道我非承购不可。伊尔·乔尔纳莱公司的股东都表示支持，于是5个月后，明星咖啡连锁公司便归我所有。我有了实现雄心壮志的机会，却也肩负了将近100人的希望与忧虑，心里既振奋又惶恐不安。

[26]At the same time I was facing a huge personal crisis‘危机’. My father was dying. In January 1988 I went home to see my dad one last time. But it was the saddest day of my life. He'd had no savings, no pension‘养老金’. More important, he had never attained fulfillment‘满足’and dignity‘尊严’from work.

[26]也在这时候，我父亲病入膏肓。1988年1月，我回家去见他最后一面。那是我生平最悲伤的一天。他没有积蓄，没有养老金。更糟的是，他不曾从工作中体会过尊严和成就感。

[27]Although I didn't plan it this way, Starbucks has become a living legacy ‘遗产’of my dad. I've tried to be the kind of employer I wish he had worked for. Starbucks now has more than 1500 stores and 25,000 employees. Unlike other retailers, we provide stock options and full health benefits, even for part-time employees.

[27]虽然我不是有意为之，明星咖啡连锁公司却已成了纪念先父的事业。他一生从未遇到过好雇主，因此我身体力行，决意做个好老板。我们的作风跟一般零售业者不同：所有员工包括兼职者都享有优先认股权，以及周全的保健福利。

[28]In the years since I first heard of Starbucks, I've often wondered: what would have happened had I just accepted Jerry Baldwin's decision not to hire me? Most people, when turned down ‘拒绝’for a job, just go away.

[28]这些年来我时常揣摩：当年听到巴登说不雇用我的时候我如果默然认命，今天会是什么局面？大多数人求职遭到拒绝后，只是一走了之。

[29]I believe life is a series of near misses. A lot of what we ascribe to‘归于’luck is not luck at all. It's seizing the day and accepting responsibility for your future. It's seeing what other people don't see and pursuing‘追求’that vision.

[29]我相信人生中充满机会，但我们往往不懂得把握。我们归功于运气的成就，有许多其实与运气完全无关，应归功于当机立断、敢作敢为，见人之所未见，坚持不懈。

【疯狂翻译练习】
1. 我有幸上了大学，却不知道下一步该怎么走。（2）
2. 我想主宰自己的命运。（4）
3. 我的亲友，尤其是母亲，都认为我的想法没有道理。（9）
4. 进明星咖啡连锁公司一年之后，由于另一件事，我的人生又有了大转变。（19）
5. I realized I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life.（1）
6. The life I was leading was beyond their best dreams for me.（3）
7. I had a chance to accomplish my dreams, but I also had the hopes and fears of nearly a hundred people resting on my shoulders.（25）
8. More important, he had never attained fulfillment and dignity from work.（26）