年轻有为Young and in business

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Alice…
大家好，欢迎收听六分钟英语，我是爱丽丝。
… And I’m Rob.
我是罗伯。
So Rob, did you have a part time job while you were at university?
罗伯，你上大学时有没有做过兼职呢？
Yes, I worked in the student bar.
有，我在一家学生酒吧工作。
Did you learn anything from the experience?
有从那段经历中学到什么吗？
I learned how to pull a decent pint.
我学会如何打满刚好一品脱的啤酒。
Did you learn anything else?
还学会其他东西了吗？
Yes, I learned how to add up.
恩，学会如何合计账目。
Didn’t they teach you that at school?
上学的时候没有学过吗?
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.
我不擅长在脑中计算，也就是心算。但我做酒保时很擅长计算。那时还没有电脑收银机呢。
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 studentsb) high-school studentsOr c) university students?
我没意识到你已经这么老了！总之，今天节目的主题是年轻的企业家。所以，你可以回答下面这个问题吗？脸书和微软的创始人创办自己第一家企业时有多年轻？a) 初中生b) 高中生还是c) 大学生
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?
你是不是认为我不知道，脸书是在线社交媒体，微软是一家计算机公司？
Well done!
不错！
Well I‘m going to say they were b) high-school students.
我要选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?
节目的最后我们再看你回答得是否正确。现在我们谈谈年轻企业家的缺点。你觉得是什么呢？
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!
我认为年轻人做自己的老板，其中一个缺点是，每个为你工作的人都比你年长。
Is that a drawback?
这是缺点吗？
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.
我们来看一个真实案例。年轻的英国企业家Suleman Sacranie在他十七岁时创办了自己的第一家公司，之后不久成立了第二家公司。之后在大学学习化学时，开办了第三家公司，网上一磅店，类似于美国的一元店，即商店里所有东西都标价一英镑。
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.’
相比六个月之前的我，现在的我真的很幸运，因为现在我有两个年长的主管。如今商业会议谈的很成功。但是之前我认为我已经很专业了，但你还是能看出来他们内心深处在想，“我面前坐着的是个孩子。”
So young entrepreneur Suleman Sacranie has got two grey-haired directors working with him now.
所以现在年轻的企业家Suleman Sacranie有两个年长的主管与他共事。
That’s right – but how does having grey-haired executives on board help, Rob?
没错，董事会中有年长的高管，到底有什么帮助呢？
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.
高管是指经营生意的人，董事会是指团队中的一员。我来回答你的问题，他们可以提供经验。我有很多白头发，你从我这也能学到很多。
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?
确实。每天都在向你学习。bring something to the table是指提供有用的东西。你能提供什么有用的东西呢？
Well, bad jokes, peanuts, crisps, cups of coffee, that sort of thing…
冷笑话、花生、薯片、咖啡、各种……
I was going to say a keen mind, in other words, a well-developed mind, and… great business acumen!
我想说的是你有敏捷的头脑，换句话说发达的头脑、绝佳的商业头脑。
Come on, you weren’t going to say that!
得了吧，你才不是要说这个。
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?
你说得对，我不是说这个。Acumen是指正确的判断。但是不要担心，你有充足的热情，可以弥补判断上的不足。现在接着说，你认为学校中学到的东西是否足够应用到工作中？
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 maths lessons were…
不够。我在学校学了拉丁文，但是我不经常使用。数学，好吧，我从来没用过三角法或微积分。我不确定数学课到底有多有用。
Yes, and you only learned to add up in the university bar after all…
毕竟你在大学吧只学加法。
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.
但是我很擅长！重要的是我现在已经有一份很棒的工作了。如果你对某事真的非常感兴趣，你就能掌握你之前不会的技能。我们听听成功的年轻企业家Jessica Rose来讲述她的经历。她做珠宝相关的生意。
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备的技能和经历才去创办公司。当我初创公司时，我什么商业培训都没参加过，什么珠宝培训也不知道，我只是一天醒来，觉得自己真的很想成为珠宝设计师。看似有些儿戏，因为很多人都会说，你疯了。
So Jessica Rose used her savings to learn jewellery making and then set up her own jewellery-making business.
所以Jessica Rose用她的存款学习了珠宝制造，然后创办了自己的珠宝制造公司。
And despite setting out with no business experience and no jewellery training – her enthusiasm for the article paid off.
尽管起步时没有任何商业经验和珠宝培训经历，但她的热情助她成功。
And that means it was successful.
Paid off 是指成功。
A bit like me…
有点像我。
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，是时候公布今天问题的答案了。脸书和微软的创始人创办自己第一家企业时有多年轻？a) 初中生b) 高中生还是c) 大学生？
I said b) high-school students.
我选的是b) 高中生。
And you were wrong, I’m afraid, Rob. Sorry.
恐怕你答错了。
Again.
又答错了。
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创办他们自己的公司时都是大学生。Mark Zuckerberg 2004年创办脸书时，正在哈佛大学学习。Bill Gates从哈佛中途退学，于1976年建立微软，但之后未返回学校读书。
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?
都在哈佛上学，多巧。我在想酒吧是不是也有好处。好了，现在我们再听一遍今天学到的单词吧？
Yes. OK. They are:
好的，今天提到的单词有：
drawbacks
缺点
executives
高管
on board
董事会
bring something to the table
提供
keen
敏锐的
(business) acumen
商业头脑
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.
谢谢爱丽丝。今天的六分钟英语就到这里。希望你喜欢我们带来的新单词。
Very good.
说得好。
Please join us again soon!
下期节目再会！
Bye.
再见！