VOA慢速英语:Africa Attracting Hi-Tech Companies

Africa has become a growing market for high technology products, and it may soon be a base for a lot more hi-tech companies. Experts are predicting growing competition on the continent as it tends to meet the needs of its young and middle class populations.
非洲已经成为一个高科技产品不断增长的市场，而它也可能很快会成为很多高科技公司的基地。专家们预测，随着趋向于满足其年轻和中产阶级人群的需求，非洲大陆上的竞争会日益激烈。

DHL calls itself the "logistics company for the world," it provides transportation by train, road, sea and air. The company sees Africa as a place where its business can expand. But for that to happen, more international companies will need to invest in the continent and set up operations there.
DHL自称为全球物流公司。该公司提供铁路、公路、海上和空中运输。该公司认为非洲业务仍可以扩大。但要做到这点，需要有更多的国际公司在非洲投资并建立业务。

Sumesh Rahavendra of DHL sees that happening.
DHL公司的Sumesh Rahavendra看到这样的事情正在发生。

"There's quite a bit of evidence to that in terms of global companies starting to set up base in Africa. If you look at the likes of SAP or IBM or Hisense, which is the Chinese company, all of them are setting base in Africa and looking at how specifically they can cater to the Africa market while being in Africa, as against getting to the African market while being in Europe or the Middle East."
“许多全球性公司开始在非洲建立基地，有相当多证据可以证明这点。看看SAP、IBM和中国的海信，他们都在非洲设立基地，并考虑相对于在欧洲或中东进入非洲市场，他们在非洲能如何更具体地满足非洲市场。”

Sumesh Rahavendra is the company's head of marketing for African countries south of the Saharan desert. He says the area offers a lot of possibility, and in his words, could be the next frontier for technology growth.
Sumesh Rahavendra是撒哈拉以南非洲国家的市场营销主管。他说，该地区有无限可能，用他的话来说，可能是下一个科技发展的前沿。

"I travel a fair bit around Africa and so does the rest of our team and you can see the technology boom literally across every country in Africa. People who never had access to a desktop PC are now playing around with tablets – are now playing around with smart phones. The level and speed of adoption has been significant as more middle class and upper middle class consumers in Africa get access to technology."
“我走遍了非洲大部分地方，我们团队也是如此，你可以看到非洲各个国家真正的技术浪潮。没有接触过台式电脑的人现在玩弄着平板电脑或智能手机。随着非洲越来越多中产阶级和上层中产阶级消费者接触到科技，接纳水平和速度也越来越显著。”

He describes the continent's one billion people as a largely untouched market for many products.
他介绍称，对许多产品来说，非洲大陆的十亿人口很大程度上是尚未开发的市场。

"The majority of people are young people. And with a young population that's going to adopt technology and commodities in the future, it represents a significant potential for any international company coming to Africa."
“大多数人都是年轻人。而年轻人未来会接纳科技和产品，这意味着对任何来非洲的国际公司来说都是潜力巨大。”

DHL has been operating in Africa for more than 35 years. And Mr Rahavendra notes as more and more companies set up operations on the continent, business for DHL increases. He says, there are possibilities for growth in every African country, although some appear more ready than others.
DHL公司已经在非洲运营超过35年。而Rahavendra指出，随着越来越多的公司在非洲设立基地，DHL公司的业务也有所增加。他说，非洲每个国家都有增长的可能，尽管有些国家可能比其它国家准备更充足。

"One of the reasons why it's hard to do business in African countries is just infrastructure and logistics. Because the cost of actually getting your product to its final place inflates it significantly because there are so much infrastructural challenges that isn't getting you there. Second example is there are a fair bit of issues with political climate in some African countries. The good news is signs all indicate towards a positive story going forward next five to ten years."
“很难在非洲开展业务的原因之一是基础设施和物流。因为你的产品铺到终端的实际成本会大增，因为有很多基础设施方面的挑战让你难以抵达。第二点是，一些非洲国家政治气候问题很大。好消息是，未来五到十年各种迹象都朝着积极的方向发展。”

DHL says Africa is now the world's second largest mobile technology market by connections after Asia, and it is the fastest growing mobile market in the world.
DHL公司称，非洲如今是继亚洲之后世界上第二大移动技术市场，而且是全世界增长最快的移动市场。