VOA常速英语:New Tech Tools Help US Voters Decide How to Vote(翻译)

With catered lunches and a bar in the office,Brigade may look like a typical Silicon Valley startup,but what the company is trying to do in politics is anything but typical.Nonpartisan Brigade is trying to change behavior and increase political participation.
为员工供应午餐，并设有酒吧，Brigade公司看起来和其他典型的硅谷新兴公司别无二致。然而，该公司在政治领域所做的事情绝对算得上标新立异。作为一个非党派公司，Brigade致力于改变人们的行为，提高民众的政治参与度。

“We need to give people easy access to the information they need to make decisions but we also need to embed that within their social lives.We need to make that part of the conversations they’re having with their friends and we need to create cultural norms around participating”.
“我们需要为人们能更便捷地获取所需信息提供渠道，以便其做出决定，同时我们应将这一点融进人们的社会生活当中。我们要将他们与朋友的谈话作为一个重要部分，并创造出以参与为核心的文化规范。”

Brigade Matt Mahan says,“With either a mobile map or other web,users can debate issues and try to sway others to their positions.Users can also see how their views align with political candidates and pledge to vote for a certain candidate.”
来自Brigade公司的马特·马汉表示，仅需使用移动地图或其他网络，用户即可以与他人进行辩论，以说服别人和自己站到同一条战线上。用户也可看到自己的看法同某些候选人的主张不谋而合，从而承诺将选票投给其中某位候选人。

“I think that’s kind of the point of democracy is to create this public square where people can discuss and debate their values and their perspectives on issues and ultimately create trade-offs and come to a conclusion about what’s the best way to move forward to create the greatest good for the most people”.
“我认为这一点就充分展现了民主精神，通过搭建这样一个公众平台，人们能够畅所欲言，讲出自己在某些问题上的立场观点，最后通过权衡取舍，达成一致，找到为绝大多数人带来最深厚福祉的最佳解决方案。”

Another politically minded tech company that was not around until the last presidential race is Crowdpac.
同样具有政治头脑的另一家科技公司叫做Crowdpac，该公司成立于上次总统竞选结束之后。

“We’re using technology to try to help the average citizen connect and engage in politics”.
“我们旨在利用科技帮助普通老百姓接触并参与到政治中”。

The nonpartisan site describes itself as the first crowdfunding platform designed for politics. Crowdpac provides information about people running for office, helps users find and support the candidates that share their views and helps those running for office raise money through crowdfunding.
该非党派网站自称是第一家专为政坛量身打造的众筹平台。Crowdpac给人们提供参选信息，帮助用户找到并支持与他们政见相同的候选人，并通过众筹方式，帮助参选者集资。

Crowdpac’s Gisel Kordestani says technology companies that are changing how people traditionally engage in politics by creating new avenues for political participationare examples of why politicians should pay attention to Silicon Valley.
来自Crowdpac公司的Gisel Kordestani称，通过创新参政途径，科技公司正在改变着人们传统的参政方式，而这恰恰也正是政治家们要高度关注硅谷的有力佐证。

“This region has just grown over the last four decades.It has grown into not a powerhouse just in the U.S. but globally,and is setting the technology, the platforms and the rules of the engagement for society,for work, for the environment globally.”
“在过去短短的的四十年里，该地区发展迅猛。硅谷不仅是美国的科技中心，而且，放眼全球，它始终引领前沿科技，搭建广阔平台，而且在社会管理体制、工作领域、环境方面都发挥了建设性作用”。

Kordestani says many tech companies in Silicon Valley are also realizing it’s important to work with politicians and the government to create positive change.
Kordestani表示，目前硅谷的很多科技公司也逐渐意识到，和本国政治家及政府联手积极做出改变极为重要。