VOA常速英语:Business Adapting

So, Im Maggie Sprague.My salon is Salon Bond and Ive been in business since 2006.
我是玛吉·斯普拉格。我的沙龙叫邦德美容，2006年就开始营业了。
Before the pandemic, I had a booming business.
在疫情之前，我的生意蒸蒸日上。
I work in my home and I started work at 6:30 in the morning
我在家工作，早上6:30开始上班，
and worked until about 2:30 when I would pick my kids up from school.
下午2:30关门，然后我就去接孩子放学。
I have a really, really nice base of ladies that come in here
我有一批非常非常好的女性顾客，她们常来我这儿，
and I dont know that itll be the same again ever,
我不知道以后还会不会有了，
because when they come in, normally I have a few people in at once
因为当顾客来的时候，一定是成群结队的，
and there is sort of this groove in the room and the conversations start
然后房间里就会有一种氛围，大家就可以开始交谈了，
and you sort of feel like youre with your girlfriends having cocktails,
就像你和你的女性朋友们一起聊聊天，喝喝鸡尾酒，
only theres no cocktails involved and I miss the salon terribly.
不过我们这儿没有鸡尾酒，但我真的很怀念那个时候。
I miss my clients.I love the people that I work with.
我想念我的客户。我喜欢那些和我一起工作的人。
You have to read it, sweetie. Im reading in my mind.
你要读出声亲爱的。我在默读。
No, youve got to read it out loud. No, I dont have to.
不，你得大声读出来。不，我不需要。
Since the pandemic, I havent seen any clients.I spend most of my days cooking and cleaning and folding laundry
疫情爆发后，我就没有客户了。我大部分时间都在做饭、打扫和叠衣服上
and cleaning again and making beds and cleaning again and yelling at my children
然后再打扫，再铺床，再做卫生，教训我的孩子，
which Ive been doing a lot of.I have three little kids.
这都是家常便饭了。我有三个孩子。
Im trying to school them, which is not easy.
我在试着在家教他们，但是不太容易。
I think Ive about given up on schooling the three year old.
我想我已经放弃了对三岁孩子的家庭教育了。
I feel like my life has been completely taken over by my children
我觉得我的生活完全被孩子们占据了，
and theyre too young to appreciate it.So, I feel completely under-appreciated like I am just the hired help here to serve.
而且他们现在还太小了，不懂感恩。所以，我觉得完全没有人感谢我，因为我只是这里受雇的佣人。
And, you know, some days thats okay and some days its not.
有时候也还行，得过且过，但有时候真的受不了。
So, the last morning that I saw clients, I thought, you know,
所以，我最后一天早上见到客户的时候，我想，
Im going to have to come up with some idea for my clients
我必须为我的顾客想点办法，
to be able to touch their hair up.People are still working. Theyre still doing Zoom.
让我继续能为她们做美容美发。人们还在工作。他们可以借助Zoom工作。
Youre still being seen
所以你还是可以被人看见，
and no woman wants to look in a video camera or a computer at herself
没有女人喜欢在视频或者电脑里
and see roots and feel horrible.
看到自己头发分叉，乱糟糟的。
Hi, Maggie.
嗨，玛吉。
Hi.Is your hair nice and wet? Its wet.
嗨。你的头发现在准备好了吗？是湿的吗？是湿的。
Okay. So maybe you could hold your kit up so I can show you what youre going to mix.
好的。现在你可以把美发工具拿起来，然后我就教你怎么混合。
You have gloves, you have a brush and you have two containers.
你要有手套，刷子，和两个盒子。
One of the, yeah, thats it.
其中一个，没错，就是那个。
So, I came up with this idea to do custom color kits at a reduced cost and simple instructions
所以，我想出了一个主意，做定制颜色套装教学，成本更低，操作简单
where I could FaceTime my clients or Zoom with them at home and walk them through it.
我可以在家跟客户在FaceTime或者Zoom上交流，然后给他们教学。
So, it was a lot less scary than if you were to go buy a box from the grocery store,
所以比起你去商店买一盒美发套装，但是不知道你涂到头发上的是什么，也不知道怎么去涂，
not knowing what youre putting on your head and then guessing how you put it on.
这种方式还是好多了。
So, when I video chat with my clients,the first thing I do is tell them how to mix the color, right,
所以，当我和我的客户视频聊天时，我要做的第一件事就是告诉他们如何混合颜色
because theres two separate things, theres the color and the developer.
因为有两个不同的东西，颜色和显影剂。
Okay. So, Ive got developer.
好的，我找到显影剂了。
Yeah. And then color and you wrote the directions.
好的。然后颜色以及你写的教程。
Once you get that stirred, you can start at the back of your head.
搅拌好了之后，你可以先从后面的头发开始上色。
So, you want to start sort of at the nape of your neck painting your hairline completely.
所以，你可以先从颈背的头发开始，然后涂至你的发际线。
I dont prefer it. I prefer to have contact with people and the normal line of communication.
我其实并不喜欢这种形式。我更喜欢与人接触和正常的沟通方式。
But, you know, its not terrible.
但是，这也不是最糟糕的时候。
At least I get to see people.Their personalities still come through on Zoom.
至少我能见到别人。我仍然能通过Zoom看到形形色色的人。
And, you know, every day, I have at least a few FaceTimes or Zoom calls with different clients
每天我都要和不同的客户进行Facetime或Zoom视频，
and theyre so funny.Its my adult interaction for the day.
而且他们都非常有意思。这是我一天的成人之间的交流。
Where are all your people?Where all your little muffins?
你们都在哪呢？孩子们呢？
The boys are outside and Gigi is in her room and my husbands been on work calls all day.
男孩子们在外面玩，吉吉在她的房间里，我丈夫整天都在接工作电话。
Sometimes I think he adds extra work calls so he doesnt have to come upstairs.
有时候我觉得他会多接一下工作电话，这样他就不用上楼来陪我们了。
Absolutely he does. Absolutely.Dont think it, know it, he does.
肯定是这样的，肯定的。自信一点，把觉得去掉。
Hes probably playing.Hes like playing Candy Crush,
他可能在玩游戏。搞不好他就在玩《糖果传奇》，
looking at Facebook and then you come in, hes like, Oh Maggie, Im very busy.
只是眼睛盯着脸书，然后等你进来的时候就说，“哦，麦琪，我在忙。”
My business will survive this.One of the reasons is that I dont have rent to pay
我的生意肯定会挺过来的。其中一个原因是我不用付租金，
because I manage my salon out of my home.
因为我的美容院开在我家里。
I do have a mortgage and my income is relevant.
我有抵押贷款，我的收入也足够还贷款。
We are a dual income family, but well survive this.The kits, because I have such a large client base to begin with
我们是一个双收入家庭，所以我们肯定能挺过去。因为我的客户基数比较大，
I have more of an audience of people to sell my kits to.
所有有很多人会购买我的美发套装。
And should I go to the front all the way?
我应该一直涂到前面的头发吗？
Oh yeah, all the way to the front.And thats the part thats really important, so make sure you really get it on.
是的，一直涂到前面。而且这个步骤很重要，确保你真的涂好了。
My kids dont even recognize me.They have no idea who I am.
我的孩子都认不出我了。他们都不知道我是谁。
Theyre like, Who are you lady with black hair at the roots?
他们说，‘这位黑发女士是谁啊？’
Im like, Its your mom.
我会说，‘是你妈妈’。
Maybe, there is a future in this and who knows how long this pandemic is going to go on?
也许，这种方式有前途的，谁知道这场疫情会持续多久？
Theres no vaccine and even when there is,
我们现在还没有疫苗，就算有了，
when theres an outbreak of the pandemic,
疫情仍然还在，
older people are not going to want to come in
老年人不会想冒着风险过来，
and take their health at risk to get their hair colored but yet they still want to look good.
只是为了染个头发，但是她们还是想保持美丽。
I am eager to get back to my normal way of working.
我想回到正常的工作方式。
However, I see this as a new way of doing things.I would love to be able to provide kits for people after the pandemic and not just my clients.
然而，我认为这是一种新的经营方式。我希望能在疫情之后为人们提供美发套装，不局限于我的客户。
I would be happy to provide them for anybody.
我很乐意为任何人提供这种服务。
It may turn into another type of business for me,
对我来说可能会变成另一种类型的生意，
something that I do on the side that helps people when they cant get into the salon.
可以让我帮助那些不能来美容院的人。
So, Jean, I mean, this was like amazing.Im so psyched that you are so happy with your hair.
珍，你真是太好看了。你这么喜欢你的头发，我真高兴。
And I hope, you know, were able to get back in the salon again soon
我希望我们能尽快回到美容院，
but, you know, for now, this will do the trick.
但是现在只能用这种方式救救急了。
Oh, my God yeah. Maggie, you, for real, are a super lifesaver.
没错，天哪，玛吉，你真是我的大救星。
And this did make you so happy because Im not even joking.
你会感到这么开心是因为我是实话实说。
Its awful if youre locked up and your hair looks awful.
如果你被关起来，头发看起来很糟糕，那真就太惨了。
And you made it super easy and it was super fun
你让美发的过程又简单又有趣。
and then everyone was like, Oh Jean, your hair looks really good.
然后每个人都说，‘哦，珍，你的头发看起来太棒了。’
Im like, Call Maggie. Its Maggie, the miracle muffin. I love it.
我就说，‘想做就打给玛吉，她是我的神奇小甜心。’ 我太喜欢了。
And thats one thing I realized through this and I knew it before but its very apparent now.
这是我通过这次转型认识到的一件事，我以前也知道，但现在更加明显了。
Women care about what they look like no matter if theyre 15 or 90.
女人在乎自己的长相，不管她们是15岁还是90岁。
Everybody cares about their appearance. Everybody wants to look good. No one wants to look bad.
每个人都在乎自己的外表。每个人都想漂亮，而不是看起来很糟糕。