国际交流英语—经典口译

1 经营之道经营之道 Business Management Q 您好 杰克逊先生 您在中国已连续工作了三年 您能否谈一下 中美两国生意人在商务沟通方式上有何不同之处 Hello Mr Jackson You ve been working in China for three years Can you tell us how you feel about the differences in business communication style between Chinese and American businessmen A 我很乐意 我认为中美两国生意人在商务沟通方式上至少有两点 不同 首先 中国人在商务谈判时倾向使用一种迂回婉转的方式 而美国人则表现出一种直截了当的作风 中国人会花费时间来了解 他们将要与之打交道的商人是否靠得住 例如邀请对方参加宴会 同他们进行交流 与之相反 美国人则以 公务为先 的心态行事 第二 中国公司的决策过程耗时冗长 这是因为大部分中国公司遵 循着一种 先自下而上 后自上而下 再自下而上 的决策原则 各个层次上的许多人士都介入决策过程 而美国公司通常是由最高 管理人士的快速决策来运作 我希望在华的美国商人理解这些商务 活动中的差异 适应中国人的经营之道 With pleasure I think there are at least two differences in the way of business communication between Chinese and American businesspeople First Chinese businessmen tend to have business negotiations in a rather indirect manner as opposed to the more direct manner of American businesspeople The Chinese take time to learn if their prospective business contacts are really reliable for example by inviting them to a party and socializing with them In contrast Americans usually act with the get down to business first mentality Second the decision making process of Chinese companies is generally slow and time consuming This is because most Chinese companies keep to the bottom up then top down and then bottom up decision making principle which involves many people at different levels American companies on the other hand usually operate with quick decisions made by the top management I hope American businesspeople in China will understand these differences in business practices and adjust to the Chinese way Q 美国式的经营之道在我们中国人看来往往显得咄咄逼人 您在与 中国同事的合作中有无注意到这一点 The American way of doing business often strikes us Chinese as very aggressive Were you aware of this in your collaboration with your Chinese colleagues A 这个嘛 我认为 由于我们有着不同的文化传统 所以我们同大 部分中国人相比 显得较为直截了当 开门见山 我注意到许多中 国人出于礼貌而经常不明确地说一声 不 有时我的中国同事道一 声 是 这可不是表示赞同 只是表明他们在注意听对方说话而已 Well we are more direct and straightforward than most Chinese I would say due to our different cultural traditions I noticed that a lot of Chinese often avoid saying a clear no just to be polite Sometimes my Chinese colleagues say yes not to express agreement but only to show that they are listening Q 我们都应该承认这些文化差异 尊重这些差异 以免产生误解 这很重要 不是吗 It is important for all of us to acknowledge and respect these cultural differences in order to avoid misunderstandings isn t it A 是的 我认为 理解这些差异是朝着在美国公司和中国公司之间 建立稳固的商务关系的方向迈出第一步 Yes understanding these differences I believe will be a first step toward establishing a firm business relationship between American and Chinese companies Q 刚才您提到了中国式的决策过程 您认为这种管理模式有无优点 将其与美国式的管理模式相比 您有何看法 You mentioned the Chinese type of decision making process earlier Do you see any strength with this type of management and how do you compare it with the American type of management A 我感到美国式的自上而下的管理方式注重效率 注重员工之间的 竞争 而中国式的管理方式的特点是 优先考虑周密的计划 鼓励 员工之间的合作 鼓励员工与管理层之间的合作 因此 美国式的 管理方式常常使许多员工感到沮丧 而中国式的管理方式能使员工 有一种喜悦的参与感和成就感 对自己的工作抱一种自豪感 I would say the American type or the top down management emphasizes efficiency and competition among workers while the Chinese type management gives priority to careful planning and encourages cooperation among workers and between workers and the management Thus while the American type management often frustrates many workers the Chinese type management gives workers a joy of participation and fulfillment and a sense of pride in their work Q 谈到员工的工作态度 中国人和美国人在这方面有何不同 Talking about the workers attitude toward their work how do the Chinese and the Americans differ in this respect A 我认为 大多数中国人将工作视为能使自己成为整个团体中的一 份子的必不可缺的条件 中国人相信 工作使自己有了团体归属感 换言之 中国人为了得到社会的认可 必须工作 这就是为何许多 中国经理和员工会努力工作以保住自己在公司里的职位的原因 中 国人还将工作视为生活中最重要的大事 也就是说 他们想从工作 中找到生活的意义 中国人的工作观建筑在社会压力和团体归属感 的基础上 而美国人的工作观则有更强的个体取向性 我们一向认 为 我们工作是秉承了上帝的意志 我们对工作成果的重视常常高 于对工作过程的重视 附带说一句 年龄较大的中国员工对自己的 工作有一种明显的奉献精神 我对此有很深刻的印象 I think most Chinese view work as essential for having membership in a community They believe that work allows them to have the sense of belonging in a community In other words work is necessary for them to gain social acceptance in the society That is why many Chinese managers and employees work so hard to maintain their positions in their companies Also they see work as the most important thing in life That is they have tried to find the meaning of life through their jobs While the Chinese work ethic is based on social pressure and community belonging the American work ethic seems to be more individual oriented Traditionally we work because it is the will of God and we often value the results and accomplishments of work more than its process By the way I m very impressed by the obvious strong sense of dedication to the jobs among the older Chinese employees Q 回到我们一开始的话题 您如何评价中美两种不同经营之道的利 弊呢 Returning to where we started how do you comment on the merits and demerits of the two different approaches to business management A 很难判断孰优孰劣 因为这两种经营方式各有自己的长处与短处 我希望我们两国人民应该互相学习 取长补短 应该说近年来中国 人的经营方式 更确切地说是东方人的经营方式 开始为越来越多 的西方人所认识 东方人的这种人情味更浓的经营方式似乎给我们 美国产业界的管理人士以颇多的启迪 It s difficult to decide which is better than which because there are some merits and demerits to both types of management My suggestion is that people of both countries should learn from each other I will say that in recent years the merits of the Chinese way or rather the Oriental way of management are beginning to be recognized by an increasing number of people in the West This more humane Oriental way of management seems to offer a great deal to the executives of our American industries Q 谢谢 谢谢您接受我的采访 Thankyou for sharing your time with me A 没问题 My pleasure 2 欢迎光临欢迎光临 Welcome 欢迎来到上海 罗伯茨先生 我是上海邮电服务发展公司海外部主 任陈天敏 Welcome to Shanghai Mr Roberts I m Chen Tianmin from Shanghai Post and Telecommunications Service Development Company I m director of the company s Overseas Department 您专程从英国赶来 我很高兴 我们为您来此参加工作 成为我部 门的一员而感到骄傲和荣幸 我真诚地希望您的来访有价值 有意 义 I m very happy that you have come all the way from Britain We are very proud and honored that you will work with us and be part of our department I sincerely hope that your visit will be worthwhile and meaningful 受到贵公司的友好邀请 来此与陈主任这样杰出的人士合作共事 我深感愉快和荣幸 我曾梦想有朝一日能访问中国 能在美丽的上 海工作一段时间 我很高兴您使我的梦想成真了 It is indeed my pleasure and privilege to have received your gracious invitation and work with a distinguished group of people like Director Chen I had been looking forward to this visit for years I had a dream that someday I would visit China and work in this beautiful city of Shanghai for a while I m very grateful that you have made my dream come true 我真高兴您对这次来沪短期工作有如此高的期望 我们会尽全力使 您在沪期间过得舒适愉快 考虑到您的方便和舒适 您可以居住在 公司的外宾专用别墅 别墅紧挨着海滩 从那里骑自行车 15 分钟可 到我公司海外部的办公楼 您一定喜欢 I m very glad that you have so high expectations for this business trip in Shanghai We will make an all out effort to make your stay comfortable and pleasant For your convenience and comfort we accommodate you in one of the company s villas for overseas visitors It is located by the beach fifteen minutes bicycle ride from the office building of the Overseas Department I m sure you will like it 好极了 不仅您的 海外部 面对着大海 我的寓所也面向着大海 这不很有意思吗 That s wonderful Isn t it nice that not only your Overseas Department looks over the sea but also my residence 罗伯茨先生 我真的很喜欢您的幽默感 您可知道 上海 这两个 字在汉语里的字面意思是 海上之埠 我们为能够安排英国朋友 在临海的寓所下榻而感到骄傲 英国不是海上岛国吗 I really like your sense of humor Mr Roberts Do you know that the word Shanghai in Chinese literally means a port on the sea We re very proud that we can offer our British friends a residence overlooking the sea Britain is a country of islands on the sea isn t it 您说的好 陈主任 我们与上海以及上海人有许多共同之处 我太 太一定会喜欢这里 I like what you said Mr Chen We have much in common with Shanghai and its people I believe my wife will like here too 我希望您的家人能早日与您在此团聚 我公司会支付包括国际机票 在内所需一切费用 I hope your family will join you soon Our company will pay for all their expenses including international flights 非常感谢您的关心 我太太是大学教师 她与我们的儿子来这里的 最佳时间是暑期 还要等上两个月 我们真的等不及在上海相会 Thank you so much for your concern My wife teaches at a university and the best time for her and our son to come over is when school breaks in the summer Two more months We simply can t wait to see each other here in Shanghai 真遗憾 您还要等那么久 I m sorry you have to wait for that long 陈主任 您真是个好人 真的 You re very nice Mr Chen really 长途飞行后您一定很累了 今晚有招待晚宴 您需要休息一下 晚 上 6 时我派车来接您 You must be very tired after a long flight Mr Roberts You ll need a rest for tonight s reception party I ll send someone to pick you up at six 好的 Very good 我得走了 我们晚上再见 I m leaving See you in the evening then 再见 Bye now 3 投资意向投资意向 A Wish to Invest 你好 罗伯茨先生 Hi Mr Roberts 你好 陈小姐 近来我一直在思考一件事 我想告诉你我的想法 Hi Miss Chen I have been thinking about something lately and I d like to share with you my thoughts 好呀 请说 我很高兴为您做些什么 I d like to hear them And I ll be very happy if I can help you with anything 现在西方人都在谈论去东方投资 显然 越来越多的外国公司纷纷 涌入中国 而上海的浦东地区是人们投资的首选目的地之一 现在 的问题不在于是否要去东方投资 而在于何时去投资为好 如何去 投资为好 In the West everybody is talking about going to the East and making an investment Apparently a growing number of foreign firms have been pouring into China and the Pudong area of Shanghai is among the best choices of their investment destinations Today it is not a matter of whether to go east but when and how 你说的完全对 海外人士在上海及周边地区的投资近年来翻了两番 出现这一高涨不止的投资热有多种缘由 除了中国是世界上经济增 长最快的国家之一这个原因外 中国政府和地方政府很重视全面对 外开放 不仅开放沿海城市 也开放内地 尽可能吸引外资 另外 许多海外机构与个人投资者认为 在中国直接投资比同中国公司做 生意更有利可图 You re absolutely right Overseas investment in Shanghai and its surrounding areas has quadrupled in recent years There are many reasons for this rising investment fever Apart from the fact that China is one of the fast growing economies in the world the Chinese central government and local governments focus a lot of their attention on opening the whole country up to the outside world both the coastal cities and the country s interior areas They are doing all they can to attract foreign investment On the other hand many institutional and individual investors overseas find it more profitable to invest directly in China than just to do trade with Chinese companies 这种偏爱的原因何在 我不太明白 请解释一下 我愿闻其详 I m not sure if I understand the logic behind this preference I m all ears to your explanation 好的 基本情况是这样的 外国直接在华投资可以最大限度地发挥 有关双方的优势 中国幅员辽阔 自然资源丰富 廉价劳动力充裕 税收低 消费者市场不断增长 基础设施不断改善 当然啰 我们 还有稳定的社会政治环境以及诱人的投资政策 这些优势难以在其 他国家找到 而来自发达国家和地区的外国投资者则有充足的资金 先进的技术和管理知识 与做进出口贸易生意相比 在华直接投资 则有更高的经济回报 OK Basically direct foreign investment in China maximizes the strengths of both parties concerned China has massive land abundant natural resources huge cheap labor low taxation a growing consumer market improving infrastructure and of course a stable social and political environment with attractive investment policies All these are rarely found elsewhere in the world Foreign investors from developed countries or areas on the other hand have sufficient funds advanced technology and managerial expertise Direct investment in China will yield higher economic returns than import and export trade 你说得有道理 我有一些朋友有意在中国直接投资 至于投资的最 佳地点 你有何高见 You re right I have friends who are interested in direct investment in China Do you have any idea of the best place in which to invest 就我跟人来说 我希望你们在上海的浦东地区投资 这倒不是因为 浦东是我的家乡 而是因为浦东的确是投资者的理想场所 如果你 或你的朋友有兴趣 我可以向你们提供许多研究资料 我也听说过 许多关于在中国内地和其他沿海城市进行投资而获得极大成功的例 子 真的很难说哪一个地方为最佳 也许应该说在某一时期的某一 地点进行投资更好 Personally I like you to invest in the Pudong area of Shanghai Not because it s my hometown but it really is an ideal place for investment If you or your friends are interested I have a lot of investment literature for you to study I also have heard of many very successful stories of foreign investment in China s inland areas and other coastal cities There s really no the best place There migh