商务英语课文翻译

Unit1 Made in Europe 欧洲制造

Almost every fashion label outside the top super-luxury brands is either already manufacturing in Asia or 5 thinking of it. Coach, the US leather goods maker, is a classic example. Over the past five years, it has lifted all its gross margins by manufacturing solely in low-cost markets. In March 2002 it closed its factory in Lares, Puerto Rico, its last company-owned plant, and outsources all its products.

除了顶级奢侈品牌外几乎所有的时尚品牌都已经在亚洲生产，或者正在考虑这么做。美国的皮革商品制造商蔻驰（Coach）就是一个经典的例子。在过去的五年中，它通过仅在低成本市场生产来提升毛利率。在 2002 年的 3 月，它关闭了在波多黎各拉雷斯的最后一间公司所属工厂，将所有产品全部外包。

Burberry has many Asian licensing arrangements. In 2000 it decided to renew Sanyo's Japanese licence for ten years. This means that almost half of Burberry's sales at retail value will continue to be produced under license in Asia. At the same time however, Japanese consumers prefer the group's European-made products.

巴宝莉（Burberry）在亚洲持有许多许可授权安排。2000 年它决定给日本三洋公司的特许授权延长十年。这意味着按零售价计算巴宝莉几乎一半的销售额将是亚洲授权生产的。但是同时，日本的消费者却偏好于该集团在欧洲生产的产品。 Sanyo is now reacting to this demand for a snob alternative to the Burberry products made in its factories across Asia by opening a flagship store in Tokyo's Ginza, where it sells Burberry products imported from Europe.

为了应对这种对巴宝莉在亚洲工厂所生产产品的需求，三洋公司在东京银座开设旗舰店，出售从欧洲进口的巴宝莉产品。

In interviews with the FT, many executives say the top luxury brands will continue to be seen, particularly in Asia, as European. Domenico De Sole of Gucci says: “The Asian consumer really does believe - whether it's true or not - that luxury comes from Europe and must be made there to be the best.”

在《金融时报》的采访中，许多企业高管表示，顶级奢侈品牌将在亚洲越来越多地出现，就像在欧洲一样。古驰（Gucci）的多米尼克·德索尔说，无论是真是假，亚洲消费者只相信：奢侈品来自欧洲，而且一定是要在那儿生产的才是最好的。 Serge Weinberg, Chief Executive of Pinault Printemps Redoute, which

controls Gucci, says it will not move Gucci's production offshore. Yet some in the industry recognize that change may be round the corner even for the super-luxury brands. Patrizio Bertelli, Chief Executive of Prada, says: 'The "Made in Italy" label is important but what we are really offering is a style, and style is an expression of culture.' He therefore recognizes that quality fashion items may not always need to be produced in Italy.

古琦的控股公司（Pinault Printemps Redoute）的首席执行官塞格·温伯格说，公司不会将古琦的生产线移到海外。然而一些业内人士认识到，就算对顶级奢侈品牌而言，这种变化也将来临。普拉达（Prada）的首席执行官帕特里齐奥·艾特里说：“‘意大利制造’的标签很重要，但我们真正要提供的是一种风格，而风格是一种文化的展示。因此，他认识到高品质的时尚产品并非总是要在意大利生产。

Amitava Chattopadhya. Professor of Marketing at Insead, the business school. says: A brand is a set of associations in the mind of the consumer and one of these is the country of origin. For luxury goods, the role of the brand is crucial. To damage it is a cardinal sin and no brand manager will want to get the balance between manufacturing location and the brand image wrong.

欧洲工商管理学院的市场营销系的 Amitava Chattopadhyay 教授说：“品牌就是消费者脑海中的一系列联想，其中之一就是原产地。对于奢侈品来说，品牌的作用是至关重要的。破坏它是一种弥天大罪，没有哪个品牌经理愿意将产地和品牌形象之间的关系搞错。”

Unit2 Road rages in the sky 空中的交通暴怒

Airlines and their long-suffering customers arc reporting a steep climb in air rage incidents. Some incidents are apparently caused by problems which are familiar to many regular travelers. One case reported from America stemmed from an interminable delay in takeoff, when passengers were cooped up in their aircraft on the tarmac for four hours, without food, drink or information.

航空公司与长期遭罪的客户们都在提及急剧攀升的空中冲突事件。有些事件的发生显然是由许多常客所熟悉的问题造成的。美国报道的一个案例就是源于无休止的延迟起飞：乘客被关在飞机里，在停机坪上等了四个小时，期间没有食物、饮料和信息。

Mass unrest is less common than individual misbehaviour, as in the case of the convict who recently went crazy on a flight, attacked the crew and tried to open a door in mid-flight.

大规模骚乱比起个人行为不当要少见些。一个已经宣判的案例里乘客在飞机上突发癫狂。他攻击机组人员，并试图在飞行途中打开舱门。

The psychology of air rage is a new area of study, and there are almost as many explanations as examples. Most analysts of the phenomenon blame alcohol, but many people now think that the airlines are at fault.

空中暴怒的心理是一个新的研究领域，对此的解释与案例几乎同样多。大多数分析家都将此现象归咎于酒精，但现在许多人认为航空公司对此负有责任。

To cut costs, they are cramming ever more passengers into their aircraft, while reducing cabin crew, training and quality of service, all of which increase passenger frustration. In addition, there is increasing concern in the US about another cost-cutting exercise, which could seriously harm passengers' health: cabin ventilation.

为了削减成本，他们把更多的乘客塞进机舱，同时又减少机组人员、缩减培训时间和降低服务质量，所有这些都令乘客更加沮丧。此外，在美国人们越来越关注另一个削减成本的做法：客舱通风问题。这很可能会严重损害乘客的健康。Modern aircraft are equipped with sophisticated air conditioning devices - but running them at optimum capacity burns up valuable aviation fuel. Many airlines routinely instruct their flight crews to run the systems on minimum settings. Campaigners for improved air quality claim that this can lead to irritability and disorientation.

现代飞机都配备了完备的空调装置——但要使其以最佳状态运行就会耗尽宝贵的航空燃油。许多航空公司通常指示飞行人员以最低设置来运行系统。要求改善空气质量的人士声称这就会导致烦躁不安，并令人不知所措。 In the US, the soaring number of passenger complaints across a wide range of issues is reflected in a number of new Internet sites which criticise the airlines and demand better service. One of the sites is demanding an air passengers* Bill of Rights.

在美国，涉及广泛问题的乘客投诉数量飙升反映在了许多新的互联网网站上。这些网站批评航空公司，要求提供更好的服务。其中一个网站还要求给予一个空乘版的“人权法案”。

Cabin and flight crews, who are in the front line of the battle against

disruptive and dangerous inflighti behaviour, have called for stiffer penalties against the offenders. Management have also called for legislation - while denying that its cost-cutting practices have contributed to the problem.

面对破坏和空中危险行为，战斗在一线的客舱和飞行机组人员要求给予肇事者更严厉的惩罚。也有声音呼吁管理立法，不过同时否认其削减成本的做法也是问题发生的一个诱因。

But there are some signs, in the US at least, that the airlines are at last attempting to respond to customer dissatisfaction. Some major lines have announced concessions to the most frequent complaint of all, and are removing seats to make more room for their customers.

但也有迹象表明，至少在美国，航空公司终于试图回应顾客的不满。一些主要航线已宣布向最常见的投诉做出让步：拆除一些座位，给乘客留出更多的空间。

Unit3 Dirty Business, Bright Ideas 活儿脏，点子棒

A headquarters with a difference Walk into SOL City, headquarters of one of northern Europe's most admired companies, and it feels like you've entered a business playground. Located in a renovated film studio in the heart of Helsinki, the office explodes with colour, creativity and chaos. SOL 清洁公司是欧洲北部最令人向往的公司之一，走进它的总部 SOL 城，你会感觉到就像走进了一个商业广场。它坐落在赫尔辛基市（芬兰首都）中心一家翻新过的电影制片厂里，里面色彩绚烂，气氛喧闹，彰显着非凡的创造力。

The walls are bright red, white and yellow; the employees wander the halls talking on yellow portable phones. Liisa Joronen developed SOL Cleaning Service 11 years ago, out of a 150-year-old industrial empire owned by her family. SOL's competitive formula has five key ingredients.

墙壁刷上了明亮的色彩，白色和黄色；员工在大厅里来去行走，不时用黄色的手提电话交谈。丽莎·乔洛南 11 年前在家族拥有的 150 年工业帝国的基础上开发了 SOL 清洁服务。SOL 的竞争公式有五个关键成分。

Few people dream about becoming a cleaner. But that doesn't mean cleaners can't find satisfaction in their work. The keys to satisfaction, Joronen believes, are fun and individual freedom. Its cleaners wear red-and yellow jumpsuits that reinforce the company's upbeat image.

很少人会梦想成为一个清洁工。但是，这并不意味着清洁工不能在工作中找到满足。乔洛南认为，满足的关键是乐趣和个人自由。SOL 的清洁工穿着红色和黄色

的连身衣裤，强化了公司的乐观形象。

SOL's logo, a yellow happy face, is on everything from her blazer to the company's budget reports. Freedom means abolishing all the rules and regulations of conventional corporate life, (here are no titles or secretaries at SOL, no individual offices or set hours of work. The company has eliminated all perks and status.

SOL 的标志是一张黄色快乐的脸，它出现在所有的东西上，从鲜艳的外套到公司的预算报告。自由意味着废除所有企业传统文化中所拥有的条条框框：在SOL 没有头衔或秘书，没有个人办公室或工作时间表。公司取消了所有的特权和身份符号。

Symbols SOL's training programme consists of seven modules each of which lasts four months and ends with a rigorous exam. Of course, there are a limited number of ways to polish a table or shampoo a carpet. That's why SOL employees also study time management, budgeting and people skills. SOL 的培训计划包括七个模板，每个历时四个月，最后是严格的考试。当然，擦桌子或洗地毯的方法毕竟是有限的几种，这就是为什么 SOL 的员工也要学习时间管理，编制预算和人际交往的原因。

Lots of companies talk about decentralising responsibility and authority. At SOL it's a way of life. The real power players of the company are its 135 supervisors, each of whom leads a team of up to 50 cleaners. These supervisors work with their teams to create their own budgets, do their own hiring and negotiate their own deals with customers.

许多公司都谈论下放责任和权力。而在 SOL，它是一种生活方式。公司有实权的员工是 135 名管理员，每个管理员带领一个不超过 50 名清洁工的团队。这些管理员与自己的团队一起工作，制定团队的预算，安排招聘，与客户碳交易。Liisa Joronen believes in autonomy, but she's also keen on accountability. SOL is fanatical about measuring performance. It does so frequently and visibly, and focuses on customer satisfaction. Every time SOL lands a contract, for example, the salesperson works at the new customer's site alongside the team that will do the cleaning in the future.

丽莎·乔洛南相信自主性，但她也关注责任感。SOL 时分注重业绩评估。并频繁地、大张旗鼓地进行评估，其中重点关注客户满意度。例如，每次 SOL 签订合同前，销售人员与团队人员一起到要进行清洁工作的新顾客的现场。 Together they establish performance benchmarks. Then, every month, the customer

rates the team's performance based on those benchmarks. 'The more we free our people from rules,' Joronen says, 'the more we need good measurements.'

他们共同设定清洁的标准。然后，每个月客户根据这些标准来评价团队的表现。乔洛南说：“我们越是要让员工摆脱规则，就越需要良好的衡量标准。” Laptops and cell-phones are standard equipment for all supervisors at SOL, freeing them to work where they want, how they want. Inside the offices there's almost no room for paper. So the company stores all critical budget documents and performance reports on its Intranet, along with training schedules, upcoming events and company news.

在 SOL，笔记本电脑和手机是所有管理员的标准装备。这些设备可以让他们到任何地点做他们想做的工作。在办公室内，几乎没有存放纸张的地方。因此，公司是在内联网上储存所有重要的预算文件和业绩报告以及培训计划、活动安排和公司新闻。

Unit4 US department stores launch counter-attack 美国百货进行反击

By Lauren Foster As consumers demand better value and a more interesting and stimulating experience while shopping, department stores face a clear choice: adapt or die.

由于消费者要求购物更划算，购物经历更有趣和更刺激，百货公司面临着一个明确的选择：要么主动适应，要么关门大吉。

'My concern is that they will become retail museums/ says Britt Breemer, chairman of America's Research Group. The bottom line is that they have to admit they are in trouble and figure out some way to reinvent themselves. '

“我担心他们将成为零售业的博物馆。”美国调研集团主席布里特·布里莫说。“解决问题的底线是他们必须承认自己有麻烦了，并找到方法来改造自己。” This may help to explain why four times as many households visit discount stores as department stores.

这可能有助于解释为什么去折扣商店的家庭数目是去百货公司的家庭数目的四倍。

Department stores face mounting competition from speciality retailers and discounters, such as Wal-Mart and Target. Their steady loss of market share may be partly because the concept was born in a different era, a time when, for families, a trip to the stores combined shopping with