雙語散文:我怎樣白手起家
How a Simple Idea Became a Huge Business
我怎樣白手起家
要是我有個水晶球能窺見未來，我會怎麼樣呢？
許多人一遇到障礙就打退堂鼓，但我不會這樣。
我一旦有了目標，就必然鍥而不捨，全力以赴。
我相信人生中充滿機會，但我們往往不懂得把握。
By Howard Schultz
霍華德·舒爾茨
[1]When I was a child growing up in public-housing projects in Canarsie, Brooklyn, I remember lying in bed at night thinking: what if I had a crystal ball『水晶球』and could see the future? But I quickly shut out『摒棄』the thought. I realized I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. All I knew was I had to get out of the projects, get out of Brooklyn.
[1]小時候我住在紐約市布魯克林區卡納西的房租低廉的住宅區，有一天夜裏躺在牀上思量：要是我有個水晶球能窺見未來，我會怎麼樣呢？不過我迅即拋開了這個念頭。我知道自己在人生路上仍然漫無目標，只知道必須設法離開這裏，離開布魯克林。
【額外知識】Brooklyn：美國紐約市的五大行政區之一（其餘四區是曼哈頓、布朗克斯、昆斯和里士滿），爲黑人和窮人聚居區。
[2]I was fortunate to go to college, but I didn't know what to do next. I had no mentor 『導師；良師』to help me sort out my options『選擇』. My main goal was to escape the struggles my working-class parents lived with every day.
[2]後來我有幸上了大學，卻不知道下一步該怎麼走，也沒有人替我指點迷津。我的父母都是工人階級，每天都必須操勞，而我當時最大的願望就是不步他們的後塵。
[3]Eventually I discovered I had a talent for sales, and was hired by a Swedish housewares corporation. By age 28, I was vice president in charge of sales in the United States. I had an excellent salary and a co-op『合作』apartment in New York City, and was happily married to a beautiful woman, Sheri. My parents couldn't believe I had come so far so fast. The life I was leading was beyond their best dreams for me.
[3]我發現自己善於推銷，便進入了一家瑞典人開的家庭用品公司工作。我表現出色，28歲就晉升爲主管國內銷售的副總裁，薪金優厚。我買了套住宅，又娶了如花似玉的妻子--雪瑞，生活舒適愉快。連我的父母都不敢相信我會如此飛黃騰達。他們從未夢想過我能過上這樣的生活。
[4]Most people would be satisfied with all this. But I was getting antsy『熱鍋上螞蟻般的；坐立不安的』. I wanted to be in charge of my own destiny 『命運』. It was around this time, in the early 1980s, that I became aware of a strange phenomenon. A little retailer『零售商』in Seattle was placing large orders for a drip coffee maker: a simple plastic cone 『圓錐體』set on a thermos『保溫瓶』. The company, Starbucks Coffee and Tea, had only four small stores, yet it was buying our product in quantities larger than Macy's was. Why was Seattle so taken with this coffee maker when the rest of the country was using electric coffee makers?
[4]一般人有了如此成就，也許會志得意滿，我卻還想更上一層樓，決意要主宰自己的命運。就在這個時候（80年代初期），一個奇特現象引起了我的注意。西雅圖有家經營零售業的小公司向我們訂購滴濾式咖啡壺。這家公司名叫"明星咖啡連鎖公司"，只有4家小店，向我們買這種產品的數量卻超過百貨業巨擘梅西公司。當時美國各地普通使用電氣咖啡壺。何以此器具在西雅圖那麼受歡迎？
【額外知識】
Seattle：美國西北部華盛頓州首府。瀕臨太平洋，著名的波音（Boeing）飛機制造公司坐落於此。
Macy's：即R. H. Macy & Co.梅西公司。美國資格最老、最著名的百貨公司，總部設在紐約。
[5]I had to find out, so I went to Seattle.
[5]爲了查明原委，我前往西雅圖。
Fresh Approach
濃郁香氣撲鼻而來
[6]Starbucks's flagship store was modest『樸素的』but full of character. The minute the door opened, a heady『刺鼻的；濃烈的』aroma『芳香』of coffee drew me in. Behind a wooden counter stood bins containing coffees from all over: Sumatra, Kenya, Ethiopia, Costa Rica. Along one wall was a shelf full of coffee-related merchandise『商品；貨物』, including our thermos-and-cone coffee maker.
[6]明星咖啡連鎖公司的總店樸實無華，卻別具風格。我一推開店門，濃郁醉人的咖啡香氣便撲鼻而來。木櫃臺後面有一列箱子，分別裝盛從蘇門答臘、肯尼亞、埃塞俄比亞和哥斯達黎加世界各地進口的咖啡。靠着牆的貨架上擺滿各種咖啡用具，包括我們生產的滴濾式咖啡壺。
[7]The counterman scooped『用勺舀』out Sumatran coffee beans, ground『grind的過去式。磨；碾碎』them, put the grounds in a filter『過濾器』 in the cone and poured hot water over them to give me a sample of their product. When he handed me the coffee, the aroma enveloped『籠罩；掩蓋』my entire face. I took a tentative『實驗性的；試探性的』sip.
[7]櫃檯服務員用勺子舀出少許蘇門答臘咖啡豆，磨成粉，倒入滴濾式咖啡壺的濾格，澆下熱水，衝一杯咖啡供我品嚐。他把杯子遞過來時，咖啡的香氣籠罩了我的臉。我淺嘗了一口。
[8]Whoa. My eyes shot wide open. It was stronger than any coffee I had ever tasted. By comparison, I realized, the coffee I had been drinking was swill『洗碟水；泔水』. That night I had dinner with one of Starbucks's owners, Jerry Baldwin. I had never heard anyone talk about a product the way Jerry talked about coffee. He wasn't just calculating『算計』 how to maximize『使增加/擴大到最大限度』 sales. He and his partner, Gordon Bowker, believed they were providing customers with something they ought to enjoy. It was an approach to business that was fresh and appealing『動人的；有吸引力的』to me.
[8]"哇！"我心裏讚歎，不由得兩眼圓睜。這是我有生以來所喝過的最濃烈的咖啡，以前喝的咖啡相形之下像洗碟水。當晚我跟明星咖啡連鎖公司的股東傑裏·巴登一起吃飯。我以前從未見過有誰像他談咖啡那樣談論某些產品。巴登不只是努力推銷而已：他和合夥人戈登·博格都相信，他們所賣的都是顧客會喜愛的東西。這樣的經商態度令我耳目一新，也爲之心折。
Inexplicable Attraction
不可言喻的吸引力
[9]I tried to persuade Jerry Baldwin to hire me-although it did not seem to be a logical career move. Taking a job at Starbucks would mean giving up my job and Sheri's job-and for what? Moving across the country to join a tiny outfit 『公司；機構』with four coffee stores? It didn't make sense to my friends or family, especially my mother. "You're doing well-you have a future," she argued. "Don't give it up for a small company nobody's heard of ."
[9]我想說服巴登僱用我--老實說，此舉似乎並不明智。我如果去明星咖啡連鎖公司上班，就必須辭去現在的職位，而我的妻子也必須放棄現在的工作。我的親友，尤其是母親，都認爲我的想法沒有道理。"你現在乾得很不錯--前途遠大，"她勸道："不要爲一個誰都沒有聽說過的小公司而放棄現在的工作。"
[10]I thought of the loss of security『保障』, remembering how when I was seven my father had broken his ankle at work. He was stuck at home for more than a month. He was a truck driver delivering diapers『尿布』, so when he didn't work, he didn't get paid. Our family had no income, no health insurance『保險』-nothing to fall back on. That image of my father-slumped『垂頭彎腰地坐』on the couch, leg in a cast-was burned into my mind.
[10]我考慮的是失去保障，不禁想起7歲那年父親工作時摔斷踝骨，在家裏困了一個多月的往事。他的職業是開卡車運送尿布，不上班就沒有工資，我們一家人的生活頓時陷入困境。他一條腿裹着石膏頹然坐在長沙發上的情景，深深印在我的記憶中。
[11]But Starbucks held an inexplicable attraction for me. During the year after my first visit, I found reasons to get back to Seattle several times. Then in the spring of 1982, Jerry and Gordon invited me to meet board『董事會』member Steve Donovan.
[11]但是，對我來說，明星咖啡連鎖公司有不可言喻的吸引力。其後我在一年之內又找藉口去了西雅圖幾趟，到1982年春天，巴登和博格邀我去會晤公司董事史蒂夫·坦南瓦爾德。
[12]The meeting went exceptionally well. I told them how I had served Starbucks coffee to my friends in New York, how enthusiastic『極感興趣的』they had been. Starbucks could be so much bigger, I argued. It could grow beyond the Northwest. It could become a national company.
[12]會晤時氣氛極好。我告訴他們，我曾經用明星咖啡連鎖公司的咖啡招待紐約的朋友，嘗過的人都讚不絕口。我又指出，這公司其實可以大展宏圖，衝出西北部發展成爲全國大企業。
[13]The partners seemed inspired『振奮；感動』by my vision『構想；見解』. Back in New York the next day, I eagerly awaited Jerry's call. But they had decided not to hire me. "Your plans sound great," Jerry said. "But that's just not the vision we have for Starbucks." Instead of charming『吸引』them, I had spooked『使受驚嚇；使膽怯』them.
[13]三位股東似乎欣賞我的見解。第二天我回到紐約，急切等候巴登的電話。但是他們決定不僱用我。巴登說："你的計劃好極了，只可惜不符合我們經營明星咖啡連鎖公司的方針。"
A Trip to Italy
意大利之行
[14]I still believed so much in the future of Starbucks that I couldn't accept "no" as a final answer. I had to join this company.
[14]我對明星咖啡連鎖公司的前途仍深具信心，不甘就此罷休。
[15]The next day I called Jerry back. "Jerry," I protested, "this isn't about me. It's about your company." I spoke and he heard me out, then fell silent. "Let me sleep on it," he said. "I'll call you tomorrow."
[15]第二天我又打電話過去。"巴登，"我說，"這不是爲我自己着想，而是爲你們公司…?quot;他耐心傾聽，然後沉默了一陣。"讓我再想一晚，"他說，"明天給你迴音。"
[16]Perhaps he slept; I certainly didn't.
[16]也許他睡了一覺，可是我卻整夜未眠。
[17]The next morning I picked up the phone on the first ring. "You have the job, Howard," he said. "When can you come?"
[17]次日早晨，電話鈴一響我就拿起聽筒。"我們決定僱用你，"巴登說，"什麼時候來上班？"
[18]So many times I've been told something can't be done. But if I believe in it, I can't let it go. Part of my determination comes from my enthusiasm, and part is fear of failure. The example of my dad was always in my mind. An honest man who worked hard and loved his children, he was never able to take control of his life and climb out of the hole of blue-collar jobs-truck driver, factory worker, cabdriver-that left him a beaten man.
[18]許多人一遇到障礙就打退堂鼓。但是我不會這樣；我一旦有了目標，就必然鍥而不捨，全力以赴。我能如此堅毅，一方面是憑着滿腔熱誠，另一方面是畏懼失敗。我常常想起父親坎坷的一生。他爲人誠懇、工作勤奮、愛護兒女，卻一直不能掌控自己的人生方向，不能擺脫藍領工人的地位--卡車司機、工廠工人或出租汽車司機--以致抱撼終身。
[19]After I had been at Stabucks for a year, I had an experience that changed my life. I went to Milan to attend an international housewares show. On my first morning I noticed a little espresso『濃咖啡』bar. Behind the counter a tall, thin man was cheerfully greeting customers.
[19]進明星咖啡連鎖公司一年之後，由於另一件事，我的人生又有了大轉變。我去意大利米蘭參觀國際家庭用品展覽，第一天早晨便注意到會場裏有個小小的蒸餾咖啡吧。櫃檯後面有個高高瘦瘦的男人在笑吟吟地招呼顧客。
[20]"Espresso?" He asked, holding out a cup. After three sips it was gone, but I could still feel its warmth and energy.
[20]"蒸餾咖啡?" 他問，然後遞給我一杯。我啜吸三口就喝光了，不過咖啡的香濃溫暖我卻至今難忘。
[21]That day I discovered the romance『浪漫情調』and ritual『規矩；習慣』of coffee bars in Italy. My mind started churning 『翻騰』. My company's connection to coffee lovers did not have to be limited to their homes, where they ground and brewed『煮』our coffee. What we should do was sell coffee by the cup, in coffee bars.
[21]那天我見識了意大利咖啡吧的浪漫格調和營業作風。我於是開始動腦筋。其實，我們公司和咖啡愛好者的關係不必侷限在他們家裏。我們何不開設咖啡吧，論杯賣咖啡，讓他們不必自行研磨沖泡也能喝到我們的咖啡？
[22]On my return to Seattle, however, my bosses argued that Starbucks was a retailer, not a restaurant or a bar. They pointed out that Starbucks was successful. Why rock『使搖擺』the boat?
[22]回到西雅圖後，我向老闆提出此計劃，他們卻不以爲然，強調明星咖啡連鎖公司是零售業者，不是餐廳或酒吧。他們還指出公司很賺錢，何必冒風險另闢蹊徑？
[23]I was torn between loyalty『忠誠』 to Starbucks and confidence in my vision for coffee bars. In the end I followed my vision. With Sheri's support, in late 1985 I left Starbucks and started my own company, Il Giornale.
[23]我對公司當然應該忠心耿耿，可是我對咖啡吧計劃也充滿信心，認爲值得一試，因此左右爲難。最後，我決定實現自己的計劃。在妻子雪瑞的支持下，我1985年冬天離開明星咖啡連鎖公司，創辦了伊爾·喬爾納萊公司。
[24]Within six months we were serving more than a thousand customers a day in our tiny Seattle store. It became a gathering place-just like the espresso bars in Italy. We opened a second store six months after the first, and a third one in Vancouver.
[24]不到半年，我們在西雅圖開的小店每天都有1000多位顧客光臨。第一家店開張6個月後，我們開了第二家，然後在溫哥華開了第三家。
[25]In March 1987 Jerry Baldwin and Gordon Bowker decided to sell their Starbrcks stores. As soon as I heard, I knew I had to buy. With the support of my Il Giornale investors, Starbucks was mine five months later. I had a chance to accomplish my dreams, but I also had the hopes and fears of nearly a hundred people resting on my shoulders. It was electrifying『令人振奮的』, but also frightening.
[25]1987年3月，巴登和博格決定出售明星咖啡連鎖公司。我一聽到消息，就知道我非承購不可。伊爾·喬爾納萊公司的股東都表示支持，於是5個月後，明星咖啡連鎖公司便歸我所有。我有了實現雄心壯志的機會，卻也肩負了將近100人的希望與憂慮，心裏既振奮又惶恐不安。
[26]At the same time I was facing a huge personal crisis『危機』. My father was dying. In January 1988 I went home to see my dad one last time. But it was the saddest day of my life. He'd had no savings, no pension『養老金』. More important, he had never attained fulfillment『滿足』and dignity『尊嚴』from work.
[26]也在這時候，我父親病入膏肓。1988年1月，我回家去見他最後一面。那是我生平最悲傷的一天。他沒有積蓄，沒有養老金。更糟的是，他不曾從工作中體會過尊嚴和成就感。
[27]Although I didn't plan it this way, Starbucks has become a living legacy 『遺產』of my dad. I've tried to be the kind of employer I wish he had worked for. Starbucks now has more than 1500 stores and 25,000 employees. Unlike other retailers, we provide stock options and full health benefits, even for part-time employees.
[27]雖然我不是有意爲之，明星咖啡連鎖公司卻已成了紀念先父的事業。他一生從未遇到過好僱主，因此我身體力行，決意做個好老闆。我們的作風跟一般零售業者不同：所有員工包括兼職者都享有優先認股權，以及周全的保健福利。
[28]In the years since I first heard of Starbucks, I've often wondered: what would have happened had I just accepted Jerry Baldwin's decision not to hire me? Most people, when turned down 『拒絕』for a job, just go away.
[28]這些年來我時常揣摩：當年聽到巴登說不僱用我的時候我如果默然認命，今天會是什麼局面？大多數人求職遭到拒絕後，只是一走了之。
[29]I believe life is a series of near misses. A lot of what we ascribe to『歸於』luck is not luck at all. It's seizing the day and accepting responsibility for your future. It's seeing what other people don't see and pursuing『追求』that vision.
[29]我相信人生中充滿機會，但我們往往不懂得把握。我們歸功於運氣的成就，有許多其實與運氣完全無關，應歸功於當機立斷、敢作敢爲，見人之所未見，堅持不懈。
【瘋狂翻譯練習】
1. 我有幸上了大學，卻不知道下一步該怎麼走。（2）
2. 我想主宰自己的命運。（4）
3. 我的親友，尤其是母親，都認爲我的想法沒有道理。（9）
4. 進明星咖啡連鎖公司一年之後，由於另一件事，我的人生又有了大轉變。（19）
5. I realized I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life.（1）
6. The life I was leading was beyond their best dreams for me.（3）
7. I had a chance to accomplish my dreams, but I also had the hopes and fears of nearly a hundred people resting on my shoulders.（25）
8. More important, he had never attained fulfillment and dignity from work.（26）
