美語情景對話 第987期:Good Company 好公司

Spencer: So Curtis, what companies do you really admire?

斯賓塞：柯蒂斯，你有沒有欣賞的公司？

Curtis: One company that I really admire is one that is from near where I grew up, Costco. Many people know them for their brand, Kirkland Signature. They're from Kirkland, Washington close to Seattle and one of the reasons I really like them is because they treat their employees really well. And there are many companies that don't compensate their employees very well, they don't take care of them but there's research and data now that shows that Costco has been getting benefits for taking care of their employees. They have better productivity and they have a better bottom line at the end of things. They invest in their employees and their employees are able to invest their work back into the company.

柯蒂斯：有一家公司我非常欣賞，這家公司叫佳市得，離我成長的地方很近。許多人都知道該公司的品牌——柯克蘭。他們來自華盛頓州柯克蘭市，那裏離西雅圖很近，我喜歡該公司的其中一個原因是他們對待員工非常好。有許多公司對員工不太好，他們不關心員工，但是有研究和數據表明，佳市得公司因爲關心員工而受益。他們的生產力得到了提高，而且最後獲得了更好的贏利。他們對員工進行投資，而他們的員工則投入到工作中來回報公司。

Spencer: Ah, are there any other companies that you agree have the same amount of investment in their employees?

斯賓塞：那你認爲還有其他公司也對員工進行投資嗎？

Curtis: I think Starbucks is actually also from the same region, it's from Seattle and it's also very well known for taking care of its employees well, giving good benefits, paying them pretty well, giving them the option to put some of their earnings into stock immediately at a discount so that they can get into sharing part of the company as well.

柯蒂斯：我認爲來自同一地區的星巴克也在做同樣的事情，星巴克也在西雅圖誕生，該公司因關心員工、提供良好的福利待遇、薪資高而出名，同時星巴克爲員工提供公司股票折價購買機會，這樣他們可以持有公司的股份。

Spencer: I like Starbucks as well. I like how they're constantly trying to come out with new types of drinks, with new types of themes to fit the season, for example, the other day they had some sort of like orange summery drink and I thought that was cool, how they are constantly working to make themselves better, more interesting and to offer more to their customers.

斯賓塞：我也喜歡星巴克。我喜歡的是他們一直嘗試推出新飲品，按季節推出不同主題的新飲品，比如，他們曾推出過一種適合夏季飲用的桔子飲料，我認爲這非常酷，因爲他們一直致力於讓自己變得更好，更有吸引力，爲顧客提供更多。

Curtis: Right. I think it's also a very comfortable brand for customers because in Seattle, many Seattleites don't really drink Starbucks unless they're in a hurry. They'll go to smaller coffee shops but if they travel around the world anywhere else they always know a drink that they can get at Starbucks. So it's a sort of safe and homey company that you can ... you know you can get a drink that you like anywhere that you go.

柯蒂斯：沒錯。我認爲對顧客來說，這個品牌令人感到舒服，因爲許多西雅圖人並不太喜歡喝星巴克，除非他們趕時間他們纔會買星巴克。他們會去小一些的咖啡店，但是如果他們去世界其他地方，他們知道他們總能在星巴克買到飲品。星巴克對他們來說是安全又舒服的公司，無論去任何地方，都可以去星巴克喝點東西。

Spencer: Not just that but I like how it's internationally recognizable, like everybody knows Starbucks and you can say, "Hey, meet me at the Starbucks" and no one's going to say, "Oh, Starbucks, what's that?"

斯賓塞：不僅如此，我喜歡星巴克的國際知名度，所有人都知道星巴克，所以你可以說：“在星巴克見面吧”，不會有人問你：“星巴克是什麼？”

Curtis: Right, right.

柯蒂斯：對，沒錯。

Spencer: So people come from all over and then can come together and meet each other for a coffee. It's cool.

斯賓塞：所以來自各個地方的人們都可以約在星巴克見面，然後一起喝咖啡。這非常酷。

Curtis: Right. I think part of Starbucks' goal was to create a good atmosphere too so that it wasn't just coffee that you were buying but you are buying the brand, the atmosphere, that people go there to study and have a comfortable environment with good music, a warm place that surrounds them.

柯蒂斯：對。我認爲星巴克的目標也包括創建良好的氛圍，所以消費者買的不僅僅是咖啡，還有品牌和氛圍，人們去星巴克學習時，會感受到舒適的環境和優美的音樂，這會讓他們感覺自己身處溫暖的地方。

Spencer: One company that I love a lot at home is another company that sells coffee called Port City Dover and they have branded themselves as being especially fairganic, so like they treat not only their employees well but they also try to get beans that have been sold at a good price for the farmers. So people will get a sense of, like doing good for like the world when they like buy a cup of coffee.

斯賓塞：我非常喜歡我家鄉的一家公司，該公司的名字是Port City Dover，也是一家咖啡公司，他們稱自己非常公平，那家公司不僅厚待員工，還會以合理的價格從農民那裏購買咖啡豆。所以人們有這樣一種感覺，他們買一杯咖啡會給這個世界帶來益處。

Curtis: And are they spreading out or are they just in your home town?

柯蒂斯：那家咖啡公司有擴張嗎？還是隻在你家鄉有？

Spencer: Oh no, they've gone nationwide around the United States but I don't think yet they've made the leap to going international.

斯賓塞：沒有，目前這家公司在美國各地都有店，但是我想他們還沒有走向世界。

Curtis: Oh, okay, okay.

柯蒂斯：哦，好，好的。

譯文屬僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載

重點講解：
1. take care of 照顧；照看；看護；
例句：It's not easy to take care of the sick.
照顧病人是不容易的。
2. in a hurry 急忙；匆忙；倉促；
例句：You make mistakes if you do things in a hurry.
如果你匆匆忙忙地做事，那你就要出差錯。
3. be known for 以……聞名；
例句：My mother is known for her cooking.
我的母親以烹任聞名。
4. all over 到處；遍及；
例句：Foreign tourist are all over the town for the easter break.
復活節休假期間城裏到處都是外國遊客。