乔布斯传 第134期:我们当海盗吧!(2)

 For all of his obnoxious¹ behavior, Jobs also had the ability to instill in his team an esprit de corps².

乔布斯虽然有很多让人讨厌的行为，但他也能给自己的队伍注入团队精神。

After tearing people down, he would find ways to lift them up

在把别人贬得一文不值之后，他又能找到办法激励他们，

and make them feel that being part of the Macintosh project was an amazing mission.

让他们觉得成为麦金塔项目的一员是一项美妙的任务。

Every six months he would take most of his team on a two-day retreat at a nearby resort.

每半年，他都会带着团队的大部分人，去附近的一处度假胜地举行为期两天的集思会。

The retreat in September 1982 was at the Pajaro Dunes³ near Monterey.

1982年9月的那次集思会是在蒙特雷附近的帕加罗沙丘进行的。

Fifty or so members of the Mac division sat in the lodge⁴ facing a fireplace.

大约50名Mac团队的成员坐在小屋里，面朝着壁炉。

Jobs sat on top of a table in front of them.

乔布斯坐在他们前面的一张桌子上。

He spoke⁵ quietly for a while, then walked to an easel and began posting his thoughts.

他小声地说了一会儿话，然后走到一个黑板架旁边，开始贴上自己的想法。

The first was "Don't compromise."

第一条是“决不妥协”。

It was an injunction that would, over time, be both helpful and harmful.

这一条在日后的岁月里被证明是一把双刃剑。

Most technology teams made trade-offs.

大多数的科技团队都会妥协。

The Mac, on the other hand, would end up being as "insanely great" as Jobs and his acolytes⁶ could possibly make it

另一方面，Mac最终成为了乔布斯和他的队伍所能做出的最“完美得不可思议”的产品

but it would not ship for another sixteen months, way behind schedule.

但它还需要16个月才能上市，远远晚于计划时间。

After mentioning a scheduled completion date, he told them, "It would be better to miss than to turn out the wrong thing."

在提到一个计划中的完工日期后，他告诉他们：“即便错过上市日期，也不能粗制滥造。”

A different type of project manager, willing to make some trade-offs, might try to lock in dates after which no changes could be made.

换作愿意做出妥协的项目经理的话，也许会敲定一个完工日期，之后不得再作出任何改动。

Not Jobs. He displayed another maxim⁷: "It's not done until it ships."

但乔布斯不是这样的人，他的另一句名言就是：“直到上市，产品才能算是完工。”

Another chart contained a koōan-like phrase that he later told me was his favorite maxim: "The journey is the reward."

另一张纸上有一句公案一样的短语，他后来告诉我那是他最爱的一旬格言。上面写的是：“过程就是奖励。”

The Mac team, he liked to emphasize, was a special corps with an exalted⁸ mission.

他喜欢强调，Mac团队是一支有着崇高使命的特殊队伍。

Someday they would all look back on their journey together and,

未来的某一天，他们会回顾这段共同度过的时光，

forgetting or laughing off the painful moments, would regard it as a magical high point in their lives.

对于那些痛苦的时刻，只是过眼云烟，或者付之一笑，他们会把这段时光看做人生中奇妙的巅峰时刻。

At the end of the presentation someone asked whether he thought they should do some market research to see what customers wanted.

演讲的最后，有些人问道是否应该做一下市场调查，来看看用户需要什么

"No," he replied, "because customers don't know what they want until we've shown them."

“不”，乔布斯回答道。“因为直到我们展示给他们看，他们才知道他们想要什么。”

Then he pulled out a device that was about the size of a desk diary.

然后他拿出了一个曰记本大小的装置。

"Do you want to see something neat?"

他问道：“你们想看点儿好东西吗？”

When he flipped⁹ it open, it turned out to be a mock- up of a computer that could fit on your lap,

他把装置翻开之后，大家发现那是一台可以放在膝盖上的电脑，

with a keyboard and screen hinged together like a notebook.

键盘和屏幕接合在一起，就像笔记本一样。

"This is my dream of what we will be making in the mid-to late eighties," he said.

他说：“这是我的梦想，希望我们能在80年代中晚期造出这种电脑。”

They were building a company that would invent the future.

他们正在创建一家开创了未来的公司。

1 obnoxious   

adj.极恼人的，讨人厌的，可憎的

参考例句：

• These fires produce really obnoxious fumes and smoke.这些火炉冒出来的烟气确实很难闻。
• He is the most obnoxious man I know.他是我认识的最可憎的人。

2 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

3 dunes   

沙丘( dune的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The boy galloped over the dunes barefoot. 那男孩光着脚在沙丘间飞跑。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat. 将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

4 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 acolytes   

n.助手( acolyte的名词复数 )；随从；新手；（天主教）侍祭

参考例句：

• To his acolytes, he is known simply as 'the Boss'. 他被手下人简称为“老板”。 来自辞典例句
• Many of the acolytes have been in hiding amongst the populace. 许多寺僧都隐藏在平民当中。 来自互联网

7 maxim   

n.格言，箴言

参考例句：

• Please lay the maxim to your heart.请把此格言记在心里。
• "Waste not,want not" is her favourite maxim.“不浪费则不匮乏”是她喜爱的格言。

8 exalted   

adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的

参考例句：

• Their loveliness and holiness in accordance with their exalted station.他们的美丽和圣洁也与他们的崇高地位相称。
• He received respect because he was a person of exalted rank.他因为是个地位崇高的人而受到尊敬。

9 flipped   

轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转，撞毁了。
• The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。