经济学人460:在中国觅食的外国企业家

 　　Foreign entrepreneurs in China

　　在中国觅食的外国企业家

　　Small is not beautiful

　　小并不是美

　　It is hard for small businesses to break into the Chinese market

　　对于小盘生意来说，要打入中国市场难如登天

　　ENTREPRENEURS do more with less, proclaimed Fiona Woolf this week on a visit to Shanghai. Lady Woolf, the current Lord Mayor of the City of London, was speaking at an academic conference devoted¹ to helping² small and medium enterprises (SMEs) flourish in China. These businesses face all of the same obstacles as big firms trying to enter China but have far fewer resources.

　　本周，现任伦敦金融城市长Fiona Woolf在上海进行访问，而在一个致力于帮助中小企业（SMEs）在中国发展扩张的学术研讨会上，Woolf市长声称企业家们都是能“花小钱办大事”的人。这些中小企业在进入中国市场之时，面临着与大公司一样的困难，但前者所拥有的资源却比后者要少得多。

　　Intellectual-property rights are hard and costly³ to defend. The tangle⁴ of red tape involved in tax, compliance⁵, customs clearance⁶, business registration⁷ and so on can overwhelm small firms. Alexandra Voss of the German Chamber⁸ of Commerce points out that local firms often work overtime⁹ and on weekends during negotiations—and that foreign SMEs with staff shortages and little local knowledge can quickly get overwhelmed.

　　捍卫知识产权不仅困难重重，其代价也非常高。税务、行政法规、海关、工商登记等等，各式各样的官僚行径交织成一团乱麻，令小公司无法存活。德国商会的Alexandra Voss指出，本地公司常常让员工在平时加班或者在周末上班，而这正是令员工短缺以及缺乏本地业务情况的外国中小企业迅速被打垮的原因。

　　小并不是美.jpg

　　A bigger snag is that getting China right demands a huge amount of attention from the top brass¹⁰, explains Franklin Yao of Smith Street Solutions, a consulting firm that advises firms keen to enter China. The problem is that the market is enormous, complicated and opaque¹¹. It is also hyper-competitive, thanks to a proliferation of both low-cost locals and deep-pocketed multinational¹² companies.

　　一家为热衷于进入中国市场的公司提供服务的咨询机构Smith Street Solutions，其分析员Franklin Yao解释道，眼前一个更大的阻碍在于，如果要与中国搞好关系，就必须得到国家高层的大量关注。而问题就在于市场是无比巨大的，是复杂的，同时也是不透明的。同时，高度竞争也是市场的特点之一，而这要归功于廉价的本地劳动力和财力雄厚的跨国公司两者之间的共同成长。

　　For intrepid¹³ SMEs still keen to try, help is at hand. All developed countries have trade offices and business chambers¹⁴ devoted to helping smaller firms clear the many hurdles¹⁵. Consultants¹⁶ are also coming up with new ways to connect these firms to unfamiliar¹⁷ customers.

　　对于勇敢无畏的不停尝试的中小企业来说，还是能够获得帮助的。所有发达国家都成立了商贸部门以及商业协会，以帮助较小的公司清除大部分发展障碍。商业顾问也想出了许多新方法，让这些公司与未曾接触过的客户取得联系。

　　Deb Weidenhamer runs iPai, a trailblazing foreign auction¹⁸ house in China. Her outfit¹⁹ holds dozens of auctions²⁰ a year, run simultaneously²¹ online and at a trendy site in Shanghai, mostly peddling²² excess inventories²³ from distributors of fashionable goods. For 15,000, she will add a foreign SME's product to three of her auctions over several weeks and get user feedback. The result, she says, is that her clients learn quickly and easily if and how much Chinese customers will pay for their novel products and what they think of them.

　　Deb Weidenhamer，目前在中国运营一家开创性的外国拍卖行。她的机构不仅每年要处理许多拍卖业务，同时也在网上经营，并且是在上海的一个时尚的网站里进行销售，大部分是在兜售时髦产品经销商手中多余的存货。仅需15000美元，她就能让一项外国中小企业产品登陆到自己的拍卖品展示区长达数周，并获取用户的反馈。她表示自己的机构能够最终帮助客户快速轻松地了解到中国顾客的情况，包括他们是否会购买该公司的新产品、出价几何以及他们对该产品的看法。

　　Another encouraging development for smaller firms is the rise of e-commerce in China. Frank Lavin of Export Now, an e-commerce firm, argues that going directly to online sales lets foreign newcomers build a national brand far more quickly and cheaply than through bricks-and-mortar outlets²⁴. For 17-20% of a firm's Chinese revenues, he will take care of the regulatory filings, product testing, warehousing and so on required for online sales.

　　对于小型公司来说，另一个利好因素莫过于中国电子商务的发展。来自电商公司Export Now的Frank Lavin表示，通过网络渠道直接销售，不仅可以使新入境的外国竞争者迅速建立国际品牌形象，并且其花费的代价也大大降低，这两大优势都令传统实体营销策略黯然失色。目前该公司在中国的总收入当中，网络渠道的销售额已经占到了约17%至20%，而为此他会处理好政府监管备案、产品测试、仓储等等的一系列网络销售所需要解决的问题。

　　Alibaba, a Chinese e-commerce giant that recently went public in America, is explicitly²⁵ courting foreign SMEs. A recent success story involves sales of imported fresh foods on its Tmall portal. Keith Hu of the Northwest Cherry Growers, which represents American farmers of the fruit, explains that selling to China was made even more difficult as the fruit ripens²⁶ only during an eight-week period each year. But a clever collaboration²⁷ with Tmall helped his farmers reach customers even in smaller Chinese cities, boosting sales over fourfold in the past year to over 600 tonnes.

　　中国电商巨头阿里巴巴（Alibaba，近期在美国上市）已经明确地对外国中小企业抛出了橄榄枝。最近，该公司在旗下“天猫商城”所推广的进口新鲜食品已经成为了成功的典范。Northwest Cherry Growers的Keith Hu，美国果农的代表，对外解释称，以前向中国销售新鲜水果是件非常困难的事，因为每年产出的水果只有八周的成熟期。但现在通过与“天猫商城”的精明协作，美国的果农甚至能够把产品卖给中国偏远城市地区，而这令美国果农去年在华的销售量提升了四倍，超过了600吨的大关。

　　While it is possible to make it, Mr Yao is blunt about the chances: “If your firm doesn't have at least 100m a year in sales, don't bother trying.” Life is hardly a bowl of cherries for most small entrepreneurs trying to enter the Middle Kingdom.

　　虽然进入中国市场是很有希望的，但Yao先生也率直地评价道：“如果你的公司每年营业额连1亿美元都达不到，那还是不要白费力气了。”对于想要瓜分天朝的小企业家来说，创业总是比较艰难。

1 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

4 tangle   

n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱

参考例句：

• I shouldn't tangle with Peter.He is bigger than me.我不应该与彼特吵架。他的块头比我大。
• If I were you, I wouldn't tangle with them.我要是你，我就不跟他们争吵。

5 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

6 clearance   

n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理

参考例句：

• There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.两堵墙之间只有十厘米的空隙。
• The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一办好离港手续立刻启航了。

7 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

8 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

9 overtime   

adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地

参考例句：

• They are working overtime to finish the work.为了完成任务他们正在加班加点地工作。
• He was paid for the overtime he worked.他领到了加班费。

10 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

11 opaque   

adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的

参考例句：

• The windows are of opaque glass.这些窗户装着不透明玻璃。
• Their intentions remained opaque.他们的意图仍然令人费解。

12 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

13 intrepid   

adj.无畏的，刚毅的

参考例句：

• He is not really satisfied with his intrepid action.他没有真正满意他的无畏行动。
• John's intrepid personality made him a good choice for team leader.约翰勇敢的个性适合作领导工作。

14 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

15 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

16 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。

17 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

18 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

19 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

20 auctions   

n.拍卖，拍卖方式( auction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They picked up most of the furniture at auctions in country towns. 他们大部分的家具都是在乡村镇上的拍卖处买的。 来自辞典例句
• Our dealers didn't want these cars, so we had to dump them at auctions. 我们的承销商都不要这些车子，因此我们只好贱价拍卖。 来自辞典例句

21 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

22 peddling   

忙于琐事的，无关紧要的

参考例句：

• He worked as a door-to-door salesman peddling cloths and brushes. 他的工作是上门推销抹布和刷子。
• "If he doesn't like peddling, why doesn't he practice law? "要是他不高兴卖柴火，干吗不当律师呢？

23 inventories   

n.总结( inventory的名词复数 )；细账；存货清单（或财产目录）的编制

参考例句：

• In other cases, such as inventories, inputs and outputs are both continuous. 在另一些情况下，比如存货，其投入和产出都是持续不断的。
• The store must clear its winter inventories by April 1st. 该店必须在4月1日前售清冬季存货。

24 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

25 explicitly   

ad.明确地，显然地

参考例句：

• The plan does not explicitly endorse the private ownership of land. 该计划没有明确地支持土地私有制。
• SARA amended section 113 to provide explicitly for a right to contribution. 《最高基金修正与再授权法案》修正了第123条，清楚地规定了分配权。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

26 ripens   

v.成熟，使熟( ripen的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The sun ripens the crops. 太阳使庄稼成熟。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then their seed ripens, and soon they turn brown and shrivel up. 随后，它们的种子熟了，不久就变枯萎。 来自辞典例句

27 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。