金融英语泛读:我是如何做到的——马云谈创业

How I Did It：The Unlikely Rise of China's Hottest Internet Tycoon我是如何做到的——马云谈创业

“I rode my bike for 40 minutes every morning to a hotel with a lot of foreign tourists. I showed them around and practiced my English.Those eight years deeply changed me.”

Jack Ma hit pay dirt when his Chinese business-to-business start-up, Alibaba. com, went public, in November，2007.The offering raised more than$1.5 billion and gave the company a valuation of$26 billion.Ma，43，grew up during China's Cultural Revolution.He taught himself English, then caught the Internet wave as China's economy opened in the 1990s.Today, Alibaba is China's largest B2B site and a favorite among American and European companies that are buying from Chinese suppliers.The site earned$39 million on revenues of$129 million in the first half of 2007.Ma has also taken Alibaba into search, engines through a joint venture with Yahoo（NASDAQ：YHOO），and his Taobao online auction site has become bigger than eBay（NASDAQ：EBAY）in China.

When I was 12 years old, I got interested in learning English. I rode my bike for 40 minutes every morning, rain or snow, for eight years to a hotel near the city of Hangzhou's West Lake district, about 100 miles southwest of Shanghai.China was opening up, and a lot of foreign tourists went there.I showed them around as a free guide and practiced my English.Those eight years deeply changed me.l started to become more globalized than most Chinese.What I learned from my teachers and books was different from what the foreign visitors told me.

The other event that fundamentally changed me was in 1979，when I met a family with two kids from Australia. We met and spent three days together and played Frisbee.We became pen pals.In 1985 they invited me to go to Australia for a summer vacation.I went in July, and those 31 days changed my life.Since then, I started to think differently.

l flunked my exam for university twice before I was accepted by what was considered my city's worst university, Hangzhou Normal University. I was studying to be a high school English teacher.In my university, I was elected student chairman and later became chairman of the city's Students Federation.

When I graduated, I was the only one of 500 students assigned to teach at a university. My pay was 100 to 120 yuan（RMB），which is like$12 to$15 per month.I always had a dream that when I finished my five years, I would join a business-a hotel or whatever.I just wanted to go and do something.In 1992，the business environment started improving.I applied for a lot of jobs, but nobody wanted me！I was turned down for secretary to the general manager of a Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Then, in 1995，I went to Seattle as an interpreter for a trade delegation. A friend showed me the Internet there for the first time.We searched the word“beer”on Yahoo and discovered that there was no data about China.We decided to launch a website and registered the name“China Pages.”

I borrowed$2000 to set up the company. I knew nothing about personal computers or e-mails.I had never touched a keyboard before that.That's why I call myself“blind man riding on the back of a blind tiger.”

We competed with China Telecom for about a year. The general manager of China Telecom offered to invest$185000 to do a joint venture.It was the most money I had ever seen in my life.But unfortunately, China Telecom got five seats on the board.I got two seats on the board.Everything we suggested, they turned us down.It was like an elephant and an ant.I resigned.Then, I got an offer to come to Beijing and run a new government group to promote e-commerce.

My dream was to set up my own e-commerce company. In 1999，I gathered 18 people in my apartment and spoke to them for two hours about my vision.Everyone put their money on the table and that got us$60000 to start Alibaba.I wanted to have a global company, so I chose a global name.Alibaba is easy to spell and people everywhere associate that with“Open, Sesame，”the command that Ali Baba used to open doors to hidden treasures in One Thousand and One Nights, the book of Middle Eastern folktales.

There were three reasons why we survived. We had no money, we had no technology, and we had no plan.Every dollar, we used very carefully.The office opened in my apartment.We expanded when we raised money from Goldman Sachs in 1999 and then Softbank Corporation in 2000.

We're in China today because I believe in one thing:global vision, local win. We designed the business model ourselves.Our focus is on helping small and medium-size companies make money.We never copied a model from the U.S.，like a lot of Chinese Internet entrepreneurs did.We focused on product quality.It has to be“click and get it.”If l can't get it, then it's rubbish.

I call Alibaba“1001 mistakes.”We expanded too fast, and then in the dotcom bubble, we had to have layoffs. By 2002，we had only enough cash to survive for 18 months.We had a lot of free members using our site, and we didn't know how we'd make money.So we developed a product for China exporters to meet buyers in the U.S.online.This model saved us.Each year we improved.Today, Alibaba is very Profitable.

The lessons I learned from the dark days at Alibaba are that you've got to make your team have value, innovation, and vision. Also, if you don't give up, you still have a chance.

Going public was an important miIestone for Alibaba. The time was right.Our B2B company is established, market conditions are healthy, and management is strong.The reception proved a mainland Chinese company can list in Hong Kong and still get a very strong valuation and global investor interest.

My vision is to build an e-commerce ecosystem that allows consumers and businesses to do all aspects of business online. We are going into search with Yahoo, and have launched online auction and payment businesses.I want to create one million jobs, change China's social and economic environment, and make it the largest Internet market in the world.

What is important in my life is that I can do something that can influence many people and influence China's development. When I am myself, I am relaxed and happy and have a good result.

每天早上我都会骑上40分钟的自行车，来到一家住着许多外国游客的宾馆。我带着他们到处逛，同时还锻炼了我的英语口语。那八年彻底地改变了我。

中国首家企业与企业间电子商务公司阿里巴巴网络有限公司于2007年11月挂牌上市，其创办者马云终获成功。本次上市融资超过15亿美元，并使得该公司市值达到260亿美元。43岁的马云在中国的“文化大革命”时期长大，他曾自学英语。恰逢20世纪90年代中国经济逐步开放，马云赶上了互联网时代兴起的大潮。如今，阿里巴巴网站已成为中国最大的企业间电子商务平台，并受到许多需要从中国供应商那里购买商品的欧美公司的青睐。该公司2007年上半年总收入达到1.29亿美元，利润3900万美元。马云还通过和雅虎进行战略合作（纳斯达克上市名称：YHOO），使得阿里巴巴进军搜索引擎领域。旗下的个人网上拍卖平台“淘宝网”在中国的规模也超过易趣网（纳斯达克上市名称：EBAY）。

我12岁时开始对英语学习感兴趣。杭州西湖区位于上海西南方向100公里处。每天早上我都会骑40分钟的自行车，去附近的一家旅馆，八年的时间里，风雨无阻。中国正在不断地开放，许多的外国游客都会来到这里。我作为他们的免费导游，领着他们四处游览，同时锻炼了我的口语。那八年彻底改变了我。比起大部分的中国人，我更能感受到全球化的脉搏。我从老师和书本那里学到的与那些外国游客告诉我的完全不同。

发生在1979年的另外一件事从根本上改变了我。当时我接触了一个来自澳大利亚的家庭，这家有两个孩子。我和他们在一起待了三天，还和他们玩飞盘游戏。后来我们成了笔友。1985年，他们邀请我到澳大利亚度暑假。我7月份到了澳大利亚，在那儿的31天可以说改变了我的人生。从那时起，我开始以不同的思维方式来看待问题。

在我被杭州师范学院，也就是被认为是那个我所在城市里最差的大学录取之前，我曾两次在大学入学考试中失利。我努力学习，希望能成为一名高中英语教师。在大学期间，我被选为学生会主席。之后，我又成为杭州市高校学生联合会的主席。毕业后，我是所有500名学生中唯一一个分配到高校任教的毕业生。我的工资是每月100～120元（人民币），相当于12～15美元。我一直梦想着当我五年的教师任职期满后，自己会进入某个商业领域，比如说酒店业或是什么的。我就是想做出点名堂来。1992年，商业环境开始有所改善。我申请了许多职位，但没人要我！我曾申请肯德基总经理秘书这个职位，结果被拒绝了。

之后到了1995年，我作为一个商贸代表团的随团翻译来到了西雅图。一位朋友第一次向我介绍了互联网这个东西。我们在雅虎上搜索了“啤酒”（beer）这个词，结果发现在网上看不到有关中国的任何资料。于是我们决定做一个网页并取名为“中国黄页”。

我借了2000美元开办了这家公司。我对个人电脑和电子邮件可谓是一无所知。在那之前，我都没有碰过电脑键盘。这就是为什么我自称为“骑在瞎眼老虎身上的盲人”。

我们与中国电信竞争了长达一年的时间。中国电信的老总愿意出资18.5万美元与我们建立一个合资公司。这可是我当时所见到的最大的一笔资金。但不幸的是，中国电信占了董事会的五个席位，而我们只占了两个。我们所提出的要求都被他们拒绝了。这就像是一头大象和一只蚂蚁在较量，于是我辞职了。之后，我来到北京，加入了一个政府部门的新团队来推动电子商务的建设。

我的梦想是建立一家属于自己的电子商务公司。1999年，我召集了18个人到我家来，把我的想法跟他们讲了整整两个小时。所有人都把他们的钱放到了桌子上，就这样，我们凑了六万美元，开始了阿里巴巴的创业之路。因为我想创建一个全球化的公司，所以我为公司取了一个国际化的名字。阿里巴巴的英文拼写非常简单，而且世界各地的人会由此联想到“芝麻开门”——在中东民间故事集《一千零一夜》中，“阿里巴巴”是为了藏宝物而用来叫开盗穴大门的咒语。

我们没有资金、没有技术，也没有计划，但是我们仍能“活下来”，有三个原因：一是每一分钱我们用得都非常仔细；二是办公室就在我的家里；三是1999年和2000年，我们分别从高盛公司和软银集团那里筹集到两笔投资，之后我们扩大了公司的规模。

如今，我们的“根据地”仍然在中国。这是因为我始终秉承“全球的眼光，当地制胜”这一战略。我们创造了属于自己的商业模式。我们专注于帮助中小企业赢利，从来不像有些中国的互联网企业家那样去复制美国企业的模式。我们注重产品的质量，一切都应该是“轻轻一点，成就一切”。如果做不到这一点，那么我们的商业模式就是垃圾。

我把阿里巴巴叫作“一千零一个错误”。我们的规模发展得太快，于是在网络泡沫时代，我们不得不去面对发展停滞的状态。到了2002年，我们所拥有的资金仅够公司维持18个月的时间。那时有许多客户还在无偿地使用我们的网页，可我们就是不知道如何从中赚到钱。于是我们为中国的出口商开发了一个产品，使得他们能够在网上接触到美国的购买商。这个商业模式挽救了我们。公司的状况每年都有改善。如今，阿里巴巴是很能赢利的。

阿里巴巴所经历的“冬天”使我学到，你必须使你的团队拥有价值、创新能力和远见。此外，如果你不放弃，你仍然会有机会。

上市对于阿里巴巴而言是具有里程碑意义的一步。时机是正确的。我们所建立的企业与企业间电子商务公司已站稳了脚跟，市场环境是健康的，经营管理是有力的。市场对我们的接受证明了一个中国内地的公司可以在香港交易所上市，仍然可以获得很大的市场价值，并且能够吸引全球的投资者。

我梦想着建立一个电子商务生态系统。这样，消费者和经营者就可以在网上进行各种交易。我们依托雅虎进入搜索引擎领域，并且建立了网上拍卖和支付平台。我想为社会创造100万个就业机会，改变中国经济社会环境，使中国成为世界上最大的互联网市场。

在我的生命中，重要的是我能够做一些事情去影响别人，影响中国的发展。做真正的自己，我才能很放松、很快乐，并且得到一个好的结果。

实战提升

核心单词

auction['ɔ:kʃən]v./n.拍卖；竞卖

globalize['gləubəlaiz]v.使全球化

fundamentally[,fʌndə'mentəli]adv.基础地；根本地；重要地

quality['kwɔliti]n.才能，本领

milestone['mailstəun]n.里程碑；划时代的事件

财经知识一点通

电子商务（Electronic Commerce）

是利用计算机技术、网络技术和远程通信技术，实现整个商务（买卖）过程中的电子化、数字化和网络化。人们通过网络，通过网上琳琅满目的商品信息、完善的物流配送系统和方便安全的资金结算系统进行交易（买卖）。

信息技术（lnformation Technology，简称lT）

是主要用于信息管理和处理信息所采用的各种技术的总称。它主要是应用计算机科学和通信技术来设计、开发、安装和实施信息系统及应用软件。它也常被称为信息和通信技术（lnformation and Communications Technology, lCT）。主要包括传感技术、计算机技术和通信技术。

翻译练习

What l learned from my teachers and books was different from what the foreign visitors told me.

My dream was to set up my own e-commerce company.

The lessons l learned from the dark days at Alibaba are that you've got to make your team have value, innovation, and vision.