TED演讲:如何用创新来克服危机?(3)

And we can see the tragedy of Africa in the first few bars here. Growth was negative.

我们可以看到非洲的悲剧就从这个条形图的前几个条。负增长！

People were actually getting poorer than their parents, and sometimes even poorer than their grandparents had been.

人民越来越穷，都比不上他们父母的生活水平。有时甚至比他们的祖父母还穷。

But at the end of the 20th century, the beginning of the 21st century, we saw growth in Africa.

但在二十世纪末，二十一世纪初，我们看到非洲也开始发展。

And I think, as you'll see, there's reasons for optimism¹, because I believe that the best is yet to come. Now why.

正如你将会看到，我认为我们有理由乐观。因为我相信好戏还在后头呢！为什么这么说呢？

On the cutting edge today it's new ideas which are driving growth.

在今天的发展的最前沿主要是创新在推动经济增长。

And by that I mean it's products for which the research and development costs are really high, and the manufacturing² costs are low.

也就是说，尖端产品的特点是它的研究和开发费用非常高，但是制造成本很低。

More than ever before it is these types of ideas which are driving growth on the cutting edge. Now ideas have this amazing property.

这种创新，比以往任何时候都更加能够推动尖端技术的发展。创新有一个很了不起的性质。

Thomas Jefferson, I think, really expressed this quite well. He said, "He who receives an idea from me receives instruction himself, without lessening³ mine.

我认为托马斯·杰斐逊表达得相当好。他说过，“他接受我的一个想法，他自己受到教育，而我的想法并没有减少。

As he who lights his candle at mine receives light without darkening me."

就象他借用我的蜡烛来点燃他的，他有了光，而我并没有变暗。”

Or to put it slightly differently: one apple feeds one man, but an idea can feed the world.

或者换一个说法，一个苹果可以喂一个人，但一个创意可以哺育整个世界。

Now this is not new. This is practically⁴ not new to TEDsters. This is practically the model of TED⁵.

这并没有什么新奇的。尤其对参加TED的代表们。这实际上恰恰是TED的模式。

But what is new is that the greater function of ideas is going to drive growth even more than ever before.

这里面真正的创新是认识到创意会起到更大的功能，它会比以往任何时候都更能推动经济增长。

This provides a reason why trade and globalization are even more important, more powerful than ever before, and are going to increase growth more than ever before.

这就是为什么贸易与全球化比以往任何时候都更重要，更有力。而且比以往任何时候都能更快地促进经济增长。

1 optimism   

n.乐观，乐观主义

参考例句：

• Don't pour cold water on their optimism.别给他们的乐观态度泼冷水。
• Optimism made him alive through the hard days.乐观主义使他在艰难的岁月里活了下来。

2 manufacturing   

n.制造业，工业adj.制造业的，制造的v.（大规模）制造( manufacture的现在分词 )；捏造；加工；粗制滥造（文学作品）

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Manufacturing processes may be affected by the functionality of the product. 生产过程可能要受到产品设计目的的影响。

3 lessening   

减轻，减少，变小

参考例句：

• So however much he earned, she spent it, her demands growing and lessening with his income. 祥子挣多少，她花多少，她的要求随着他的钱涨落。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• The talks have resulted in a lessening of suspicion. 谈话消减了彼此的怀疑。

4 practically   

adv.差不多；几乎；实际地，从实际角度

参考例句：

• He solved the problem very practically.他很实事求是地解决了这个问题。
• She's practically always late for school.她上学几乎总是迟到。

5 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。