烧烤店遇到新对手:幼儿园卖烧烤自救
最近,河北保定一烧烤店(不是)幼儿园火了。由于开不了学,发不出工资,园长决定带老师转行卖起烧烤进行自救。你怎么看?
无注释原文:
Coronavirus: Chinese kindergarten survives Covid-19 by selling barbecue
SCMP
As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or in the case of a Chinese kindergarten forced to close because of the coronavirus pandemic, make barbecue.
Hei Xiaojuan, owner of the Angel Baby Kindergarten in the northern city of Baoding, said her business was on the verge of bankruptcy when her young charges were told to stay home because of the Covid-19 outbreak.
After paying 200,000 yuan (US$28,000) in advance rent – with a further 400,000 yuan due in September – and refunding tuition fees, the business was close to going bust, she was quoted as saying in a report by local newspaper Orient Today.
“If I couldn’t find a way to make money, I would’ve had to close my kindergarten, like the seven others nearby that have shut recently,” Hei said.
So when the lockdown measures were eased several weeks ago – meaning people could go out to eat again, but parents were reluctant to let their children go back to school – Hei decided to shift her business from baby care to barbecue.
“We have outdoor space, we have a catering service licence, our staff have health certificates, and we have abundant tables and chairs, so I thought that turning the kindergarten into a barbecue place was a fine way to make some money,” she said.
Hei told her staff they would be paid 1,500 yuan as basic salary, with everyone sharing the profits – if there were any.
Despite not advertising the new venture to the parents of her pupils – Hei said she did not want them to feel under undue pressure to visit – the business rapidly took off.
On the first day of opening, seven of the 10 tables were booked, and the customers just kept on coming.
“The prices at our kindergarten barbecue are relatively cheap, and a lot of friends and pupils’ parents come here,” said headmaster Guo Chun, adding that they were now able to pay the teachers their full salaries.
One satisfied diner was a local man, who said he and his son found it a great place to eat.
“It’s so creative,” he said. “We adults can eat while the children play. It’s so good that dining out can be combined with entertainment.”
Angel Baby is not the only kindergarten in China that overcame the effects of the pandemic by moving into catering.
A school in Lijiang, Yunnan province that has more than 70 staff and monthly expenses of 300,000 yuan, took to selling children’s meals and Chinese buns in March to make ends meet.
Headmaster Gao Zhiying said she was embarrassed about the switch at first but the support she received from friends and family prompted her to carry on.
“Now, more and more customers come to buy our products,” she said. “And with the money we earn from it, we’ve not only been able to pay salaries and have also increased their incomes a bit.”
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含注释全文:
Coronavirus: Chinese kindergarten survives Covid-19 by selling barbecue
SCMP
As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or in the case of a Chinese kindergarten forced to close because of the coronavirus pandemic, make barbecue.
俗话说,当生活给了你柠檬,就把它做成柠檬水。当中国幼儿园因冠状病毒疫情而被迫关闭时,就开起了烧烤店。
关于柠檬
上个月在“这是COVID-19,不是COVID-1啊,朋友们!”文中就出现类似说法,take lemons and turn them into v,把柠檬变成柠檬水。
🍋柠檬是酸的(Lemons are sour),🥤柠檬饮料是甜的(Lemonade is sweet)把酸的变成甜的,就是把不好的东西变成好的/说成好的(Tt means to turn a bad situation into a good one.)
To make lemonade out of lemons is to take something that is not so great and turn it into something good. 而这里的谚语,When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. 可以解释为:如果生活给了你柠檬,那就把它做成柠檬汁。
🎬电影《女间谍》(Spy)中就提到:Lemonade out of lemons. Stay focused. We can do this. 有字幕组就翻译成,见机行事,集中精神,我们能做到的。
barbecue
barbecue /ˈbɑːbɪˌkjuː/ 可以作动词,也可以作名词,表示“烧烤”,英文解释为“If someone has a barbecue, they cook food on a barbecue in the open air.”通常也会简写为BBQ.
Hei Xiaojuan, owner of the Angel Baby Kindergarten in the northern city of Baoding, said her business was on the verge of bankruptcy when her young charges were told to stay home because of the Covid-19 outbreak.
北方城市保定市天使宝贝幼儿园园长黑小娟说,因为Covid-19疫情爆发,需要照料的孩子们被告知要留在家里,她的生意濒临破产。
on the verge of
表示“濒临于;接近于”,英文解释为“If you are on the verge of something or come to the verge of something, you are very close to experiencing it.”如:on the verge of collapse/success/tears/death/disaster/war 濒于崩溃/接近成功/差点流泪/濒临死亡/濒临灾难/处于战争的边缘。
After paying 200,000 yuan (US$28,000) in advance rent – with a further 400,000 yuan due in September – and refunding tuition fees, the business was close to going bust, she was quoted as saying in a report by local newspaper Orient Today.
当地报纸《东方今日》(Orient Today)援引她的话说,在支付了20万元人民币(2.8万美元)的预付租金(9月份还需再付40万元人民币)并退还学费之后,生意几乎破产了。
go bust
表示“破产,完蛋,失败”,英文解释为“If a company goes bust, it is forced to close because it is financially unsuccessful.”举个🌰:
More than 15 companies in the district went bust.
这一地区有超过15家公司破产。
🎬电影《消失的爱人》(Gone girl)中就提到:Ever since that mall went bust, half the town is out of work. 购物中心倒闭后半个镇的人都失业了。
“If I couldn’t find a way to make money, I would’ve had to close my kindergarten, like the seven others nearby that have shut recently,” Hei said.
"如果找不到赚钱的办法,我就只能和附近其他7家最近关停的幼儿园一样,把幼儿园关了。"黑园长说。
So when the lockdown measures were eased several weeks ago – meaning people could go out to eat again, but parents were reluctant to let their children go back to school – Hei decided to shift her business from baby care to barbecue*.
因此,几周前放宽了封锁措施(意味着人们可以再次外出吃饭,但父母不愿让孩子重返学校)时,黑园长决定将其业务从婴儿看护转向烧烤服务。
* from baby care to barbecue 有点「押韵」的感觉,很妙。
“We have outdoor space, we have a catering service licence, our staff have health certificates, and we have abundant tables and chairs, so I thought that turning the kindergarten into a barbecue place was a fine way to make some money,” she said.
"我们有户外场地,有餐饮服务许可证,员工有健康证,有充足的桌椅,所以我觉得把幼儿园改成烧烤店是个不错的赚钱方式。"她说。
注:
园长采访原话:“我们幼儿园有场地,又有餐饮服务许可证,工作人员又有健康证等,桌椅板凳更是不缺,就想着可以利用幼儿园的场地卖烧烤来增加一些收入。”
Hei told her staff they would be paid 1,500 yuan as basic salary, with everyone sharing the profits – if there were any.
黑园长告诉员工们,他们的基本工资是1500元,如果有利润的话,每个人都能分到钱。
Despite not advertising the new venture to the parents of her pupils – Hei said she did not want them to feel under undue pressure to visit – the business rapidly took off.
尽管她没有向学生家长宣传这个新的经营项目--黑园长说,她不想让学生家长感到压力过大,但生意很快就做起来了。
venture
表示“(尤指有风险的)企业,商业,投机活动,经营项目”,英文解释为“a business project or activity, especially one that involves taking risks”举个🌰:
A disastrous business venture lost him thousands of dollars.
一个彻底失败的经营项目使他损失严重。
类似的说法:
undertaking表示“(重大或艰巨的)任务,项目,事业;企业”,英文解释为“a task or project, especially one that is important and/or difficult”举个🌰:
He is interested in buying the club as a commercial undertaking.
他有意购买那个俱乐部作为投资。
take off
表示“突然开始成功;开始走红,流行起来”,英文解释为“to suddenly start to be successful or popular”举个🌰:
Her singing career had just begun to take off.
她的歌唱事业刚刚起飞。
On the first day of opening, seven of the 10 tables were booked, and the customers just kept on coming.
开业第一天,10张桌子中的7张桌子就被预订了下来,顾客就这样源源不断地来了。
book
应该是初高中很爱考的一个词,book作动词,表示“(向旅馆、饭店、戏院等)预约,预订”,英文解释为“to arrange with a hotel, restaurant, theatre, etc. to have a room, table, seat, etc. on a particular date”举个🌰:
I'd like to book a table for two for 8 o'clock tonight.
我想订一张今晚8点钟的二人餐桌。
“The prices at our kindergarten barbecue are relatively cheap, and a lot of friends and pupils’ parents come here,” said headmaster Guo Chun, adding that they were now able to pay the teachers their full salaries.
"我们幼儿园烧烤店的价格相对便宜,很多朋友和学生家长都会来这里吃烧烤。"校长郭春(音译)说,现在他们已经可以给老师们发全额工资了。
One satisfied diner was a local man, who said he and his son found it a great place to eat.
一位当地的食客说,他和儿子觉得这里是个不错的吃饭地方。
“It’s so creative,” he said. “We adults can eat while the children play. It’s so good that dining out can be combined with entertainment.”
"这里太有创意了,"他说。"我们大人可以一边吃饭,一边让孩子们玩耍。外出就餐可以和娱乐结合在一起,真是太好了。"
Angel Baby is not the only kindergarten in China that overcame the effects of the pandemic by moving into catering.
天使宝贝幼儿园不是国内唯一一家为克服疫情影响而转入餐饮业的幼儿园。
A school in Lijiang, Yunnan province that has more than 70 staff and monthly expenses of 300,000 yuan, took to selling children’s meals and Chinese buns in March to make ends meet.
云南丽江的一所学校,有70多名教职员工,每月开支30万元,3月份,该校靠卖儿童餐和包子来维持生计。
buns
表示“小圆甜蛋糕;小圆甜饼;圆面包”,英文解释为“a small round sweet cake;a small round flat bread roll”如:a hamburger bun 一个用来夹汉堡饼的面包。所以你可以猜猜看,Chinese buns会是什么东西?
make ends meet
表示“使收支相抵;勉强维持生计;收支相抵;量入为出”,英文解释为“to have just enough money to pay for the things that you need”。
🎬电影《怦然心动》(Flipped)中有句台词:I’m tired of having to take temp jobs just to make ends meet. 我受够了为补贴家用找那么多临时工。
🎬更多电影台词:
Headmaster Gao Zhiying said she was embarrassed about the switch at first but the support she received from friends and family prompted her to carry on.
校长高志英说,刚开始转行的时候,她很尴尬,但亲朋好友的支持促使她坚持了下来。
“Now, more and more customers come to buy our products,” she said. “And with the money we earn from it, we’ve not only been able to pay salaries and have also increased their incomes a bit.”
"现在,来买我们产品的顾客越来越多了。"她说。"而且有了这笔钱,我们不仅能发工资,还让他们的收入增加了一些。"
注:中文译文为机器翻译,仅供参考。
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