TED英语演讲:看女性如何助冰岛应对金融风暴

 It sure used to be a lot easier to be from Iceland, because until a couple of years ago, people knew hardly anything about us, and I could basically come out here and say only good things about us. But in the last couple of years we've become infamous 1 for a couple of things. First, of course, the economic meltdown. It actually got so bad that somebody put our country up for sale on eBay. (Laughter) Ninety-nine pence was the starting price and no reserve. Then there was the volcano that interrupted the travel plans of almost all of you and many of your friends, including President Obama. By the way, the pronunciation is "Eyjafjallajokull." None of your media got it right.

(Laughter)
But I'm not here to share these stories about these two things exactly. I'm here to tell you the story of Audur Capital, which is a financial firm founded by me and Kristin -- who you see in the picture -- in the spring of 2007, just over a year before the economic collapse 3 hit. Why would two women who were enjoying successful careers in investment banking 4 in the corporate 5 sector 6 leave to found a financial services firm? Well let it suffice to say that we felt a bit overwhelmed with testosterone. And I'm not here to say that men are to blame for the crisis and what happened in my country. But I can surely tell you that in my country, much like on Wall Street and the city of London and elsewhere, men were at the helm of the game of the financial sector, and that kind of lack of diversity and sameness leads to disastrous 7 problems.
(Applause)
So we decided 8, a bit fed-up with this world and also with the strong feeling in our stomach that this wasn't sustainable, to found a financial services firm based on our values, and we decided to incorporate feminine values into the world of finance. Raised quite a few eyebrows 9 in Iceland. We weren't known as the typical "women" women in Iceland up until then. So it was almost like coming out of the closet to actually talk about the fact that we were women and that we believed that we had a set of values and a way of doing business that would be more sustainable than what we had experienced until then. And we got a great group of people to join us -- principled people with great skills, and investors 10 with a vision and values to match ours. And together we got through the eye of the financial storm in Iceland without taking any direct losses to our equity 11 or to the funds of our clients. And although I want to thank the talented people of our company foremost for that -- and also there's a factor of luck and timing 12 -- we are absolutely convinced that we did this because of our values.
So let me share with you our values. We believe in risk awareness 13. What does that mean? We believe that you should always understand the risks that you're taking, and we will not invest in things we don't understand. Not a complicated thing. But in 2007, at the height of the sub-prime and all the complicated financial structures, it was quite opposite to the reckless risk-taking behaviors that we saw on the market. We also believe in straight-talking, telling it as it is, using simple language that people understand, telling people about the downsides as well as the potential upsides, and even telling the bad news that no one wants to utter, like our lack of belief in the sustainability of the Icelandic financial sector that already we had months before the collapse hit us. And, although we do work in the financial sector, where Excel is king, we believe in emotional capital. And we believe that doing emotional due diligence is just as important as doing financial due diligence. It is actually people that make money and lose money, not Excel spreadsheets.
(Applause)
Last, but not least, we believe in profit with principles. We care how we make our profit. So while we want to make economic profit for ourselves and our customers, we are willing to do it with a long-term view, and we like to have a wider definition of profits than just the economic profit in the next quarter. So we like to see profits, plus positive social and environmental benefits, when we invest.
But it wasn't just about the values, although we are convinced that they matter. It was also about a business opportunity. It's the female trend, and it's the sustainability trend, that are going to create some of the most interesting investment opportunities in the years to come. The whole thing about the female trend is not about women being better than men; it is actually about women being different from men, bringing different values and different ways to the table. So what do you get? You get better decision-making, and you get less herd 14 behavior, and both of those things hit your bottom line with very positive results.
But one has to wonder, now that we've had this financial sector collapse upon us in Iceland -- and by the way, Europe looks pretty bad right now, and many would say that you in America are heading for some more trouble as well. Now that we've had all that happen, and we have all this data out there telling us that it's much better to have diversity around the decision-making tables, will we see business and finance change? Will government change?
Well I'll give you my straight talk about this. I have days that I believe, but I have days that I'm full of doubt. Have you seen the incredible urge out there to rebuild the very things that failed us? (Applause) Einstein said that this was the definition of insanity 15 -- to do the same things over and over again, hoping for a different outcome. So I guess the world is insane, because I see entirely 16 too much of doing the same things over and over again, hoping that this time it's not going to collapse upon us. I want to see more revolutionary thinking, and I remain hopeful. Like TED 2, I believe in people. And I know that consumers are becoming more conscious, and they are going to start voting with their wallets, and they are going to change the face of business and finance from the outside, if they don't do it from the inside.
But I'm more of the revolutionary, and I should be; I'm from Iceland. We have a long history of strong, courageous 17, independent women, ever since the Viking age. And I want to tell you when I first realized that women matter to the economy and to the society, I was seven -- it happened to be my mother's birthday -- October 24, 1975. Women in Iceland took the day off. From work or from home, they took the day off, and nothing worked in Iceland. (Laughter) They marched into the center of Reykjavik, and they put women's issues onto the agenda. And some say this was the start of a global movement. For me it was the start of a long journey, but I decided that day to matter. Five years later, Iceland elected Vigdis Finnbogadottir as their president -- first female to become head of state, single mom, a breast cancer survivor 18 who had had one of her breasts removed. And at one of the campaign sessions, she had one of her male contenders allude 19 to the fact that she couldn't become president -- she was a woman, and even half a woman. That night she won the election, because she came back -- not just because of his crappy behavior -- but she came back and said, "Well, I'm actually not going to breastfeed the Icelandic nation; I'm going to lead it."
(Applause)
So I've had incredibly many women role models that have influenced who I am and where I am today. But in spite of that, I went through the first 10 or 15 years of my career mostly in denial of being a woman. Started in corporate America, and I was absolutely convinced that it was just about the individual, that women and men would have just the same opportunities. But I've come to conclude lately that it isn't like that. We are not the same, and it's great. Because of our differences, we create and sustain life. So we should embrace our difference and aim for challenge.
The final thought I want to leave with you is that I'm fed up with this tyranny of either/or choices in life -- either it's men or it's women. We need to start embracing the beauty of balance. So let's move away from thinking about business here and philanthropy there, and let's start thinking about doing good business. That's how we change the world. That's the only sustainable future.
Thank you.
(Applause)




点击收听单词发音  






1
infamous

  
 


adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的


参考例句：





He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。












2
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。












3
collapse

  
 


vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷


参考例句：





The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。












4
banking

  
 


n.银行业，银行学，金融业


参考例句：





John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。












5
corporate

  
 


adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的


参考例句：





This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。












6
sector

  
 


n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形


参考例句：





The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。












7
disastrous

  
 


adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的


参考例句：





The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。












8
decided

  
 


adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的


参考例句：





This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。












9
eyebrows

  
 


眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )


参考例句：





Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。












10
investors

  
 


n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )


参考例句：





a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会












11
equity

  
 


n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票


参考例句：





They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。












12
timing

  
 


n.时间安排，时间选择


参考例句：





The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。












13
awareness

  
 


n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智


参考例句：





There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。












14
herd

  
 


n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起


参考例句：





She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。












15
insanity

  
 


n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐


参考例句：





In his defense he alleged temporary insanity.他伪称一时精神错乱，为自己辩解。
He remained in his cell,and this visit only increased the belief in his insanity.他依旧还是住在他的地牢里，这次视察只是更加使人相信他是个疯子了。












16
entirely

  
 


ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地


参考例句：





The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。












17
courageous

  
 


adj.勇敢的，有胆量的


参考例句：





We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。












18
survivor

  
 


n.生存者，残存者，幸存者


参考例句：





The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。












19
allude

  
 


v.提及，暗指


参考例句：





Many passages in Scripture allude to this concept.圣经中有许多经文间接地提到这样的概念。
She also alluded to her rival's past marital troubles.她还影射了对手过去的婚姻问题。