【09.05.05 洛杉矶时报】中国的自我禁锢
本帖最后由 aha 于 2009-5-6 22:27 编辑【原文标题】China's boxed itself in
【中文标题】中国的自我禁锢
【登载媒体】LAT
【来源地址】http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-pollock5-2009may05,0,6296120.story
【译者】aha
【声明】本翻译供Anti-CNN使用，未经AC或译者许可，不得转载。
【原文库链接】http://bbs.m4.cn/thread-162754-1-1.html
【译文】
Its emphasis on math and science has certainly fueled its rapid economic growth, but its lack of creative thinking could rob it of an innovative edge.
对数学和科学的强调的确为中国的高速经济增长注入了力量，不过其创造性思维的欠缺或许会令其丧失革新优势。
Which country -- the United States or China -- will make the 21st century its own?
21世纪属于哪个国家——美国还是中国？
When President Obama recently called for American young people "to be makers of things" and focus on subjects such as science and engineering, it was partly a nod to China's rapid growth. Had he lived, taught and consulted in China for the last 33 months, as I have, he might have urged American students first to follow his example and study the liberal arts. Only technical knowledge complemented by well-honed critical and creative thinking skills can help us regain our innovative edge. China's traditional lack of emphasis on teaching these skills could undermine its efforts to develop its own innovative economy.
奥巴马总统最近呼吁美国青年人“成为东西（things）的制造者”并应专注于科学或工程学这样的学科。这一呼吁部分算是对中国快速增长的肯定。但如果他和我一样，在过去的33个月里，在中国生活、教课和顾问，他大概会敦促美国学生先照着他的路去学习文科。只有当技术知识和良好的怀疑精神以及创造性思维融为一体才能为我们国家重新赢得革新优势。而中国传统性的对这些方面教育的缺乏，会破坏其经济向创新层面发展的努力。
I once challenged my Chinese MBA students to brainstorm "two-hour business plans." I divided them into six groups, gave them detailed instructions and an example: a restaurant chain. The more original their idea, the better, I stressed -- and we'd vote for a prize winner. The word "prize" energized the room. Laptops flew open. Fingers pounded. Voices roared. Packs of cookies were ripped open and shared. Not a single person text-messaged. I'd touched a nerve.
有一次，我给中国的MBA学生布置了一项艰难的头脑风暴任务——“两小时创业计划”。我将他们分成六个小组，给他们做了详细的指导并举了一家连锁餐厅的例子。我强调计划越具有原创性越好，而且我们会选出一组优胜者，并给予奖励。“奖励”一词调动了大家的积极性。笔记本纷纷打开，手指在键盘上敲打，人声鼎沸。其间，几包饼干被打开分食。没有一个人在用即时通讯，这情景让我有点感动。
In the end, five of the six groups presented plans for, you guessed it, restaurant chains. The sixth proposed a catering service. Why risk a unique solution when the instructor has let it slip he likes the food business?
最后，有五个小组的计划是——你猜的没错——连锁餐厅。第六个小组的是餐饮服务（catering service）。老师既然已经透漏了他喜欢餐饮业，何苦去提独特的方案呢？
Though I admitted the time limit had been difficult, I expressed my disappointment and reiterated what I had expected -- originality -- and why. But they'd been so enthusiastic that I couldn't deny them a winner. After a polite discussion of the merits of each idea, the Haagen-Dazs gift certificates were awarded, but not without controversy. Runners-up later complained that an identical concept had been featured on CCTV the night before.
虽然我承认时间限制是个挑战，我还是表达了不满，并重申了我的期待——原创性——及为什么这么期待。但他们那么热心的准备，我还必须要选出一个优胜者。经过彬彬有礼的讨论各自方案的优点，最后将优胜奖，不无争议的，颁给了哈根达斯礼券的方案。未获奖的同学后来抱怨说前一晚中央电视台播放了一模一样的礼券方案。
My students weren't recent college grads. They were middle managers, financial analysts and marketers from state-owned enterprises and multinational companies. They occupied the space in the developing economy that has spawned a small industry of articles about "China's great talent shortage." Most were intelligent, personable men and women, not without talent or opinions, but they had been shaped by an educational system that rarely stressed or rewarded critical thinking or inventiveness.
我的学生并非新近毕业的大学生，他们都是来自国有企业或合资企业的中层管理人员、财经分析人员以及营销人员。They occupied the space in the developing economy that has spawned a small industry of articles about "China's great talent shortage."（实在抱歉，这句死活看不明白。麻烦大家帮忙指点下——译者注）他们都是聪明，有风度的人，不缺才华和主张，却都在一个不鼓励不奖赏怀疑精神和创新思想的教育体制中被定了型。
The scenario I've described occurred in different forms throughout my two years at the school. Papers were routinely copied from the Web and the Harvard Business Review. Case study debates meant to be spontaneous were jointly scripted by the opposing teams and memorized. Students frequently posited that copying is a superior business strategy to inventing and innovating. When they considered the wealth that Chinese industry had amassed in such a short time, it was hard for them to believe otherwise.
类似的情节在我授课的两年中以不同的形式持续出现。论文常常是从网上拷贝，或抄袭自哈佛商业评论。案例研究讨论意味着对立条目和记忆内容的自发的照本宣科。学生习惯性的指出抄袭是迈向发明和创新的一条高级商业战略。当他们考虑到中国工业在如此短的时间积累了极大的财富，你很难让他们相信还有别的路可走。
Throughout the semesters, like students everywhere but more so, they wanted to know exactly what they needed to memorize for the mid-term and final. Considering it takes me a week just to commit several Chinese phrases to memory, I had to respect their skills.
整个学期，和别处的学生相比，他们有过之而无不及，一心想要知道的就是需要背下什么以应付期中期末考试。想想我自己花了一个星期时间才记住几个中文词语，我不得不对他们的这项技能表示尊敬。
Nonetheless, I reminded them that their exams would require analysis, and often re-explained at their request the difference between analysis and summary.
尽管如此，我提醒他们考试内容需要分析能力，可往往我还得跟他们解释所谓分析和总结的区别是什么。
My Western-trained colleagues, both foreigners and Chinese, tell similar stories. It's not that university students in the West hadn't also needed coaching in critical thinking, but they weren't so blindly locked into such a seemingly entrenched style. It doesn't help, of course, that certain important topics related to politics and business have to be avoided in my Chinese classes.
我那些接受西方教育的同事，有外国人也有中国人，常会讲述类似的故事。并不是西方的大学生就不需要学习怀疑精神，至少他们不会如此盲目的将自己禁锢在一个看似即成的方式中间。而且，更帮不上忙的是，在我的中国课堂上，我必须回避某些有关政治和经济的重要话题。
Ironically, the government that has enforced such restrictions and focused its schools so intensely on math and science seems to realize its efforts may be too effective. Highways, dams, bridges and airports have been built, every conceivable product manufactured and sold, but so few sophisticated marketing and management minds have been cultivated that it will be a long time before most people in the world can name a Chinese brand.
讽刺的是，政府施加了种种限制，使学校过分专注于数学及自然科学，如今，似乎意识到这一努力有点过头了。公路，桥梁，大坝，机场，通通建造起来，所有可能的商品都能生产并且卖掉。但是却没培养出几个成熟的营销和管理人才，短期内恐怕不会出现一个全世界多数人都能叫得出来的中国品牌。
With this problem in mind, local partnerships with institutions such as USC, Johns Hopkins, Yale, MIT and Insead of France have been established. If not quite ready to create cadres of disaffected litterateurs and cineastes, Beijing clearly recognizes it will take different kinds of thinkers to invent new products and sell them around the world.
了解这个问题之后，很多与国外学院合作的本地机构被建立起来，合作的学院包括南加州大学、约翰霍普金斯大学、耶鲁、麻省理工和Insead of France等等。既然还培养不出有独立精神（disaffected 抱不平的, 有叛意的, 不服的）的文艺骨干，北京清楚的认识到，它需要各种不同的思想者来发明新产品，并将之卖往全世界。
And then there's the "thousand-talent scheme," a new government program intended to boost technological innovation by luring top foreign-trained scientists, including those of non-Chinese origin, to the mainland with big money and perks.
然后还有一个“千人计划”。一个新的政府计划，旨在通过吸引国外受训的顶尖科学家（包括非华人）来华，为他们提供丰厚的薪金和待遇，以此来推动中国的科技创新。
But the officials and professors who conceived this "scheme" are likely products of the educational system that generated the problem they are trying to solve. They are ambitious. They are confident. They want to push China forward. But worries about China's research environment, hardly known for fostering independent thinking and openness, may overshadow lucrative salary offers.
官员和教授们孕育出这一“计划”试图解决由教育体制产生的问题，然而他们自己可能就是这体制的产品。他们自信，充满野心，他们想要推动中国前进，却为中国的研究环境感到担忧，几乎不知道要培养一个独立思考和开放的空间，这可能会令其所提供的丰厚薪金黯然失色。
"Money is important for practical issues," said Zhangqing Li, a University of Maryland professor, to Nature.com in January. "But the determinant factor is whether we would be able to be as productive in China as the United States."
马里兰大学的教授Zhangqing Li，今年一月在Nature.com（《科学》杂志网站）上说：“钱对现实问题很重要，但决定性的因素是我们在中国能否和在美国一样高效（productive 生产性的, 生产的, 能产的, 多产的）”
Ultimately for China, becoming a major world innovator -- and by extension, a robust economic power -- is not just about setting up partnerships with top Western universities or roping off elites and telling them to think creatively. It's about establishing an intellectually rich learning environment for young minds. It's about harnessing the same inventive energy of the street markets and small-time entrepreneurs and putting it in the schools.
最终，对中国来说，要成为世界上一只主要的革新力量——并进一步，成为一个有活力的经济强权——仅仅和西方顶尖的大学建立起合作关系，或是将精英们圈起来告诉他们去创造性的思考，这样是不够的。中国需要为年轻的头脑建立起知识密集型的学习环境，要吸取一切从街市营销到三流企业家的创新能量并将其投放到学校中去。
The Chinese don't need expensive free-agent scientists. They need a new farm system -- and about 10 million liberal arts professors.
中国人需要的不是昂贵的职业科学家，他们需要一套新的耕作系统——以及大约1000万名文科教授。
Randy Pollock, a former USC lecturer, consults with companies on communication and management issues in China.
作者Randy Pollock，前南加州大学讲师，在中国作为企业交流和管理方面的顾问。 说的很有道理，不过看看深圳，原始的创新动力和能量还是有的
但看看上海，感觉一切若有若无，
在看看北京，充满幻灭感。。。 中国没有一个真正的摇滚或者金属乐队
没有一个了不起的前卫艺术家（喜欢裸体的、钻牛肚子的行为艺术家倒不少，开赛车出风头作家也不少），王菲算半个，不过还是香港弄起来的
没有一套可以让国外学生研习的复杂到让人看不懂的学院派思想体系
谁也搞不清症结在哪里 中国没有一个真正的摇滚或者金属乐队
芒果记 发表于 2009-5-6 21:45 http://bbs.m4.cn/images/common/back.gif
这恐怕和经济有关吧 我相信物质决定意识，等到我们吃饱了没事干的时候有让他们羡慕的时候！ 思想都是吃饱了没事干的产物 模仿到创造 文艺方向的问题，那都是钱的问题。当中国人不用把精力都放在养家糊口上之后，用不了几年，就是中国的文艺复兴时代了。从人的需求层次来看，中国人决大多数还是处在“生存”这个最低的层次，离下一个层次还远呢。
至于科学上的创造力缺失，我觉得还是需求所致。从目前来看，绝大多数领域，中国都不是领先，在大部分领域中国的差距还很大，所以在科学需求上，一旦出现开发瓶颈，中国人回去找国外的成果，学来或拿来使用，这是最简单有效且有效率的！也正是如此，中国长期以来对创新、发明需求的紧迫程度不高。同时也是这个环境使得我们的教育也已“学习知识”为核心，很少涉及创新能力的开发。但是目前是一个变革时期，中国的科学水平越来越高，外国现有的东西，在很多领域已经不够了，现在中国对创新需求的紧迫程度越来越高，自然而然，中国人的创新、发明也会越来越多，人们也会越来越重视这部分，相应的教育也会自然而然的调整。
从中国专利数量的变化就能开出来。 中国不缺创造力，看看网络上的各种五花八门就知道了，中国缺的是时间和经验。 本帖最后由 天丛云 于 2009-5-6 22:38 编辑
这位讲师说的有一定的道理，但过于局限他自身的经历了。 说的很有道理，不过看看深圳，原始的创新动力和能量还是有的
但看看上海，感觉一切若有若无，
在看看北京，充满幻灭感。。。
芒果记 发表于 2009-5-6 21:40 http://bbs.m4.cn/images/common/back.gif
看看滨海新区 好像在蠢蠢欲动 不过我觉得深圳之所以有的 是因为年轻 ，中国的动力在年轻人的身上，前一辈的人他们已经老了 不适合创新，他们已经给我们铺好了路！ 大家应该看清楚，这个老师是教MBA的
去国外学MBA的没有关心所谓市场创意的
要么去纯镀金的
要么在自己的职业领域中都有了各自的事业成就和行销观念
不会去盲目追求所谓与众不同的创意
而这个老师的教课方式和评价方式，却还只是大学本科的市场营销水平
还抵死揪住一个所谓创意不放，真怀疑他落后时代多少年了
我们当年读本科时，就玩这套了
看起来学生大部分选择了延续餐厅计划
只是在应付这老师自认很伟大的作业而已
营销万能的时代早就过去了
还希望继续忽悠中国学生么 中国应该尝试开放性的大学，时不我待 大家应该看清楚，这个老师是教MBA的
去国外学MBA的没有关心所谓市场创意的
要么去纯镀金的
要么在自己的职业领域中都有了各自的事业成就和行销观念
不会去盲目追求所谓与众不同的创意
而这个老师的教课方式和评价 ...
poyu 发表于 2009-5-7 00:25 http://bbs.m4.cn/images/common/back.gif
同意
一些国外引进的课程，很多都吹的太过了，上个课三天两头做方案，算出一大堆的指标，做Ｎ多张的ＰＰＴ，美国人自己就这么做生意管理公司的？不过是忽悠 读MBA一个是结交“成功”的朋友，一个是学习西方老板喜欢看的分析报表
看看那些consultant把DELL折腾成什么样子，看看那些consultant逼得迈克尔·戴尔不得不重新回到CEO的岗位，就知道什么叫纸上谈兵 大家应该看清楚，这个老师是教MBA的
去国外学MBA的没有关心所谓市场创意的
要么去纯镀金的
要么在自己的职业领域中都有了各自的事业成就和行销观念
不会去盲目追求所谓与众不同的创意
而这个老师的教课方式和评价 ...
poyu 发表于 2009-5-7 00:25 http://bbs.m4.cn/images/common/back.gif
确实，感觉这个老师是在教大学本科生，我们对于中学生的教学就是这种形式。这位老师好像落后时代太多了，或者说他完全不了解中国的情况，死搬美国教科书，教条了。
中国的经济发展恰恰在于走自己的路。那些坐在下面听课、完成作业的可都是在本行业颇有建树的，并不是不通事务的纯学生 这个老教授有空上网看看中国网民的创意吧- - 模仿到创造
红色的血 发表于 2009-5-6 22:12 http://bbs.m4.cn/images/common/back.gif
模范是好，但是最怕模出个奴性来，国人容易对自己没信心，容易感觉自己不如外国人，所以从根本性改革教育问题 大家不要真的去争论什么“缺乏创造性”
这报纸是隐含着说我们被xi nao，就算是高等知识份子也没有主见。不然干嘛说要大量的文科教授，文科教授辨证...
这报纸真恶毒。
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