潘威廉是如何“推銷”中國的？

文/潘威廉（William N. Brown） 譯/李藝雯

我們經常談論“用英語講中國故事”，但想要取得成效，僅僅依靠講述是不夠的，我們必須“推銷”中國故事。

不久前，我和廈門大學MBA的一個班級一同在華盛頓特區，面對美國學生對中國品頭論足、挑剔質疑的情形，一位女學生深感受傷，也十分生氣，在向我抱怨此事時不禁潸然淚下。她說：“我們真的沒有必要向他們去證明我們自己?！蔽一卮鸬溃骸澳阏f得對，在一個完美的世界里，我們無須證明自己是誰，但現實生活中，如果要實現自身目標，無論是做生意還是幫助人們了解中國，我們都必須采用某種方式證明自己。”

正如蘇格蘭小說家羅伯特·路易斯·史蒂文森在他的作品《穿越平原》中寫道：“每個人生來都需要推銷自己。”推銷員不會試圖強行推銷，因為這樣只會招致客戶的拒絕。即使產品質量絕佳，能為客戶節約開支，還正是他們所需，但如果對產品價值不了解，或者對推銷員不信任，他們還是會拒絕。因此，銷售員必須教育顧客，這可能需要花點時間幫助客戶消除其經年累月所積累的“無知”。

講述中國故事也是如此。

“推銷”中國故事必須謹慎措辭。讓外國人“接受”一個不同于西方媒體長期以來所灌輸的中國形象，可能需要時間和耐心。所以我們不僅要慎重規劃所言之事，還要慎重規劃如何言之。詞匯的含義往往會隨時間的推移而變化，鑒于此，在“推銷”中國故事時我們必須謹慎措辭。

例如，在英語和德語中，“宣傳”一詞寫法相同，80年前它是一個中性詞，等同于漢語的“宣傳”之義。但二戰以來，其意思窄化為：來自敵人的洗腦。盡管如此，一些中國人仍舊堅持使用該詞去譯介漢語的“宣傳”。這是因為他們所用的辭典50年都未曾更新，遠跟不上時代的步伐。當看到涉外的英文名片上寫著“洗腦部”時，我不禁啞然失笑。它們的字面意思就是：“嗨！請摘下你的帽子，我好幫你洗洗腦！”

We often talk about “telling China’s story in English” but if we are to be effective, we have to do more than just tell China’s story, we must sell China’s story.

When I was with a Xiamen University OneMBA class in Washington, D.C. recently, a female Chinese student was so hurt and angry by American students’ judgmental and critical questions about China that she cried as she complained to me, “We should not have to prove ourselves to them.” “You are right,” I said. “In a perfect world, we should not have to prove ourselves, but in real life we all must prove ourselves in some way if we are to accomplish our purpose, be it doing business or helping people understand China.”

As the Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) wrote in 1892 in “Across the Plains”, “Everyone lives by selling something.”Salesmen don’t try to force a product on a customer because the customer will simply refuse it. Even if it is the best product in the world and will save them money, and is something they really need, they will reject the product if they don’t understand its value—or if they don’t trust the person selling it.So a salesman must educate the buyer, which may entail overcoming in only minutes or hours their months or years of ignorance.

The same goes for telling China’s story.

It may take time and patience to “sell” foreigners on a perspective of China that is different from the one that they’ve been spoon-fed by Western media for years or decades. So we must plan carefully not just what we say but how we say it. As we sell China’s story, we must choose our words carefully because the meanings of words evolve over time.

The word “propaganda”, for example, is the same in both English and German, and 80 years ago it was a neutral term, like 宣傳 in Chinese, but since World War II it has had only one meaning: enemy brainwashing. Yet some Chinese still insist on using the word propaganda because they got it from a dictionary that is half a century behind the times. I laugh when someone shows a foreigner an English business card that says Propaganda Department. They’re quite literally saying, “Hi! Please remove your hat so I can wash your brain!”

來自美國的廈門大學教授潘威廉先生（左二）和家人在一起

另一個詞語是“政權”。50年前，它也是一個中性詞，但今天它總跟“邪惡”政府相關。和漢語一樣，英語是一門鮮活的語言，隨歷史、政治語境的變化而不斷變化。當然，日常會話如果過于計較，我們就不敢開口說話了！我們對此不能過于偏執。但當我們用英語或其他語言“講述中國故事”時，“推銷”我們的故事時，我們必須精心準備，設身處地為聽眾著想，因為他們可能沒有你我這般幸運，能在中國生活。

正如我那位在華盛頓特區的中國學生一樣，我有時也會因為外國人的偏見和尖刻評論感到沮喪，但我知道很多時候是源于對方的無知。如果能幫助他們像我們一樣看待中國，他們也許可能會愛上這片土地和這里的人民。

例如，這些年來，我幫助了十幾個中國城市參加國際花園城市的競選。2002年在德國時，一位受過高等教育、見識豐富的歐洲市長對我說：“過去我不知道中國有高樓大廈?！边@令我十分震撼。中國擁有現代醫學也同樣出乎一些人意料。而代表所謂“客觀”的評審員們也有自身的偏見。

幸運的是，我理解他們，所以我能夠未雨綢繆。首先，我把他們看作顧客而不是評審。因此，站在評審團前與一群專業且資金雄厚的外國團隊競爭時，本該十分緊張的我卻絲毫不受這影響！這當然歸功于我在學校教授商科，對推銷方法諳熟于心的事實。

第二，我不去和他們沖突、爭吵。我深知無法在與客戶或評審的爭論中取勝。甚至我想爭贏我的妻子都很難做到。此外，他們的一些批評也不無道理，當然，那是因為所有國家都面臨著一些同樣的問題！也是在認清這點后，我打開了他們的心扉。我幫助他們不僅意識到這里的人們有同樣的希望和恐懼，還面臨著同樣的問題，與此同時，他們可以從這里學習到解決這些問題所用的創造力以及智慧。也許最重要的是，我把我的中國故事個人化了。我給他們展示一個他們從未見過的中國。

“Regime” is another word that was neutral 50 years ago but today always refers to an “evil” government.English, like Chinese, is a living language, and changes with the historic and political context.In ordinary, daily conversation, of course, if we’re too cautious about every word, we won’t dare open our mouth! We can’t be paranoid about this. But when we “tell China’s story”, in English or any other language, we must also “sell” that story by crafting it carefully and trying to put ourselves in our listeners’ shoes because they probably have not had the good fortune to have experienced China as you and I have.

Like my Chinese student in Washington, D.C., I sometimes am frustrated by foreigners’ prejudices and snide remarks, but most of these are rooted in ignorance. If we can help them see China as we do, chances are that they too will come to love both the place and the people.

For example, over the years I helped a dozen Chinese cities compete in competitions for livable international communities, and in Germany in 2002, I was shocked when a highly educated and well-traveled European mayor said to me, “I did not know that China had tall buildings.” Another was surprised that China had modern medicine. And the so-called ‘objective’ judges had their own biases.

Fortunately, I understand foreigners’ ignorance and prejudice so I prepared in advance. First, I chose to see them not as judges but as customers. I’d have been nervous as a competitor in front of judges, competing against professional,well-funded foreign teams. But I was not at all nervous about selling my Chinese city because I teach business and I know how to sell!

Second, I did not confront them or argue. I know I can’t win an argument with a customer, or a judge. It’s even hard to win an argument with my own wife. Besides, some of their criticisms had a little truth, but that is simply because all countries have the same problems! And that is how I opened their eyes and hearts. I helped them see that Chinese have the same hopes and fears, and the same problems, but they could learn from how Chinese have used their creativity and wisdom to solve those problems. Perhaps most importantly, I personalized my China story. I showed them a China they’d never seen—my China.

我用幽默打破障礙。我展示了警察騎自行車的圖片，講的是中國警察騎自行車工作，以促進健康的生活方式。而且我還說道：“自行車警察很難抓到汽車里的罪犯，公平起見，罪犯也騎上了自行車。”我所用的形象是外國人能理解的，比如道教的陰陽符號。他們知道這意味著平衡，借此我展示了古人如何強調人與自然的平衡，以及現代中國如何試圖在發展和環保中找到平衡。這種方式非常直觀。我還同他們分享了一座古城。這座古城以盆景聞名于世。繼而，我展示了現代城市是如何平衡人與自然，如樓房、公園和道路之間的平衡，這就像在打造一個巨型盆景。

在我助選的國際花園城市競賽中，除了一次其余都獲得了金獎，還有3個城市獲得雙金獎。一位歐洲評審說：“我們不知道中國有這樣的城市。你的城市不僅第一，而且第二名也難望其項背??！”一位加拿大市長說：“我們需要教授加拿大人民像中國人民一樣團結合作?！币晃粴W洲領導人說：“了解中國城市創造性地解決我們同樣也面臨的問題，真是受益匪淺?！?/p>

我“推銷”出我的中國故事——他們接受了它，因為我的故事是個人的，能產生共情的。此外，也許我不像其他幾十個城市的主持人出身科班，也是有所裨益。盡管我僅僅是分享了自己的家，但我全心全意地相信要讓別人接受的東西。

在我生活在中國的這幾十年里，中國人逐漸了解世界，但世界對中國仍知之甚少。但正如我的祖父過去常說的那樣——“我們要么痛苦，要么變得更好”。

讓我們變得更好吧，把“推銷”中國故事作為我們生活的來源——而我們的生活確實也有賴于它。讓中國夢成為世界夢，人人都是夢想家。我們都夢想家人和子孫后代能安享和平、繁榮。所以我的夢想是中國夢能成為世界夢！

但這一夢想仍面臨著來自各國間對彼此不甚了解所滋生的恐懼所帶來的最大威脅。因此，我們不僅要講述中國故事，還要“推銷”中國故事，以此來推動這種無知的消除。

正如羅伯特·路易斯·史蒂文森在1911年出版的《世俗道德》中曾寫道：“所有的言語，無論是書面的還是口頭的，都是一種死的語言，直到找到一個愿意且有準備的聽眾?！?/p>

不管我們使用何種語言，不管我們對此多么精通，直到聽眾愿意并準備好聆聽，我們的中國故事才具有生命力——我們的任務就是使聽眾做好準備。

And I used humor, which can help break barriers. I showed police riding bicycles. This is Chinese police riding bicycles to promote a healthy lifestyle. And I said, “It would be hard for bicycle cops to catch criminals in cars, so the criminals also ride bikes to give the cops a fair chance.”And I used images foreigners could understand—such as the Taoist Yinyang symbol. Foreigners know that it implies balance, so I showed how even the ancients emphasize balance between Man and Nature, and modern China tries to emphasize balance between growing and greening. It was very visual.I also told them that one ancient city. This ancient city was famous for miniature landscapes, and then I showed them how the modern city also balances manmade and nature, buildings and parks and roads, like a giant miniature landscape.

All but one of my presentations won the gold, and 3 cities got double gold. A European judge said, “We had no idea China had cities like this. Your city was not only number one but far better than number two!” A Canadian mayor said, “We need to teach Canadian citizens to work together like Chinese do.” A European leader said, “We can learn from how Chinese cities creatively solve the same problems we face.”

I sold my China story—and they bought it because my story was personal and I told it from perspectives they could understand. And it may have also helped that, unlike the presenters from the dozens of other cities, I was not a professional. I was simply sharing my own home, and I believed wholeheartedly in what I was selling.

During my decades in China, Chinese have come to know the world but the world still does not know China. But as my grandfather used to say, “We can either get bitter or better.”

Let’s get better, and sell China’s story as if our very life depends upon it—because our very life does depend upon it. All people are dreamers. We dream of peace and prosperity for our family and descendants. So my dream is that the China Dream can become the world’s dream!

But the greatest threat to this dream is fear bred by ignorance between nations. Let’s help dispel that ignorance by not just telling China’s story but selling China’s story.

For as Robert Louis Stevenson also wrote (“Lay Morals”, published in 1911), “All speech, written or spoken, is a dead language, until it finds a willing and prepared hearer.”

Our China story, regardless of what language we use, or how well we use it, is dead unless our hearers are willing and prepared to hear it—and it is our job to prepare them.