The Big Issue 《大问题》创刊二十周年

The script of this programme 本节目台词

Neil: The founder of The Big Issue talks about its global impact on its 20th anniversary!

Li: How has this magazine changed the lives of thousands of homeless people home and abroad?

Neil: What has driven the magazine to a three million pound profit-making business?

Li: 在庆祝《大问题》创刊20周年之际我们一起听听它的创始人是怎么说的。欢迎收听《都市掠影》节目。大家好，我是杨莉。

Neil: Hi I'm Neil. The magazine, The Big Issue, started in London and has been a leading voice and tool for homeless people.

Li: 是的，《大问题》杂志的为了帮助无家可归者而创立的 homeless people. But where did the idea come from?

Neil: In a BBC Television interview John Bird, the founder of The Big Issue magazine, gives the answer.

Li: 请大家注意听最初的想法是从哪里来的？另外请大家注意听两个短语，一个是 bloke 男人，第二个是 to get himself sorted 解决了自己的问题。

Well, the idea actually comes from America. Gordon Roddick, who started the Body Shop with his wife Anita Roddick, came back from America. Because he'd seen a paper there and he'd seen the way in which some bloke he'd bought the paper off of had got out of prison, got himself sorted and was not going to get back into grief and Gordon thought: "Well, wouldn't it be great to have that in the UK?"

Neil: Did you get it? The idea came from America.

Li: John Bird 说，他的朋友，Roddick 在美国看到流浪汉在街头卖报，受到启发，就把这个想法介绍给了他。Bloke 是对男人的一种非正式称呼，to get himself sorted 解决了自己的问题。

Neil: The idea is to help the homeless earn a legitimate income.

Li: Legitimate income 意思是合法收入。Terry Gore 就是其中的一名受益者，在我们听他故事之前先来预习几个单词。

Terry got some self-respect back.

Neil: No self-esteem.

Li: 没有自尊心。

Neil: No structure in his life.

Li: 没有生活结构。

Neil: Drifting about committing petty crime.

Li: 整天游游逛逛干些非法活动。Here is his story:

By the time I started selling it I'd been homeless for a year, year and half and I had no self-esteem, you know, I had no structure in my life, I was just drifting about committing petty crime. But the magazine, for the 18 months I sold it, gave me structure. You have to get up, you have to get your magazines, you have to work your pitch, then you start talking to people, interacting with people and it starts to give you a bit of self-respect back.

Neil: Terry used the following expression to describe his old way of life: no self-esteem.

Li: 没有自尊心。

Neil: No structure in his life.

Li: 没有生活结构。

Neil: He was drifting about committing petty crime.

Li: 整天游游逛逛干些非法活动。

Neil: But the magazine has changed all of that. He works his pitch, he talks and interacts with people and got back some self-respect.

Li: Self respect 自尊。

Neil: The past 20 years has seen a lot of homeless people stand on their feet again. Here's John Bird.

I would say there's quite a few hundred thousand, not just in the UK but in Europe and Australia and Africa and North and South America. So it's a very very simple principle of sorting your life out. It then puts you in a position where you are under starter's orders and you can move on.

John says the real magic is to help people help themselves.

Neil: Here we heard the phrase ''under starter's orders". This comes from horse racing, it simply means being prepared and waiting for imminent action.

Li: To be under starter's orders 这个来自赛马比赛的短语意思是各就各位，准备行动。In this context it means to get ready for a new life, right?

Neil: Yes. As John said, what makes The Big Issue different from other charities is the very idea of making it on your own.

But the real point about it, I think, the real magic is that idea of self-help, because so few charities and so few givers give people the chance of making it on their own.

Neil: That's why the magazine has become so successful, isn't it? The idea of helping people to help themselves.

Li: 是的。帮助无家可归者找回自尊自立，让他们重返社会。

Neil: Twenty years on The Big Issue has grown steadily, from a monthly magazine to a weekly publication.

Li: With over 300,000 copies sold a week The Big Issue has certainly made its name in a big way.

Neil: Thanks for listening and see you next time.

Li: 谢谢大家收听，我们下次节目再会。