WorldSkills Competition 国际技能竞赛

The script of this programme 本节目台词

Neil: About 900 well-trained young people from 51 countries and regions of the world are descending on London to take part in a broad range of competitions.

Feifei: This must be about the Olympics!

Neil: No it is not... yet. I am talking about an event called WorldSkills. And its purpose is to showcase the skills that shape our world. I am Neil and I am here with Feifei to present this week's On The Town, and today we are going to learn the language of challenge.

Feifei: 语言挑战！This sounds interesting. I heard about a competition that was going to celebrate practical skills like fridge fixing 修冰箱，hairdressing 美发，cocktail mixing 调鸡尾酒 and welding 焊接。So is this it?

It's never too early to start building a successful career.

Neil: Indeed. The competitors are aged 22 or under and make no mistake about it – they walk tall and proud, just like athletes!

Feifei: 昂首挺胸！

Neil: And had to do their best when training. 21-year-old Leina, from the USA, talked about the skills necessary to be a hairdresser.

Leina: You kind of need an eye for creativity. It's a lot about balance, form, being able to see the direction the hair has to move... I just want to do my best. I am somebody... I am always an overachiever. So I always want to do my best in everything I do. If I don't win, that is okay but... as long as I did my best.

Neil: Leina, with her unmistakable American accent, said she is an overachiever.

21-year-old Leina is from the American state of Utah.

Feifei: 成绩超好的学生. And she wants to do her best in everything she does, even if she does not win. 我想努力做到最好 she said.

Neil: That was Leina, who wants to get her hands on a gold medal in hairdressing.

Feifei: And who is the next competitor?

Neil: Someone who wants to excel in an area related to the sport of eating.

Feifei: They want to excel 他们想取得成功、获胜。That's good because I like a good meal! 美美的吃一顿的感觉实在是太舒服了。And a well mixed cocktail too! And I don’t like to have to wait long for my food and my drink!

Neil: Nobody does. But these young professionals compete in activities linked to restaurant services. They have to be calm and collected when a large number of customers seek their attention. Could you be calm and collected Feifei?

Feifei: Calm and collected 镇定如常，泰然自若。If I were in their place I would probably be running around like a headless chicken! 在这种情况下，我肯定会像无头苍蝇一样！

Neil: Listen to what Kate, a 20-year-old Australian, said about how to work under pressure. Don't think of a chicken but of another bird. Pay attention to the animal she is talking about…

Kate: Yeah. I think you've got to be like a duck on water where they are like sliding gracefully across the water but then underneath they are paddling like crazy. So to everyone else we are a duck on top of the water but inside we are just paddling along.

Feifei: Like a duck on water! Kate 说大家得像水里的鸭子一样 sliding gracefully 表面看上去优美轻柔的划过 but underneath, paddling like crazy 岂不知在水下发疯似的拼命划水。This is a way to face a challenge looking calm but being very active and alert inside. Calm is good but I must say that I am not a very patient person.

Neil: Oh, that is the problem with people today! No patience! Ask Julie, a hairdressing instructor who was present at the WorldSkills event here in London... She has some advice for people who want to succeed but are a bit impatient...

Julie: The skill is... takes up many years to refine so they just need to keep training all the time and just see the bigger picture at the end. I think sometimes young people today don’t have that long-term vision. They want the results very quickly. To be skilled in any profession it takes many years of dedication and training. It takes a long time to be a perfectionist.

Neil: That is Julie, talking about the need to see the bigger picture...

Feifei: 全局考虑，看大形势 the bigger picture.

Neil: ...the need to have long-term vision.

Zhu Qingshan is fast with his brushes and scissors.

Feifei: 长远眼光，眼见 long-term vision.

Neil: And to be a perfectionist it is necessary to keep up with the times.

Feifei: I am a perfectionist 完美主义者，and I do keep up with the times 与时俱进! I acquired a skill, I speak English!

Neil: And you do it very well, Feifei! 22-year-old Zhu Qingshan, the Chinese competitor in the hairdressing skills, is very good with his brushes and scissors. But there is something missing for him to reach the top in his chosen profession. We asked him if it would be helpful to learn some English.

Zhu Qingshan: 当然有了，最起码我们过来之后，可以跟欧洲和西方人沟通探讨一下他们的设计理念或者是学习方法。要是说你不会英语，到这边来，就是说白了，就是跟个哑巴似的。

Neil: So Feifei, I know that you are an overachiever.

Feifei: 成绩表现超好的人。

Neil: And you like a challenge and you walk tall and proud...

Feifei: 昂首挺胸。

Neil: So if you were to take part in a practical skills competition what would you excel in?

Feifei: 在哪方面取得成绩？You know what? I would excel in eating good food 吃好吃的。You know that duck, the one that glides across the water but paddles like crazy? You can roast it and have it gliding in my direction on a nice tray. Peking Duck with a lot of plum sauce? Gold medal for it! Bye for now.

Neil: Congratulations! Bye bye.