美國商業(yè)大亨傳奇 第2期:鐵路之爭(2)

NARRATOR: For the first time in the country's short existence,

旁白：在美國短暫的歷史中， 這是首次

the man most capable of leading America is not a politician.

一個最有能力引領(lǐng)美國的人不再是政治家

He's a self-made man, who, through sheer force of will,

他憑借著純粹的意志力，白手起家

turned a poor upbringing on the docks of New York Harbor, into an empire.

從紐約港碼頭的一介窮人變成創(chuàng)造出一個商業(yè)帝國的人。

At sixteen, Cornelius Vanderbilt

十六歲時(shí)科尼利厄斯·范德比爾特

buys a small ferry boat with a one hundred dollar loan.

用一百美元貸款買了一條小渡船。

He quickly earns a reputation as a cut throat businessman,

很快他便因心狠手辣而出名，

willing to use any means necessary to get ahead.

為了成功不擇手段。

MARK CUBAN: Back then, it was just pure competition.

馬克·庫班：那時(shí)只有純粹的競爭。

My brain against your brain.

腦力對抗腦力。

My effort against your effort.

努力對抗努力

You just competed.

你只需要競爭。

That's the way they looked at business. It was the Wild, Wild West,

這就是他們看待商業(yè)的方式。在美國西部荒原，

and by hook or crook, it was just win or lose,

所有人不擇手段，只管輸贏，

and the best win.

最優(yōu)秀的人取得勝出。

He was a tough guy.

他是一個很頑強(qiáng)的人。

Getting into scraps with other men,

同其他人進(jìn)行激烈的爭斗，

beating the hell out of them and knocking them unconscious.

痛打?qū)κ?，打得他們不省人事?/p>

That competitive streak, and that toughness,

這種競爭方式，這種頑強(qiáng)品質(zhì)，

very much defined his character.

很大程度上定義了他這個人的品格。

NARRATOR: His single ferry soon becomes a fleet of ships,

旁白：他很快從一條渡船發(fā)展成了一個船隊(duì)，

transporting goods and passengers to every corner of the growing country.

將貨物和乘客運(yùn)往這個發(fā)展中的國家的每一個角落。

Vanderbilt will become so synonymous with shipping

范德比爾特很快就變成了海運(yùn)的代名詞，

that his nickname becomes "the Commodore".

人們昵稱他 為"船隊(duì)隊(duì)長"。

I think Vanderbilt recognized

我想范德比爾特意識到

that what was going to be important

將貨物

is transporting goods from one place to another.

從一個地方運(yùn)往另一個地方將會變得十分重要。

And he had this idea that required infrastructure,

他知道那需要基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施，

and not infrastructure the government was going to provide,

還不能只是政府將會提供的基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施，

but that he was going to provide.

而是他自己提供的。

NARRATOR: Over the next forty years,

旁白：在之后的四十年中，

Vanderbilt builds the largest shipping empire in the world.

范德比爾特建起了全世界最大的航運(yùn)帝國。

Then, at the peak of his power,

之后，在他權(quán)力的頂峰時(shí)，

just before the Civil War, he does the unthinkable.

就在南北戰(zhàn)爭之前，他做了一件不可思議的事。