经济学人367:通用被迫面对它的错误

　　Business
商业报道
General Motors woes¹
通用的悲鸣
What do you recall?
你召回什么？
GM is forced to confront its faults
通用被迫面对它的错误
WHEN Mary Barra took the wheel at General Motors in January she inherited a company in good shape.
Mary Barra 在二月份接掌通用汽车时，公司运转态势良好。
通用.jpg
Five years after bankruptcy², its profits were exceeding expectations and its share price was rising.
破产5年之后，它的利润增长超过预期，股价也在持续上升。
But the new boss's to-do list was long: fixing GM's loss-making European arm, keeping up momentum³ in China amid signs of a slowdown and rejuvenating⁴ the product line.
但是新的掌门人面临着一系列的问题：整顿欧洲分支的亏损问题；在出现衰退迹象的情况下，保持中国市场的发展势头并发展生产线。
Ms Barra's predecessor⁵, Dan Akerson, warned her that she would also face “curve balls”.
Barra女士的前任Dan Akerson 告诫她可能也会面临“曲线球”。
The first has arrived sooner than she might have expected.
第一个比她预期的来得更快。
What appeared to be a routine recall in mid-February of about 800,000 older models, linked to a faulty ignition switch, has turned out to be anything but.
在二月中旬看似是例行召回的800000辆旧款车结果显示只是因为点火开关的缺陷。
The number of cars recalled has leapt to more than 2.6m.
被召回的车已经超过260万辆。
The company's inept⁶ handling of a safety problem that first became apparent a decade ago is now linked to the deaths of at least 13 motorists.
公司对于安全问题的笨拙处理，在十年之前首次显露。现在已经与至少13位驾驶者的死亡有关。
Called before Congress on April 1st to answer for GM's failings Ms Barra said she was “deeply sorry” but insisted that the post-bankruptcy “new GM” was not like the “old GM”, which had failed to deal with the ignition switches for years.
4月1号被召到国会回答通用失败的原因，Barra说她“深表遗憾”，但是她强调破产重组后的“新通用”和处理点火开关多年未果的“老通用”不同。
Politicians and the public alike want to know how such a problem could have remained unaddressed for so long.
政客和公众想知道为什么这样一个问题能够悬而未决这么久。
Cars are becoming ever more complex machines, with thousands of mechanical and electronic parts.
汽车构造越来越复杂，有着成千上万的机械以及电气构造。
Recalls are not uncommon⁷.
召回并不罕见。
Last year it happened to 22m vehicles in America, compared with 18m in 2012.
去年美国有2200万汽车召回，而2012年召回了1800万辆。
In fact, GM was one of only three brands that recalled fewer vehicles than it sold.
实际上，通用曾是召回比售出少的三巨头之一。
Niggling problems, like squeaks⁸ or rattles⁹, that do not affect safety are more common still.
不影响安全的类似于发出吱吱声或者为嗡嗡声的琐碎问题愈发常见。
They may be fixed¹⁰ at a routine service; the owner may never know.
它们有可能在例行服务中被处理好，汽车所有者可能永远都不会知道。
The growing number of recalls is testament¹¹ to an improving system for picking up faults.
增加的召回数量是发现问题体系在不断完善的明证。
But it is very complicated.
但是这个系统很复杂。
Dealers¹² must record replacements¹⁴ of parts under warranty¹⁵.
经销商必须在授权下记录置换部分。
The carmaker needs to spot the trend, recognise it as a problem and then determine whether or not it is a design fault that requires wholesale¹⁶ replacement¹³.
汽车制造者需要发现这一趋势，认定其为一个问题，然后确认是否为需要全部替换的设计失误。
It relies on accurate recording¹⁷ of every warranty replacement in every region, says Andrew Bergbaum of AlixPartners, a firm of consultants¹⁸.
咨询公司AlixPartners的Andrew Bergbaum说：它依赖于每一地区的每一个授权置换的精确记录。
This system appears to have broken down at “old GM”.
但是这一体系在“老通用”貌似没能施行。
Ms Barra needs to find out why.
Barra需要找出其原因。
At the heart of the matter is a widely used ignition switch that has a tendency to slip from the “on” position to “off” if a driver uses a heavy keychain or bounces down a rough road.
问题的核心是：广泛使用的点火开关在驾驶者使用重钥匙串或者在崎岖路上颠簸时有从“开”滑落到“关”的趋向。
A modification¹⁹ was made in 2008 to prevent the problem, which can lead to the engine shutting off, disabling the airbags.
一个装置在2008年被设计出来解决这一问题，但是它可能导致引擎熄火和安全气囊的失效。
But despite a growing list of crashes and deaths, GM failed to order a recall for a component²⁰ that would have cost a few dollars at most.
尽管有着上升的撞车及死亡记录，但是通用并没有进行召回，虽然这些召回最多只是花一点钱。
This is odd.
这很奇怪。
Most carmakers want to identify and fix problems speedily despite having to bear the cost of buying and fitting a new component.
大多数汽车制造者希望及时发现并处理问题，尽管会支付购买以及安装新元件的费用。
A small part can do great harm, if bad publicity²¹ leads to reputational corrosion²², lost sales and litigation, which in America can include hefty punitive²³ damages.
千里之堤溃于蚁穴，如果坏的消息传开导致名誉受损、销量下降以及被起诉，这在美国预示着高额惩罚性赔偿。
Appearing to put profits before safety is also liable to batter²⁴ a firm's shares, as GM has discovered.
通用证实了，表现得重利益甚于重视安全也会引起公司股票的大跌。
So far Ms Barra has handled the situation well.
Barra到目前为止将这个局面处理得很好。
She seems to have acted as soon as she found out something was awry²⁵.
她似乎在一发现事情不对，就立即采取行动。
And she has borrowed strategies from Toyota, which was forced into recalling more than 10m vehicles in 2009 and 2010 after worrying instances of “unintended acceleration”.
她借鉴了丰田公司的策略。丰田在担心“突然加速”的例子，在2009年和2010年先后召回了1000万辆汽车。
Akio Toyoda, Toyota's boss, also appeared before Congress, contrite²⁶ and apologetic.
丰田公司掌门人Akio Toyoda也在国会现身，赔礼道歉。
GM, like Toyota, has appointed a worldwide safety tsar to cut through the bureaucracy that may have delayed action on the faulty switch.
通用和丰田一样，任命了一个全球性的安全特使来整饬可能导致拖延问题开关处理的官僚作风。
And in a frenzy²⁷ of housecleaning, GM has recalled another 2m vehicles in America alone.
在一场狂风骤雨般的清理中，通用单单在美国就另外召回了200万辆车。
GM looks set to accept moral, if not legal, responsibility.
如果不是法律要求的，通用似乎也会接受道德责任。
The terms of its exit from bankruptcy give immunity²⁸ to lawsuits²⁹ for injuries arising beforehand.
通用退出破产的条件赋予其豁免于之前伤害诉讼的权利。
But GM is likely to compensate³⁰ survivors³¹ and victims' families anyway.
但是通用不管怎样，可能赔偿幸存者以及遇难者家属。
Toyota had a terrible year after its big recalls, battered³² by mounting costs and falling sales.
丰田在它的大召回后经历了困难的一年，深陷于大量的费用以及减少的销量之中。
But it has since regained³³ the lost ground.
但是它已经重新夺回失去的市场。
It is not yet clear how much of a hammering GM will take.
通用会经受怎样的打击现在还不清楚。
But hours before Ms Barra's meeting with Congress, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety issued a coveted³⁴ “Top Safety Pick” endorsement³⁵ for the new Chevrolet Malibu, one of a growing number of well-received cars from GM.
但是在Barra出席国会之前，高速公路安全保险机构颁发了一个令人垂涎的“最高安全评价”的认证给了通用销量大涨、广受欢迎的雪佛兰迈锐宝。
That suggests it is at least on the road to redemption.
这表明通用至少在救赎的路上。

1 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

2 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

3 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

4 rejuvenating   

使变得年轻，使恢复活力( rejuvenate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The rejuvenating ambience of autumn is immeasurably more ancient than even the calendar. 秋天那让人恢复青春活力的气氛远比历法还要古老。 来自名作英译部分
• Rhoda says that it's embarrassing to be so idolized, but also very sweet and rejuvenating. 罗达说，给人这样过份地崇拜是很发窘的，不过也是愉快惬意使人年轻的。

5 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

6 inept   

adj.不恰当的，荒谬的，拙劣的

参考例句：

• Whan an inept remark to make on such a formal occasion.在如此正式的场合，怎么说这样不恰当的话。
• He's quite inept at tennis.他打网球太笨。

7 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

8 squeaks   

n.短促的尖叫声，吱吱声( squeak的名词复数 )v.短促地尖叫( squeak的第三人称单数 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者

参考例句：

• The upper-middle-classes communicate with each other in inaudible squeaks, like bats. 那些上中层社会的人交谈起来象是蚊子在哼哼，你根本听不见。 来自辞典例句
• She always squeaks out her ideas when she is excited. 她一激动总是尖声说出自己的想法。 来自互联网

9 rattles   

（使）发出格格的响声， （使）作嘎嘎声( rattle的第三人称单数 )； 喋喋不休地说话； 迅速而嘎嘎作响地移动，堕下或走动； 使紧张，使恐惧

参考例句：

• It rattles the windowpane and sends the dog scratching to get under the bed. 它把窗玻璃震得格格作响，把狗吓得往床底下钻。
• How thin it is, and how dainty and frail; and how it rattles. 你看它够多么薄，多么精致，多么不结实；还老那么哗楞哗楞地响。

10 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

11 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

12 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

13 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

14 replacements   

n.代替( replacement的名词复数 )；替换的人[物]；替代品；归还

参考例句：

• They infiltrated behind the lines so as to annoy the emery replacements. 他们渗透敌后以便骚扰敌军的调度。 来自辞典例句
• For oil replacements, cheap suddenly looks less of a problem. 对于石油的替代品来说，价格变得无足轻重了。 来自互联网

15 warranty   

n.担保书，证书，保单

参考例句：

• This warranty is good for one year after the date of the purchase of the product.本保证书自购置此产品之日起有效期为一年。
• As your guarantor,we have signed a warranty to the bank.作为你们的担保人，我们已经向银行开出了担保书。

16 wholesale   

n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售

参考例句：

• The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。
• Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。

17 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

18 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。

19 modification   

n.修改，改进，缓和，减轻

参考例句：

• The law,in its present form,is unjust;it needs modification.现行的法律是不公正的，它需要修改。
• The design requires considerable modification.这个设计需要作大的修改。

20 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

21 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

22 corrosion   

n.腐蚀，侵蚀；渐渐毁坏，渐衰

参考例句：

• Corrosion is not covered by the warranty.腐蚀不在保修范围之内。
• Zinc is used to protect other metals from corrosion.锌被用来保护其他金属不受腐蚀。

23 punitive   

adj.惩罚的，刑罚的

参考例句：

• They took punitive measures against the whole gang.他们对整帮人采取惩罚性措施。
• The punitive tariff was imposed to discourage tire imports from China.该惩罚性关税的征收是用以限制中国轮胎进口的措施。

24 batter   

v.接连重击；磨损；n.牛奶面糊；击球员

参考例句：

• The batter skied to the center fielder.击球手打出一个高飞球到中外野手。
• Put a small quantity of sugar into the batter.在面糊里放少量的糖。

25 awry   

adj.扭曲的，错的

参考例句：

• She was in a fury over a plan that had gone awry. 计划出了问题，她很愤怒。
• Something has gone awry in our plans.我们的计划出差错了。

26 contrite   

adj.悔悟了的，后悔的，痛悔的

参考例句：

• She was contrite the morning after her angry outburst.她发了一顿脾气之后一早上追悔莫及。
• She assumed a contrite expression.她装出一副后悔的表情。

27 frenzy   

n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动

参考例句：

• He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。
• They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

28 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

29 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

30 compensate   

vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消

参考例句：

• She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
• Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。

31 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

32 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

33 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。

34 coveted   

adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图

参考例句：

• He had long coveted the chance to work with a famous musician. 他一直渴望有机会与著名音乐家一起工作。
• Ther other boys coveted his new bat. 其他的男孩都想得到他的新球棒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

35 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。