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And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
歡迎收聽VOA慢速英語《詞匯掌故》節目。
Great ideas can be the lifeblood of any project.
偉大的想法可能會是項目的命脈。
That means they can bring a project to life or even back from the dead.
意思是它們可以讓項目起死回生。
From redesigning a home to creating an educational product, bold, creative ideas are valuable.
大膽、有創意的想法對于重新設計住宅、創造教育產品都是有價值的。
But often even a great idea needs a little work.
但通常情況下，即使是一個偉大的想法也需要做一些工作。
It may need tweaking, meaning you need to make small changes.
它可能需要稍稍改進，意思是你需要做一些小的改變。
So, before sharing an idea with a large group, we may want to share it with a smaller group.
因此，在與一大群人分享一個想法之前，我們可能想要與一小群人分享它。
We can test it out first, before putting the idea into action.
我們可以先測試一下，然后再把這個想法付諸實踐。
But first, let's talk about getting that big idea.
但首先，讓我們談談如何獲得這個偉大的想法。
You may have heard of brainstorming.
你可能聽說過頭腦風暴。
This is an idea-creating activity.
這是一項創造創意的活動。
When we brainstorm, we say ideas as quickly as we think of them.
當我們進行頭腦風暴時，我們說出想法的速度和想到它們的速度一樣快。
In informal situations, we can call this throwing spaghetti at the wall.
在非正式場合，我們可以稱之為throwing spaghetti at the wall。
Why, you may ask? Well, cooked spaghetti is sticky.
你可能會問，為什么？煮熟的意大利面很粘。
If spaghetti is cooked enough, it will stick when you throw it against the wall.
如果意大利面煮得足夠爛，當你把它扔到墻上時，它會粘在墻上。
If it is not cooked enough, it might not stick.
如果煮得不夠爛，它可能會粘不住。
Good ideas stick too.
好的想法也能粘?。ū唤邮埽?。
In brainstorming, we often say we throw ideas around.
在頭腦風暴中，我們經常說我們提出各種想法。
And the good ones stay or stick.
好的想法就會被留下來。
But as we said earlier, even if an idea sticks, we may want to test it out before sharing it with a large group of people.
但正如我們前面所說的，即使一個想法留下來了，我們也可能想在與一大群人分享之前對其進行測試。
That is when we can run it up the flagpole.
那是我們檢驗它的時候。
Running an idea, plan, or proposal up the flagpole is a way to test interest or get feedback.
檢驗想法、計劃或建議是測試興趣或獲得反饋的一種方式。
The full phrase is "run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes."
完整的短語是“run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes（把想法分享給大家，看看大家的反應怎么樣）?！?/p>
Military members salute when our flag is present and when they hear the first note of the national anthem.
當國旗升起，軍人聽到國歌的第一個音符時，他們敬禮。
Let's listen to an example: If you are the leader of a project, you could say to your team, "I like that plan. But it is risky. Let's run it up the flagpole before pitching it to the boss."
讓我們來聽一個例子：如果你是一個項目的領導者，你可能會對你的團隊說，“我喜歡這個計劃。但它有風險。在向老板提議這個計劃之前，讓我們先來檢驗一下?！?/p>
In other words, you want to get more opinions before making the plan official.
換句話說，在正式制定計劃之前，你想要得到更多的意見。
Here is another example: When writing these stories, I often run my ideas up a flagpole.
下面還有另一個例子：在寫這些故事時，我經常和同事分享我的想法。
I respect the opinions of my co-workers and often take their suggestions on board – meaning I take them into consideration.
我尊重同事的意見，并經常采納他們的建議——意思是我會考慮他們的意見。
So, I like bouncing ideas off them.
因此，我喜歡在同事中大講我的想法。
And that is a more common way to express this idea.
這是一種更常見的表達方式。
Bouncing something off someone is a way to know their thoughts.
Bounce sth off sb是了解他們想法的一種方式。
You are asking their opinion and are looking to see their reaction.
你在征求他們的意見，并期待看到他們的反應。
Bouncing ideas around is a good way to gauge interest – to find out what people think.
向他人大講自己的想法是判斷興趣的好方法——了解人們的想法。
So, the next time you have an idea, and you are unsure about it, run it up the flagpole!
所以，下次當你有一個想法，但你對它不確定的時候，就和他人分享你的想法吧！
Bounce it off some friends! With the right people, you will soon know if it is good, bad, or needs work.
向一些朋友大講你的想法！有了合適的人，你很快就會知道你的想法是好是壞，還是需要改進。
And that is all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time...I'm Anna Matteo.
以上就是本期《詞匯掌故》節目的全部內容。下次見……我是安娜·馬特奧。
譯文為可可英語翻譯，未經授權請勿轉載！
