Swatch has published a version of its annual report in the Swiss-German dialect for which there is no standard written form, the latest act of rebellion from the watchmaker which has long enjoyed provoking the Swiss business establishment.
The move to publish in dialect rather than standard German — one of Switzerland’s four official languages including French and Italian in which the report was also issued — was meant to underpin Swatch Group SA’s Swiss roots and values, chief executive Nick Hayek told a media conference.
It results in a succession of spelling changes, such as geschaeftsjahr, or “results year,” becoming gschaeftsjohr and ausblick, or “outlook,” becoming usblick, giving approximations of the language familiar to inhabitants of Swiss-German parts of the country.
Explaining the move, Swatch chairwoman Nayla Hayek said in her letter to shareholders, “This act of true Swissness was done partly to shake up our compatriots who — in their fondness for what is safe — sometimes allow themselves to follow a rather conventional, prudent and comfortable path.”
The move highlights an increased awareness among Swiss companies of the cachet attached to Swiss-made products, while also being intended by the company to cement its reputation as a corporate “enfant terrible” in Switzerland, where a sober or staid tone dominates most parts of business and finance.(Reuters)
鐘錶公司Swatch最近用瑞士德語公布其年度財務報告,瑞士德語並沒有標準的書寫方式,這也是這家向來樂於激怒瑞士商界的鐘錶公司最新反叛之舉。
Photos: Bloomberg
照片:彭博社
該公司執行長尼克‧海耶克在記者會上表示,使用瑞士德語而非標準德語來公布財報,目的是要凸顯Swatch集團的瑞士根源和價值。標準德文為瑞士的四種官方語言之一,Swatch的財報同時也提供法文和義大利文等其他官方語言版本。
如此一來導致這份財報出現許多拼音上的變化,例如把結算年度geschaeftsjahr拼成gschaeftsjohr,或把公司展望ausblick拼成usblick等,使用最接近瑞士德語區居民所熟悉的語言。
Swatch公司董事長奈拉.海耶克在致股東函中解釋說:「這項表達真瑞士精神的行動,部分目的是要喚醒我們的同胞,他們太過愛好安全,導致他們有時寧可遵循傳統、謹慎和舒適的道路。」
此舉凸顯出瑞士企業對瑞士製產品的地位愈來愈有自覺,Swatch同時也企圖藉此強化其身為瑞士企業界中的「頑童」名聲,瑞士商界與金融界多以嚴肅、穩重著稱。
(路透/翻譯:俞智敏)
A: I want to go to Neihu to see the cherry blossoms. B: Do you want to go by YouBike? A: Well, how much does it cost? B: The Taipei City Government just announced that riders can use the bicycles for free for the first 30 minutes! A: Great! Riding bikes is also more eco-friendly than driving. A: 我想去內湖賞櫻花耶。 B: 那要不要騎YouBike微笑單車去? A: 車費怎麼算? B: 台北市政府最近宣布︰前30分鐘免費! A: 太棒了,而且也比開車更環保。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
One of us is a murderer. The terrifying thought fills your head. There’s a corpse in the next room, and one of your fellow diners put it there. As the evening progresses, you learn disturbing secrets about everyone, and you’re forced to confess to a few yourself. You all have motives for the crime, but who committed it? Fortunately, it’s just a game. Murder mystery games are multiplayer role-playing games designed to be played over the course of an evening. The concept likely originated with “wink murder,” an amusing pastime that became popular in the early 1900s. In this game, a “murderer” kills
A: How does Taipei’s YouBike service charge after the free ride for the first 30 minutes? B: It’s NT$10 every 30 minutes within four hours. A: What a bargain. No wonder Taipei is listed by Britain’s “Time Out” magazine as one of the best 50 cities in the world. B: But I spotted a few English mistakes on YouBike’s Web site. A: I guess that aspect of it still has room for improvement. A: 台北市YouBike前30分鐘免費,之後怎麼算? B: 4小時內每30分鐘10元。 A: 真劃算,難怪台北市會入選英國《Time Out》雜誌全球最佳的50座城市。 B: 不過我在YouBike的網站上看到了好幾個英文錯誤。 A: 看來這個部分還有改善的空間。(By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/ 台北時報張聖恩)
Mullet roe is a highly-priced delicacy typically served during special occasions like wedding banquets or Chinese New Year’s dinners, where families come together in celebration. The mullet roe can be prepared in various ways. It is usually pan-fried but can also be roasted or torched. To cook a pan-fried mullet roe, soak it in liquor or wine and peel off its membrane. Then, it is browned over a low fire and turned several times. Finally, the fried mullet roe is cut diagonally and is ready to be served. This dish is usually served with garlic scapes and daikon slices, but