電商新戰場：印度

閱讀暖身

印度擁有全球第二多人口、第三多上網人口，龐大市場吸引海內外投資人的目光，在政府鼓勵下，新創公司如雨後春筍般出現，且已產生許多成功案例。專家預測，印度將成為全球下一個巨大網路消費市場。進入本文前，請先想想如何表達以下單字：
a) 富裕的
b) 龐大規模
c) 障礙

When we think of India, we think of cricket, Bollywood and now start-ups. India's information-technology success and English-speaking engineers have created a fertile ground for innovative start-ups. Angel investors and venture capital funds are 1) mushrooming. Investment in start-ups is a new trend among a) affluent Indians, triggered by the Silicon Valley-like successes of many start-ups recently.
從前一提到印度，馬上想到板球和寶萊塢，但現在還想到新創公司。印度發達的資訊科技以及英語流利的工程師，已為求新求變的新創公司開闢出肥沃園地。天使投資人與創投基金如雨後春筍般出現。印度有錢人正流行投資新創公司，因為最近許多新創公司獲得矽谷規模的大勝利。

India's start-up industry is the youngest and fastest-growing in the world. There are more than 4,000 start-ups in India, with 28 the average age of founders. Money is also pouring in; $5 billion was invested in start-ups this year alone, a 125 percent year-on-year rise.
印度新創產業是世界上最年輕，而且成長最快速。印度現有4,000家以上的新創公司，創辦人平均年齡僅28歲。資金正大量湧入，光是今年便投入50億美元，比去年成長125%。

International investors are also tempted by the b) sheer size of India's market. At more than 350 million, India has the third most Internet users in the world, after the United States and China. Most of them are using the Web on mobile devices. That number is expected to grow to 580 million people by 2018.
在印度龐大市場吸引之下，國際投資客也想分一杯羹。印度有全球第三多的上網人口，高達3億5千萬，僅次於美國與中國，且大多數印度網民使用手機上網。該數字將於2018年達成長至5億8千萬。

India's government, led by tech-savvy Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has 2) gone out of its way to encourage investment in start-ups. Authorities have set up a $300-million fund for start-ups, and eased restrictions on Indians abroad who want to invest in venture capital funds there. The success in China of companies such as Alibaba has inspired many to say that India is the next big consumer Internet market.
由熟悉科技業的穆迪總理所領導的印度政府，竭盡所能鼓勵民眾投資新創公司。有關當局已為新創產業設立3億美元基金，並放寬印度僑民回國投資創投的限制。中國多家企業的成功（例如阿里巴巴），導致有人預測，印度將成為下一個巨大網路消費市場。

However, big challenges still remain when it comes to running a business in India. There are many infrastructure and regulatory c) hurdles. Arjun Narayan, founder of investment company Catamaran, cautions that investors in India have to 3) jump through a lot of hoops. "India is still a decade behind becoming a matured manufacturing hub," he says. Yet despite such concerns, the huge growth in the number of new Indian start-ups continues, as does the level of investment they are able to secure.
然而要在印度做生意，仍有巨大挑戰存在，放眼望去，皆是法規與基礎設施的障礙。Catamaran投資公司創辦人納拉楊警告說，印度投資人必須克服重重難關。他表示：「還要等10年，印度才能成為成熟的製造業重鎮。」然而即使有這些疑慮，印度新創公司仍迅速增加，所需資金也源源不絕。

口語詞彙:

1. Mushrooming 湧現
中文說如雨後春筍般冒出，英文口語則說像蘑菇一樣冒出頭。
South American restaurants are mushrooming in Taipei. 南美料理餐廳紛紛在台北開張。

2. Go out of one's way  竭盡所能
原意為「特地繞路」（開車送人回家時），後引申為「竭盡所能」、「不計一切代價」。
Mary's garment business is booming, as she always goes out of her way to satisfy her clients. 瑪麗的成衣生意很興隆，因為她總是竭盡所能來令顧客滿意。

3. Jump/go through hoops  克服重重難關
hoop 意為「環狀物」，本成語來自訓練馬戲團動物跳過鐵圈，類似中文的「跳火圈」之意，形容事情極為困難。
The boss pays relatively high salaries, but he expects the entire staff to jump through hoops for him. 老闆給的薪資比別人高，不過他期待所有員工為他赴湯蹈火。

參考資料：http://www.bbc.com/news/business-33424303

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