A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
人才去不了美国,美国公司就去人才那里
Google, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft Take Jobs Overseas When Talent Can't Come to the US
About this story
Google, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft send jobs abroad — when smart workers can't move to the US, the companies move. HSK 2 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 2 Chinese listening episode that runs about 7 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 13 key vocabulary words such as 变化、有名、聪明 and walks through 5 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.
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原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
Speaking of recent news about big companies hiring, a very interesting change is happening.
We all know that there are many very famous American companies in the world.
For example, Google, which everyone uses, and the company that makes Apple phones.
Also Amazon, where everyone buys things, and Microsoft, which makes computer software.
These companies are all very big and also very rich.
They have to do lots and lots of work every day.
In order to do this work, they need lots and lots of people.
Moreover, they don't need ordinary people.
They need very smart people.
They need people who have studied computer knowledge for many years.
In the past, where did these smart people work?
In the past, everyone wanted to go to the US to work.
Because the home of these big companies is in the US.
If you want to work at Google or Microsoft, you have to take a plane to the US.
At that time, many people went to the US from other countries.
For example, from India to the US, or from China to the US.
Everyone felt that if they went to the US, they could have a good job and earn a lot of money.
But now, things have changed a bit.
Now, wanting to go to the US to work has become very, very difficult.
Why has it become difficult?
Because working in the US requires government approval.
The government gives you a piece of paper, which is like a "ticket".
Only with this "ticket" can you work in the US.
If you don't have this "ticket", you cannot work there.
Before, getting this "ticket" wasn't easy, but it wasn't too hard either.
Also, the price of this "ticket" was about a few thousand dollars.
For big companies, a few thousand dollars is affordable.
But now, this rule has changed.
Now this "ticket" has become very expensive.
It might cost a hundred thousand dollars.
Think about it, the difference between a hundred thousand and a few thousand is too big.
This is twenty times what it was before.
This is a very large number.
Besides the money issue, there is another problem.
That is, the American government is now checking very strictly.
Many people want to go, but the government says "no".
The government won't let these people in.
More and more people are being rejected.
So, this is a big problem.
For those who want to work, this is a problem.
For those big companies, this is also a big problem.
Why?
Because companies need people to do things.
If no one does the work, the company cannot develop.
If no one writes computer programs, the company won't have new products.
If there are no new products, the company won't make money.
So, the big companies are very anxious.
They must think of a solution.
If people can't come to the US, what should the companies do?
The companies thought of a very smart solution.
This solution is: If people can't come, we will go to where the people are.
It's like if you can't come to my house, then I'll go to your house to find you.
So, now many big American companies have left the US.
Where did they go?
They went to India.
Why is everyone going to India?
Because there are many smart people there.
There are many people there who understand computers and technology.
In India, many people study computers in university.
They learn how to make software and how to make websites.
Moreover, many of them can speak English.
This is very convenient for American companies.
So, in recent months, many companies have been hiring in India.
For example, Facebook, as well as Google and Amazon.
They have hired many people in India.
Let's look at some numbers.
This year, these companies hired tens of thousands of new employees in India.
This is much more than last year.
An expert said this is the fastest rate in recent years.
The speed at which companies are hiring in India is very fast.
What work do these new employees do?
Are they doing very simple work?
No.
The work they do is very important.
It is also very difficult work.
For example, the currently most popular "Artificial Intelligence".
Which is teaching computers to think like humans.
Also "Machine Learning", letting computers learn new things by themselves.
These jobs require a very high level of skill.
Ordinary people can't do them.
But experts say that in India, there are many such talents.
They are very experienced.
They can do these difficult things.
So, American companies really like finding people there.
For example, Google is looking for buildings in Indian cities.
They found very, very large offices.
This office is huge; it can seat twenty thousand people.
Think about it, twenty thousand people working together, that's so many people.
This shows that Google wants to operate there for a long time.
They aren't just visiting; they want to stay there.
Now, Google's largest location outside the US is in India.
Also Microsoft, they also have a large presence in India.
They spent a huge amount of money.
Billions of dollars.
They use this money to build new offices and buy new computers in India.
They hope to create the best new technology there.
A study tells us that this is a new habit.
If the US rejects a smart person.
The company won't just stop hiring.
The company will find someone in another country to replace them.
Usually, companies will go to India, China, or Canada to find people.
But right now, going to India is the most common.
For people in India, this is good news.
Because they don't need to leave their families or go to the far-away US.
They can work for the best companies in their own country.
And also earn decent money.
However, for those who want to go to the US, this might be a bit disappointing.
Because opportunities to go to the US have become fewer.
However, for companies, the most important thing is having someone to do the work.
As long as there is someone working, anywhere is fine.
This is the current big trend.
Originally, people followed the companies.
Now it has become companies following the people.
Because the "road" is blocked, everyone switches to walking a different path.
The story we just told is actually news about the "H-1B visa".
H-1B is that visa that allows foreigners to work in the US.
Because current US policy makes this visa very hard to get and very expensive.
The cost went from a few thousand dollars to a hundred thousand dollars.
This makes it impossible for many tech companies to bring people to the US.
So, tech giants like Google and Amazon have started to "outsource" and "offshore" work.
They have put a lot of high-level AI and R&D work directly in India.
This is why we say: If the talent can't come, the company goes to the talent.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇Noun or verb meaning change or variation.
Adjective meaning well-known or famous.
Adjective describing someone intelligent or bright.
Verb meaning to agree with an opinion or give permission.
Noun referring to a favorable time or chance to do something.
HSK 1-2. office.
HSK 1-2. interesting.
Verb meaning to turn down a request or offer.
Noun specifically for computer software.
Noun referring to a person with special knowledge or skill in a particular area.
Technical term for AI.
Verb meaning to take the place of someone or something.
Noun describing the general direction in which something is developing.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法为了... (wèile...)
Indicates purpose, meaning 'in order to' or 'for the sake of'. It usually appears at the beginning of the sentence.
为了做这些工作,他们需要很多很多的人。
变得 + Adjective (biànde...)
Used to describe a change in state, meaning 'to become' or 'to turn into'.
现在想去美国工作,变得非常非常难。
现在这张“票”变得非常贵。
除了... 还有... (chúle... háiyǒu...)
Means 'besides... also...' or 'in addition to... there is also...'. Used to add more information.
除了钱的问题,还有一个问题。
像...一样 (xiàng... yíyàng)
A simile pattern meaning 'to be like...' or 'the same as...'.
也就是教电脑像人一样思考。
只要... 就... (zhǐyào... jiù...)
A conditional pattern meaning 'as long as... then...'. It introduces a sufficient condition.
只要有人工作,在哪里都可以。
Proper Nouns
专有名词Sources
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