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And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语《词汇掌故》节目。
Great ideas can be the lifeblood of any project.
伟大的想法可能会是项目的命脉。
That means they can bring a project to life or even back from the dead.
意思是它们可以让项目起死回生。
From redesigning a home to creating an educational product, bold, creative ideas are valuable.
大胆、有创意的想法对于重新设计住宅、创造教育产品都是有价值的。
But often even a great idea needs a little work.
但通常情况下，即使是一个伟大的想法也需要做一些工作。
It may need tweaking, meaning you need to make small changes.
它可能需要稍稍改进，意思是你需要做一些小的改变。
So, before sharing an idea with a large group, we may want to share it with a smaller group.
因此，在与一大群人分享一个想法之前，我们可能想要与一小群人分享它。
We can test it out first, before putting the idea into action.
我们可以先测试一下，然后再把这个想法付诸实践。
But first, let's talk about getting that big idea.
但首先，让我们谈谈如何获得这个伟大的想法。
You may have heard of brainstorming.
你可能听说过头脑风暴。
This is an idea-creating activity.
这是一项创造创意的活动。
When we brainstorm, we say ideas as quickly as we think of them.
当我们进行头脑风暴时，我们说出想法的速度和想到它们的速度一样快。
In informal situations, we can call this throwing spaghetti at the wall.
在非正式场合，我们可以称之为throwing spaghetti at the wall。
Why, you may ask? Well, cooked spaghetti is sticky.
你可能会问，为什么？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够烂，当你把它扔到墙上时，它会粘在墙上。
If it is not cooked enough, it might not stick.
如果煮得不够烂，它可能会粘不住。
Good ideas stick too.
好的想法也能粘住（被接受）。
In brainstorming, we often say we throw ideas around.
在头脑风暴中，我们经常说我们提出各种想法。
And the good ones stay or stick.
好的想法就会被留下来。
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.
但正如我们前面所说的，即使一个想法留下来了，我们也可能想在与一大群人分享之前对其进行测试。
That is when we can run it up the flagpole.
那是我们检验它的时候。
Running an idea, plan, or proposal up the flagpole is a way to test interest or get feedback.
检验想法、计划或建议是测试兴趣或获得反馈的一种方式。
The full phrase is "run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes."
完整的短语是“run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes（把想法分享给大家，看看大家的反应怎么样）。”
Military members salute when our flag is present and when they hear the first note of the national anthem.
当国旗升起，军人听到国歌的第一个音符时，他们敬礼。
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."
让我们来听一个例子：如果你是一个项目的领导者，你可能会对你的团队说，“我喜欢这个计划。但它有风险。在向老板提议这个计划之前，让我们先来检验一下。”
In other words, you want to get more opinions before making the plan official.
换句话说，在正式制定计划之前，你想要得到更多的意见。
Here is another example: When writing these stories, I often run my ideas up a flagpole.
下面还有另一个例子：在写这些故事时，我经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.
我尊重同事的意见，并经常采纳他们的建议——意思是我会考虑他们的意见。
So, I like bouncing ideas off them.
因此，我喜欢在同事中大讲我的想法。
And that is a more common way to express this idea.
这是一种更常见的表达方式。
Bouncing something off someone is a way to know their thoughts.
Bounce sth off sb是了解他们想法的一种方式。
You are asking their opinion and are looking to see their reaction.
你在征求他们的意见，并期待看到他们的反应。
Bouncing ideas around is a good way to gauge interest – to find out what people think.
向他人大讲自己的想法是判断兴趣的好方法——了解人们的想法。
So, the next time you have an idea, and you are unsure about it, run it up the flagpole!
所以，下次当你有一个想法，但你对它不确定的时候，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.
向一些朋友大讲你的想法！有了合适的人，你很快就会知道你的想法是好是坏，还是需要改进。
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《词汇掌故》节目的全部内容。下次见……我是安娜·马特奥。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
