關於 a special christmas tradition of one country ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

【時事英文】

Why Japan Celebrates Christmas with KFC?
為何日本人聖誕節一定要吃肯德基？

Every Christmas, Ryohei Ando gathers his family together for a holiday tradition. Just like their father did as a child, his two children will reach deep into a red-and-white bucket and pick out the best piece of fried chicken they can find.
每年聖誕節，安藤量平都會找他的家人一起來按照傳統方式慶祝。就像安藤先生年幼時所做過的事情一樣，他的兩個孩子們會將小手伸入紅色與白色相間的紙桶內取出他們所能找到最美味部位的炸雞。

Yes, it’s a Merry KFC Christmas for the Ando family. It may seem odd anywhere outside Japan, but Ando’s family and millions of others would never let a Christmas go by without Kentucky Fried Chicken. Every Christmas season an estimated 3.6 million Japanese families treat themselves to fried chicken from the American fast-food chain, in what has become a nationwide tradition.
是的，這又是安藤一家的快樂肯德基聖誕節。或許這種慶祝方式在日本以外的地方看起來都是相當的怪異，可是安藤家及其他數百萬的日本家庭都會以享受肯德基炸雞的方式來度過聖誕佳節。每次聖誕檔期，估計都有三百六十萬戶日本家庭會從肯德基取走訂購的炸雞餐點並享用，這早已是舉國皆然的傳統了。

“My kids, they think it’s natural,” says Ando, a 40-year-old in the marketing department of a Tokyo sporting goods company.
年方四十，且任職於東京的一家體育用品公司行銷部門的安藤說：「我的小孩們認為這(聖誕節吃肯德基炸雞慶祝)是一件很自然的事情。」。

While millions do celebrate Christmas with KFC, others in Japan treat it as a romantic holiday similar to Valentine’s Day, and couples mark the occasion with dinner in upscale restaurants. For other Japanese families, Christmas is acknowledged but not celebrated in any particular way.
儘管在日本有數百萬家庭用肯德基來慶祝聖誕節，其他的人們卻將這個節日視作和西洋情人節類似的一個浪漫日子，所以情侶們會以在高檔餐廳享用耶誕大餐來為這個特別時刻留下紀念。至於對其他的日本家庭來說，他們認同聖誕節的存在，卻不會用任何特別的方式來慶祝這一天。

But for those who do partake, it’s not as simple as walking in and ordering. December is a busy month for KFC in Japan – daily sales at some restaurants during the Christmas period can be 10 times their usual take. Getting the KFC special Christmas dinner often requires ordering it weeks in advance, and those who didn’t will wait in line, sometimes for hours.
不過對於那些確實會參與這麼一個特別日子的人們來說，想吃肯德基卻不是一件簡單到只要走進店裡並點餐就好的事了。對位於日本的所有肯德基分店來說，十二月是他們接單接到手軟的時刻──有些分店在聖誕檔期的日銷售額可以多達平時的十倍。想要拿到肯德基耶誕特餐組合通常需要在好幾個禮拜前就開始預訂，而要是有沒預訂，想要現場排隊的人，那他們可能都得等上好幾個小時才能取餐。

The genesis of Japan’s KFC tradition is a tale of corporate promotion that any business heading to Japan ought to study, one that sounds almost like a holiday parable.
創下在日本這般盛行的肯德基傳統，可說是企業行銷的傳奇故事，且任何打算進軍日本的企業都應該加以學習，雖說這故事的由來聽起來幾乎像是種比喻。

According to KFC Japan spokeswoman Motoichi Nakatani, it started thanks to Takeshi Okawara, the manager of the first KFC in the country. Shortly after it opened in 1970, Okawara woke up at midnight and jotted down an idea that came to him in a dream: a “party barrel” to be sold on Christmas.
根據肯德基日本分公司的發言人中谷元一表示，在聖誕節吃肯德基這個點子是起自於日本第一位肯德基分公司的經理，大河原毅。在日本的第一家肯德基於1970年開幕後不久，店長大河原毅在半夜醒來並振筆疾書，寫下他夢到的一個主意：在聖誕節時賣「派對全家餐」。

Okawara dreamed up the idea after overhearing a couple of foreigners in his store talk about how they missed having turkey for Christmas, according to Nakatani. Okawara hoped a Christmas dinner of fried chicken could be a fine substitute, and so he began marketing his Party Barrel as a way to celebrate the holiday.
大河原是在聽到一對外國夫婦在店內用餐時，聊到很思念在聖誕節吃火雞的日子後才夢到該點子的。於是他期望炸雞可能是個在聖誕節晚餐桌上，取代火雞的絕佳替代品，便開始行銷起「派對全家餐」來作為慶祝聖誕節的方式。

In 1974, KFC took the marketing plan national, calling it Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii, or Kentucky for Christmas. It took off quickly, and so did the Harvard-educated Okawara, who climbed through the company ranks and served as president and CEO of Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan from 1984 to 2002.
肯德基在1974年起，於全日本採用這項叫做《聖誕節就是要肯德基》的行銷計畫，並很快地獲得成功，而曾於哈佛念書的大河原也從1984至2002年期間，一路從店長晉升到日本肯德基總裁兼執行長的職位。

The Party Barrel for Christmas became almost immediately a national phenomenon, says Joonas Rokka, associate professor of marketing at Emlyon Business School in France. He has studied the KFC Christmas in Japan as a model promotions campaign.
法國里昂商學院行銷學副教授羅卡表示，肯德基的聖誕節「派對全家餐」幾乎馬上成為一種風靡全國的現象。羅卡自過去就開始了解日本的聖誕節吃肯德基風潮，並將其作為推銷活動範本來研究。

“It filled a void,” Rokka says. “There was no tradition of Christmas in Japan, and so KFC came in and said, this is what you should do on Christmas.”
羅卡表示：「它填補了一種虛榮。原本日本並沒有過聖誕節的傳統，因此肯德基就適時地切入告訴日本民眾，這是你們應該在聖誕節做的事。」

Advertisements for the company’s Christmas meals show happy Japanese families crowding around barrels of fried chicken. But it’s not just breasts and thighs – the meals have morphed into special family meal-sized boxes filled with chicken, cake, and wine. This year, the company is selling Kentucky Christmas dinner packages that range from a box of chicken for 3,780 yen, ($32), up to a “premium” whole-roasted chicken and sides for 5,800 yen. According to KFC, the packages account for about a third of the chain’s yearly sales in Japan.
在肯德基的聖誕歡樂餐廣告中，我們可以看到許許多多的日本家庭都一臉歡喜的圍繞在一桶桶的炸雞餐旁等著大快朵頤一番。但是這些全家餐裡頭並非只有雞胸肉和雞腿肉──這些套餐已經轉型成特殊家庭號尺寸的盒子，裡面裝有炸雞，蛋糕，還有紅酒。今年，肯德基販售聖誕外帶全家餐的套裝組合從3,780日圓(折合32塊美金)的純炸雞基本款，到所謂「高級款」的烤全雞加配餐，要價5,800日圓。根據肯德基所述，他們在日本的聖誕檔期販售的套餐業績，足佔全年營銷的三分之一。

It also helped that the stores dressed up the company mascot, the smiling white-haired Colonel Sanders, in Santa outfits. In a country that puts high value on its elders, the red satin-suited Sanders soon became a symbol of a holiday.
當肯德基的各家分店為公司的吉祥物，也就是一頭白髮，臉上掛著微笑的桑德斯上校(肯德基爺爺)加上聖誕裝扮後，更有刺激買氣的效果。在日本這麼一個重視年長者的國家，換上一身紅色聖誕服裝的肯德基爺爺，更是馬上成為了這個節日的最佳象徵。

“KFC on Christmas. It’s one of the strangest things I’ve heard,” Gillespie says. “If you brought a bucket of fried chicken to Christmas dinner, honestly, I’d be mad at you.”
「聖誕節吃肯德基，是我所聽過最奇怪的其中一件事了」一位外國人吉列斯比這麼認為。「坦白地說，如果你在聖誕節的晚餐桌上，擺上一桶炸雞，我會對你感到大為光火。」

It isn’t a crack on KFC’s products necessarily, says Gillespie. The general idea of bringing fast food to Christmas dinner “would be viewed as rude by most anyone,” Gillespie says.
吉列斯比繼續表示，並不是說一定要對肯德基的產品這樣子的感到不滿，而是一般歐美民眾的想法都認為，要是將速食帶到聖誕晚餐的場合，「大多數的人都會認為這是一件很無禮的舉動。」

In Japan, however, where around 1% of the population is Christian, Christmas isn’t an official holiday, Rokka says. So the idea that families are going to spend all day cooking a ham or turkey and side dishes just isn’t practical. Instead, they show up with a bucket of chicken.
不過，羅卡則說，在日本，只有百分之一人口是基督徒，且聖誕節又沒放假，所以日本的家庭根本沒空在家花一整天烹製火腿、火雞，和製作配菜以供聖誕大餐。相反地，當日本民眾下班後，帶一桶炸雞回家團聚，就成為相當實際的傳統。

“This is another sign of globalisation, where consumer rituals spread to other countries and often get translated in different ways,” Rokka says. “It’s not abnormal now to have an Ikea store everywhere in the world. This KFC for Christmas is just taking our consumerism and turning it into a holiday.”
羅卡以為：「這是另一種全球化的象徵，在如此的情況下，消費者慣例被散播到其他國家去，又再被當地民眾用不同方式去加以詮釋。」他繼續表示：「當我們看到全世界都有宜家家居的分店時，已不再會感到任何怪異之處。所以在日本的肯德基，也只是利用我們的消費者主義並將其與節日的意義相結合罷了。」

Having done some travelling abroad, Ando knows that his country might is alone in celebrating Christmas with a bucket of KFC. But for him, he sees the tradition as more than just a company promotion.
在經過一些出國旅遊的歷練後，安藤了解到他的出生地，日本，可能是唯一一個會以肯德基桶餐來慶祝聖誕節的國家。但是對他來說，他把這件事情看作一項傳統，多過於只是公司的行銷手法。

For Ando, he’s still planning to get KFC for his kids this year. But he goes to a bakery for the Christmas cake. On Christmas night, the family will gather around the KFC bucket, just as Ando once did as a child, and just as his children will do in another generation.
對安藤來說，他今年的聖誕節一樣打算要買肯德基歡樂餐給他的孩子們享用。但是他也會去烘焙坊買些聖誕節蛋糕。在聖誕夜的時候，這一家人將會圍繞在肯德基炸雞桶旁，這是安藤小時候曾做過的舉動，而且也是他的孩子們，另一個世代同樣會做的事情。

“It’s kind of a symbol of family reunion,” Ando says. “It’s not about the chicken. It’s about getting the family together, and then there just happens to be chicken as part of it.”
「聖誕節吃肯德基全家餐有點像是全家團聚的一種象徵」，安藤這麼表示，「這並不是跟那些炸雞有關，而是讓一家人能夠團圓，只不過剛好炸雞是團圓場合中的一部分就是了。」

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「約翰走路：走遍世界的男人」

You’ve probably seen one of these, a LEGO brick, but have you ever wondered how would it all started, and why is it called LEGO? Actually, the name is much older than this plastic brick. Are you curious? Let me tell you how it all began.
你可能看過這其中之一，一塊樂高積木，但你有沒有想過這一切是如何開始的，以及它為什麼叫樂高嘛？事實上，這名字比這塊塑膠積木老得多了。好奇嗎？讓我告訴你這一切如何開始的。

Many years ago, there was a skilled and hardworking carpenter named, Ole Kirk Christiansen. Ole was a respected carpenter with his own company. But times were hard, so he didn’t have much money and had to dismiss his last worker.
許多年以前，有位技術高超、工作勤奮的木匠，他的名字是Ole Kirk Christiansen。Ole是名受人尊敬的木匠，並擁有自己的公司。但日子很困苦，所以他沒有太多錢，還必須解雇最後一名員工。

“Come on in.”
“ I’ve closed down the workshop and packed my thing.”
“Heh, thank you!”
“I suppose I’d better write you a paycheck.”
“Take care!”
「進來吧。」
「我已經關了木作工坊，也打包了我的東西。」
「啊，謝謝你！」
「我想我最好寫張薪水支票給你。」
「保重！」

“Well, that was the last one. I just didn’t imagine that it would come to this.”
“I know. It’s hard to understand, but at least now it can’t get much worse.”
「嗯，這是最後一名員工。只是我沒有想像會演變成這樣。」
「我知道。很難預料到，但至少不會再更糟了。」

But it did get worse. Shortly after, Ole lost his wife. But Ole was a special person. He wasn’t the type that gave up. And with the responsibility of his four sons, he had to think of something. Ole had gotten an idea. And for him, it never took long to put an idea into action. Ole’s little invention made his boys so happy that he thought maybe he should start making toys. Ole decided to give it a try. Luckily, he had saved up a lot of wood from the carpentry production. He can now use it to make toys.
但事情確實更糟了。不久後，Ole失去了他的妻子。但Ole是個特別的人。他不是那種會放棄的人。為了要對四個兒子負起責任，他必須要想些辦法。Ole想到了個點子。而且對他來說，要將點子付諸行動從來不需花太多時間。Ole的小發明讓他的兒子們非常開心，所以他想也許他應該開始做玩具。Ole決定要試一試。幸運的是，他曾儲存了許多製作木器用的木料。他現在可以用這些來做玩具。

Time passed by, and even though Ole was a skilled carpenter and had a good eye for quality and detail, sales were very slow. Luckily, one of his sons, Godtfrey, started helping out his dad after school. Together, they just barely managed to keep up the production. Eventually, word began to spread that wooden toys of the finest quality were being made in a little workshop in Billund.
時光流逝，而且即使Ole是名技術高超的木匠，並對品質及細節有好眼光，銷售還是非常緩慢。幸運地，他其中一個兒子Godtfrey開始在放學之後幫助他的父親。他倆一起還是只能勉強維持產量。最後，開始口耳相傳在Billund有間小木作工坊生產品質最好的木製玩具。

One day, a man drove into town — a man who would change Ole’s future. He was a wholesaler from Frederitia.
有一天，一名男子開車到城裡來–一個將會改變Ole未來的男人。他是從Frederitia來的批發商。

“I’ve heard that you’re making some very nice wooden toys.”
「我聽說你生產非常精美的木製玩具。」

“Well, one does his best.”
「這個嘛，竭盡我所能囉。」

The wholesaler was very impressed with all the wooden toys and placed a big order before he left.
這批發商對所有木製玩具印象非常深刻，並在離開前開出一筆大訂單。

“Now there’s finally someone who can see the opportunities and what we are doing.”
“Look at this. The wholesaler wants to put a lot of our toys into his store for the holidays.”
“It’s going to be a good Christmas this year, but we’ll be busy.”
「現在終於有個人看到這些機會、看到我們在做的事。」
「看這個。那個批發商想在假期期間在他的店裡放上很多我們的玩具。」
「今年的聖誕節會很好過，但我們會很忙。」

Now, there was a lot to do in the little workshop. And Ole could rehire his former workers. Ole only used the highest quality wood, which was hand-picked and very carefully prepared. They worked day and night to get the order finished, so the wholesaler could get the toys out in stores before Christmas.
現在這間小木作工坊有許多事要忙。而且Ole可以重新聘僱他以前的員工。Ole只用最高品質的木頭，這些木頭都是親手挑選的，並經過非常細心的準備。他們日以繼夜地工作以完成訂單，以能讓那位批發商能在聖誕節以前將這些玩具放到店裡。

“Is there something wrong, Dad?”
“I’m afraid that we’re… in big trouble.”
「發生什麼事了嗎？爸爸？」
「恐怕我們…有大麻煩了」

In the middle of their work, Ole received a letter saying that the wholesaler had filed for bankruptcy, and couldn’t buy the toys that he had ordered.
在他們工作進行到一半時，Ole收到一封信，上面寫著那名批發商已申請破產，不能買下他之前訂的玩具。

“But what are you gonna do? What about Christmas? Now we can’t even afford food?”
“I’ll do it.”
“What are you gonna do, Dad?”
“I’ll do it myself. I’ll drive around selling the toys.”
「但你要怎麼做？聖誕節怎麼辦？現在我們甚至買不起食物？」
「我會做。」
「你要怎麼做？爸爸？」
「我自己做。我會開車兜售這些玩具。」

There was no time to lose. Ole packed the car with all the toys and drove off. Ole was a very good toy-maker but was not a very good salesman. He didn’t like praising himself or talking about how carefully the toys have been made, but he had to keep trying if he is going to sell anything.
沒有時間浪費了。Ole將所有玩具裝進車裡，並開車離開。Ole是名很優秀的玩具製造者，但卻不是位優秀的銷售員。他不喜歡吹捧自己，或說這些玩具是如何細心地製作出來的，但如果想賣出任何東西，他就必須要繼續嘗試。

“This is going to be a blast. Is there anything you are interested in?”
“It looks exciting, but I don’t have a lot of money right now. Maybe we could trade in and call it even.”
“Well, I would prefer money, but…”
「這會造成轟動的。有任何你感興趣的東西嗎？」
「這看起來很振奮人心，但我現在沒有很多錢。也許我們能以物易物然後扯平。」
「這個嘛，我比較想收錢，但…」

In the end, he succeeded in selling all the toys. He didn’t receive as much money as he had hoped. But the family managed, and they had plenty of food for Christmas. Time passed by, but the toys didn’t sell as quickly as they had expected. Ole thought perhaps the company needed a good name.
最後，他成功地賣出所有玩具。他收到的錢並沒有他期望中的多。但家計得以維持，他們也有許多食物過聖誕節。時光流逝，但玩具賣得並不如預期般的快。Ole想，也許公司需要一個好名字。

“What should it be? It has to be a short word. I wanted to convey ‘playing well’.”
「應該叫什麼？它必須要是個簡短的字。我想要傳達『好好地玩』。」

In Danish, “playing well” is called “LEG GODT”.
丹麥文中「好好地玩」叫做「LEG GODT」。

“What should it be? What should it be? Yeah… If only I could get some sort of a sign…”
“LEGO.”
「要叫什麼？要叫什麼呢？對啊…如果我能有個像招牌的東西的話…」
「LEGO（樂高）」

As you can see, Ole himself ended up finding a very suitable name. But what he didn’t know was that in Latin, the word “LEGO” means “I put together”. The name “LEGO” was well received. And the company slowly started to move forward.
你可以看到，Ole最後幫自己找了個非常適合的名字。但他不知道的是，在拉丁文中，「LEGO」這個字的意思是「我組在一起」。「樂高」這個名字的接受度很高。而且公司開始慢慢地向前進。

“We have made 3,000 Krones this year. And we have more orders than usual.”
“Did you say 3,000 Krones? Huh, then you need to see what I’ve been looking at.”
“We have made 3,000 Krones this year. And we have more orders than usual.”
“Did you say 3,000 Krones? Huh, then you need to see what I’ve been looking at.”
「我們今年賺了3,000克朗（丹麥、挪威貨幣單位）。而且我們接到比平常更多的訂單。」
「你是說3,000克朗嗎？哈，那你應該要看看我已經看了好一陣子的東西。」

Even though Godtfred wasn’t comfortable spending money on a milling machine, he could see that it was useful, and that the quality of the toys improved.
即便Godtfred對於花錢買刻磨機感到很不舒服，他還是知道那很有用，而且也改善了玩具的品質。

“Could you finish the last batch and get it ready for shipping?”
“I will.”
“Dad…. dad, I saved a lot of money for the company today.”
“Really!? How?”
“I figured we could save money in the lacquer. Just like only coated the ducks twice instead of three times.”
“You What?”
「你可以完成最後一批並準備好裝運嗎？」
「我會的。」
「爸…爸，我今天為公司省下了很多錢。」
「真的嗎？怎麼做的？」
「我想到我們可以省下亮光漆的錢。像是在鴨子上只塗上兩層，而不是三層。」
「你做了什麼？」

Unfortunately, Godtfred’s idea didn’t go over well with Ole. Ole made Godtfred unpack all the ducks himself, give them the last layer of lacquer and bring them back to the train station. Ole believed in high quality and not cheating his customers. When Godtfred returned, Ole explained that that wasn’t the way to create a good brand. This little lesson opened Godtfred’s eyes to the fact that every detail matters and only the best is good enough.
不幸的是，Godtfred的主意並沒有過Ole那關。Ole要Godtfred自己從箱子取出那些鴨子，塗上最後一層亮光漆，並將它們運回火車站。Ole相信高品質，以及不能欺騙他的顧客們。當Godtfred回去時，Ole解釋那不是個創造好品牌的方式。這小小的一課打開了Godtfred的眼界，讓他知道每個細節都很重要，而且只有做到最好才算夠好。

In the late 1930s, LEGO was making a profit, even when The Second World War broke out. They tried to make the best out of a difficult time. It seemed nothing could go wrong. But a stormy night in 1942 changed their luck.
在1930年代後期，樂高開始賺錢，甚至第二次世界大戰爆發時也有盈利。他們試著充分利用這艱鉅的時期。似乎沒有任何事可以出錯。但1942年一個暴風雨的夜晚改變了他們的命運。

“There’s a fire. The workshop is on fire.”
「發生火災了。木作工坊起火了。」

But when the firemen arrived, they were unable to save the workshop. It burned to the ground, and all the drawings and models were destroyed. Ole was beginning to lose hope. All that he had worked for was gone, and he almost lost his company. But being responsible for his children and workers inspired him to rebuild LEGO. A new factory was constructed. Soon the production of wooden toy started again. The little company fought its way back into the market. Gradually, the LEGO factory began to run smoothly, and Ole started looking for new challenges.
但當消防隊員抵達時，他們已經無法救回木作工坊了。它被燒毀夷為平地，所有的草圖和模型也都被破壞殆盡。Ole開始失去希望。他所有的心血都沒了，他還差點失去他的公司。但對他的孩子和員工負起責任這件事，鼓勵了他重建樂高。他建了一座新的工廠。很快地再次開始木製玩具的生產。這間小公司奮力找到重回市場的路。漸漸地樂高工廠開始順利地營運，而Ole開始尋找新的挑戰。

One day, he went to Copenhagen to look at a new machine that had just arrived in Denmark. It was a plastic molding machine, and Ole was very excited about it.
有一天，他到哥本哈根去看一台剛送到丹麥的新機器。那是台塑膠成型機，Ole對此感到非常興奮。

“Should we buy it? It sure is a good bargain, and it would give us a lot of opportunities.”
“Well, it does sound interesting, but it is a lot of money.”
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.”
「我們應該買嗎？它確實很划算，而且會帶給我們很多機會。」
「這個嘛，聽起來很有趣，但這是很大一筆錢。」
「我就當你答應了。」

When the plastic molding machine finally arrived, Ole started making little plastic Teddy Bears and rattles. But he still had the plastic brick that he had received at the fair. There was something about them that he couldn’t stop thinking about. And even though no one else could see the potential in them, Ole decided to redesign and put them into production. But it was when LEGO first launched the great Ferguson Tractor that the plastic toys became a success. Unfortunately, the sales were dropping during the summer, and the company had too many toys in stock.
當塑膠成型機終於送達時，Ole開始製作小塑膠泰迪熊和波浪鼓。但他仍留著他在商展上拿到的塑膠積木。他就是無法停止思考有關這些塑膠積木的可能性。即使沒有人能在它們之中看到潛力，Ole還是決定要重新設計並生產它們。但直到樂高首次推出大Ferguson拖拉機的時候，塑膠玩具才取得成功。不幸的是，銷售量在夏天時開始下跌，而公司有太多的玩具庫存。

“This can’t be right. Of course, our products can be sold the whole year, not only for Christmas.”
「事情不該是這樣。當然，我們的產品全年都可以銷售，不只有在聖誕節時才能賣。」

Godtfred decided that he would go out and sell the toys himself. Godtfred brought his wife Edith as company and moral support.
Godtfred決定他要自己出去賣這些玩具。Godtfred帶著他的妻子Edith作伴以及精神支持。

“If you can’t get cash then… hmm… We need butter and eggs.”
「如果你不能換到現金那麼…嗯…我們需要奶油和雞蛋。」

Well, it wasn’t that bad. Godtfred was a success in his trip around the country which helped LEGO to get out of its financial crisis. They reached home just in time for Ole’s birthday party. Ole turned 60 and the whole family was gathered to celebrate with him.
這個嘛，事情沒那麼糟。Godtfred環遊全國的兜售行程很成功，這幫助樂高度過財政危機。他們到家時正好趕上Ole的生日派對。Ole 60歲了，全家都聚在一起為他慶祝。

“Well, I guess it was a long trip around the country.”
“Hey, I got an idea. Ugh, listen! Listen! What about a picture with the three generations?”
「嗯，我猜這趟環遊全國的旅程很漫長。」
「嘿，我有個想法。喂，聽好！聽好！拍張三代同堂的照片如何？」

Everyone thought that was a good idea, and we were placed on the sofa with all the presents and flowers around us. On a business trip to England, Godtfred met the head of a big shopping center on his way home. They discussed the toy industry, and the conversation would be very important to the future of LEGO.
每個人都覺得那是個好主意，我們坐在沙發上，四周都是禮物和花。在英國出差的時候，Godtfred在回家路上認識了一個大型購物中心的領導人。他們討論了玩具產業，那段對話對於樂高的未來會是非常重要。

“Damn this industry! I just think that toys are no good nowadays.”
“What do you mean? I think they are working very well.”
“Oh, they work fine, sure! But there’s no system in anything.”
“System?”
“System? Hmm, there isn’t any system…”
“What in the world are you doing, Godtfred?”
“There isn’t any system. The toys need an idea and a system built around it.”
“I wanna put system in the play. Children have only been offered ready-made solutions.”
“They need something different that will strengthen their imagination and creativity.”
“So, you are trying to put LEGO into a system? Interesting.”
「該死的產業！我就是覺得現在的玩具都不好。」
「你是什麼意思？我覺得他們運作得很好呀。」
「喔，他們運作的還可以。當然啦！但沒有任何東西是有系統的。」
「系統？」
「系統？嗯，沒有任何系統…」
「Godtfred，你究竟在做什麼？」
「沒有任何系統。這些玩具需要有一個概念，並要建立一個環繞的系統。」
「我想要在遊戲中放進系統。孩子們一直以來都只接受現成的解決方式。」
「他們需要一些不同的東西來增強他們的想像力及創造力。」
「所以，你要將樂高系統化？這有趣了。」

That same year, LEGO started producing the first LEGO system of play. Children could now build houses from the LEGO bricks. The Town Plan gave play a realistic town setting, and with this, children learned about traffic safety. My sisters and I could play with the new LEGO system for hours. Some people said we were the luckiest children in the world, because we grew up in a toy factory. It was a huge breakthrough, and Godtfred decided to try selling it outside of Denmark. The system of play was so popular that they managed to sell it to many countries.
同一年，樂高開始生產第一個樂高系統遊戲。孩子們現在可以用樂高積木蓋房子。「城鎮計畫」讓遊戲有真實的城鎮背景設定，孩子可以從中學到有關交通安全的事。我和姊妹們可以玩新的樂高系統玩好幾個小時。有些人說我們是世界上最幸運的孩子，因為我們在一個玩具工廠裡長大。那是個很大的突破，而Godtfred決定要試著在丹麥以外的地方銷售。這種系統遊戲非常受歡迎，使得他們能在許多國家販售。

“Look what I just built!”
“That is really nice, Cal.”
「看我剛剛蓋了什麼！」
「這真的很棒，Cal。」

Even though LEGO was meant for only building houses, there was still a lot of opportunity. There was just one problem.
雖然樂高只供蓋房子用，仍然有許多可能性。只有一個問題。

“Hmm, I can’t lift it up. It keeps falling apart.”
「噢，我不能把它拿起來。它一直垮掉。」

That made Godtfred wonder. He wanted to find a way to make the LEGO bricks stick together, but that was easier said than done. Godtfred noticed that the LEGO bricks got a better clutch powers with tubes inside. Now, it was no longer just bricks but a whole construction system with endless possibilities. This was groundbreaking for the LEGO product. With a child’s imagination, LEGO could be anything in the world over and over again. The imagination is the limit.
這讓Godtfred感到好奇。他想找出方法讓樂高積木能卡在一起，但說的比做的容易。Godtfred注意到樂高積木在內裡有管狀結構時能有更強的抓力。現在，這不只是積木而已，更是一個有無限可能性的整個建築系統。這為樂高產品的新紀元奠基。有了孩子的想像力，樂高可以一次又一次地做出世界上任何東西。想像力就是極限。

“Look, Dad! Now, I can build everything.”
「看，爸！現在，我可以蓋出所有東西。」

Unfortunately, Ole never got to see how successful the little brick actually became. Godtfred was left on his own, and he had to go through another fire at LEGO that destroyed most of the wood production. Just like his father, Godtfred knew that he had to try to get the best out of any situation and never give up. Godtfred took the hard times with his head held high. As sales grew, the company also got bigger. He had to think ahead, and he decided not to resume the production of wooden toys and to only focus on the LEGO system. It turned out to be a great decision. Many new models were built, and LEGO got stronger in the toy industry.
不幸的是，Ole再也看不到這些小積木竟然變得多麼的成功。Godtfred只剩自己了，而且他必須要走過另外一場燒毀樂高大部分木製產品的大火。但就像他的父親，Godtfred知道他必須要嘗試充分利用任何情況，並永不放棄。Godtfred抬頭挺胸的度過這困難的日子。隨著銷售成長，公司也日益壯大。他必須要預作打算，而他決定不再製造木製玩具，只專注在樂高系統。結果這是個重要的決定。許多新的模型被建造出來，樂高在玩具產業越加壯大。

“Sir, which one of these do you think is the best?”
“Hmm… Errr… that one!”
「先生，你認為哪一個最好？」
「嗯…嗯…那個！」

Even though it got busier at LEGO, Godtfred still had bigger plans. Now, he wanted to build an airport. So, it would be easier to sell his toys to the whole world. Like father, like son. It didn’t take long to put his idea into action. Only three years later, Billund airport was opened. The many guests and business connections who visited the company always wanted to see the modeling department. Gradually, it got so crowded that it was hard for the employees to keep up their work.
即使樂高變得更忙了，Godtfred仍有更偉大的計畫。現在，他想要建一座機場。這樣就能更容易向全世界銷售他的玩具。有其父必有其子。要將他的想法付諸行動並不用花太長時間。短短三年後，Billund機場開張了。許多曾到訪公司的賓客及商務往來的客戶總是想要看模型樣品部門。漸漸地，公司變得太擁擠，使得員工很難繼續他們的工作。

“I think we’d better wait a while.”
「我認為我們最好等一下。」

Godtfred could see that something had to be done. He needed a bigger place to display the LEGO models.
Godtfred發現還有些待辦事項。他需要更大的場地來展示樂高模型。

“Err, I don’t wanna interrupt. So, I’ll just put this package of our new LEGO train, err… on the table.”
“Just put it there. Train?”
「阿，我不是想打斷你。所以，我只要把這盒新的樂高火車放到，啊…桌上？」
「就放在那裡。火車？」

The idea grew quickly from an exhibition room to an amusement park.
這個點子很快地就從一間展覽室發展成一座主題樂園。

“And then, we could have a tower so you could look over the whole park from above — the whole town.”
“It would be a land made out of LEGO — LEGO Land.”
“Well, it looks interesting. But how many visitors are you actually counting on?”
“Well, I guess… uhmmm… two hundred, three hundred thousand?”
“Three hundred thousand?”
「然後，我們可以蓋座塔，這樣你從上面就能俯瞰整座遊樂園–整個城鎮。」
「這會是個用樂高做出的樂土–樂高世界。」
「嗯，這看起來很有趣。但你究竟期望有多少遊客？」
「這個嘛，我猜…嗯…二十，三十萬？」
「三十萬？」

Even though it sounded like a lot, my dad was actually pretty far off the mark. There were six hundred thousand guests the very first year. My family and I were there to greet the guests. We’ve kept up this tradition ever since. Now, you know how it all began. LEGO wouldn’t be what it is today if it hadn’t been for my grandfather’s sense of quality and search for perfection. My father firmly believed in the endless possibilities of the LEGO system. I seek to take the LEGO idea even further. Encouraging children to explore, experience and express their own world — a world without limits. And we are still convinced that only the best is good enough, because children deserve the best.
雖然這聽起來好像很多，我的父親確實離這個目標很遠。在開始的第一年就有六十萬名遊客。我和家人都到場招呼遊客。自此之後我們一直維持這個傳統。現在，你知道這一切是如何開始的。如果沒有我的祖父對品質的意識以及對完美的追求，樂高不會有今天的成就。我父親深深地相信樂高系統中無限的可能性。我尋求更進一步地推動樂高理念。鼓勵孩子探索、體驗及表達他們自己的世界–一個沒有限制的世界。而我們仍然相信只有最好才算夠好，因為孩子們應該得到最好的。