全通翻譯/翻譯社

Festive February

Going Whole Hog
A man dressed in a top hat and tuxedo holds up a large rodent. Pressing the furry critter's snout to his ear, he listens. “Six more weeks of winter!” the man declares as the crowd boos.

The Battle for Motion-Control Gaming Heats Up

Video-game systems have evolved unbelievably over the past few decades. These days, motion-control gaming is all the rage, and Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo have all fully jumped on this bandwagon. Now that Microsoft's highly anticipated Kinect is finally available in stores, let's take a closer look at these three systems, examining their differences and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses.

Without a doubt, the Microsoft Kinect for the Xbox 360 is at the cutting edge of gaming. The Kinect incorporates a video camera, voice-recognition software, and intelligent motion sensors to provide players with an entirely hands-free gaming experience. No controllers or special gadgets are needed; a mere wave of the hand or a simple vocal command lets users play games. Consumers certainly have connected with Kinect, with millions already sold in the first few months of its release.

Lego: Rebuilding a Brand

The little colored building blocks are iconic and have been beloved by generations of children around the world. The white logo on a red background is instantly identifiable. Even with the onset of the digital age, the company appeared to have adapted. It seemed like Lego could do no wrong.

However, all was not as it seemed. Despite remaining one of the world's largest toy manufacturers and shifting US$1.35 billion of merchandise, Lego was in trouble by 2004. Sales had dropped steadily and profits were down 30 percent, with Lego Group execs estimating a loss in value of more than US$300,000 a day. What was happening?

Tsui Hark — The Master of Wuxia

For many outside Asia, Ang Lee's “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” provided the first glimpse into the Chinese genre of wuxia. Characters leap over rooftops, walk up walls, and cross swords in breathtaking duels. The movie wowed audiences worldwide and made them realize that wuxia was more than just martial arts. Wuxia stories depict brave, kind heroes with extraordinary fighting skills. The style challenges traditional Hollywood boundaries, yet shares themes with genres such as westerns. While there are many well-known directors in the field, one name stands out: Hong Kong's Tsui Hark.

Tsui's first feature, “The Butterfly Murders,” was an avant-garde fusion of murder mystery, science fiction and contemporary wuxia. The twists and turns in narrative perspective were atypical of wuxia movies, though the depiction of righteous and evil characters was familiar. Following this impressive debut, Tsui enjoyed success with movies such as “Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain,” “The Swordsman” series, and the “Once Upon a Time in China” series.

Qeelin: Parisian Chic Meets Eastern Mystique

In fine cuisine, some of the most impressive dishes fuse elements from different cultures. Hong Kong brand Qeelin has set out to do the same with its high-end range of jewelry.

Qeelin's products infuse exquisite French craftsmanship with Chinese aesthetics. It is no coincidence that the brand was conceived during a journey along that famous hub of exchange between East and West, the Silk Road. Founder Dennis Chan was visiting the UNESCO-listed Dunhuang Caves in China in 1997 when he was struck by the idea for a unique range. Teaming up with French entrepreneur Guillaume Brochard, Chan launched Qeelin in 2004. In little over five years, the brand's strong cross-cultural identity has become internationally recognized. Stores have opened in Paris, London and Los Angeles, with the first boutique established in Taipei in 2008.

How to Manage Your Anger at Work

Losing your temper is one of the worst things that can happen at work. For a split second you lose your emotional control and say something that cannot be unsaid. Oops! You may just have made an enemy, lost a client, or blown a chance at promotion. Hardly your finest hour.

Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Knowing how you get yourself into trouble will help you realize which situations are dangerous to you personally.

A New Slant on an Old Favorite

Taiwan is full of culinary delights, but which dish would you recommend to a foreign visitor? Stinky tofu might be too extreme for a first-timer, while fried chicken fillet is hardly unique to Taiwan. How about another staple served in households and food stalls island-wide — the simple but enticing braised minced pork and rice?

As tasty as this dish is, the use of fatty meat means the calorie content can be jaw-droppingly high. One young woman has addressed this dilemma by giving the old favorite a healthy twist. The daughter of restaurateurs, Lin Yuan-chun grew up on braised minced pork and rice. Conscious of health issues, Lin began to think about making the dish leaner without sacrificing its authentic flavor. As the dish is often served at eateries where sanitary conditions leave a lot to be desired, Lin also wanted to create a clean, attractive dining environment.

跟賈伯斯學英語：賈伯斯原汁原味 iPad 2 新品發表演說

賈伯斯產品發表會演說你都聽得懂嗎？

We've been working on this product for a while, and I just didn't want to miss today . . .

Combating Harmful Habits

When you boil it down, your performance at work is the result of an accumulation of habits — both positive and negative. Unsurprisingly, bad habits are detrimental to your career. Here are some common ones you should avoid.

Oops, Late Again 

跟比爾‧蓋茲學英語：比爾‧蓋茲原汁原味哈佛大學畢業典禮演說

If we can find approaches that meet the needs of the poor in ways that generate profits for business and votes for politicians, we will have found a sustainable way to reduce inequity in the world. Now this task is open-ended. It can never be finished. But a conscious effort to answer this challenge can change the world.

I'm optimistic that we can do this, but I talk to skeptics who claim there is no hope. They say: “Inequity has been with us since the beginning, and will be with us until the end — because people just don't care.” I completely disagree.

Seven Body Language Blunders at Work

In meetings, everyday office conversations or job interviews, you are always careful about what you say. Do you know what you are communicating to people with your body language, though? Researchers say up to 55 percent of communication is in how we move and gesture with our body, face and arms. Here are some common mistakes to avoid, so you don't give people an impression you didn't intend.

Stop Fidgeting!

Ikea: Fabulous Prefab

When a Swedish teenager established a small business in his village in 1943, few could have predicted that it would become the largest furniture retailer in the world. Almost 70 years later, however, Ikea is an international giant, and there is no end in sight to its expansion. The company's success is down to the unique and sometimes controversial business model established by Ingvar Kamprad, who founded the company all those years ago.

The fact is that Ikea supplies attractive furniture at dirt-cheap prices. This coupled with a strong brand identity has seen it weather economic downturns. The current CEO Mikael Ohlsson believes the thrift that has served Ikea so well is rooted in the company's origins in a relatively underdeveloped region of Sweden. Locals, says Ohlsson, are “stubborn, cost-conscious and ingenious at making a living with very little.”

A Business and a Pleasure

Making money is all well and good, but job satisfaction is equally important to many people. Getting paid for something you love doing is a dream for most of us, but for some fortunate folk, it's a day-to-day reality.

Need for Speed

Health at Your Fingertips 保健康彈指間

Headache 頭痛

Causes 成因

宏碁發布執行長蘭奇辭職原汁原味新聞稿

Acer CEO and President Gianfranco Lanci has resigned from the company, with immediate effect. Acer Chairman J.T. Wang has taken on the role of acting CEO in the interim. The company has commenced the planning of organizational and operational adjustments for the sustainable future of Acer.

The resignation was approved at a meeting of Acer's Board of Directors today, and has been communicated internally to the company's employees worldwide.