《外国领导人为什么都爱参观硅谷Why foreign leaders love Silicon Valley》.doc

Why foreign leaders love Silicon Valley 外国领导人为什么都爱参观硅谷 Foreign leaders visiting the United States can fill their itineraries from a long list of fabulous destinations to conduct international diplomacy. Scenic mountains, balmy beaches, and a certain city that never sleeps would seem like top contenders. But instead, presidents and prime ministers from around the world are flocking to Silicon Valley, the land of office parks and suburban sprawl. Getting to know top executives from Google (GOOG), Facebook (FB), and Apple (AAPL), it turns out, is almost as important as photo-ops and meetings in Washington, D.C. 访问美国的外国元首在开展国际外交的时候原本可以在行程中加入长长一列度假胜地。风景优美的名山、温和宜人的海滩和某个不夜城似乎都是最佳的选择。然而，世界各地的总统和首相们却纷纷选择了硅谷这个办公园区林立、郊区扩张无序的地方。看来，结识谷歌（Google）、Facebook和苹果（Apple）的高管们与在华盛顿首府合影和会谈几乎具有同等的重要性。 Last week, French President Fran?ois Hollande became the latest such figure to make a pilgrimage to the worlds technology capital. In the last few years, leaders from Israel, Ireland, New Zealand, Turkey, Russia, Netherlands, Lithuania, and Malaysia have also visited. Their interest reflects the growing muscle of Silicon Valley companies and venture capitalists, with which heads of state are trying to curry favor in hopes of attracting business, investment, and any political cachet that comes from championing innovation. 上周，法国总统弗朗索瓦?奥朗德成为了最近一个造访全球科技之都的国家领导人。过去的几年中，以色列、爱尔兰、新西兰、土耳其、俄罗斯、荷兰、立陶宛和马来西亚的元首也都曾经来到这里参观。他们对硅谷的兴趣反映了硅谷公司和风险投资家们日益强大的影响力。各国元首正在向他们示好，希望从这些顶尖的创新思维中找出经商、投资和提高政治声誉的办法。 Theyre looking for jobs, said William Miller, a former provost at Stanford University who accompanied a number of foreign delegations in Silicon Valley over the years. They also have a feeling that a larger company -- whether Intel or Google -- could locate there and become a magnet for others. 多年来陪同过多位外国代表团的斯坦福大学（Stanford University）前教务长威廉?米勒说：“他们盯着的是就业机会。他们同时也觉得，无论是英特尔（Intel）还是谷歌，只要大型公司在他们的国家落户，就会吸引其他的大公司。” During his brief visit, Hollande met with dozens of top Silicon Valley executives. A private lunch included