the.world.is.flat-第6部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


my　bag？　I　want　my　bag　now！'　We　were　like　supposed　to　say；　'Excuse　me；　can　I　have　your　
first　name　and　last　name？'　'But　where's　my　bag！'　Some　would　ask　which　country　am　I　
from？　We　are　supposed　to　tell　the　truth；　＇so＇　we　tell　them　India。　Some　thought　it　
was　Indiana；　not　India！　Some　did　not　know　where　India　is。　I　said　it　is　the　country　
next　to　Pakistan。〃　
Although　the　great　majority　of　the　calls　are　rather　routine　and　dull；　competition　
for　these　jobs　is　fierce…not　only　because　they　pay　well；　but　because　you　can　work　
at　night　and　go　to　school　during　part　of　the　day；　so　they　are　stepping…stones　toward　
a　higher　standard　of　living。　P。　V。　Kannan；　CEO　and　cofounder　of　24/7；　explained　to　
me　how　it　all　worked：　〃Today　we　have　over　four　thousand　associates　spread　out　in　
Bangalore；　Hyderabad；　and　Chennai。　Our　associates　start　out　with　a　take…home　pay　of　
roughly　200　a　month；　which　grows　to　300　to　400　per　month　in　six　months。　We　also　
provide　transportation；　lunch；　and　dinner　at　no　extra　cost。　We　providelife　insurance；　
medical　insurance　for　the　entire　family…　and　other　benefits。〃　
Therefore；　the　total　cost　of　each　call　center　operator　is　actually　around　500　per　
month　when　they　start　out　and　closer　to　600　to　700　per　month　after　six　months。　
Everyone　is　also　entitled　to　performance　bonuses　that　allow　them　to　earn；　in　certain　
cases；　the　equivalent　of　100　percent　of　their　base　salary。　〃Around　10　to　20　percent　
of　our　associates　pursue　a　degree　in　business　or　computer　science　during　the　day　
hours；〃　said　Kannan；　adding　that　more　than　one…third　are　taking　some　kind　of　extra　
computer　or　business　training；　even　if　it　is　not　toward　a　degree。　〃It　is　quite　common　
in　India　for　people　to　pursue　education　through　their　twenties…self…improvement　is　
a　big　theme　and　actively　encouraged　by　parents　and　companies。　We　sponsor　an　MBAprogram　
for　consistent　performers　＇with＇　full…day　classes　over　the　weekend。　Everyone　works　
eight　hours　a　day；　five　days　a　week；　with　two　fifteen…minute　breaks　and　an　hour　off　
for　lunch　or　dinner。〃Not　surprisingly；　the　24/7　customer　call　center　gets　about　seven　
hun…　
26　
dred　applications　a　day；　but　only　6　percent　of　applicants　are　hired。　Here　is　a　snippet　
from　a　recruiting　session　for　call　center　operators　at　a　women's　college　in　Bangalore：　
Recruiter　1：　〃Good　morning；　girls。〃　
Class　in　unison：　〃Good　morning；　ma'am。〃　
Recruiter　1：　〃We　have　been　retained　by　some　of　the　multinationals　here　to　do　the　
recruitment　for　them。　The　primary　clients　that　we　are　recruiting　＇for＇　today　are　
Honeywell。　And　also　for　America　Online。〃　
The　young　women…dozens　of　them…then　all　lined　up　with　their　application　forms　and　
waited　to　be　interviewed　by　a　recruiter　at　a　wooden　table。　Here　is　what　some　of　the　
interviews　sounded　like：　
Recruiter　1：　〃What　kind　of　job　are　you　looking　at？〃　
Applicant　1：　〃It　should　be　based　on　accounts；　then；　where　I　can　grow；　I　can　grow　in　
my　career。〃　


Recruiter　1：　〃You　have　to　be　more　confident　about　yourself　when　you're　speaking。　
You're　very　nervous。　I　want　you　to　work　a　little　on　that　and　then　get　in　touch　with　
us。〃　
Recruiter　2　to　another　applicant：　〃Tell　me　something　about　yourself。〃　
Applicant　2：　〃I　have　passed　my　SSC　with　distinction。　Second　P　also　with　distinction。　
And　I　also　hold　a　70　percent　aggregate　in　previous　two　years。〃　（This　is　Indian　lingo　
for　their　equivalents　of　GPA　and　SAT　scores。）　
Recruiter　2：　〃Go　a　little　slow。　Don't　be　nervous。　Be　cool。〃　
The　next　step　for　those　applicants　who　are　hired　at　a　call　center　is　the　training　
program；　which　they　are　paid　to　attend。　It　combines　learning　how　to　handle　the　specific　
processes　for　the　company　whose　calls　they　will　be　taking　or　making；　and　attending　
something　called　〃accent　neutralization　class。〃　These　are　daylong　sessions　with　a　
language　teacher　who　prepares　the　new　Indian　hires　todisguise　their　pronounced　Indian　
accents　when　speaking　English　and　replace　them　with　American；　Canadian；　or　British　
ones…depending　on　which　part　of　the　world　they　will　be　speaking　with。　It's　pretty　
bizarre　to　watch。　The　class　I　sat　in　on　was　being　trained　to　speak　in　a　neutral　
middle…American　accent。　The　students　were　asked　to　read　over　and　over　a　single　
phonetic　paragraph　designed　to　teach　them　how　to　soften　their　r's　and　to　roll　their　
r's。　
Their　teacher；　a　charming　eight…months…pregnant　young　woman　

dressed　in　a　traditional　Indian　sari；　moved　seamlessly　among　British；　American；　and　
Canadian　accents　as　she　demonstrated　reading　a　paragraph　designed　to　highlight　
phonetics。　She　said　to　the　class；　〃Remember　the　first　day　I　told　you　that　the　Americans　
flap　the　'tuh'　sound？　You　know；　it　sounds　like　an　almost　'duh'　sound…not　crisp　and　
clear　like　the　British。So　I　would　not　say〃…here　she　was　crisp　and　sharp…'〃Betty　bought　
a　bit　of　better　butter'　or　'Insert　a　quarter　in　the　meter。'　But　I　would　say〃　…her　
voice　very　flat…〃'Insert　a　quarter　in　the　meter'　or　'Betty　bought　a　bit　of　better　
butter。'　So　I'm　just　going　to　read　it　out　for　you　once；　and　then　we'll　read　it　together。　
All　right？　'Thirty　little　turtles　in　a　bottle　of　bottled　water。　A　bottle　of　bottled　
water　held　thirty　little　turtles。　It　didn't　matter　that　each　turtle　had　to　rattle　
a　metal　ladle　in　order　to　get　a　little　bit　of　noodles。'　
〃All　right；　who's　going　to　read　first？〃　the　instructor　asked。　Each　member　of　the　class　
then　took　a　turn　trying　to　say　this　tongue　twister　in　an　American　accent。　Some　of　
them　got　it　on　the　first　try；　and　others；　well；　let's　just　say　that　you　wouldn't　think　
they　were　in　Kansas　City　if　they　answered　your　call　to　Delta's　lost…luggage　number。　
After　listening　to　them　stumble　through　this　phonetics　lesson　for　half　an　hour；　I　
asked　the　teacher　if　she　would　like　me　to　give　them　an　authentic　version…since　I'm　
originally　from　Minnesota；　smack　in　the　Midwest；　and　still　speak　like　someone　out　
of　the　movie　Fargo。　Absolutely；　she　said。　So　I　read　the　following　paragraph：　〃A　bottle　
of　bottled　water　held　thirty　little　turtles。　It　didn't　matter　that　each　turtle　had　
to　rattle　a　metal　ladle　in　order　to　get　a　little　bit　of　noodles；　a　total　turtle　
delicacy　。　。　。　The　problem　was　that　there　were　many　turtle　battles　for　less　than　oodles　
of　noodles。　Every　time　they　thought　about　grappling　with　the　haggler　turtles　their　


little　turtle　minds　boggled　and　they　only　caught　a　little　bit　of　noodles。〃　
The　class　responded　enthusiastically。　It　was　the　first　time　I　ever　got　an　ovation　
for　speaking　Minnesotan。　On　the　surface；　there　is　something　unappealing　about　the　
idea　of　inducing　other　people　to　flatten　their　accents　in　order　to　compete　in　a　flatter　
world。　But　before　you　disparage　it；　you　have　to　taste　just　how　hungry　these　kids　are　
to　escapethe　lower　end　of　the　middle　class　and　move　up。　If　a　little　accent　modification　
is　the　price　they　have　to　pay　to　jump　a　rung　of　the　ladder；　then　so　be　it…they　say。　
28　
〃This　is　a　high…stress　environment；〃　said　Nilekani；　the　CEO　of　Infosys；　which　also　
runs　a　big　call　center。　〃It　is　twenty…four　by　seven。　You　work　in　the　day；　and　then　
the　night；　and　then　the　next　morning。〃　But　the　working　environment；　he　insisted；　〃is　
not　the　tension　of　alienation。　It　is　the　tension　of　success。　They　are　dealing　with　
the　challenges　of　success；　of　high…pressure　living。　It　is　not　the　challenge　of　
worrying　about　whether　they　would　have　a　challenge。〃　
That　was　certainly　the　sense　I　got　from　talking　to　a　lot　of　the　call　center　operators　
on　the　floor。　Like　any　explosion　of　modernity；　outsourcing　is　challenging　traditional　
norms　and　ways　of　life。　But　educated　Indians　have　been　held　back　so　many　years　by　
both　poverty　and　a　socialist　bureaucracy　that　many　of　them　seem　more　than　ready　to　
put　up　with　the　hours。　And　needless　to　say；　it　is　much　easier　and　more　satisfying　
for　them　to　work　hard　in　Bangalore　than　to　pack　up　and　try　to　make　a　new　start　in　
America。　In　the　flat　world　they　can　stay　in　India；　make　a　decent　salary；　and　not　have　
to　be　away　from　families；　friends；　food；　and　culture。　At　the　end　of　the　day；　these　
new　jobs　actually　allow　them　to　be　more　Indian。　Said　Anney　Unnikrishnan；　a　personnel　
manager　at　24/7；　〃I　finished　my　MBA　and　I　remember　writing　the　GMAT　and　getting　into　
Purdue　University。　But　I　couldn't　go　because　I　couldn't　afford　it。　I　didn't　have　the　
money　for　it。　Now　I　can；　＇but＇　I　see　a　whole　lot　of　American　industry　has　come　into　
Bangalore　and　I　don't　really　need　to　go　there。　I　can　work　for　a　multinational　sitting　
right　here。　So　I　still　get　my　rice　and　sam…bar　＇a　traditional　Indian　dish＇；　which　
I　eat。　I　don't　need　to；　you　know；　learn　to　eat　coleslaw　and　cold　beef。　I　still　continue　
with　my　Indian　food　and　I　still　work　for　a　multinational。　Why　should　I　go　to　America？〃　
The　relatively　high　standard　of　living　that　she　can　now　enjoy…enough　for　a　small　
apartment　and　car　in　Bangalore…is　good　for　America　as　well。　When　you　look　around　at　
24/7's　call　center；　you　see　that　all　the　computers　are　running　Microsoft　Windows。　
The　chips　are　designed　by　Intel。　The　phones　are　from　Lucent。　The　air…conditioning　
is　by　Carrier；　and　even　the　bottled　water　is　by　Coke。　In　addition；　90　percent　of　the　
shares　in　24/7　are　owned　by　U。S。　investors。　This　explains　why；　although　the　United　
States　has　lost　some　service　jobs　to　India　in　recent　years；　total　exports　from　
American…based　companies…merchandise　and　services…to　India　have　grown　from　
29　
2。5　billion　in　1990　to　5　billion　in　2003。　So　even　with　the　outsourcing　of　some　service　
jobs　from　the　United　States　to　India；　India's　growing　economy　is　creating　a　demand　
for　many　more　American　goods　and　services。　What　goes　around；　comes　around。　
Nine　years　ago；　when　Japan　was　beating　America's　brains　out　in　the　auto　industry；　
I　wrote　a　column　about　playing　the　computer　geography　game　Where　in　the　World　is　Carmen　


Sandiego？　with　my　nine…year…old　daughter；　Orly。　I　was　trying　to　help　her　by　giving　
her　a　clue　suggesting　that　Carmen　had　gone　to　Detroit；　so　I　asked　her；　〃Where　are　
cars　made？〃　And　without　missing　a　beat　she　answered；　〃Japan。〃　
Ouch！　
Well；　I　was　reminded　of　that　story　while　visiting　Global　Edge；　an　Indian　software　
design　firm　in　Bangalore。　The　company's　marketing　manager；　Rajesh