1. 这是什么词?
词:viable
英英释义:able to be done, or worth doing
例句:Renewables are economically viable alternatives.
2. 为什么选这个词?
“viable”是个形容词,它本身的意思是“可以存活的”,常被引申使用表示“可行的” “值得做的”。正如健康的生命才可以存活,好的想法、产品、解决方案才能存活,我们可以用 viable 来形容表示想法、产品、解决方案这一类词,也常可以用它替换 effective, feasible 等词。
在产品设计中,有个概念叫“最简可行产品”,它的英文就是 Minimum Viable Product(MVP),我们可以从它的英文解释中体会一下 viable 的意思:
A minimum viable product (MVP) is a product with just enough features to satisfy early customers and to provide feedback for future product development.
这里的 viable 就可以理解为“satisfy early customers”。如果一个产品可以满足用户的需求,实现盈利,那它就是一个 viable product。
比如星巴克在某一个四线城市开店半年以来,收入明显好于预期,就可以说:
Starbucks' new store in this fourth-tier city has proved commercially viable.
从经济角度来看,可再生能源是合适的替代能源。用英文可以说成:
Renewables are economically viable alternatives.
《经济学人》在一月份一篇讲电脑芯片的文章中就用到了 viable:
To keep its design pipeline full of viable new ideas, the firm must constantly forecast the computer industry’s direction.
3. 怎样学会使用这个词?
1)使用《牛津英语搭配词典》查“viable”,了解它作为形容词时的常用搭配。
2)翻译下面的句子:
中国经济下行,许多 O2O 模式显得不再可行。
As China’s economy is going downhill, many online-to-offline businesses no longer seem commercially viable.
参考翻译:As China’s economy is going downhill, many online-to-offline (O2O) businesses no longer seem (commercially/economically) viable.
3)结合自己的生活、学习、工作、兴趣等,想象在什么语境下会用到这个表达。先简要描述这个场景,再造句。
例子: 事实证明,没有可行的计划,他难以完成这些紧迫的任务。
场景 :He has proved unequal to the urgent tasks without viable plans.