Part I
Professor: So what I'm going to talk about to you today is something called Ethnography. This is a type of research aimed at exploring the way human cultures work. It was first developed for use in anthropology, and it's also been used in sociology and communication studies. So what's it got to do with business, you may ask. Well, businesses are finding that ethnography can offer them deeper insight into the possible needs of customers, either present or future, as well as providing valuable information about their attitudes towards existing products. And ethnography can also help companies to design new products or services that customers really want. Let's look at some examples of how ethnographic research works in business. One team of researchers did a project for a company manufacturing kitchen equipment. They watched how cooks used measuring cups to measure out things like sugar and flour. They saw that the cooks had to check and recheck the contents, because although the measuring cups had numbers inside them, the cooks couldn't see these easily. So a new design of cup was developed to overcome this problem, and it was a top seller.企业发现，民族志可以帮助他们更深入地了解客户（无论是现在的还是未来的）的潜在需求，以及提供有关客户对现有产品态度的宝贵信息。1. Ethnography|eθˈnɑːɡrəfi|noun. the scientific description of different races and cultures人种志；人种论noun. if you gain insight or an insight into a complex situation or problem, you gain an accurate and deep understanding of it 深入了解; 深刻见解E.g.: The project would give scientists new insights into what is happening to the Earth's atmosphere.
该项目将使科学家们对地球大气层正在发生的情况有更新的了解。
a metal or plastic container used in the US for measuring quantities when cooking（美国烹饪用的）量杯verb. to succeed in dealing with or controlling a problem that has been preventing you from achieving sth克服；解决
E.g.: She overcame injury to win the Olympic gold medal.
她战胜了伤痛，赢得了奥运会金牌。
noun. a product that has been sold in the amounts or way mentioned（畅销、滞销等的）商品
E.g.: This particular model is one of our biggest sellers.
用来喻指生活中的激烈斗争的一场足球比赛
Another team of ethnographic researchers looked at how cell phones were used in Uganda, in Africa. They found that people who didn't have their own phones could pay to use the phones of local entrepreneurs. Because these customers paid in advance for their calls, they were eager to know how much time they'd spent on the call so far. So the phone company designed phones for use globally with this added feature. Ethnographic research has also been carried out in computer companies. In one company, IT systems administrators were observed for several weeks. It was found that a large amount of their work involved communicating with colleagues in order to solve problems, but that they didn't have a standard way of exchanging information from spreadsheets and so on. So the team came up with an idea for software that would help them to do this.In another piece of research, a team observed and talked to nurses working in hospitals. This led to the recognition that the nurses needed to access the computer records of their patients, no matter where they were. This led to the development of a portable computer tablet that allowed the nurses to check records in locations throughout the hospital.调查发现，他们的大量工作涉及与同事沟通以解决问题，但他们没有标准的方式来交换电子表格等信息。1. entrepreneur |ˌɑːntrəprəˈnɜːr|noun. a person who makes money by starting or running businesses, especially when this involves taking financial risks创业者，企业家（尤指涉及财务风险的）
noun. something important, interesting or typical of a place or thing特色；特征；特点
E.g.: The software has no particular distinguishing features.
这个软件没有明显的特点。
3. spreadsheet|ˈspredʃiːt|noun. a computer program that is used, for example, when doing financial or project planning. You enter data in rows and columns and the program calculates costs, etc. from it.（计算机）电子表格程序
4. recognition |ˌrekəɡˈnɪʃn|noun. the act of accepting that sth exists, is true or is official承认；认可
E.g.: There is a general recognition of the urgent need for reform.
人们普遍认识到迫切需要改革。
adj. that is easy to carry or to move便携式的；手提的；轻便的
E.g.: There was a little portable television switched on behind the bar.
吧台后有一台便携式小电视机开着。
noun. clay tablets or stone tablets are the flat pieces of clay or stone which people used to write on before paper was invented (黏土或石头制的、用以铭刻文字的) 匾; 碑
E.g.: We can be very flexible—our entry requirements are not set in tablets of stone (= they can be changed) .我们可以非常灵活，加入条件并非铁板钉钉。.
Part III
Occasionally, research can be done even in environments where the researchers can't be present. For example, in one project done for an airline, respondents used their smartphones to record information during airline trips, in a study aiming at tracking the emotions of passengers during a flight. So what makes studies like these different from ordinary research? Let's look at some of the general principles behind ethnographic research in business. First of all, the researcher has to be completely open-minded - he or she hasn't thought up a hypothesis to be tested, as is the case in other types of research. Instead they wait for the participants in the research to inform them. As far as choosing the participants themselves is concerned, that's not really all that different from ordinary research - the criteria according to which the participants are chosen may be something as simple as the age bracket they fall into, or the researchers may select them according to their income, or they might try to find a set of people who all use a particular product, for example. But it's absolutely crucial to recruit the right people as participants. As well as the criteria I've mentioned, they have to be comfortable talking about themselves and being watched as they go about their activities.首先，研究人员必须完全保持开放的心态——他或她没有像其他类型的研究那样，事先想好要检验的假设。adj.if someone is present at an event, they are there 在场的E.g.: Nearly 85 percent of men are present at the birth of their children.
将近85%的男性在他们的孩子出生时在场。
2. respondent|rɪˈspɑːndənt|noun. a person who answers questions, especially in a survey回答问题的人；（尤指）调查对象
E.g.: 60% of the respondents agreed with the suggestion.
回复调查的人中60%同意这项建议。
to create sth in your mind想出；发明E.g.: Can't you think up a better excuse than that?
难道你就想不出一个比这更好的借口？
4. criterion|kraɪˈtɪəriən|noun. pl. criteria, a standard or principle by which sth is judged, or with the help of which a decision is made（评判或作决定的）标准，准则，原则
E.g.: The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
noun. prices, etc. within a particular range（价格、年龄、收入等的）组级，等级E.g.: Most of the houses are out of our price bracket.
大多数房子都超出我们的价格范围。
verb. if you recruit people for an organization, you select them and persuade them to join it or work for it 招收; 招募
E.g.: They recruited several new members to the club.
他们吸收了几名新成员进入俱乐部。
Actually, most researchers say that people open up pretty easily, maybe because they're often in their own home or workplace. So what makes this type of research special is that it's not just a matter of sending a questionnaire to the participants, instead the research is usually based on first-hand observation of what they are doing at the time. But that doesn't mean that the researcher never talks to the participants. However, unlike in traditional research, in this case it's the participant rather than the researchers who decides what direction the interview will follow. This means that there's less likelihood of the researcher imposing his or her own ideas on the participant. But after they've said goodbye to their participants and got back to their office, the researchers' work isn't finished. Most researchers estimate that 70 to 80 per cent of their time is spent not on the collecting of data but on its analysis - looking at photos, listening to recordings and transcribing them, and so on. The researchers may end up with hundreds of pages of notes.And to determine what's significant, they don't focus on the sensational things or the unusual things, instead they try to identify a pattern of some sort in all this data, and to discern the meaning behind it. This can result in some compelling insights that can in turn feed back to the whole design process...因此，这类研究的特别之处在于，它不仅仅是向参与者发送问卷，而是通常基于对他们当时所作所为的第一手观察。to talk about what you feel and think直抒胸臆；畅所欲言E.g.: It helps to discuss your problems but I find it hard to open up. 与人谈谈自己面临的问题固然有益，但我觉得有些话很难说得出口。
2. questionnaire|ˌkwestʃəˈner|noun. a written list of questions that are answered by a number of people so that information can be collected from the answers调查表；问卷
E.g.: to complete a questionnaire
填好问卷
verb. to make sb accept the same opinions, wishes etc. as your own使（别人）接受自己的意见E.g.: It was noticeable how a few people managed to impose their will on the others.显而易见，有少数几个人设法把自己的意志强加于别人。
4. transcribe|trænˈskraɪb|verb. to record thoughts, speech or data in a written form, or in a different written form from the original记录；抄录；把…转成（另一种书写形式）E.g.: The interview was recorded and then transcribed.采访谈话先录了音，然后再抄录出来。
5. sensational|senˈseɪʃənl|adj. a sensational result, event, or situation is so remarkable that it causes great excitement and interest 戏剧性的; 轰动性的
E.g.: The world champions suffered a sensational defeat.世界冠军们遭到一次戏剧性的失败。
verb. to know, recognize or understand sth, especially sth that is not obvious觉察出；识别；了解E.g.: It is possible to discern a number of different techniques in her work.从她的作品中可以识别出许多不同的创作手法。
adj. that makes you think it is true令人信服的
E.g.: There is no compelling reason to believe him.没有令人信服的理由让人相信他。
