VIPKID米雯娟：迈出自我舒适区 用奋斗定义美好

在2019国际妇女节到来之际，“美好生活计划”携手世界银行，推出特别策划【新世代，她力量】，为大家带来VIPKID 创始人米雯娟、快看漫画创始人陈安妮、轻松筹创始人兼CEO杨胤等多位中国女性鼓舞人心的故事。

对话VIPKID米雯娟

Q：请自我介绍一下。

Tell us about yourself．

A：我是米雯娟，是一位在线教育行业的创业者。五年前，为了实现大规模的个性化教育，让孩子们快乐地学习英语，我创办了VIPKID，借助网络技术，让孩子们在网络上通过与外教一对一的视频学习语言。现在，VIPKID已经连接了6万北美外教和50万的中国学员，也让更多的乡村孩子看到了精彩的世界。

My name is Cindy， or Mi Wenjuan， and I am an entrepreneur in the online education industry． Five years ago， to provide large-scale personalized education so children could happily learn English， I founded VIPKID， a one-on-one English teaching platform which allows children to learn English from foreign teachers via video calls on the internet． Currently， VIPKID has connected 60，000 North American teachers with 500，000 Chinese students， and helped rural children in China see the colorful outside world．

Q：是什么激励你早上起床？你的动力是什么？

What inspires you to get up in the morning？ What drives you？

A：我的目标是创造一个“世界大课堂”，为孩子们连接全球最好的老师，让他们更加快乐地学习。我并没有把这个目标当作工作，这是我的兴趣，也是我的梦想，是我人生奋斗、实现自我价值的一种方式。作为“大米老师“，我希望看到孩子们能够保持好奇心，自发地学、自信地学，这就是我们最大的成就。所以，每天早晨一睁开眼睛，我起床的动力都是如何为孩子们在全球找到更好的老师、内容和技术，让孩子们在学习中体验到游戏一样的快乐。

My goal is to create a “Global Classroom” where children are connected with the best teachers around the world so that they can learn English． Actually， I do not regard it as a job， but as my interest， my dream and as a way to strive for success and realize my own value． As “Ms． Rice” （Mi means rice in Chinese）， I hope that children can keep their curiosity， passion and confidence in learning， which would be our biggest achievement． Therefore， every morning I open my eyes， I am motivated by how to find better teachers， textbooks and technology from around the world so that children can enjoy learning as much as they enjoy playing．

每天早上六点钟，叫醒我的是“客户之声”，我会用手机接入前一天的客服电话的录音剪辑，听听孩子和家长们对VIPKID产品服务的意见和建议。学习是一件美妙有趣的事情，VIPKID的所有员工都致力于为孩子们的学习提供最优质的体验，我们希望通过努力让孩子们体会到学习中的快乐，不再有畏难的情绪。

At 6：00 every morning， I’m woken up by the “Voice of the Customers．” I use my cellphone to connect to the recording clips of our customer service calls from the previous day and listen to the feedback and suggestions for the VIPKID products and services from our students and parents． Learning is such a wonderful and interesting thing． All staff at VIPKID are devoted to providing students with the best learning experience and hope that children can really feel the happiness of learning， instead of getting frustrated in face of challenges．

Q：是什么让你走上这条路？

What set you on this path？

A：一方面来自于我自己的语言学习经历。语言的学习给我的人生带来了很大不同，让我了解到语言背后多样的文化，看到地球另一端世界的精彩。我坚信教育能改变孩子们的人生。

On the one hand， it’s my own language learning experience that inspires me． Language learning has made a huge difference in my life and allowed me to understand the diverse cultures behind languages and see a wonderful world on the other side of the globe． I firmly believe that education can definitely change children‘s life．

另一方面，时代为创业造就了良好的机遇。网络的普及，为教育行业带来了更多的想象空间。创业前我在一家教育机构担任教学负责人，但面临着好老师难找，家长和孩子奔波在上课路上很辛苦，教学效果难以评估等难点。这些难点在网络时代有了更多解决的可能，我们希望在全球教育资源最充沛的地区招募有经验的老师，孩子们在家通过网络上课，AI技术会帮助我们在课程中更客观地评价孩子的学习效果，支持老师使用更加符合孩子特点的教学方式。

On the other hand， there are good opportunities for entrepreneurship in this era． Access to the Internet provides more space for the education industry． Before I started my own business， I served as the head of a teaching department in a brick-and-mortar educational institution． But we were faced with many challenges． For example， it was hard to recruit good teachers； it was a waste of time and energy for parents and children to commute between school and home； and it was difficult to assess children’s learning outcomes． The internet age has offered more possibilities and solutions． We hope to recruit experienced teachers from areas with the most abundant educational resources； children are able to study at home through the Internet． AI technology can help us assess children’s learning outcomes in a more objective way and support teachers to use a more personalized teaching method for different children．

Q：对于走这条路的年轻女性，你有什么建议？

What advice do you have for young women who want to take a similar path？

A：迈出自我舒适区，就能看到世界更多的精彩。全身心的投入一件事，过程就是一种回报。

When you step out of your comfort zone， you will see more of our colorful world． When you dedicate yourself body and soul to something， the process itself is a reward．

Q：现在的状态，是你想要的“美好生活”吗？用几个关键词，形容你眼中的美好生活。

Are you having the “ideal life” that you want？ Could you please use several key words to describe what makes the “ideal life” in your mind？

A：我觉得处于我想要的美好生活中，奋斗本身也是一种美好，我们用自己的奋斗去为更多家长和孩子们创造更多价值，这种回报更是一种美好。

I think I’m living an ideal life that I want． Striving for success is a beautiful journey on which we are also creating more value for more parents and children with our efforts． The rewarding process is even more beautiful．

世界大课堂——所有的孩子都能找到合适自己的学习方式。

A Global Classroom —— A classroom where all children can find the personalized way of learning that fits them．

云端课堂——所有的孩子随时随地都能学习。

A Cloud Classroom —— A classroom where learning can happen anytime and anywhere for all children around the world．

爱孩子，懂教育——每一位老师都充满爱孩子的心，同时具备高水平的教育技能。

Love Children and Have A Key Insight Into Education —— All teachers really love children and are fully equipped with high-level skillset in teaching．

欣赏——每一位孩子都能得到老师的欣赏，在学习中展现自信和自我驱动。

Appreciation —— Every child can receive appreciation from teachers so that they are increasingly confident and self-motivated in learning．

Q：你有没有喜欢的名言？

Do you have a favorite quote or saying？

A：只有天空才是你的极限。

Only the sky is the limit．

Q：中国目前面临的最大的问题有哪些？怎样才能解决？

What are the biggest issues in China right now and how can they be addressed？

A：中国经济发展良好，是全球化的倡导者和推动者。我们已经拥有目前国际领先的硬件能力，但仍需要大量的国际化人才，才能让中国的硬件和优势发挥最大效用。

China has a fast-growing economy and is a champion and driving force for globalization． We have developed world-class infrastructure but still need a large number of internationalized talents to maximize the effect of infrastructure and China’s comparative advantage．

国际一流水平的人才培养不是一蹴而就，需要长时间的持续投入，需要从娃娃抓起，让未来一代从小就能接触到优质的国际教育资源，具备中国精神、国际视野和创新能力，加入全球人才的竞争和协同。

Developing world-class talent does not happen overnight． It takes a long time and continuous investment． It should come from children， by giving the next generation access to high quality education resources from early childhood， equipping them with international vision and innovation capabilities， and enabling them to compete and work with talent from around the world．

Q：你怎么看25年后的中国？

Where do you see China in 25 years？

A：全球化是时代大趋势，25年后的中国，社会舞台上活跃的就是目前在VIPKID学习语言的这一代小朋友，他们必然是国际化的“世界公民”，去参与更多的全球治理和人文交流。他们的创造力和开阔的眼界会为中国甚至世界带来新的时代特征，也会更加积极的推动中国的全球化进程。

Globalization is a megatrend of our times． In 25 years， the children who are learning English through VIPKID will be active in the society． They will be internationalized “world citizens” involved in global governance and people-to-people exchange． They will bring new characteristics to China and even the world with their creativity and global vision and play a more active role in promoting China’s globalization process．

Q：你希望看到哪些变化能够使中国进一步实现性别平等？

What change would you like to see that could bring greater equality in China？

A：过去的五年，我们持续做公益，将外教课程送到边远偏僻的山村，惠及了上万名山村学童。在中国的边远山村，我们看到更多的女孩受到了教育，更多的女性从事有偿工作。我们能感受到中国在持续的进一步实现性别平等。目前在中国的一线城市，更多的女性出现在职场上并取得成功，同工同酬基本上已经实现，我希望能看到越来越多的女性能够从事自己喜欢和擅长的职业，能够从工作中获得更多的人生价值和乐趣。

In the past five years， we have made constant efforts in public goods by giving students in remote rural areas access to foreign teachers’ courses， benefiting tens of thousands of rural students． In remote areas of China， more girls are receiving education and more women get paid work． We can feel that China is working towards gender equality． In China’s first-tier cities， more women are working as professionals and are successful in their career， with “equal pay for equal work．” I hope to see more women who are able to do the jobs they like and are good at and gain more value from life and their work．

Q：如果让你用一个词来形容东亚太平洋地区的妇女，你会用什么词？

If you could use one word to describe women in East Asia Pacific what would it be？

A：我想用一个成语故事“孟母三迁”，讲的是一位母亲为了让孩子受到良好的教育，不断搬家的故事。这个故事在中国家喻户晓，并被很多母亲认可。东亚太平洋地区的女性在子女教育上投入很大的精力和努力，她们都是了不起的女性，也是守护孩子们的天使和英雄。

I would like to use a Chinese story called “Mencius‘s Mom moving three times．“ It is about a mother who moved three times to find a good environment for her son to live and study． The story is well-known in China and appreciated by many mothers． Women in East Asia Pacific invest great effort in their children’s education． They are all great women， as well as guardian angels and heroes for their children．

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